Now, at last, the King of all card games! You will bless the day you first play this.

Ottocento is a four player game, played in two fixed partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other. The object is to be the first side to accrue 800 points - hence the name of the game. If played for stakes, then they are fixed - first past the post wins them.

Remember that you will need to read The Tarocchino first.


Deal

First Dealer is chosen at random, usually by cutting the cards. Deal and play are, as usual, counter-clockwise, with deal passing to the right after each hand.

Each player receives three packets of 5 cards, with the Dealer taking 7 cards on the last round. Dealer must then discard 3 cards to his/her side’s trick pile. The discard may not include Honours or Kings. However, should Dealer’s side lose every trick, then these cards count to the opponents’ tricks.


Declarations

Individual players may now score points for their side by making declarations for any cricce or sequences in their hand (they may not include cards held by their partners). This is done in turn, beginning with Eldest. If either side reaches 800 points during this stage, they win the game and the hand is discontinued. If both can make 800 points, then it is the side with the highest score that wins.

There is no obligation to make any declarations and it is legal to declare for less than you can but you only score what you declare. To make the declaration, the required cards must be laid face up for all to see. The cards are then gathered up when Eldest plays to the first trick.


Play

Eldest leads to the first trick, playing any card in his/her hand to the middle of the table. Each player in turn must follow suit. If a player cannot follow suit, then they must play a trump. If they cannot play a trump, then they can play any card, though it will not win. If no trumps have been played, then the highest card of the suit led wins the trick, otherwise, the highest trump played wins the trick. The side that wins the trick, adds the cards to their trick pile.

The Fool may be played to any trick as an excuse for not playing a card you are otherwise obliged to play, though it beats nothing. If the Fool is led to a trick, then the next player’s card determines the suit to be followed. At the end of a trick to which the Fool has been played, if the side who played it loses the trick, they take the Fool into their own trick pile and give the opponents an empty card from their trick pile in exchange. However, if the side that played the Fool loses every trick, then they must give the card to their opponents at the end of the hand.

If the cards of an individual trick contain a cricce or sequence, then the side that wins the trick, scores for these extra points. While all sources agree that cricce and sequences are scored for individual tricks, as well as in declarations and the final calculation, there is a little ambiguity as to when it should be scored. I would suggest that these are scored immediately and added to the team’s total, as this is easier than going through a trick pile in groups that may be altered from exchanging the Fool. If, after the hand has been played out and before the card points are calculated, one side has reached 800, they win the game.


Signals

As with any card game of this type, players may not discuss their hands or share information in any way. However, there are three permitted signals that players may make to one another.

Knock: The player knocks the table with a clenched fist (not too hard, we hope) to request that his/her partner plays their highest card of the suit led and, if they win the trick, to lead that suit again.

Throw: The player throws their card to the trick to indicate that he/she is now void in that suit.

Drag: When a player leads trumps, he/she may drag the edge of the card being played against the table to ask their partner to lead trumps whenever they can.


Calculating the Final Scores

This may seem a little complicated at first glace but is, in fact, rather simple and a fast way of reckoning the final scores. Before anything else, both sides calculate their points in tricks, then, they move on to calculating their points from cricche and sequences.

Rather than both sides doing this, which could take a while, just one side will separate out their trumps, Honours, courts, and aces. They then lay out these cards in columns, first a column for trumps, and then columns for each of the suits. By leaving gaps where they are missing cards players can see any cricche or sequences immediately and infer from the gaps, those that will be scored by their opponents.