- We’re in spicia, a land as hospitable as a kick in the ass, at least for me, a stranger, while most of the crew hails from Vodacce.
The taverns here are dark and stink of wine and little fish, and the old men that reside there always play a card game named Cirulla. It took time, but i managed to get one of those grumpy gentlemen to teach it to me, as i now do to you.(played with a 40-card italian deck)
“You have to reach 15” means that you can take cards from the table if with your card and others already down, you can total 15.
Example: there’s a king (10) and a two down, you got a three. Playing it, you can pick up those two cards.
“you can pick a card like yours” not counting the suit of the card, obviously. Or you can pick cards that total the card you’re playing. Example: there are a two and a three down. You play a five and take both.“An ace gets all”. Without counting. Except when there is an ace already down, then you can pick just that, or use it for sums normally.
“Matta” which will be explained in a moment.
The cards are given this way : you put a card down, uncovered, then you give one to each of the players, clockwise. When everybody has one, you put another down uncovered. Repeat until everyone’s got three cards (and three are on the table) then put another one uncovered on the table, getting to four uncovered cards down and three to every player.
The game does not start yet. First the points are counted. If it is 15, one “scopa” goes to the dealer’s team. If it is 30, two.
At the end the points are counted like this: - “pretty 7” (7 of coins) is worth one point
- coins (any six or more cards of that suit). one point.
- Most cards taken (must be at least 21). one point.
- “Primiera” most sevens taken. If tied, most sixes. If still tied, most aces. One point again.
And one point for every “scopa” (taking every card on the table)
There is also “the great one” worth five points – taking jack, queen and king of coins- and “the little one” – at least ace,two and three of coins, worth three points plus one for every other coin card in a sequence, up to seven, without interruption. If no-one can get these points any longer it is said it is “broken”
Other two things to know before playing:Knocking: any time you have 3 cards (at the start of each “hand”) you have to sum their values. An ace is 1, jack is 8, queen is 9 and king is 10. if your cards total 9 or less than 9, you have to knock on the table at the start on the hand and say you’re knocking. On your turn you have to uncover them and play the rest of the hand with them uncovered. This will give you 3 scope (points)
Knocking 10: if your starting hand is three of the same card, you knock (no matter if they total more than 9) it’s called “buona da 10” (good for ten). You play them uncovered as before, but they give you a whooping ten points! In some versions of the game the “buona da 10” with three aces is worth eleven points.
Last rules, those that have made the luck of many a player:
- “Matta” (wild card) the wild card is the 7 of hearts. It can take whatever value, from ace to king, but only if the value chosen can close a knock or a buona da 10, otherwise it counts as a normal seven. Once played, keeps the value it had for the whole game, but it counts as a seven in the count of primiera, at the end of the game.
- “Cappotto” (Coat) if you get all the coin cards in a game, you win it automatically.
- A scopa (taking all the cards in play) on the last card played in a game, does not award a point.
The grumpy.
If you find the grumpy guy that taught me in some tavern remember he’s quite the asshole, and he is called a grumpy for a reason. If you follow him close you could learn from him a lot of things about the city, or get to know the back of his hand. It’s up to you and to how close you press him. He’s a slippery guy, like a fish in a tight canal, but he’s not a bad man.
Unlike me.
Cyanuro.