Cariocas are quite fond of card games, being Buraco and Copo d'água two of the most popular ones in Rio. Besides these two, bridge and poker players are very organized in clubs, fairs, championships and contests - While we remind all visitors of Rio that gambling is illegal in Rio de Janeiro, since these card games involve a great deal of ability and strategy, winning prizes for victory in these games is, under some conditions, not considered gambling.

Buraco is an Uruguaian card game very popular in Rio for the ease of its rules and potential for strategic development - From its first related origins in the 40's to becoming what it is today, buraco has gained, lost and changed many gameplay elements, generating regional and local variants, such as “buraco aberto” and “buraco fechado” - The most competitive players tend to prefer the latter, and there is even an annual tournament held by the samba school Grande Rio tha t offers a prize to the best buraco player on the field.