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Tarocco Piemontese

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Piedmont · Italy · 78 cardsWikipedia ↗

Double-ended Piedmontese tarot with Italian suits, trumps and Matto, for Piedicavallo.

Games

Tarocchi

Start

Partner up to capture the pack’s 114 points. Follow suit, trump when void, and keep valuable cards and the Matto on your side.

Rules

4 players · You + AI partner against two AI opponents · Single deal

  1. Objective

    • You and the AI opposite play against the other two AI players. Collect more card points from the 114-point pack. 57–57 is a draw.

  2. Setup

    • Remove A, 2, 3 and 4 of Swords and Batons and 7, 8, 9 and 10 of Cups and Coins from the complete 78-card pack, leaving 62. Deal and play anticlockwise. Each non-dealer gets 15 cards. The dealer gets 17 and discards two.
    • Kings, trump 1, trump 21 and the Matto cannot be discarded. Other trumps may be discarded only if the remaining hand consists entirely of trumps and Kings, or has no trumps. Announce how many trumps were discarded. The discard belongs to the dealer’s team unless it wins no tricks.

  3. Playing a turn

    • The player to the dealer’s right leads. Follow suit if possible. If void, play a trump if possible. Otherwise play any card. There is no obligation to beat the current highest card.
    • Trumps rank 21 down to 1, with 21 highest. Suit cards rank Re, Donna, Cavallo, Fante, then 10–5 in Swords and Batons, and A, 2–6 in Cups and Coins. The highest trump wins. Without trumps, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner leads the next trick.
    • The Matto may be played at any time regardless of following suit or trumping. It never wins a trick and belongs to its player’s team. When led, the second card determines the suit. A team that wins no tricks surrenders its Matto at the end.

  4. Scoring and ending

    • Kings, trump 1, trump 21 and the Matto are worth 5 points each. Queens 4, Knights 3, Jacks 2, and all other cards 1. Card points and rank strength are separate. There are no group-count deductions.
    • Settle after 15 tricks. A team with no tricks surrenders its Matto and discard, so a sweep gives the winning team all 114 points. More card points wins. Equal totals draw.