Basics
Carioca is a Chilean rummy-style card game played over 7 rounds. Two to four players compete to form specific card combinations each round, then shed their remaining cards. The player with the lowest cumulative score wins.
The game uses two standard 52-card decks plus Jokers (108 cards total). Play moves counter-clockwise, and the dealer rotates right each round.
Your Turn
Every turn follows three strict phases:
- Draw — You must draw one card, either from the draw pile (face-down) or the discard pile (face-up top card).
- Meld / Lay Off — Optionally put down your contract ("bajar") or add cards to existing melds on the table ("agregar"). You can only lay off cards onto melds if you completed your contract in a previous turn — not the same turn you meld.
- Discard — You must discard one card to end your turn.
The round ends immediately when a player discards their last card — they score 0 for that round.
Melds
There are two types of melds:
- Trio — Exactly 3 cards of the same rank. After the initial meld, trios can be extended with additional cards of the same rank.
- Escalera — Exactly 4 consecutive cards of the same suit. Aces can be high or low, and wrapping is allowed (e.g., K-A-2-3 is valid). Escaleras can be extended at either end.
Contracts
Each round has a required contract you must complete before you can meld:
| Round | Contract | Minimum Cards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Trios | 6 |
| 2 | 1 Escalera + 1 Trio | 7 |
| 3 | 2 Escaleras | 8 |
| 4 | 3 Trios | 9 |
| 5 | 2 Trios + 1 Escalera | 10 |
| 6 | 2 Escaleras + 1 Trio | 11 |
| 7 | 3 Escaleras | 12 |
You receive 11 cards per round (rounds 1–6) and 12 cards in round 7.
Jokers
Jokers are wild cards that can substitute for any card in a meld.
Joker limits:
- Strict mode (default): Maximum 1 wild card per meld, always.
- Lenient mode: Maximum 1 wild on the initial contract, but unlimited on lay-offs.
When enabled by the host, Red Aces (A♥, A♦) also act as wild cards, giving up to 6 wilds in the deck.
Joker replacement (optional host setting): If you hold the natural card a Joker is replacing, you can swap them. In an escalera, you choose which end the Joker moves to. In a trio, the swap is immediate.
Scoring
Cards left in your hand at round's end are counted as penalty points:
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| 2–9 | Face value |
| 10, J, Q, K | 10 |
| Ace | 15 |
| Joker | 25 |
Bonus: If you meld your contract and go out in the same turn, you earn −10 points (instant out bonus).
Penalty: Each stolen card costs +2 penalty points.
Round 7 Special Rule
Round 7 is unique: the first player to meld must empty their entire hand in a single turn — meld + lay off + discard. If you can't go out completely, you cannot meld yet. You must wait until you can do it all at once.
Host Options
The host can customize the game before starting:
- Rounds to play — Select which rounds to include (1–7, plus optional Round 8: Escalera Real).
- Jokers — Enable or disable Jokers as wild cards.
- Red Aces as Wilds — Make the Ace of Hearts and Ace of Diamonds wild.
- Joker Limit — Strict (max 1 per meld always) or Lenient (max 1 on contract, unlimited on lay-offs).
- Joker Replacement — Allow swapping a Joker for its natural card.
- Stealing — Let players steal the top discard out of turn (+2 penalty per steal).
- Steal Timer — 5, 10, or 15 seconds to decide.
- Turn Timer — 30s, 60s, 90s, or Unlimited.
- Undo — Allow undoing actions within the current turn (before discard).