Brasta Card Game Rules

Setup and goal

Brasta supports two players with one 52-card deck. Deal four cards to each player and four cards face up on the table; redeal four cards to each hand as needed while the table is dealt only once.

Capture cards from the table to score. The first player to the selected target—201 for Quick, 401 for Standard, or 601 for Pro—wins. Any Jack on the opening table returns to the deck.

Card values and legal actions

Aces count as 1 in sums, number cards 2–10 use face value, Queens and Kings capture only their matching rank, and Jacks sweep loose cards.

Every turn has one action: trail a card when no capture is available, match a same-rank card, capture a sum of two or more cards, or create or raise a build. A player must take a legal capture when one is available.

• Match: a 7 captures a table 7.
• Sum: an 8 captures 3 + 5.
• Build: combine 4 + 5 into a build of 9 while holding a 9.
• Raise: increase a number build once, up to 10, while holding the new total.

Brasta and the Jack

A Brasta is a single non-Jack capture that clears every loose card from the table. It scores +10 and awards a permanent Gold Brasta Coin. A Jack that clears loose cards is a sweep, not a Brasta.

A Jack captures all loose cards but never captures builds. If it is played onto a table with no loose cards, it burns for -10 points, so patience makes the Jack more valuable.

Scoring reference

Points come from scoring cards and bonus captures, not simply from the number of cards collected. The player with most cards, most Clubs, or the special cards can change the result of a close game.

• Each Ace: +5; all four Aces: +10 bonus.
• 2 of Clubs: +10; 10 of Diamonds: +10.
• Most Clubs: +10; all Clubs add +10 for +20 total.
• Most cards: +10; Brasta: +10; Double Brasta: +20.
• Last Hand: +10; failed build: -10; Jack burn: -10.

Last Hand and Double Brasta

When the deck is empty, the player who makes the final capture takes the remaining loose cards and receives the +10 Last Hand bonus.

A Jack played onto a lone Jack makes the rare Double Brasta and scores +20. This special case is separate from a normal Brasta because Jacks do not count as Brastas when they clear the table.

Examples of legal turns

Play 7 when the table contains 7, 3, and a King: capture the matching 7 and leave the other cards. Play 5 when the table contains 3, 2, and 9: capture 3 + 2 by sum and leave the 9. Play a Jack when the table has loose A, 4, 6, and 9: sweep all loose cards.