Botifarra

What is Botifarra all about? Well, the objective of this game is to be the first player or team to reach 101 points by winning valuable tricks.

How many players can play Botifarra? Four players, and they play in fixed partnerships.

What kind of deck is used in Botifarra? The game is played with a 48-card Spanish deck.

What is the ranking of cards in Botifarra? The rank from high to low is 9, A, K, Horse, Jack, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

What type of game is Botifarra? Botifarra is a point trick-taking game.

Who can play Botifarra? This game is suitable for adults and teens to enjoy.

Let’s dive into Botifarra!

Botifarra is a captivating card game originating from Catalonia, in the Northeast of Spain. The game has its own unique set of rules that add an intriguing twist. What makes Botifarra stand out is how it gives value to typically insignificant cards. Though similar to the game of Manilla in some aspects, Botifarra sets itself apart by minimizing the element of luck.

When you play Botifarra, you work with a partner to win valuable tricks and be the first team to reach 101 points. It’s not about the number of tricks you take, but the point value of the tricks you do take.

If you want to learn the general rules of trick-taking games, click here.

THE CARDS

Botifarra is played with a 48-card Spanish deck that consists of four suits: coins or oros, cups or copes, swords or espases, and batons or bastons. These cards have numbers from 1 to 12.

The 10 is known as a Sota (Jack).

The 11 is known as a Cavall (Horse).

The 12 is known as a Rei (King).

The cards rank as follows: 9 (highest), A, K, Horse, Jack, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2

The 9 cards are called Manilla.

Let me tell you about the point values of the cards in this game. It’s pretty simple, really.

First off, the Nine is worth 5 points. Remember that.

The Ace is worth 4 points. Got it?

The King is worth 3 points. Easy enough.

The Horse is worth 2 points. Don’t forget!

And finally, the Jack is worth 1 point.

In addition to the card values, winning a trick also gets you 1 point. So, if you add up all the card points and the trick points, you’ll have a total of 72 points per hand. Good so far?

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Near the end of the game, if a team earns 36 or more points, they’re probably going to win. But here’s the thing – scores can double! Let me explain how that works.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE DEAL

When it comes to dealing the cards, the dealer starts with the player to their right and goes clockwise. The entire deck is dealt out in sets of 4 cards at a time. And you know what? After each hand is done, the deal moves along to the next player on the right. Easy peasy.

TIME TO CHOOSE TRUMPS

When we play Botifarra, the first thing we do is choose the trump suit or decide to play without trumps. The dealer gets to make this decision, but they can also pass it on to their partner. However, they can’t avoid making a choice altogether – they have to pick!

Once the trump suit has been declared, the defenders, who are on the opposing team, have the option to double or “contrar” the hand if they want to. Then, the dealer’s team can re-double or “recontrar” the hand. Finally, the defenders have the opportunity to double again for the re-redouble or “Sant Vicens.”

Botifarra games always involve doubling, so they can be doubled a total of four times.

As for the order of doubling, it moves to the right of the player who declared the trumps. So, the player to the right of the declarer can “contrar” if they want to, the player to their right can “recontrar,” and so on.

Let’s Play!

Alright, let’s talk about how to play this card game. The goal is to win tricks, and the person to the right of the dealer starts by leading in the first trick. After that, the winner of each trick leads in the next.

When a team takes a trick, they place it face-down in front of one of their members.

To win a trick, you need to have the highest trump card. If no trump card was played, then the highest card from the led suit wins the trick.

Here are the rules:

You can start a trick with any card.

• If possible, you must play a card that follows the suit that was led.
• If your partner is not winning the trick, you must play a card that beats all the other cards on the table, if you have one. This might mean playing a higher ranking card or out-trumping a trump card.
• If you cannot play a higher ranking card than the others or your partner is already winning the trick, you have to play a card that fits within these parameters:
  • If your partner is winning, you can only play a special card known as a “counting card” (10, 11, 12, 1, or 9). Otherwise, you should play the lowest value card in your hand that matches the suit led.
  • However, if your opponents are winning, you must play the lowest value card in your hand that matches the suit led.