Declarations in Pilotta

Declarations are the bonus points hiding in your hand before the first trick is even played — and they often decide the round. Here is what each one scores, when it must be announced, when it must be shown, and which one wins when both teams hold them.

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What each declaration scores

For runs, the card order is: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7. There is no four-of-a-kind for Eights or Sevens — they score nothing.

When to announce and when to show

The rule has two steps, and both are mandatory:

1. The declaration is announced verbally on trick 1.
2. The cards are shown face-up on trick 2, before the holder plays their card.

Miss either step and the points are lost — no table at the coffee house will show you mercy.

Which declaration wins

Only the team holding the highest declaration of the round scores — and it then scores all of its declarations. The other team scores zero from declarations.

• If two equal runs end on the same rank, the one in trumps wins.
• If neither of the equal runs is in trumps, both are void — no team scores declarations.
• The bidding team's declarations only count if that team wins at least one trick in the round. The defenders have no such condition.

Pilotta and re-pilotta

The pilotta — the King and Queen of trumps — follows its own rules:

• It is not announced on tricks 1 and 2 like the other declarations.
• You say "pilotta" the moment you play the first of the two cards, and "re-pilotta" with the second.
• It always counts: it is never cancelled by the opponents' declarations, however high — though the bidding team keeps it only if it takes at least one trick.

Worked examples

The highest declaration takes them all

Your team holds a tierce (20) and a quarte (50); the opponents hold a quinte (100). Their quinte is the highest declaration, so they score its 100, and your team scores nothing for its 70.

Two equal runs

Both teams hold a quarte headed by the King (King, Queen, Jack, Ten). If one of them is in trumps, it wins and only its team scores. If neither is in trumps, both are cancelled and nobody scores declarations.

A bigger declaration never cancels the pilotta

Your team is defending and holds the King and Queen of trumps; the bidders show four Jacks (200). The bidders score their 200 (as long as they win at least one trick), and your 20 for the pilotta still counts. Had your team been the bidders, it would keep the pilotta only by taking at least one trick.

Questions about declarations

What is the highest declaration in pilotta?

Four Jacks, worth 200. Next come four Nines (150), then the 100-point declarations: four Aces, Tens, Kings or Queens, and a quinte.

When do you announce a declaration?

On the first trick, out loud; you then show the cards on the second trick, before you play to it. Miss either step and the declaration does not count. The pilotta is the exception: you call it as you play its cards.

Do both teams score their declarations?

No. Only the team with the highest declaration scores, and it then scores all of its declarations; the other team scores none. The pilotta is the one exception: a bigger declaration never cancels it, though the bidding team keeps it only if it takes at least one trick.

Does four of a kind beat a quinte?

Yes. Both are worth 100, but four of a kind beats a quinte, and that is how Pilotta.io plays it.

Can the bidding team lose its declarations?

Yes. The bidding team's declarations, the pilotta included, count only if it wins at least one trick in the round; the defenders' declarations have no such condition.

Is there a four of a kind of Eights or Sevens?

No. Four Eights or four Sevens score nothing.