Burraco is a variation of the famous game of Pinnacola. The game is played on the classic green carpet (both real and virtual) with two decks of cards including the four jokers. The basic version has four players divided into two pairs, but other types of variants are possible depending on the number of participants; there is the three-player variant and the single-player variant.
Read more: History of Burraco
Differences between Classic and Royal Burraco
There are two basic styles of burraco currently played which are called royal burraco and classical burraco, they have different rules and methods of play and here we will see the main differences.
Classic burraco, the first dimension of the game and the best known and most widely used today, evolved into real burraco in not too distant times, was born first.
The first substantial difference is the number of cards used in the game, for the classic you use 108 cards, two decks including the four jokers, in the real one you use only 104 cards, the two decks without the jokers.
There are also important differences in the game, in classic burraco you drop combinations during the game and you can close with a joker, in real you can only drop sequences and jokers are not there, as mentioned before.
Finally, scoring also has a completely different calculation, the classic awards five hundred points for an Ace to King sequence consisting of thirteen cards, the royal awards one thousand points for a fourteen-card Ace to Ace sequence.
In conclusion, the two variants are very similar, differing in a few small details that make them two different games with the same basic technique. Royal burraco is perhaps considered more difficult to play given the absence of jokers and the complexity of the sequence it takes to get a higher score.
There are also many unofficial modified rules versions that enthusiasts hope will become official versions in the future. The most important burraco federation in Italy is Fibur, although the term federation is used inappropriately, since burraco is not recognized as a sport by CONI.
The other federations in Italy are Fedibur, Faib, Figbur, Fibs, Endas, and Asi. These federations or more correctly associations are the most widespread in Italy and put up cash prizes for their tournaments for burraco matches; participants usually pay a small membership fee that is used to manage the costs of expenses.
Online, on the other hand, in both Italian and international tournaments, the free version is more popular, which allows you to play without paying any fees but obviously without winning anything.
