About the game
Play Buraco online for free, right in your phone or computer browser. The table is 3D, green felt with a wooden rim, and the cards fly, flip and land with sound.
It is Brazil's favorite canasta game: two decks, the 2 is wild, everyone gets 11 cards and each team has a dead pile (the "morto"). On your turn you draw from the stock or take the whole discard pile, lay down runs of the same suit and discard. Close canastas, take the dead pile and go out first to score more.
Never played? Tap Learn to play: a real hand in pairs with Beto, guided step by step, in about 3 minutes.
With friends, create a room and send the invite on WhatsApp: 1 vs 1 or in pairs, up to 4 at the table. The computer fills empty seats.
Highlights
- 3D felt table, two decks drawn for the game and a wild card with a golden star
- Playable tutorial that teaches the rules in 3 minutes
- 1 vs 1 or in pairs, against the computer or with friends on WhatsApp
- Tap to pick or drag cards to the table, with possible melds glowing
- Score breakdown for every hand
- Games to 1,500 or 3,000 points; works on phones and computers
How to play
- Draw: on your turn, tap the stock to take a card, or take the whole discard pile.
- Lay down: tap cards to pick them and tap Lay down. A meld is a run of 3 or more cards of the same suit, with at most one wild card.
- Add: pick cards and tap one of your team's melds (or drag them onto it).
- Discard: pick one card and tap Discard (or drag it to the discard pile). Your turn ends.
- Canasta: a meld of 7 or more cards. Without a wild it is clean (200), with a wild it is dirty (100).
- Dead pile and going out: run out of cards for the first time and take the dead pile. With it taken and a clean canasta, whoever runs out goes out (+100) and the hand ends.
Tips
- Save your wild card: a clean canasta is worth twice a dirty one and it is what lets your team go out.
- Check the discard pile before drawing: if the top card fits one of your melds, taking the whole pile usually pays off.
- Do not discard cards that fit your opponents' melds.
- Take the dead pile early: 11 more cards to build melds, and finishing without it costs 100.
- High cards weigh in your hand (Ace 15, 8 to K 10): when the hand is about to end, get rid of the expensive ones.
Keyboard and mouse
| Click a card | Picks (or drops) the card |
| Drag cards | Onto your meld, the table (new meld) or the discard pile |
| ☰ | Tutorial, rules, restart and exit |
Touch on phones
| Tap a card | Picks (or drops) the card |
| Drag cards | Onto your meld, the table or the discard pile |
| Learn to play | 3-minute guided tutorial |
FAQ
How do I play Buraco online with friends?
Tap “Play with friends”, create a room and send the invite on WhatsApp. 1 vs 1 or in pairs, up to 4 at the table; the computer fills empty seats.
Do I need to download anything?
No. Buraco runs right in your phone or computer browser, for free.
Which card is wild in Buraco?
The 2. It stands for any card in a run, but only one per meld. A 2 of the same suit in its own place (A 2 3) is a normal card.
What is the dead pile?
Eleven extra cards for each team. Whoever runs out of cards first takes it and keeps playing. Finishing the hand without it costs 100 points.
How do you go out?
Your team must have taken the dead pile and have at least one clean canasta. Then whoever runs out of cards goes out, scores 100 and the hand ends.