Buraco

Buraco
OriginArgentina/Uruguay
TypeMatching
Players4
SkillsTactics & Strategy
Cards104 cards
DeckFrench
Rank (high→low)A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
PlayClockwise
Playing timefrom 40 minutes to several hours
ChanceMedium
Related games
Canasta

Buraco is a Rummy-type card game in the Canasta family for four players in fixed partnerships in which the aim is to lay down combinations in groups of cards of equal rank and suit sequences, there being a bonus for combinations of seven cards or more. Buraco is a variation of Canasta which allows both standard melds (groups of cards of the same value) as well as sequences (cards in numerical order in the same suit). It originated from Uruguay and Argentina in the mid-1940s,[1] with apparent characteristics of simplicity and implications that are often unforeseeable and absolutely involving. Its name derives from the Portuguese word "buraco" which means “hole”, applied to the minus score of any of the two partnerships. The game is also popular in the Arab world, specifically in the Persian Gulf; where it is known as 'Baraziliya' (Brazilian). Another popular variation of Buraco is Italian.

  1. ^ Oxford Dictionary of Card Games, David Parlett, pg. 53 Oxford University Press (1996) ISBN 0-19-869173-4