International Burraco: rules and differences

Burraco, a well-known card game that has been incredibly successful in Italy to the point of involving adults, young people and the elderly of all races and economic situations, has also been incredibly successful in the rest of the world, to the point of Be practiced in almost all nations.

Precisely in this regard, it should be pointed out that:

• each country has its own variation of Burraco as far as regulations are concerned;
• The international one is the version that is practiced during tournaments.

It is therefore necessary to be aware of these differences so that if one were to take part in a tournament, or simply challenge a foreign player, compliance with the rules can be a constant that does not adversely affect the outcome of the game.

There are basically four differences between Italian and international Burraco, all of which are very important and need to be known so that one can be able to take part in the different hands of the game without any complications arising that make the game less easy to manage.

The International Rules of Burraco

The first of the four international rules is that if a player, at any stage of the game, draws from the discard pile, he must necessarily play a combination.

Suppose then that a player:

1. has in his hand a 3, 4 and 6 of clubs and also a 7,8 and 9 of spades and on the table there are 6, 7 and 8 of hearts;
2. in the discard pile are an ace of deniers, a 5 of clubs, a 9 of hearts and a 6 of spades.

Drawing from the discards the player will have to:

1. Get off the combination 3, 4, 5 and 6 of clubs;
2. Add the 9 of hearts to the ladder already on the table;
3. Get off the spade combination even without the 6.

Whether discard cards are used or not, it is essential that a new combination is opened or a new card is added, whether it belonged to the discard pile or not.

The second rule requires that, to close the game, players must have at least one Clean Burraco on the table. Therefore:

• Semi-clean Burraco does not exist;
• Dirty Burraco does not allow the game to be closed.

As for combinations of cards of the same value, such as trio of 5’s, poker of kings, or 6 cards with a numerical value of 8, these are not allowed, except if they consist of 3’s or aces.

Finally, as mentioned earlier,Semi Clean Burraco does not exist as a combination.

These are the four rules that make international Burraco different from Italian Burraco where:

1. you can draw from the deck or from discards without having to descend combinations or attach cards to one;
2. Semi-Clean Burraco exists;
3. Even a Dirty Burraco is enough to close the game;
4. Tic-tac-toe, poker and other combinations with equal cards are valid regardless of their numerical value.

Therefore, international Burraco takes on tones:

• most strategic;
• requires a higher level of attention;
• allows for strategies based less on luck and more on reflection;
• tends to make matches longer and with high competition.

Read more: the importance of strategy in Burraco

So it is good to know these rules as well so that two people from two different countries, can take part in a game of Burraco without the variations in the rules benefiting one player to the detriment of the other, making the games as balanced as they are full of competition and especially “brain work.”