Players: 2 (for 3 and 4, see below)
Deal: The dealer deals 10 cards to each player, 5 at a time. The remaining cards are placed face down in the middle of the table.
Play: The player who did not deal takes the top card from the deck and then discards one card face up. The other player then may take either the top card from the deck or the top card from the discard pile, also discarding a card afterwards. Play continues in this manner until either player achieves ramino, gran ramino, or dieci (see below).
If all cards have been taken from the deck, the winner is the player with the greater number of points according to the card value (King = 10, Donna/Cavallo = 9, Fante = 8, 7-2 = face value, A = 1).
If a player achieves ramino, gran ramino, or dieci, and the discarded card by that player permits the other player to achieve ramino, gran ramino, or dieci, then the winner is the player with the higher hand. Gran ramino outranks ramino, which outranks dieci. If they are the same rank, then the winner is determined as follows:
1. For a Gran Ramino or a Ramino, the winner is chosen by rank of suit (highest to lowest): Picche (Spades)/Bastoni, Fiori (Clubs)/Spade, Quadri (Diamonds)/Denari, and Cuori (Hearts)/Coppe.
2. For a Dieci, the rank of hands is as follows: The hand with the highest number of cards in the same suit wins. If they are equal, then the winner is determined by the highest card in that suit by rank, and if it is the same, then by the suit. Example 1: Player 1 has 6 cards of spades, with the King as the highest card; player 2 has 6 cards of hearts, with the fante as the highest card. Therefore, player 1 wins. Example 2: Player 1 has 6 cards of Quadri(Diamonds)/Denari, with the King as the highest card; player 2 has 6 cards of Fiori/Clubs(Spade), with the King also as the highest card. Therefore player 2 wins, since Fiori(Clubs)/Spade are higher than Quadri(Diamonds)/Denari.
Ramino: Seven cards in order of value, in the same suit, with the other three cards 3 either of the same suit or in sequence, regardless of suit.
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| Example of a Ramino. |
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| Another example of a Ramino. |
Gran Ramino: King, Donna/Cavallo, Fante, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A, all of the same suit.
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| Example of a Gran Ramino |
Dieci: All ten cards in one or more of the following combinations: 3 or 4 cards of the same value, 3 or more cards in sequence and same suit.
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| Example of a Dieci |
For 3 or 4 Players
The dealer deals 7 cards to each player. Play begins with the player to the right of the dealer and continues counter-clockwise. A ramino consists of 7 cards in series in the same suit. There is no gran ramino. Instead of a dieci, there is a sette, consisting of a combination of four cards and a combination of three cards as described for a dieci. When a player achieves one of these combinations and discards a card, the player to the right has the opportunity to see if that card results in a ramino or a sette. If not, this opportunity passes counter-clockwise to the other players.
For German Decks
For a German deck of 36 cards, with number cards of 10, 9, 8, 7, and 6, the dealer deals 7 cards to each player, whether there are 2, 3, or 4 players. The ramino and sette are as defined for the 3 or 4 player game with a 40-card deck.
