Trappola Game Rules

Rules based on the Trappola Piatnik Edition (1988) by Robert S. Kissel and Michael Dummett

General Rules

The Four Suits

Spade

Coppe

Denari

Bastoni

Card Ranks (Example: Spade)

VII

VIII

Cav

increasing rank

How to Score Points

1 Winning Stichs with Valuable Cards

When you win a stich with valuable cards, you score points based on the cards in that stich:

3 pts

Cav

4 pts

5 pts

6 pts

2 Special Moves (Stichangebote)

Special moves provide bonus points. Payments go into Bulka.

Move	Points	Payment
Winning the first stich with II	52	20
Winning a stich with II (stichs 2-8)	10	5
Winning the last stich with II	26	10
Winning the last 2 stichs both with II	52	20
Winning the last 3 stichs all with II	78	30
Winning the last stich (not with II)	6	—
Marc (winning all 9 stichs)	30	10

3 Figura Announcements

Special card combinations can be announced for bonus points. Payments are direct (opponent pays you).

Figura	Points	Payment
Bianka No face cards or Aces - can be announced anytime	20	10
Blans No face cards (Fante, Cavallo, Re) - before first card	10	5
Three Courts 3x Fante, Cavallo, or Re - before first card	6	5
Four Courts 4x Fante, Cavallo, or Re - before first card	12	10
Three Deuces 3x II cards - before first card	10	5
Four Deuces 4x II cards - before first card	20	10
Three Aces 3x Aces - before first card, must win all declared Aces Failure: only 6 pts if you lose any Ace	30	5
Four Aces 4x Aces - before first card, must win all declared Aces Failure: only 12 pts if you lose any Ace	40	10

Note: For 3-card sets (Courts and Deuces), the opponent may ask "Manko?" when playing their second card - the announcer must then name the missing suit. No Manko for 4-card sets or Aces.

Bulka (2 Players)

Basics

Card deck: 36 cards (without 3, 4, 5, 6)

Players: 2 players (1 vs 1 partie)

Hand cards: 9 cards per player (18 cards in total in play)

Remaining deck: The remaining 18 cards form a deck. The bottom card of the deck is face-up (openly visible)

Gameplay

1
Leading: A player leads the stich and plays a card that determines the suit
2
Following suit: The other player must follow suit if they have a card of that suit
3
No stich obligation: There is no obligation to win the stich
4
Winning the stich: The highest card of the led suit wins the stich
5
Next stich: The winner of the stich leads the next card

Important Rules

No trump: All suits are equal, only rank matters
Must follow suit: If possible, the suit must be followed
No obligation to win: You can intentionally play low cards
Points count: Only won stichs with valuable cards bring points

Game Objective

Win stichs with valuable cards and collect the most points. In Bulka (2 players), only 18 of the 36 cards are used - 9 cards per player.

Bulka (3-4 Players)

Overview

In 3-player and 4-player Bulka, only 2 players compete at a time. The other player(s) sit out and watch until it is their turn to play.

Each partie is a standard 1-on-1 match with 9 cards per player. The basic gameplay rules remain the same as 2-player Bulka.

3-Player Rotation

1
First partie: Two randomly chosen players compete, one player sits out
2
Winner stays: The winner of each partie plays against the player who was sitting out
3
Loser sits out: The loser sits out for the next partie and watches

4-Player Rotation

1
First partie: Two randomly chosen players compete, two players sit out in a queue
2
Winner stays: The winner plays against the player who has been waiting longest (front of queue)
3
Loser joins queue: The loser goes to the back of the sitting-out queue

The Bulka Pot

In 3-4 player games, there is a Bulka that players compete for. To win, a player must win 3 consecutive parties.

Announcing "Pro"

After winning 2 consecutive parties, you can announce "Pro" (playing for Bulka). If you win the next partie after announcing, you win the entire Bulka!

When the Bulka Pot is Won

3-Player Mode:

The winner sits out for the next partie (victory pause)
The loser and the player who was sitting out become active
All consecutive win counters reset to 0

4-Player Mode:

Both the winner and loser sit out (go to back of queue)
The two players from the queue become active
All consecutive win counters reset to 0

Endless Mode

3-4 player Bulka games continue indefinitely. After someone wins Bulka, the game continues with the rotation reset. Players can leave at any time - the game will continue with the remaining players.