Pilotta.io
Cypriot Pilotta, just like at the table. Play with your friends — wherever they are.
Pilotta is coming online
Bidding, cutting, declarations and pilottas — exactly like at the table. Play with friends in private rooms or against strong AI opponents, in Greek, English and French, on phone or computer.
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See the game in action
Kafenio Pilotta built for your phone: the table, the bidding and the declarations exactly as you know them — with your friends or against a strong AI.
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Pilotta rules — frequently asked questions
The questions people ask most about Cypriot Pilotta: bidding, mandatory cutting, under-trumping, declarations, capot, the closed game and the Rule of 6 — exactly as it's played at the kafenio.
What is Pilotta and how do you play it?
Pilotta is Cyprus's favourite card game — this is the “tsaka tsaka” (palaristi) variant. Four players in two teams play with 32 cards (7 up to Ace), dealt 3-2-3. Dealing, bidding and trick play all move counter-clockwise. Each round has 8 tricks, and the first team to reach 301 points wins the match (configurable to 251, 351 or 401).
How does bidding work in Pilotta?
Bidding starts at 80 and rises in steps of 10, counter-clockwise around the table, up to 400. A pass is not final — you may re-enter the auction on a later round. If all four players pass, the hand is cancelled and redealt by the next dealer.
What is mandatory cutting (kopsia)?
If you cannot follow the suit that was led, you must play a trump card if you hold one — even when your partner is already winning the trick. There is no “partner protection” in Cypriot Pilotta.
What is under-trumping?
When a trump has already been played on the trick, you must over-trump if you can. If you hold only lower trumps, you are legally forced to play one anyway — this is under-trumping (ypotsakisma), a rule that sets Cypriot Pilotta apart from Belote.
How many points is each card worth?
In trumps: Jack 20, Nine 14, Ace 11, Ten 10, King 4, Queen 3. In side suits: Ace 11, Ten 10, King 4, Queen 3, Jack 2. The last trick (to piso) is worth an extra 10 points, bringing each round to 162 points in total.
What are declarations and how much do they score?
A tierce (3 consecutive cards of the same suit) scores 20 points, a quarte (fifty) 50, a quinte 100. Four Aces, Tens, Kings or Queens score 100, four Nines 150, four Jacks 200. Only the team holding the single highest declaration scores — the other team gets nothing for declarations. Declarations are announced on the first trick and shown on the second — otherwise the points are lost.
What is the pilotta (King & Queen of trumps)?
Holding both the King and Queen of trumps scores 20 points. You call “pilotta” when playing the first of the two cards and “re-pilotta” with the second. The pilotta always counts — it is never cancelled by the opponents' declarations.
What is capot in Pilotta?
Capot means winning all 8 tricks. The team scores the contract bid plus a flat 25 points (250) plus its declarations, while the opponents keep only their own declarations. It works in reverse too — if the defenders take every trick, they take everything.
What is the closed game (kleisto) in Pilotta?
During the auction the defenders may “close” the game, betting that the bidders will fail. The team that wins a closed round scores double the contract bid plus all the round's points plus all declarations; the loser scores zero. If the bidders close again in response, the stake becomes quadruple.
What is the Rule of 6?
Raw points are divided by 10 for the score sheet: endings 1–5 round down, endings 7–9 round up. When both teams' scores end in exactly 6 (for example 126 vs 36), the Rule of 6 applies: the bidding team rounds up and the defenders round down.