Buraco

Buraco is a Rummy-type card game in the Canasta family for four players in fixed partnerships in which the aim is to lay down combinations in groups of cards of equal rank and suit sequences, there being a bonus for combinations of seven cards or more. Buraco is a variation of Canasta which allows both standard melds (groups of cards of the same value) as well as sequences (cards in numerical order in the same suit). It originated from Uruguay and Argentina in the mid-1940s, with apparent characteristics of simplicity and implications that are often unforeseeable and absolutely involving. Its name derives from the "lunfardo", castellano word "buraco" which means “hole”, applied to the minus score of any of the two partnerships. The game is also popular in the Arab world, specifically in the Persian Gulf; where it is known as 'Baraziliya' (Brazilian). Another popular variation of Buraco, called "Burraco" is played in Italy.

== Game rules as played in the United States== === The Setup === Buraco is played with two 52-card decks of standard playing cards, and 2 jokers for each deck, for a total of 108 cards. In Argentina it can be played with a set of 106 Burako, Rummikub, or similar, tiles with only two jokers. Team members sit opposite each other, so that no team member is sitting next to their own teammate.