More than seven resource cards triggers a discard
Count resource cards, not development cards. At seven resources or fewer, you discard nothing. At eight or more, return half your resource cards, rounded down. An eight-card hand loses four; a nine-card hand also loses four.
Every affected player completes this requirement before the robber move is resolved. It can apply on someone else’s turn, so keep an eye on your hand after collecting production between your own actions.
Preserve a complete or near-complete purchase
If you can keep the four different resources for a legal settlement, that combination may be more useful than keeping several ore without enough grain for a city. Start by choosing the next realistic action you want your remaining hand to support.
For a city plan, retaining three ore and two grain would be ideal, but you may not have enough cards left to keep all five. In that case keep the hardest part to replace and identify the missing card you will seek next.
Use your production and ports as tie-breakers
Cards from resources you produce frequently are often easier to replace than a scarce resource you acquired through a difficult trade. An owned specialist port can also turn a matching pair into flexibility, so do not evaluate that pair as two isolated cards.
The correct discard depends on the board. If your intended settlement site was just blocked, retaining its exact four-card payment may no longer serve the best plan. Reassess the destination, not only your hand.
Avoid hoarding without a reason
Before ending an action phase with a large hand, look for a worthwhile purchase or exchange. Reducing exposure can be useful, but spending on a dead-end road simply to get below eight can waste the very cards you were trying to protect.
The seven risk is one input, not a command to empty your hand. A near-complete winning build can justify keeping cards. Make that choice consciously, and follow the live discard prompt when the next seven arrives.
| Hand before seven | Return | Keep |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 9 | 4 | 5 |
| 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 11 | 5 | 6 |
| 12 | 6 | 6 |