Burraco Rules

Burraco is a Rummy-style card game using two decks of cards, extremely popular in Italy. It involves strategy and teamwork. The game uses two standard 52-card decks plus 4 Jokers, for a total of 108 cards.

It can be played with 2 players (head-to-head) or 4 players (fixed pairs). In this online version you can challenge the AI in both 1 vs 1 and 2 vs 2 mode.

This game is constantly evolving: new features and improvements are added regularly. Soon it will also be possible to select your partner and opponents from various characters with different playing characteristics. If you notice anything not working as expected or have suggestions, write to us at postmaster@lucianomanenti.com — your feedback is valuable!

1. Objective

The goal is to score more points than your opponents by melding cards into valid combinations and runs. To win a round, you must:

Form sets and runs.
Create at least one Burraco (a combination of 7+ cards).
Collect the Pozzetto (an extra pile of 11 cards).
Empty your hand by discarding the last card.

2. The Deal and Setup

Each player is dealt 11 cards.
Two stacks of 11 cards each (called Pozzetti) are set aside face-down.
The remaining cards form the Draw Pile.
One card is turned face-up to start the Discard Pile.

3. Gameplay

Turn order is clockwise. Each turn consists of three phases:

Phase 1: Draw

You must either:

Draw the top card from the Draw Pile.
Pick up the entire Discard Pile (all cards).

Phase 2: Meld (Optional)

You may place valid combinations face-up on the table:

Sets: 3 or more cards of the same rank (e.g., three 7s).
Runs: 3 or more consecutive cards of the same suit.

You can use Jokers or 2s (Pinelle) as wild cards. A run can contain only one wild card (unless the 2 is in its natural position in a run, e.g., 2♥ in a Hearts run).

Phase 3: Discard

You must end your turn by discarding one card face-up.

4. Burraco Types

A combination of 7 or more cards is a Burraco. It is essential for closing the game.

Clean Burraco (Puro): 7+ cards with NO wild cards (or a 2 in natural position). Worth 200 points.
Semi-Clean Burraco: 7+ cards consisting of a clean run of at least 7 cards plus a wild card. Worth 150 points.
Dirty Burraco (Sporco): 7+ cards containing a wild card. Worth 100 points.

5. Going Out (Closing)

To end the round, a player or team must:

Have already picked up their Pozzetto.
Have completed at least one valid Burraco.
Discard their last final card.

6. Deck Exhaustion

If the draw pile runs down to only 2 cards remaining, the round ends automatically at the end of the current turn. In this case, no team receives the closing bonus and points are counted normally.

7. Scoring

Item	Points
Clean Burraco	+200
Semi-Clean Burraco	+150
Dirty Burraco	+100
Closing Bonus	+100
Joker	+30
Pinella (all 2s)	+20
Ace	+15
K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8	+10
7, 6, 5, 4, 3	+5
Penalty: Failing to take Pozzetto	-100

Points of cards remaining in hand are subtracted from the team's total score.

How to play "Burraco Luciano"

Draw: click on the deck or the discard pile.
Discard: right-click a card, drag it to the discard pile, or select a card and click the discard area (useful on touch).
Form combinations: select the cards and click on the combinations area.
Add to a combination: drag a card from your hand onto an existing combination on the field to add it. Or select the cards to add and click on the combination.
Sort cards: use the 123 button (by value) or the suit symbol button (by suit).

Buttons

RULES: show game instructions.
NEW: start a new game (1v1 or 2v2).
↩ (UNDO): undo the most recent moves.
FACE UP: play with open cards (for practice).
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