Welcome to the world of Marafon-Beccaccino!

Have you ever heard of Marafon-Beccaccino? It’s a fascinating card game that can be played by four people. We split up into two teams, and each team sits across from each other. The game has a unique twist – in order to win, you have to win twice!

The main objective of Marafon-Beccaccino is to score 41 points by winning tricks with valuable cards. Each hand brings you closer to victory.

But here’s the exciting part: it’s not just about winning a single game. In Marafon-Beccaccino, we compete in a best-out-of-three series. The team that wins two games first is declared the ultimate winner!

Getting Started

If you want to change a 52-card deck, you need to take out the 10s, 9s, and 8s. Once you do that, you’ll have a deck with 40 cards. For the rest of the game, I’ll use terms for the Latin card deck, but you can easily compare them to regular cards, except for the queen, which is like a horse.

The deck should be shuffled by someone randomly. The person sitting to their left will cut the deck. The cards are dealt in a counterclockwise direction, with each person getting 5 cards at a time. Each player will end up with a total of 10 cards in their hand.

So, here’s what happens when we all have our hands. Someone has to call trumps – that means they get to pick a suit that everyone has to follow. In the first round, the person who has the 4 of coins gets to make this important decision. Oh, and they become the dealer for the next round too. The player to their right then gets their turn to call trumps.

But wait! In the second round, there’s a little twist. The player to the left of the dealer can’t peek at their cards until after trumps are called. That way, they won’t be able to influence their partner’s choice. Sneaky!

Alright, now that all of that is sorted out, we can finally start playing the game.

Rankings and Values of the Cards

Marafon-Beccaccino has a different way of ranking the cards. Here’s how it goes: 3 is the highest, followed by 2, Ace, King, Horse, Jack, 7, 6, 5, and lastly, 4. It’s an interesting twist on the usual ranking system.

Did you know that playing cards have different values? Aces are worth one point, while 3s, 2s, Kings, Horses, and Jacks are worth 1/3 of a point. The final trick is also scored as one point. The rest of the cards have no value.

How to Play

Let’s dive into the gameplay! The game begins with the player who chose the trump suit. They can start by playing any card from their hand, and then the other players will follow in a counterclockwise order. If the following player has a card of the same suit, they must play it. However, if they don’t have a card of the same suit, they can play any card, including trumps.

The highest-ranking trump card wins the trick. If there are no trumps in play, then the highest-ranking card of the led suit takes the trick. The winner of each trick will then lead the next trick.

If a player holds the three highest-ranked trump cards (the 3, 2, and ace of trumps), they can declare Marafona during the first trick. This earns their team an extra 3 points at the end of the game.

Leading Tricks

When I’m leading a trick, I can use certain declarations to communicate with my partner. These announcements can give them information about my hand. Although it’s possible to lie with these declarations, it’s not really recommended. I’m only allowed to make one declaration per trick that I lead. There are three different declarations that I can make: Busso, Volo, and Striscio.

Busso is a way for me to let my partner know that I want them to play the highest card they have in the suit that I’m leading. And if they win the trick, I want them to lead the same suit again. I can also knock on the table as a signal for Busso.

Volo is a way for me to let others know that I don’t have any more cards of the suit that I’m leading. I can gently toss my card towards the center of the table to show this nonverbally.

When you see someone sliding a card to the center of the table or hear them say “Striscio,” it means they’re signaling that they have one or more low cards (anything king or lower) in that suit along with the card they’re playing.

SCORING

After each round, teams add up their scores. This includes the extra point for winning the last trick. It’s important to note that partial points don’t count, so any fractions are dropped. For example, if you scored 4 and 2/3 points, you would drop the 2/3 and your score would be 4 points. These round scores are added together for a total score. The game is won by the team that reaches 41 points.

During a game, at any point, you can confidently declare that your team has reached the threshold of 41 points required for victory. While playing, it’s important to note that you cannot refer back to the tricks you have already won. Therefore, it’s advisable to keep a mental tally of your team’s score as the game progresses. If your claim is accurate, congratulations, your team wins the game. However, if you are mistaken, your team will face defeat.

Wrapping Up the Game

The game continues until one team has emerged victorious in two separate games.

The game continues until one team has emerged victorious in two separate games.