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.

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.