Botifarra♠

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Western Botifarra

Botifarra is a Catalan Manilla-family game for fixed pairs. We select ButiNET’s western or free version: following suit and beating opponents remain compulsory, but eastern lowest-card discard restrictions do not apply. Target 101; Sant Vicenç is unavailable in no-trump Botifarra. Regional rules matter more than the broad name; no precise invention date is asserted.

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48 cards and the manilla

Four sit opposite their partners. Use a Spanish 48-card pack: four suits with A,2–9,J,Q,K, where Q represents the knight and J the sota. From a standard 52 remove only each 10. Diagrams map swords=♠, cups=♥, coins=♦, batons=♣. Rank 9–A–K–Q–J–8–7–6–5–4–3–2. Values: 9=5, A=4, K=3, Q=2, J=1, others 0. Each trick adds 1: 60 card points plus 12 trick points, total 72.

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Deal and trump choice

Choose first dealer by lot. Shuffle, left neighbour cuts, then deal anticlockwise in packets of 4 from the right, 12 each. No stock. Dealer chooses any trump suit, Botifarra without trumps, or delegates to partner. Partner must choose and cannot pass it back. Deal subsequently moves right.

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Contro, Recontro, Sant Vicenç

After selection opponents may Contro; if called, selecting side may Recontro; original opponents may then Sant Vicenç, only with a trump suit. Each stage is called once, not once per teammate. Offer it anticlockwise to the two eligible players, starting right of the previous caller. Suit multipliers are 1,2,4,8. No-trump starts at 2, Contro 4, Recontro 8; no further Sant Vicenç in this western version. Apply the multiplier to whichever pair wins, not just selectors.

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Following and compulsory beating

Dealer’s right leads first, then each winner. Play anticlockwise. Follow suit when possible. If an opponent is currently winning, you must beat them whenever possible without violating suit-following. Void in led suit, trump or overtrump if that wins. If unable to win, still follow suit if held; otherwise discard any card, without compulsory undertrumping.

When partner wins, only following suit is compulsory; void, play anything without having to trump. Highest trump, otherwise highest led suit, wins. Eastern lowest-discard restrictions are absent. Card advice and signals are forbidden.

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Scoring and finish

After 12 tricks each pair adds captured card values and number of tricks. Totals sum to 72. At 36:36 nobody scores match points. Winners record (their total−36)×multiplier; losers record nothing. First pair at 101 or more wins after the complete deal. Both cannot cross the threshold in the same deal.

Under the selected code, illegal compulsory play awards opponents 36×multiplier match points. A misdeal is redealt by the next player right without a points fine: misdealer loses trump choice.

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Nine outranks ace

Pairs A–C and B–D. A leads A♠; B must play held 9♠ to overtake: it is the top manilla. C follows 2♠, D K♠; B captures 4+5+0+3+1=13 points including the trick. Separately, a pair with total 45 under suited Recontro earns (45−36)×4=36 match points. From 70 it reaches 106 and ends the match.

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Common questions