The Biriba Game Manual

THE BIRIBA GAME
Extreme Combat with Playing Cards

The Biriba game is played with two standard decks of 52 cards each, plus four jokers; that is a total of 108 cards.

Cards are dealt to each player one at a time and the game is played in several sessions or innings until the winner is declared with a large enough point score. Typically, the game will require six or seven sessions to conclude. No time limit is set for the game; it may last half an hour with good and fast players; or three hours, if your Aunt Penny is in the game.

Each card has a point value that contributes to each player’s total score. Your objective in the game is to reach or exceed a total score of 3,050 points before your opponent does. If both of you exceed 3,050 in the final session of the game, the highest score determines the winner.

Even if a party is way behind in points, in a hopeless situation, resignation of the game is not allowed. The loser must patiently play the game to the end.

CHAPTER I

THE GAME OF BIRIBA
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PART 1. The Duel:
Basic Rules for Two Players

The Biriba game is played with two standard decks of 52 cards each, plus four jokers; that is a total of 108 cards.

Cards are dealt to each player one at a time and the game is played in several sessions or innings until the winner is declared with a large enough point score. Typically, the game will require six or seven sessions to conclude. No time limit is set for the game; it may last half an hour with good and fast players; or three hours, if Aunt Penny is in the game.

Each card has a point value, which contributes to each player’s total score. Your objective in the game is to reach or exceed a total score of 3,050 points before your opponent does. If both of you exceed 3,050 in the final session of the game, the highest score determines the winner.

Even if a party is way behind in points, in a hopeless situation, resignation of the game is not allowed. The loser must patiently play the game to the end.

You may be bored, or even distressed, locked into a hopeless game. That is Biriba--and life! You are supposed to learn patience and to profit from your mistakes. The game is lost, but the lessons you learn from being patient and playing to the end, can be useful in the next game, or life.

The table below gives the rank and value of each card.

Card Name Symbol Point Value

Card Name	Symbol	Point Value

Joker	Jkr	20
Ace	A	15
King	K	10
Queen	Q	10
Jack	J	10
Ten	10	10
Nine	9	10
Eight	8	5
Seven	7	5
Six	6	5
Five	5	5
Four	4	5
Three	3	5
Two	2	10

Cards that you put face up in front of you on the table in acceptable sequences, called "meld sets" or simply "melds," have positive values. Cards still held in your hand at the end of the session or inning yield negative values.

For example, a meld group of 3 Kings (K♦, K♠, K♥), with each King worth 10 points, has a total value of 30. A meld of eight, seven and six (8, 7, 6) all from the same suit, say diamonds, is worth 20 points. Three Aces (A♦, A♠, A♥) add up to 45 points. The Queen, Joker and a 10, as in (Q♥, Jkr, 10♥), where Jkr is used as a wild card in place of J♥, the values add up to 40 points.

A legal meld set is a group of at least three cards of the same rank, or a sequence of three or more cards of the same suit in proper order.

Let us specify the suits Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and Clubs with symbols ♥, ♠, ♦ and ♣ respectively. Then a 5 of diamonds is 5♦, a Queen of Spades is Q♠ and an Ace of Clubs is A♣. If we choose to put down a meld of 8♦, 9♦, 10♦, we have a legal meld sequence worth 30 points.

One of the objectives of the game is to put together a meld of at least SEVEN cards, starting with three cards or more. That kind of meld is called a biriba, and lends its name to the game of Biriba. Jokers are wild and one may be used in your sequence in lieu of the proper card.

Deuces are also wild. But no more than one wild card may be used in a single meld. Of course, if a deuce is used in its normal position and suit in a meld, a second deuce or a Joker may also be employed.

As an example, consider, 2♠, 3♠, 4♠, 2♦, 6♠, which may be perfected into a biriba sequence by later adding A♠ and 7♠ (or 7♠ and 8♠) to the meld.

Thus you have achieved a biriba and you can figure that you have added another 100 points to your total score. With this accomplishment, you scream with excitement or sigh with relief, depending on your temperament.

And, if your biriba sequence had not employed a wild card, the 2♦, but had a 5♠ instead, it would have been worth 200 points. This is called a "pure" biriba, not adulterated by a wild card.

A biriba sequence is worth more than points.

In order to finish a session of the game and "go out," or "close" by laying down all of your cards, it is required that you first lay down at least one biriba meld. When you "go out" or "close," the session or inning is over and you gain 100 points for winning it.

Moreover, your opponent has to deduct from his or her total score the values of any cards in hand and not in melds. You gloat and the opponent is crestfallen.

One of the players, who can be trusted to be reasonably good with numbers and not to cheat much, is assigned the job of being the Scribe. The Scribe maintains a running record of scores and other details of the game.

These rules will do as a start. Let us begin the game.