Tarocchini

Tarocchini is a point trick-taking Tarot card game from the 17th century. The diminutive form of Tarocco (referring to the reduction of the Bolognese pack from 78 to 62 cards, which probably occurred in the early 16th century), the game is also known as Partita.

Tarocchini is played by 4 players in two partnerships sitting opposite each other. The middle part of the game is very similar to the basic Tarot game. It adds a round of point-counting before and after the game based on sets and runs of the cards. An unusual feature is that the partners are allowed to make certain limited signals to each other during play.

The game is popular in the Bologna region of Italy and has been confined mostly to this area. Tarocchini is a very complex game of cards, yet the rules have changed little over the years.