Real Burraco and Classic Burraco

Burraco is a variant of the famous game of Pinnacolo. The game is played on the classic green baize (whether real or virtual) with two decks of cards including the four jokers. The basic version involves four players divided into two pairs, but other variants are possible depending on the number of participants.

Differences between classic and real Burraco

There are two fundamental styles of Burraco currently played, known as real Burraco and classic Burraco, with different rules and methods of play.

Classic Burraco came first, the original dimension of play and the most well-known and widely used today, which evolved into real Burraco in more recent times.

The first substantial difference is the number of cards used in the game: for classic, 108 cards are used - two decks including the four jokers; in real, only 104 cards are used - the two decks without the jokers.

There are also important differences in play: in classic Burraco combinations are laid down during the game and it is possible to close with a Joker; in real, only sequences can be laid down and jokers are absent.

Finally, scoring is also calculated completely differently: classic awards five hundred points for a sequence from Ace to King consisting of thirteen cards; real awards a thousand points for a sequence of fourteen cards from Ace to Ace.

In conclusion, the two variants are very similar and differ in just a few small details that make them two different games with the same underlying technique. Real Burraco is perhaps considered more difficult to play given the absence of jokers and the complexity of the sequence needed to achieve a higher score.

There are also many versions with unofficial modified rules that enthusiasts hope will become official versions in future. The most important Burraco federation in Italy is Fibur, although the term federation is used loosely, given that Burraco is not recognised as a sport by the Italian Olympic Committee.

Other federations present in Italy are: Fedibur, Faib, Figbur, Fibs, Endas and Asi. These associations are the most widespread in Italy and award prize money in their tournaments; participants usually pay a small membership fee to cover running costs.

Online, in both Italian and international tournaments, the free version is more widespread, allowing play without any cost but obviously without winning anything.