Rules of Buraco

Buraco is a card game for 2 or 4 players, very popular in Brazil, from the same family as Tranca.

The object of the game is to create same-suit runs or groups of 3 or more cards of the same rank to score points. This game mode uses 2 standard decks of 52 cards and includes the jokers (4 in total).

Available game modes:

• Buraco. Open-clean for 4 players in pairs. Express game with 1 round.
• Italian Burraco. Open-dirty for 4 players in pairs. Express game with 1 round.

Other kinds of the game are: Closed dirty, Closed NSCR (no sets, clean run).

The pair with the most points at the end of the round wins.

Summary

How to play Buraco

All players start with 11 cards each. Two piles of 11 cards are left aside on the table called the “stock” (in Portuguese “the dead” or “mortos”). The remaining cards make up the draw deck.

Each player, on their turn, must:

1. Draw a card from the draw pile.
2. …Or pick up all the available cards from the discard pile in the middle of the table.

The player in turn may place cards or melds on the table to score points for their team.

• The player may create new combinations of 3 or more cards.
• They can also add single cards to the melds of their team already on the table.

The turn ends when the player discards a card face-up on the discard pile. If you draw a single card from the discard pile, you cannot discard it in the same turn.

Wild cards

Twos act as wild cards in any combination. There are 8 wild cards in total, counting all the twos. Only one wild card can be used per combination.

A combination can include two twos, as long as one acts as a wild card and the other keeps its natural rank.

When the “2” acts as a wild card in a combination, it can be replaced by the card it substitutes.

• If the 2 is of the same suit as the combination, it will move to its real place when replaced. For example, by adding a 3 to this straight 2 4 5, it will become 2 3 4 5.
• If it cannot take its real place, it will continue to function as a wild card on the far right or left of the combination.

The stock (the “dead” pile)

When a player runs out of cards, they must take one of the “stocks” (11 cards each). The following rules must be observed:

Direct close

The player combines their last card, picks up a stock and continues playing in the same turn.

Indirect close

The player discards their last card, picks up a stock and ends their turn.

Each pair can only use one stock during the round.

If there are no cards left in the draw pile, one of the “stocks” will replace it.

Canastas

A “canasta” or run is a combination of at least 7 cards. There are different types of runs:

Clean run

It does not contain a wild card.

Dirty run

It contains a wild card.

Royal run

A clean run from ace to king (the ace is placed after the king).

Ace to ace run

A clean run from ace to ace.

End of the round

A player can end the round when they run out of cards, their team has picked up the “side stock” (if available), and they have a clean run.

The round can also end if there are no cards left in the deck and all the side stocks have been used.

Count up points

Teams may also lose points in the following cases:

• You will lose points for each card left in your hand.
• Not picking up the “stock” will deduct 100 points.
• Picking up the “stock” and not using it will deduct 100 points.

End of the game

The game ends after the first round in express mode.

In case of a tie, the team that started the game wins.

Experience points and ranking