Diloti Rules

Diloti (Δηλωτή) is a Greek fishing game for two or four players. Capture cards, declare combinations, and race to hit the target score (default 61 points).

Setup

• Use a 52-card deck. With four players, partners sit opposite.
• Dealer shuffles, deals six cards to each player, then four cards face up on the table.
• If three or more matching face cards appear in the initial layout, reshuffle the layout and redeal the four table cards.
• The non-dealer leads the first trick. In online matches, the next starter rotates between games in the series.

Turn Actions

Play exactly one card per turn, choosing one of the following:

1. Match capture: play a card of the same rank as a table card to collect it. Numeral cards can scoop all equal ranks; face cards capture one matching face card.
2. Sum capture: play a card whose value equals the total of selected table cards (A=1, 2–10 face value; face cards have no numeric value).
3. Declare: combine your card with table cards to form a new total (plain declaration) or a set of equal ranks (group). You must keep a matching card in hand to reclaim your declaration later.
4. Capture a declaration: capture a plain or group declaration with a card of the same value. Plain declarations can be captured along with other matching cards or sums; groups must be matched by value.
5. Lay: place a card on the table, adding to the layout. A face card cannot be laid if it can capture a matching loose face card.

Declarations

Plain

• Create by combining your card with loose number cards to reach a target value.
• You must hold a card of that value until you capture the declaration.
• Opponents may raise your declaration by adding one card, taking over responsibility.
• Diloti Online also allows a player to raise their own plain declaration when the move is otherwise legal. Traditional Pagat rules do not allow this self-raise unless an opponent has raised the declaration first.

Group

• Combine equal-value cards to build a set (for example, “10s” or “Aces”).
• A group can contain loose cards, sum components, and your own existing declaration of the same value. Opponents' existing declarations cannot be folded directly into a new group.
• Groups cannot be raised. They are captured only by playing a card of the group value.
• The player who completes or grows the group must keep an equivalent card to capture it later.
• Face cards cannot be used in any declaration.

Xeri (Sweeps)

• Clearing the table in one move scores a xeri worth 10 points.
• Opening-turn sweeps do not score.
• A legal final-card capture that clears the table does score a xeri in Diloti Online. Automatic cleanup of leftover table cards at round end does not.

Further Deals & Round End

• When all players exhaust their hands, the dealer deals another batch of six cards each from the stock.
• The last capture of the round collects any remaining table cards.
• The round ends when the deck is spent and all cards are played.

Scoring

Default target score is 61. If both players/teams reach the target in the same hand, the higher total wins; ties trigger a playoff hand.

Four-Player Notes

• Partners combine captures and share scores.
• Each declaration binds the player who currently owns it: the original declarer, or the last player who raised it or added to it. Partners can otherwise play freely.
• Turn order follows the lobby seating order.

Variants

Pagat records several common house-rule differences. These are not all enabled in Diloti Online, but they are useful when comparing local rule sets.

• Deal: some reveal or check the bottom card before dealing, some redeal hands with five or six face cards, and some do not redeal exactly three matching face cards on the table.
• Forced capture: some require a played card to capture whenever it legally can, though the player may still choose between legal capture sets.
• Plain declaration usage: some groups treat plain declarations like single cards when forming groups, raising another plain, or capturing. Diloti Online allows plain declarations in captures and own same-value group builds, but not compound raises or group builds that fold in an opponent's plain declaration and extra loose cards in one action.
• Soy: some use “soy” for any group declaration; others reserve it for a pair of equal numeral cards that cannot be expanded.
• Xeri: some groups disallow dealer-final xeri, while others allow even opening-turn xeri. Diloti Online uses no opening-turn xeri and allows legal final-card xeri.
• Longer matches often use a 121-point target.