CUCCO (cambio) rules are described as a link from the Board Game Arena game page.

It is a gambling game that originated in France and is traditional in Italy.

It uses a set of cards called Cucco.

Preparation

Deal out the same number of coins (usually 25, 10 for short game, etc.) to all players according to their playing time. The order of play is determined, and the players take their seats in that order. Shuffle the cards and place them in a pile. This game uses 40 cards (-4 to 15, 2 cards each). When playing with 8 or more players, remove one 15 to make a total of 39 cards. During play, cards are not shuffled until there are not enough cards to deal. On new round, cards are reshuffled. Each round, everyone pays one coin as a participation fee, which is collected in the coin tray in the center of the table.

Play

A round consists of several deals. each player does one of the following 1: The player to the left requests a change of cards (CHANGE).   The last player exchanges cards with the top card of the deck. 2: Do not change (NO-CHANGE). (Play cards clockwise in BGA implementation. however play cards counterclockwise in original rule.)

Special Effects when card changing

15: You can declare a match at any time, even if it is not your turn.   (CUCCO is automatically opened in BGA implementation) 14: If a player requests an exchange, the exchange is not made and the player is disqualified. 13 and 11: If a player requests an exchange, reveal the card without exchanging it and let the player exchange it with the player to his/her left. 12: If an exchange is requested, the card is revealed without being exchanged, and the first holder of the card who requested it is disqualified. -4: If an exchange is completed, the players who received MATTO(-4) are disqualified.   If the opponent has 14 or 12, that card has priority and the exchange does not take place and the opponent is not disqualified.

When exchanges cards with the top card of the deck

15: The cards cannot be exchanged and remain in the original hand. 14 and 12: The player is disqualified according to the normal rules. 13 and 11: Draw another card according to the normal rules. -4: The strongest card (Stronger than CUCCO)

Deal Result

Penalties for disqualified players and those remaining with the lowest card number Deal 1-3 (children's time): Pay as many coins as the number of rounds.   If there are not enough coins to pay during the deal, the player pays as many coins as he/she can and is eliminated. Deal 4 - (Adults' time): Drop out (withdraw from subsequent deals in this round).   No coins are paid.

End of Deal (Scoring)

After everyone has had one turn, all players who have not yet been disqualified reveal their hands, and the players with the lowest number and the disqualified player receive a penalty based on the current number of deals. *If there is more than one disqualified and minimum number, all of them take the penalty. The player to the left of the player who was the starting player becomes the starting player for the new deal.

End of Round

Play until there is only one last player, and the last remaining player receives all the coins paid. If all players lose at same time then the coins remains for next round. The winner of the round becomes the starting player for the next round. This is done until someone goes bankrupt or pre-determined rounds, and the player with the largest number of coins wins. A player is declared bankrupt if he or she has zero coins in hand at the start of a new round; and game ends immediately.

Playing Tips

In this game, player is not penalized if player's card is not the weakest when card opens. If the player to your right requests an exchange and your card becomes stronger as a result of the exchange, you may choose NO-CHANGE. Since the exchange can never result in a card being stronger than 10, if the card you are dealt is stronger than 3, it is probabilistically better to choose NO-CHANGE. If a player chooses NO-CHANGE after the exchange as described above, or if the previous player chooses only NO-CHANGE, the criteria for the decision will be adjusted. In the BGA implementation, CUCCO(15) is automatically opened. It is automatically opened before the turn of the player two players before the player who was dealt CUCCO(15). Although the probability is low, this logic may result in CUCCO(15) being exchanged. This is the case when two players in a row after the one who requested the exchange are passed with house (11) or horse (13) and the next player has CUCCO(15). This happens even in offline play, and it is fun when it happens, so I have left the logic as it is. If the starting player has CUCCO(15), it will not be opened if there are three or more players remaining. No exchanges are requested and someone may be disqualified during the course of the deal. However, if the starting player has CUCCO(15) and there are only two players remaining, it will be opened. This is because if the opponent player demands an exchange for the deck top and draws MATTO(-4), CUCCO(15) loses. This game allows card counting. It may help your play if you remember which cards are MATTO(-4) and higher than 10.

Variant Rules

game length

short game : The player initially has 10 coins; Game ends after 3 rounds of play. standard game : The player initially has 25 coins; Game ends after 6 rounds of play.

cancellation CUCCO

cancellation CUCCO : Players who open the same cards in one deal are disqualified. This variant uses 40 cards, including 2 CUCCO.

Cards Summary

*1: the player who has Cucco can declare a match at any time.   (before opponent player requests him/her to change card) *2: the first holder of the card is disqualified. *3: the player who received Matto by exchange is disqualified.