Buraco at a glance
- Deal: 11 cards each, two face-down 11-card mortos, an EMPTY discard pile.
- First turn: draw the top stock card - keep it, or discard it and draw one replacement.
- Draw: one stock card OR the entire discard pile - never part of it.
- Melds: sequences of 3+ suited cards only, at most ONE wild (joker or 2) each. No sets.
- Canastras (7+): suja +100, limpa +200, clean 13-card meia real +500, natural ace-to-ace real +1,000.
- Closing (bater): morto taken + a CLEAN canastra + one final discard. +100.
- Game: first to reach or pass 3,000 points.
The deal and the first turn
Shuffle the 108 cards. Each player receives 11 cards, two piles of 11 - the mortos - are set aside face down, and the rest forms the stock. Unlike most rummies there is no starter card: the discard pile begins empty. The first player draws the top stock card and chooses to keep it or to discard it face up and draw one replacement - either way that choice founds the discard pile and the game settles into its normal rhythm.
Your turn: draw, meld, discard
- Draw - the top card of the stock, or the whole discard pile. Taking the pile is always legal in Buraco Aberto: no meld requirement, no freeze. You cannot take just part of it.
- Meld (optional) - lay down new sequences or extend your existing ones, as many as you like.
- Discard - end your turn with exactly one card face up on the pile.
A lone pile card you just picked up cannot be discarded straight back - its identical twin from your hand can.
Melds: sequences only
Buraco Aberto has no sets of equal cards - every meld is a sequence of three or more consecutive cards in one suit, ordered A-2-3-…-Q-K-A. Uniquely, the ace may appear at both ends: the complete natural run from ace to ace is a legal 14-card sequence, and the most valuable meld in the game.
Each sequence tolerates at most one wild card - any joker or 2. A 2 sitting in its own suit's natural place between the ace and the 3 counts as a natural card, so ♠A-♠2-♠3 is a clean start and can still absorb one true wild elsewhere. When the card a wild represents arrives, the wild shifts along the sequence.
The morto
The first time you empty your hand you claim a morto. Batida direta: your last cards go down in melds - you pick the morto up at once and keep playing the same turn. Batida indireta: your last card leaves as a discard - the morto waits face down and you play it from your next turn. If the hand ends before that turn comes, your side pays the flat 100-point penalty instead of counting the morto's cards.
Canastras
| Canastra | Definition | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Suja (dirty) | 7+ cards leaning on a wild | +100 |
| Limpa (clean) | 7+ cards, all natural | +200 |
| Meia real | Clean 13-card sequence | +500 |
| Real | Natural ace-to-ace 14-card sequence | +1,000 |
Tiers are judged at the end of the hand, so a suja can be outgrown - and a limpa left alone keeps its promotion path to 500 and 1,000 open. Protecting clean sequences from casual wild cards is the heart of Buraco strategy.
Ending the hand
- Going out (bater) - with your morto taken and at least one clean canastra melded, lay down all but one card and discard it. A suja does not qualify, and melding out with nothing to discard is illegal. Worth +100.
- Stock exhaustion - once both mortos are gone (taken or converted), the hand ends when the stock empties, at the end of that player's turn. No closing bonus.
Scoring
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Joker | 20 |
| Ace | 15 |
| Two | 10 |
| King through 8 | 10 |
| 7 through 3 | 5 |
Each hand: melded cards plus canastra bonuses plus 100 for going out, minus the cards left in your hand and minus 100 if your morto was never taken (or never played after a batida indireta). The game ends when a hand finishes with a player at 3,000 or more; the higher total wins, and a tie plays on.
Variants and house rules
Our game follows the pagat.com description of Buraco Aberto with one documented choice:
- No vulnerability - many tables require a team past 1,500 points to open with melds worth 75+; pagat lists playing without any minimum as a common variation, and that is the version we enforce.
- Buraco Fechado - the "closed" game: stacked pile visible only on top, taking it requires melding its top card immediately, sets (lavadeiras) allowed. Not included.
- Four-player partnerships - the usual social format in Brazil; ours is the head-to-head duel.
- Italian Burraco - the European branch with sets, the semipulito tier and closing on any burraco - playable as its own game on this site.
Frequently asked questions
Are sets of equal cards allowed in Buraco?
Not in Buraco Aberto - every meld is a sequence in one suit. Sets (called lavadeiras, charutos or tripas) belong to the Buraco Fechado variant, which is a different game.
Can you go out with only a dirty canastra?
No. Going out requires at least one clean canastra - seven or more natural cards with no wild. A suja pays its 100 bonus but does not unlock the bater.
What is the canastra real worth?
One thousand points - it is the complete natural ace-to-ace sequence of a suit, all 14 cards with both aces and no wild. The clean 13-card sequence just below it, the meia real, pays 500.
What happens to my morto if the stock runs out?
It becomes the new draw pile, face down. You then have no morto to take, which locks in the 100-point penalty and removes your right to go out for the rest of the hand.
Do I have to meld something to take the discard pile?
No - in Buraco Aberto the whole pile can always be taken freely. The meld-to-take restriction belongs to Buraco Fechado.
Is the 2 always a wild card in Buraco?
A 2 is wild anywhere except one spot: sitting in its own suit's sequence directly between the ace and the 3, where it counts as a natural card. That is why a clean run can legally contain a 2.
How many points do you play to in Buraco?
Three thousand. When a hand ends with either player at 3,000 or more, the higher cumulative total wins the game; a tie continues to another hand.
What is the difference between batida direta and indireta?
Both empty your hand and claim the morto. Direta: your last cards go down as melds, you pick the morto up immediately and continue the same turn. Indireta: your last card is a discard, and the morto waits face down until your next turn - with a 100-point risk if the hand ends before then.
Related rulebooks
- Burraco rules - italy's rummy - pozzetto, clean burrachi, 2000
- Canasta rules - partner up, build canastas, race to 5000
- Rummy 500 rules - dig the discard pile, meld your way to 500
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 · play Buraco online free