LET'S PLAY
original Italian trick taking rules
One of the oldest (if not THE oldest) continuously printed card games in the world, Cucco (aka Cuccù or Cuckoo) is an Italian classic with roots stretching back hundreds of years. With its distinctive, humor-filled artwork and unique trick-taking mechanics, this game has stood the test of time, influencing countless European card games. The Cuccù deck itself is a historical artifact, still in print after centuries of evolution, with versions spanning from Italy to Sweden. Whether you’re playing with traditional rules or modern variations, this game remains as simple, strategic, and entertaining as ever. Want to master Cuccù? Let’s dive into the rules and bring this timeless card game back to life!
Object
The object of Cucco is to win tricks with high-value cards, ending the game with a higher score than your opponent
What You Need
Cucco or Cuccù is played with a special 40 card deck known as the Cuccù Deck, a traditional Italian card deck with various humorous and artistic designs.
Cuccù is either a 2 player game or a 4 player game with 2 teams of 2. Each team sits opposite one another.
Set Up
1. The dealer shuffles the deck.
2. The dealer deals eight cards to each player, following the counterclockwise direction of play.
3. The player to the left of the dealer cuts the remaining deck and peeks at the bottom card of the deck.
• If the bottom card is 10 (X), 14 (Bragon), or 15 (Cuccù), they may take it and exchange it with any card from their hand, which is placed at the bottom of the unused cards.
• If no special card is present, they do nothing.
4. The top card of the remaining deck is turned face up.
• If the card is X, Bragon, or Cuccù, the dealer may take it and exchange it with any card from their hand which is placed at the bottom of the unused cards.
• If the dealer takes a card, a new top card is revealed face up on top of the unused cards.
5. The final revealed card determines the wild card for the round.
• If a player has the same card in their hand, that card also becomes wild.
• If no matching card exists in play, there is no wild card for the round.
Watch the step by step guide here!
Card Ranks
Cards are ranked by 2 distinct suits: the Numbers Suit and the Pictures Suit.
The Numbers are ranked 10 high through 1 as the lowest. Each is scored at face value.
Picture cards are ranked from high to low (with final point values):
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Cuccu - 15
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Bragon - 14
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Horse (Salta) - 13
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Cat (Gnao) - 12
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Tavern - 11
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Nulla (Nothing) - 0
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Bucket of Nothing - 00
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Mask without the Bucket - 000
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Lion - 0000
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Fool - 00000
Picture Suit
High to Low
Number Suit
Game Play
Play begins with the player to the right of the dealer (counterclockwise).
The first player can play any card.
If they play a number card (1-10)
→ Only an equal or higher number card can win.
If they play a picture card
→ Only an equal or higher picture card can win
Players must follow suit.
If you don’t have a card in the lead suit, you can play any card but cannot win the trick unless using a wild card.
Wild Card:
If you have the matching pair card of the face up wild card that card can beat all other cards. It is onetime use.
If leading with a wild card, you must declare if it will be treated as a number card or a picture card.
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The highest-ranked card in the lead suit wins the trick (unless it was beat by the wild card.
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The winner leads off the next trick .
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The round ends when all 8 cards are played from each players.
Here the 2 is Wild, making the played 2 a Wild as well
Scoring:
Players/Teams add up their points shown on the cards from the tricks won.
Picture cards without numbers have no value.
The team or player with the highest total score wins the game.
You can also chose to play a certain number of overall games or until one team reaches a set final score, such as 500 or more.
Final Thoughts
This game is the purest evidence that gamers haven’t changed in nearly half a century. It’s a silly, packaged game with absurd illustrations and ridiculous captions. Over the centuries, it has been reprinted in dozens of different cultures, each with its own sense of humor. Have we really outdone it with Uno and Exploding Kittens, or are those just a continuation of an enduring tradition? The fact that you can still buy this game is simply amazing. I highly recommend getting it to play this and Chase the Ace. Beyond that, it’s a priceless artifact that should be in every true game aficionado’s collection.
Naughtier than Unstable Unicorns
Germans have the Wurst jokes
Cucco has always had a wicked sense of humor