Understanding Brazil

Let’s start with the basics, that do seam fairly easy. Wikipedia says the following: “Buraco is a Rummy-type card game in the Canasta family for four players in fixed partnerships in which the aim is to lay down combinations in groups of cards of equal rank and suit sequences, there being a bonus for combinations of seven cards or more. Buraco is a variation of Canasta which allows both standard melds (groups of cards of the same value) as well as sequences (cards in numerical order in the same suit). It originated from Uruguay and Argentina in the mid-1940s with apparent characteristics of simplicity and implications that are often unforeseeable and absolutely involving. Its name derives from the Portuguese word “buraco” which means “hole”, applied to the minus score of any of the two partnerships.”

So far so good. “It has been quite popular in the family for many years. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I was even brave enough at some point to learn it and I did play it occasionally. But maybe even though I think I’m Brazilian by heart, maybe this games a little bit ‘too Brazilian’ to me. I’m used to European card games. They’re by no means boring, but they are certainly orderly. You wait your turn and when it’s your turn you pick up a card, make your move, etc… With Buraco it seams everybody can do anything at any given moment, and it confuses the hell out of me.”

It might be a good school for life. Everybody can do anything at any given time. Don’t start hyperventilating , just deal with it!