Mpirimpa Tutorial

Mpirimpa (Buraco) – Game Rules

1. Overview

Mpirimpa (also known as Buraco) can be played either:

• Individually (1 vs 1), or 
• In teams (2 vs 2) 

Each player or team plays on their own board. The objective of the game is to collect as many points as possible and be the first to play all cards from your hand.

To win the match, a team must reach the target score agreed before the game begins (typically between 505 and 5005 points).

The game is played using:

• Two standard 52-card decks 
• Two Jokers 

2. Setup

• Each player is dealt 11 cards 
• Two additional sets of 11 cards (biribakia) are placed aside.  
• One card is placed face-up to start the discard pile (trash) 
• The remaining cards form a face-down draw pile 

The suit of the first card may determine the trump suit for the round (depending on game variation).

3. Card Values

• Joker → 25 points 
• 2 → 20 points (can act as a wild card) 
• Ace → 15 points 
• Cards 3–7 → 5 points 
• Cards 8–K → 10 points 

4. Combinations

To place a combination on the table:

• It must contain at least a sequence 3 cards of the same suit  

Examples:

• 7–8–9 
• J–Q–K 

One joker can be used in the combination. When the wild card 2 is used in its natural position then a joker can also be used.

Once a combination is placed:

• The player or their teammate can add more cards to it 

The value of a combination equals the sum of its cards.

5. Biriba (Special Combinations)

A combination of 7 or more cards is called a Biriba.

Types of Biriba:

1. A) Clean Biriba

• No wild cards used 
• Value: card total + 200 points 

1. B) Dirty Biriba

• Includes Joker or 2 
• Value: card total + 100 points 
• Cannot be converted to clean if wild cards from another suit are used 

1. C) Clean Trump Biriba

• All cards are trump suit 
• Value: card total + 500 points 

1. D) Dirty Trump Biriba

• Includes wild cards 
• Value: card total + 300 points 

Whole Biriba

If a combination includes all cards from Ace to 2:

• Regular → +500 points 
• Trump → +1000 points 

6. Gameplay

• Players take turns clockwise 
• On each turn, a player can: 
  • Draw a card from the deck 
  • Or pick up the entire discard pile (if playable) 

To pick up the discard pile, the player must:

• Use at least one card immediately in a valid combination 

After playing:

• The player must discard one card 
• Turn passes to the next player 

7. Extra pile (biribakia)

Each player/team can pick up the extra pile when they run out of cards. In order to pick it up they need to have at least one biriba (clean or dirty).

 

8. Ending the Round

To end a round:

• A team must: 
  • Play all cards 
  • Have picked up their biribaki 
  • Have at least one clean biriba 

The team that closes:

• Receives +100 bonus points 

If players still hold cards:

• Their values are subtracted from the team’s score 

8. Additional Rules

• If a player does not get the exra pile Mpirimpakia he loses 100 points 
• If a player leaves early, normal scoring rules apply 

9. Winning the Game

The winning team is the one that reaches or exceeds the target score agreed at the beginning of the game.

🔄 Difference Between Mpirimpa and Mpirimpa Casual

• In Mpirimpa Casual: 
  • Players are not required to justify taking the discard pile 
  • You can form combinations like AAA (same rank sets) 
• Mpirimpa introduces: 
  • Stricter rules 
  • More strategic gameplay