Tarocchini, also known as Partita, is a tarot card game from the seventeenth century. It was popular in the Bologna region of Italy and has been confined mostly to this area. Tarocchini is very complex, yet the rules have changed little over the years.
Partita is played with 4 players, two sets of partners, the partners sit across from each other. The middle part of Partita is very similar to the basic Tarot game. It adds a
round of point-counting before and after the game based on sets and runs of
the cards. An unusual feature of Partita is that the partners are
allowed to make certain limited signals to each other during play.
Deck Description
Partita can be played with a standard Tarot deck (where the 2–5 number cards
in each suit have been removed). The trump cards are in a non-standard
order (probably because of this, the Bologna tarot decks were amongst the
last to add numbers to the trump cards). The biggest difference in ordering
is amongst what is known as the "Papi" (cards 2-5; Popess {High Priestess},
Empress, Emperor, and Pope {Hierophant}). In this version, all 4 Papi are
equal (the last one played is the highest, in regards to taking a trick).
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|
| 20* | Judgement (Angelo) | 5 |
| 19* | World (Mondo) | 5 |
| 18* | Sun (Sole) | |
| 17* | Moon (Luna) | |
| 16 | Star (Stella) | |
| 15 | Tower (Saetta) | |
| 14 | Devil (Diavolo) | |
| 13 | Death (Morte) | |
| 12 | Hanged Man (Traditore) | |
| 11 | Hermit (Vecchio) | |
| 10 | Wheel (Ruota) | |
| 9 | Stength (Forza) | |
| 8 | Justice (Giustizia) | |
| 7 | Temperance (Tempra) | |
| 6 | Chariot (Carro) | |
| 5 | Love (Amore) | |
1-4 * * Popess, Empress, Emperor, Pope (the four Papi) -
0 * Magician (Bagattino) 5
- Fool (Matto) 5
- These cards are not numbered in present day Bologna tarot decks
- These cards are equal to each other, the last one played in a trick is the
highest
Starting the Game
As usual for Tarot card games, dealing and card play are counter-clockwise.
The dealer gives 15 cards to each player, in 3 rounds of five cards apiece.
The dealer takes the last two cards into his/her hand. The dealer has to
discard two cards, which can not be "5 point" cards (such as Kings, or the
trumps worth 5 points). The cards that the dealer discards are counted as
points to his/her side, unless he/she and his/her partner capture no tricks at all
during the card play in which case the cards must be surrendered to the
opponents.
After the first 5 cards have been dealt, if all players agree the game may
amdare a monte. If this happens, all the cards are thrown in, and the deal
passes to the next player. The first player speaks first, declaring a
monte if he wishes to restart the game. This continues with each player
until it reaches the dealer. If all have declared a monte, then the game
will be restarted.
Parts
The game consists of three parts. Just after the hand has been dealt, all
players may score their hands according to the meld points contained
within. Next, normal card play occurs. Finally, the partners score any
meld points that they have in their captured tricks. The scoring of
meld points after card play is unique to the Bolognesi tarot games.
Point Cards
Rank Standard Deck Name Points
21 World (Mondo) 5
20 Judgement (Angelo) 5
1 Magician (Bagattino) 5
- Fool (Matto) 5
King (K) - 5
Queen (Q) - 4
Knight (Kn) - 3
Jack (J) - 2
The First Declaration
After the cards have been dealt, each player may declare certain
combinations of cards that they hold in their hand. They do not have to
declare anything, and may optionally declare a smaller set or run than they
actually have. Anything that is declared must be placed face-up on the
table. The decision of what to declare is an interesting strategic
choice. The card combinations are detailed in the Meld Points section
below.
Game Play
Once the first declaration of points is finished, normal card play insues.
Note that some information has been disclosed by the declarations, so
players will have more clues than usual as to the contents of the other
players' hands. The last trick of the game has a bonus of 6 points. Once
all tricks have been captured, count normal points in groups of 4 cards.
The dealer (and his/her partner) will end up with two extra cards from the
discard. If there are no points in these cards, they should be scored as 0
points. This will result in a total of 77 points for this part of the
game.
During the actual card play, the partners are permitted to make certain
signals to each other. Only one signal can be given at a time.
- When a player has the lead, the partner may instruct his/her to lead his/her
highest trump by saying sminchiate.
- The player may strike the center of the table when playing a card.
This indicates he/she has the highest remaining card in the suit of the card
that was just played (including trumps).
- If the player strikes the edge of the table, it indicates he/she has
the second highest card in the suit of the card that was just played
(including trumps).
- If leading, the player may draw back the card
slightly toward himself/herself before laying it down. This signals that the
partner should play his/her highest card in an attempt to capture the trick.
Final Scoring
After the normal card play points have been counted, the captured tricks
are examined for meld points.
Meld Points
The meld points are counted twice during a hand. The first time is from
individual hands before card play has started. The second time is from the
collected tricks of both partners.
Meld Points (Sets and Runs)
Combination Point Value
Sets (cricche)
Three/four tarocchi 18/36
Three/four Kings 17/34
Three/four Queens 14/28
Three/four Knights 13/26
Three/four Jacks 12/24
Runs (10 points for 3, + 5 for each extra)
King + 2 of 3 same suit (Q, Kn, J and/or Ace)
+ 2 of 3 top trumps (20, 19, 18)
+2 of 3 or more Papi
+2 of 3 or more Aces
example above from The Game of Tarot
Massive edits here - unsure of how to even deal with all this information...
