How to Play Buraco

What You Need

• 2 decks of cards (including Jokers)
• 2 to 4 players
• Paper and pencil to keep score

Goal of the Game

Make groups of cards called "melds" to score points. The team or player with the most points at the end wins!

Setup

• Shuffle all the cards together.
• Each player gets 11 cards.
• Make two piles of 11 cards each (these are called "pots").
• Put the rest of the cards in a draw pile, face down.

How to Play

1. On your turn:
   • Take a card from the draw pile or take all cards from the discard pile.
   • Try to put down groups of 3 or more cards of the same number (like 7-7-7) or runs of the same suit (like 4-5-6 of hearts).
   • You can use Jokers and 2s as wild cards!
   • End your turn by putting one card on the discard pile.
2. When you use all your cards, take a "pot" pile and keep playing.
3. The round ends when someone uses all their cards after taking a pot.

Scoring

• Each card has points. Jokers and 2s are worth the most!
• Add up your points from melds. Subtract points for cards left in your hand.
• The player or team with the most points after a few rounds wins!

Points

• Joker: 30 points
• 2 (wild card): 20 points
• Ace: 15 points
• 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K: 10 points each
• 3, 4, 5, 6, 7: 5 points each

Extra Points

• Clean Buraco (7+ cards, no wild cards): 200 points
• Dirty Buraco (7+ cards, with wild cards): 100 points
• Going out (using all your cards): 100 points

Brief History

Buraco is a card game that started in South America, inspired by Canasta. It became very popular in Brazil and Italy. The word "Buraco" means "hole" in Portuguese, and the game is loved for its exciting melds and teamwork!