Carta Fútbol Club Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Carta Fútbol Club Rules
  • Setup
  • Initial Toss
  • Seating Players and Teams
  • Dividing the Decks
  • Dealing the Cards
  • Goal of the Game
  • How to Play
  • Cards That Compete With Each Other
  • The Foul and Its Consequences
  • Match Duration
  • End of a Hand
  • Extra Time (Optional)
  • Penalty Shootout (Optional)

Carta Fútbol Club Rules

Game contents: 121 cards, 1 rulebook.

Setup

Carta Fútbol Club is played with two decks: the Blue Deck and the Green Deck.

Carta Fútbol Club can be played by 2, 4 or 6 players. In all cases two teams are formed, each with the same number of players.

Initial Toss

Before the match begins, a coin is tossed in the air. Using the traditional call ("cara o ceca", heads or tails), the winner chooses either the Deck (Blue or Green) or the Kick-off.

Seating Players and Teams

Players sit around the playing table in alternating fashion. Each participant must have an opposing player seated on each of their sides, as shown in the diagram. The diagram is not reproduced here; it shows the layouts for:

• 2 players
• 4 players
• 6 players

Dividing the Decks

Before starting, each team must divide its deck (Blue or Green) into three groups, as follows:

1. The first group contains the cards that have numbers. These are the Skill Cards, which represent the following actions: Pass-Intercept, Dribble-Slide Tackle, Shot on Goal-Save. They also include Jokers (Comodines). This group of cards is called the Skill Card Deck.
2. The second group contains the cards that have no numbers. These are called Special Cards. Each one contains a description of its use. This group of cards is called the Special Card Deck.
3. The third group contains the cards whose back reads "Suerte" (Luck). These are the Luck Cards. This group of cards is called the Luck Card Deck.

Once divided and shuffled, the three decks are placed in the centre of the table, face down, in the following order: Skill Card Deck, Special Card Deck, Luck Card Deck.

Dealing the Cards

Deal 13 cards per team, face down, clockwise.

First, deal from the Skill Card Deck, one at a time, 10 cards per team:

1. If the game is played by 2 players, each player receives 10 Skill Cards from their corresponding deck (Blue or Green).
2. If the game is played by 4 players (two per team), each player on the same team receives 5 Skill Cards.
3. If the game is played by 6 players (three per team), each player on the same team receives 3 Skill Cards. One more card is dealt to the player on that team who won the initial toss; in each hand, the player who receives that extra card rotates. That is, in each round one of the players on each 3-player team will get 4 Skill Cards.

Then deal, one at a time from the Special Card Deck, 3 cards per team:

1. If the game is played by 2 players, each player receives 3 Special Cards.
2. If the game is played by 4 players (two per team), each player on the same team receives 1 Special Card. One more card is dealt to the player on that team who is oldest; in each hand the player who receives that extra card rotates.
3. If the game is played by 6 players (three per team), each player on the same team receives 1 Special Card.

Luck Cards are not dealt.

Goal of the Game

The objective is to score more goals than the opposing team. To do so, the players of a team must make at least three consecutive attacking plays (Passes or Dribbles), using their Skill Cards or Special Cards, without having the ball taken away. Once these three attacking plays have been made, the team may use its Shot on Goal cards to shoot at goal and see whether the shot results in a goal or is saved. The opposing team will constantly try to steal the ball, placing its defensive cards to be able to start its own attack.

How to Play

The player who wins the initial toss starts the match. This player must start their team's play (Team 1) by making a pass, making a dribble, or using a special play. To do so, they must choose from their hand a Skill Card (Pass or Dribble) or a Special Card, and place it face up on the table. This action must be accompanied by an announcement, out loud, of the play and the number of the card chosen.

For example, if the player has chosen a Pass with the number 6, they say "Pass 6". If they have chosen a Dribble with the number 8, they say "Dribble 8".

If the player has chosen a Joker 8, they say "Dribble 8" if they want to use the Joker as a dribble, or "Pass 8" if they want to use the Joker as a pass.

When a player plays a Special Card, they must read its name and description aloud. For example, if they have chosen Cañito, they say "Cañito: vale por una jugada de ataque. Solo se para con Súper Defensa" ("Cañito: counts as one attacking play. Can only be stopped with Súper Defensa").

If a player cannot or does not want to play an attacking Skill Card, the player must play a card face down and say "Juego tapada" ("face-down play").

A face-down card is beaten with Skill Cards (Slide Tackle or Intercept) of any value.

Clarification: a face-down card cannot be beaten with Special Cards.

If a player on Team 1 plays a face-down card and Team 2 also plays a face-down card, then one attacking play is added to Team 1.

If the play has been successful, meaning the attacker has not had the ball taken away, it is continued by the player seated to the left of the defender who could not take the ball. If plays 2 and 3 are successful, the player who continues the play may use a Shot on Goal card or a Joker to attempt a goal.

For example, if the player has chosen a Shot on Goal with the number 8, they say "Shot on goal 8". If the player has chosen a Joker with the number 10 and wants to use it as a Shot on Goal, they say "Shot on goal 10". If the player has none of these cards, they try to keep the play going so that another member of their team can shoot at goal.

Now it is the turn of the opposing team (Team 2). The player seated to the left of the player who started the attack will try to take the ball away. To do so, they may use Skill Cards or Special Cards.

For example: if the player has chosen an Intercept card with the number 9, they say "Intercept 9". If they choose a Slide Tackle card with the number 10, they say "Slide Tackle 10".

If the player has chosen a Joker 8, they say "Slide Tackle 8" if they want to use the Joker as a slide tackle, or "Intercept 8" if they want to use the Joker to intercept.

If the player has chosen a Save (Atajada) with the number 8, they say "Save 8". If the player has chosen a Joker with the number 10 and wants to use it as a Save, they say "Save 10".

As explained earlier, when a player plays a Special Card they must read its name and description aloud. For example, if they have chosen Off-Side, they say "Off-side: se cobra después de cualquier pase. Se anula con Siga-siga" ("Off-side: called after any pass. Cancelled with Siga-siga").

If a defending player cannot or does not want to steal the ball, they must play a card face down, so that no one knows which card was discarded. They say "Paso" and, in this way, the attacking team adds one play.

If the defending player manages to take the ball, they must play again, making a pass, a dribble or using a special play, to start their team's attack.

The team that takes the ball must always make at least 3 attacking plays before it can shoot at goal. Attacking plays made earlier do not count.

Cards That Compete With Each Other

Dribble vs. Slide Tackle (Gambeta contra Barrida): The higher number wins. If the numbers match, a Foul is called against the team that had the ball.

Pass vs. Intercept (Pase contra Interceptar): The higher number wins. If the numbers match, the Intercept card wins.

Shot on Goal vs. Save (Tiro al Arco contra Atajada): The higher number wins. If the numbers match, the shooter (the person taking the shot on goal) draws a card from their team's Luck Card Deck and places it face up on the table. Once seen by everyone, it is read aloud and placed at the bottom of the Luck Card Deck.

The Foul and Its Consequences

A Foul committed by sliding in during the first two plays causes the opposing team to keep the ball but start again from play one. If the Foul is on play 3, a Direct Free Kick is awarded and the Shot on Goal card may be used. If the Foul is on play 4, a Penalty is awarded. The player who must take the penalty draws a card from their team's Luck Card Deck, which determines whether there is a goal or not.

Match Duration

Six hands are played in total. Each hand represents 15 minutes of play (90 minutes in total).

The first 3 hands represent the First Half, and the following 3 hands represent the Second Half.

In the Second Half the Skill Card deck of each team (Blue or Green) is reshuffled. The Special Cards and Luck Cards not used in the First Half are dealt.

The Second Half is started by the team opposite to the one that started the First Half.

End of a Hand

A hand ends when the turn comes to a player who no longer has cards. At that moment, each player must place, in a common pile and face down, all the cards they still hold. These cards are no longer used.

A new hand then begins, dealing again 10 Skill Cards and 3 Special Cards per team. Plays always continue from the same place where the previous hand ended. For example: if in the previous hand a player was about to shoot at goal, once the cards of the new hand are dealt that player may carry out this action.

Once the First Half has ended, players may not continue unfinished plays.

Extra Time (Optional)

If the match ends in a draw, extra time may be played. To play extra time, all the decks must be shuffled again (Skill Cards, Special Cards and Luck Cards), and two hands are played.

The first hand is started by the same player who started the match (Team 1). This hand represents the first 15 minutes of extra time, and at its end the play does not continue.

The player on Team 2 who started the Second Half of the match begins the second hand, which represents the second 15 minutes of extra time.

Penalty Shootout (Optional)

If the score is still tied at the end of the Second Half of extra time, the match must be decided by penalties.

1. Only the Skill Cards are shuffled, and they are dealt in full.
2. To take a penalty, Shot on Goal cards are used. If a player has no Shot on Goal cards, the penalty may be taken with a face-down card: only in this case, a face-down card counts as a Shot on Goal 1.
3. In the penalty shootout, a penalty can only be stopped with a Save (Atajada). A penalty is not stopped by a face-down card.
4. Five penalties are taken per team. The player who saved must take their penalty next.
5. If the five-penalty series ends tied, one more penalty is taken per team, until one goal of difference is established.