Classic
Petrangola
- Players
- 3–12
- Duration
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- 2/3
- Deck
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
Chapter 1 of 5
How to set up
A card game from the Marche and Romagna for 3-12 players with the 40-card deck. You swap cards with the three face up in the middle so as not to hold the worst hand, which costs a life. The last player still in the game wins.
Objective
Don't hold the worst hand. Everyone holds three cards and, in turn, swaps them with the three face up in the middle, the monte, to make a run, three of a kind or as many points as possible in one suit. When someone knocks the hand ends, and whoever has the weakest hand loses a life. Everyone starts with three lives and the last player still in the game wins.
Setup
- Deck
- 40 cards: remove the 8s, 9s, 10s and jokers
- In hand
- 3 each, face down
- On the table
- the monte, three cards face up in the middle; the rest of the deck set aside, unused
- The first dealer Any player shuffles and turns one card face up to each player, starting with the player on their right and going counterclockwise, until someone gets the A♦: they are the first dealer.
- The cards The dealer shuffles, has the player on their left cut, and deals three cards face down to each player, themselves included, starting with the player on their right and going counterclockwise.
- The monte The dealer takes the next three cards and looks at them alone, without looking at their own. The rest of the deck is set aside and not used.
- Stay or change shirts The dealer says "I stay", lays those three cards face up in the middle, the monte, and picks up their own. Or they say "I change shirts": they keep those three as their hand and lay the three they were dealt face up in the middle, which they have not looked at yet. Changing shirts counts as a knock: everyone else gets one turn only.
Everyone starts with three lives. Three is few enough to remember, or note them on a phone.
In runs the cards follow this order. The ace sits only above the king: 6 7 J is a run, A 2 3 is not.
Variants to agree on first
- Five lives: everyone starts with five lives instead of three, and the game lasts longer.
- With a stake: before starting everyone puts the same sum in the pot, and the last player left takes it all. A player with no lives left may buy back in once, paying the stake again before the next hand: they come back with as many lives as the player with the fewest has at that moment.
- Petrangola shown: a player who knocks with a run, three of a kind or three aces lays them face up in front of them.
- Last one loses: between two equal petrangole, whoever made theirs last loses, instead of both.
- Low ace: the ace also sits below the 2, so A 2 3 of one suit is a run, the lowest.
- Three of a kind over runs: any three of a kind beats any run.
- High three of a kind: between two, the higher wins, as with the cards, so three K beat three 2.
Chapter 2 of 5
How to play
- The turn The player on the dealer's right starts and play goes counterclockwise, round after round. On your turn you do one of these: swap one or two cards from your hand for as many from the monte, or all three (changing shirts, point 3), or change nothing and knock (point 2). The cards you leave stay face up in the monte in place of the ones you took.
- Knocking A player who wants to change nothing knocks on the table and says "I knock". From then on their hand does not change.
- Changing shirts A player who swaps all three cards for the three in the monte changes shirts, and it counts as a knock.
- The last round After someone knocks or changes shirts, every other player has one last turn, up to the player on the knocker's left. In this turn you may swap one, two or three cards, or none.
- End of the hand Everyone shows their cards and the hands are compared. Then the cards are gathered, the player on the previous dealer's right deals (skipping anyone who is out) and the next hand is played.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pass without swapping and without knocking?
No. Before anyone knocks, changing nothing is a knock. Only in the last round, after the knock, can you change nothing without knocking.
Does the knocker play again?
No. Their hand stays as it is until the end, and the hand ends with the turn of the player on their left.
Two players tie for the worst hand. Who loses the life?
Both. Everyone tied for the worst hand loses a life.
The last two players both lose their last life in the same hand. Who wins?
Whoever dealt that hand wins.
Is A♥ K♥ Q♥ a run or 31 points?
A run, the highest one, and it beats any points total. The ace sits in a run only above the king.
Chapter 3 of 5
How to score
At the end of the hand everyone shows their cards and you look for the weakest hand. Three aces, a run or three of a kind beat any points total; runs and three of a kind are called petrangola. The hands, from strongest:
| Hand | Example | How |
|---|---|---|
| Three aces | A♠ A♥ A♣ | beats any other hand |
| Run | 6♥ 7♥ J♥ | three cards of one suit in sequence; between two runs the one with the higher top card wins |
| Three of a kind | 5♠ 5♥ 5♣ | three cards of the same rank, aces excluded; between two the lower wins: three 2 is the best, three K the worst |
| Points | K♣ 7♠ 6♠ | the total of the cards in the best suit, from 3 to 31; here spades make 13 and beat the K♣, worth 10 alone |
For points each card is worth:
Two hands of the same type and the same value are tied.
| Item | Lives | How |
|---|---|---|
| Worst hand | −1 | to whoever has the weakest hand; if several tie for it, they all lose one |
| Three aces | +1 | to whoever holds them when the cards are shown, even beyond three lives |
Whoever loses their last life leaves the game and is dealt no more cards.
Who wins. The last player left with at least one life. If the last players all lose their last life in the same hand, whoever dealt it wins.
Chapter 4 of 5
An example hand
The start
Anna, Bruno, Carla and Dario are at the table, and Dario deals. Play goes counterclockwise, so Anna starts, on Dario's right. Dario looked at the three cards for the monte and said "I stay": K♠ 6♦ 5♦ are in the middle.
Tips
- You don't need the best hand, just one worse than yours somewhere at the table. Knocking early with an average hand leaves the others a single turn to pass you.
- Watch what the others take from the monte: whoever collects a suit shows it to everyone. Taking the card they need, even if it does nothing for you, is called arruotare.
- A dealer who changes shirts chooses without seeing their own cards, but the others get only one turn each, so someone is likely to end up below.
Chapter 5 of 5
Table summary
- 3–12 players
- 5 min
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
In short
- 40-card deck, three cards face down each and three face up in the middle, the monte. Three lives each.
- Play goes counterclockwise. The dealer looks at the monte and says "I stay", or "I change shirts": they keep the monte as their hand and lay theirs face up, and it counts as a knock.
- Whoever has the worst hand loses a life. The last player left wins.
The turn
- Swap one or two cards with the monte.
- No swap: you knock. All three: changing shirts, which counts as a knock.
- After the knock each other player has one last turn (0-3 cards), up to the player on the knocker's left.
The hands, from strongest
| Hand | How |
|---|---|
| Three aces | beats everything and wins a life |
| Run | three cards of one suit in sequence; the higher top card wins |
| Three of a kind | three equal cards, aces excluded; the lower one wins |
| Points | total of the best suit: A 11, court cards 10, numbers face value; 31 max |
The ace sits in a run only above the king.
End of the hand
- Whoever has the worst hand loses a life; on a tie, they all lose one.
- Whoever loses their last life is out. If the last players go out together, the dealer wins.
- The player on the previous dealer's right deals next.
Good game night? Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi (opens in a new tab)