Italian Burraco is a card game for 2 or 4 players, very popular in that country, from the same family as Pinella.
The goal of the game is to create same-suit runs to score points. This mode uses 2 standard 52-card decks without jokers.
Available game modes:
- Italian Burraco. Open-dirty for 4 players in pairs. Express game with 1 round.
- Buraco. Open-clean 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.
Other games with similar rules: Chinchon, Tranca, Gin Rummy, Remigio, Pinella…
Summary
| Pile of discards | “Open” discard pile (all cards can be seen). |
|---|---|
| Wild cards |
Twos and jokers. Twos can be replaced. Twos are worth 20 points and jokers are worth 30 points. |
| Combinations |
Straights and groups of cards with the same rank (except twos). The ace can go before the 2 or after the king. Runs from ace to ace are not allowed. However, the following is allowed: 2 2 3 … J Q K A |
| Run required to close | You can close with any run (clean or dirty). |
| Closing | A card must be discarded to close. |
How to play Italian Burraco
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:
- Draw a card from the draw pile.
- …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.
On your turn you must decide whether to draw a card from the deck or all visible cards from the discard area to make your combinations.
Wild cards
Twos and jokers function as wild cards in any combination. In total there are 12 wild cards, counting all twos and jokers. 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.
If the straight has been completed, the wild card cannot be replaced.
For example: 2 2 3 5 … J Q K A
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.
Not available in this game mode. - 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.
- Semi-clean run
-
It contains a wild card. It can be a sequence of at least 7 consecutive cards with a wild card at the beginning or at the end of the combination. It can also be 7 cards of the same rank plus a wild card.
For example, the sequence 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 would be a semi-clean run. - Dirty run
- It contains a wild card.
Royal run-
A clean run from ace to king (the ace is placed after the king).
Not available in this game mode. Ace to ace run-
A clean run from ace to ace.
Not available in this game mode.
When replacing a wild card, a dirty run can become a clean one and earn more points. But beware! The opposite can also happen.
End of the round
The player can close the round when they run out of cards, their team has picked up the “stock” (if available), and they have a run.
The round can also end if there are no cards left in the deck and all the side stocks have been used.
Remember that if the game ends and the other team has more points, they will win the game!
Count up points
In this mode, the wild cards have a special value and there is no ace to ace straights.
| Cards | Score |
|---|---|
| 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 5 points |
| 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K | 10 points |
| Ace | 15 points |
| 2 (wild card) | 20 points |
| Joker | 30 points |
| Close the round | 100 points |
| Dirty run | 100 points |
| Semi-clean run | 150 points |
| Clean run | 200 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.
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
You already know the rules of Italian Burraco. Now play to get experience points , level up and get better in the ranking.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Play a game | 16 |
| Win a game | 26 |
| Make a run | 1 |
Players who leave the game will not score any points.
Get extra coins and experience by completing game challenges.