How to Play

A quick Brazilian rummy for 2 to 8 players. Form your 9-card hand into three 3-card combinations (jogos), discard the tenth, and call Pif Paf to win the round.

Pif Paf is a fast-paced Brazilian draw-and-discard rummy, played with two 52-card decks plus Jokers. Each player receives 9 cards and races to arrange them into three valid combinations of three cards each; called jogos; before any opponent does. When you hold three valid combinations and one extra card you declare 'Pif Paf' and that extra card becomes your discard. Rounds typically last only a few minutes, and short matches are settled by scoring the leftover cards in opponents' hands.

Players

Pif Paf is for 2 to 8 players. The sweet spot is 4 to 6. With 7 or 8 players the deck drains quickly and a reshuffle of the discards (minus the current top card) may be needed mid-round.

Card Deck

Use two full 52-card French-suited decks shuffled together, plus the 4 Jokers (2 per deck), for 108 cards total. Card rank within a run is standard Ace low through King high; Aces can also wrap to form Q-K-A runs by house rule. Jokers are wild and can substitute for any card in a set or run.

Objective

Be the first to form three valid three-card combinations (jogos) from your 9-card hand, then discard the tenth card you drew that turn to declare Pif Paf. The round ends immediately and you score zero. Every other player is penalised for the cards still in their hand.

Setup and Deal

1. Choose a dealer by cutting for high card. The deal rotates clockwise each round.
2. Deal 9 cards to each player, one at a time clockwise, face down.
3. Place the remaining deck face down in the centre as the stock.
4. Turn the top card of the stock face-up beside it to start the discard pile.
5. The player to the dealer's left plays first.

Valid Combinations (Jogos)

• Set (trinca): Three cards of the same rank, any suits. Example: 7♣ 7♦ 7♥.7♣7♦7♥
• Run (sequência): Three consecutive cards of the same suit. Example: 4♠ 5♠ 6♠. Aces may be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A); wrap-around (K-A-2) is not allowed.4♠5♠6♠
• Joker substitution: A Joker may replace any one card inside a set or run. Some houses allow two Jokers in a single run; others cap at one per combination.
• Each of your three jogos must contain exactly three cards; a nine-card hand splits evenly into three.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, draw one card: either the top card of the stock (unseen) or the top card of the discard pile (visible).
2. Then discard one card face-up to the top of the discard pile. You always finish your turn with 9 cards.
3. Going out (Pif Paf): If after drawing your hand of 10 cards contains three valid jogos plus one extra card, place your jogos face-up on the table, discard the extra card, and call 'Pif Paf!' The round ends immediately.
4. Blocked stock: If the stock runs out, shuffle the discard pile minus the current top card and place it face down as a new stock.
5. Buying (optional): In the buying variant, if you want the top discard but it is not your turn, you may 'buy' it; pay a small penalty (usually 5 points) and place the card in your hand as an extra, taking one additional card from the stock. Play then returns to the normal order.

Scoring

• The Pif Paf caller scores zero for the round.
• Every other player adds penalty points equal to the pip value of cards left in hand: Ace 1, 2-10 face value, Jack/Queen/King 10 each, Joker 20.A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• Running totals accumulate across rounds. Play continues until one player reaches a pre-agreed score cap (commonly 100 or 200), at which point they are eliminated or the match ends.
• The winner of the match is the player with the lowest total when the cap is reached.
• Pif Paf direto: Going out on your very first turn (after the initial draw) scores double for the caller and doubles penalties for everyone else.

Winning

Play multiple rounds until one player exceeds the agreed penalty cap or until an agreed number of rounds has been played. The player with the lowest total penalties wins the match. A single round's winner is always the player who successfully calls Pif Paf.

Common Variations

• Buying (comprar): Out-of-turn purchases of the discard at a penalty cost, giving the buyer an extra card. Common in tournament circuits.
• Four-combination Pif Paf: Deal 12 cards; players must form four jogos plus discard one. Longer rounds.
• No Jokers: Remove Jokers for a leaner, tighter game. Scoring adjusted to reflect slower going-out rate.
• Open Pif Paf: Players must lay down each jogo as soon as it is complete, revealing information to opponents but locking in partial credit.
• Brazilian 'Pif Paf Cassino': A gambling version played in casinos where each round has a fixed stake and Pif Paf direto quadruples the pot.

Tips and Strategy

• Decide early which two suits you will collect runs in and which rank you will set-build. Trying to do everything at once leaves you with too many half-jogos.
• Do not hoard Jokers. A Joker used to lock a run today is better than a Joker penalised in your hand if another player calls Pif Paf tomorrow.
• Watch every discard. If the player to your left is throwing 8s, you can safely pick up 8s yourself without much risk of feeding them a set.
• Pick up discards sparingly. Each discard you take tells the table which combination you are building.
• In buying variants, only buy when the discard completes a jogo immediately. A speculative buy is almost always worse than a stock draw.
• When stuck with high cards, throw them early even if they seem useful. Holding a King hoping for two more of the same rank costs you 10 points per round if you lose.

Glossary

• Jogo: A valid three-card combination; either a set of same rank (trinca) or a same-suit run (sequência).
• Trinca: A set of three cards of the same rank.
• Sequência: A run of three consecutive same-suit cards.
• Stock: The face-down draw pile in the centre.
• Discard pile: The face-up pile where used cards are placed.
• Pif Paf direto: Going out on your very first turn for a doubled score.
• Buying (comprar): Out-of-turn purchase of the top discard at a penalty cost.
• Joker: Wild card that may substitute for any card in a jogo.