Burraco
Buraco: play now and win!
Features & Jackpots
Getting started
Start a new game or join one started by another player.
If you start a new game, you can decide who is allowed to join, how many players may play, with which score the game ends, and how high the stakes are.
The participating players, the maximum number of points, the bet, and your credit are displayed on the right of the gaming table. Moreover, you can see which action you have to take next. Below the nickname you can see how many cards a player has and the number of cards in the deck. Also, you may chat with your fellow players.
Gameplay
Buraco is played with two decks of French cards with four Jokers (108 cards in total). Two teams are formed in games with four players. At the beginning of the game, each participant is dealt eleven cards, and you can see your cards fanned out in front of you. 22 cards are taken from the pile to create two pots. The remaining cards form the deck face-down, while the top card is placed face-up to form the discard pile. Every move consists of taking a card from one of the two piles and discarding a card. If you opt for the discard pile, you have to take all the cards in it. If the discard pile contains only one card, you cannot discard a card in the current round.
To take a card from one of the piles or lay a card, click on the desired card and drag it to the desired position.
The buttons “Change sorting” and “Undo” are located to the right of your nickname. With the first button you can reshuffle your cards; with the second button you can take back cards that you have just laid.
Laying/Melding
To earn points for your team you can lay cards if you hold valid card combinations. You can either meld groups (cards of the same face value, for example: Queen of Hearts – Queen of Spades – Queen of Diamonds) or sequences (cards of the same suit in order, for example: 4 of Clubs – 5 of Clubs – 6 of Clubs). Aces can be placed either at the beginning of a sequence or at the end. You can add to sequences as the game progresses. Please click on the blue button displayed below your card in your hand to place or add – the card or combination will be moved automatically to the middle of the table.
A combination must contain at least three cards to be placed. If a combination contains more than six cards it is a Buraco.
Wildcards
The four Jokers and the eight 2s are so-called Wildcards that serve a special purpose in Buraco: Jokers can substitute for any card. They can replace 2s as 2s, or act as substitutes for other cards (in this case they are called Pinellas). Only one Wildcard (Joker or Pinella) may feature in a combination.
You can move a Wildcard up and down in your combination with the mouse. In a 2, 7, 8, 9 combination, for example, the Wildcard can be moved to the other side and the Jack can be added to the combination: 7, 8, 9, 2, Jack. If you have used a Wildcard in a sequence, you can replace the missing card and the Wildcard is moved to the lower end of the run, for example: the 5 will be added to the sequence 3, 4, Joker, 6, 7. The 5 replaces the Joker and the Joker moves down. The sequence is then as follows: Joker, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Buraco
If a combination contains more than six cards, it is a Buraco. If it contains no Wildcards, it is called a pure Buraco and earns you the most points. If the Buraco contains a Wildcard and seven consecutive cards, it is called a half-clean Buraco. If the combination is interrupted by a Wildcard (by being placed in the middle of the sequence), this is called a dirty Buraco.
“Taking pots”
Each player/team may take one of the two pots before the round is finished. This happens automatically when you have disposed of all of your cards. You will then be given a pot of eleven cards, which had initially been put aside.
A player ends a turn by placing their final card on the discard pile, and they are then issued a pot. If you have placed all your cards in sequences and do not have a card to place on the discard pile, you will be issued a pot “in flight” and may continue to play.
End of the game
If a player/team has already taken a pot, placed all their cards again and ended their move by placing their last card on the discard pile, the round is finished and the points will be counted. The round can only be finished if the player/team has melded at least one Buraco. The round will be automatically closed once there are only two cards left in the deck.
Scoring
Once a round is finished, the points are counted and shown in a window which you must confirm:
- A clean Buraco is worth 200 points.
- A half-clean Buraco is worth 150 points.
- A dirty Buraco is worth 100 points.
- You receive an additional 100 points for closing a round.
- A team/player is fined 100 points if they fail to take a pot before the round is closed.
- Hand fine: For any cards a player still holds, the values are added up and the player receives negative points.
- 3, 4, 5, 6, 7: five points
- 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King: ten points
- Ace: 15 points
- 2: 20 points
- Joker: 30 points
The game is over when one of the two teams has reached the set point score. If the set point score isn’t reached in a round, another round will be played and the point score will be carried over. If both teams exceed the set point score, the team with the highest point score wins. If both teams have the exact same point score, the match is declared a draw.
