How to Play

Briscola Chiamata is the 5-player Italian variant of Briscola in which the winning bidder names a called card to identify a hidden partner and set the trump suit; the caller's two-person team must capture at least 61 of the 120 card points while defenders try to stop them.

Briscola Chiamata (Called Briscola) is the five-player Italian variant of classical two-handed Briscola in which one player wins an auction, names a 'called card' to identify a hidden partner, and then leads the defending four against themselves in a team-vs-team trick-taking contest. Played with a 40-card Italian (or stripped French) deck, every player is dealt 8 cards and every card has a fixed point value. The winning bidder announces both the minimum points their team will take and a specific card (for example 'the Ace of Cups'); the suit of that card becomes the trump suit (briscola), and whoever holds it becomes the secret partner, unknown to the others until the card is played. Partners combine their captured card points; the caller's side wins if they reach at least 61 of the 120 points in the deck (or the points they bid, whichever is higher).

Players

Exactly 5 players, playing as individuals until partnerships are fixed by the auction. The winning bidder plus the holder of the called card form a silent partnership of 2 players; the remaining 3 players form the opposing team for that deal. If the caller happens to name a card they themselves hold, they play alone (1 vs 4). The deal rotates anticlockwise (as is traditional with Italian games).

Card Deck

A 40-card Italian deck with suits Coppe (Cups), Denari (Coins), Spade (Swords), Bastoni (Batons), or equivalently a standard 52-card French deck with the 8s, 9s, and 10s removed. Ranks within each suit from high to low in trick-taking strength: Ace, 3, King, Cavallo/Queen, Fante/Jack, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2. Card point values: Ace = 11, 3 = 10, King = 4, Cavallo/Queen = 3, Fante/Jack = 2, all others (7, 6, 5, 4, 2) = 0. The deck therefore contains exactly 120 card points.

Objective

The caller's two-person hidden partnership tries to capture at least 61 of the 120 card points in tricks, and at least as many as announced in the bid; the three defenders cooperate to hold them below that total.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle the 40-card deck; the player to the dealer's right cuts.
2. Deal 8 cards to each of the 5 players, 4 at a time, anticlockwise. No cards remain (40 cards dealt 8 × 5).
3. The auction opens clockwise or anticlockwise depending on local custom; most commonly anticlockwise starting from the player on the dealer's right.

Bidding

1. Each player in turn either bids a points target (the number of card points their team will capture, minimum typically 61, or the rank-ladder system below) or passes. Once passed, a player cannot re-enter the auction.
2. The two commonly played auction styles:
3. (a) Points auction: Bids are in card points (for example, 'I'll make 61', then 64, then 68, then 75), each higher than the last. The auction closes when four players pass; the highest bidder wins.
4. (b) Rank-ladder auction: Bids step through rising cards that the caller agrees to accept at best as their called card. Lowest is 'a Two', then '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8' (Fante/Jack), '9' (Cavallo/Queen), '10' (King), '11' (Three), top '12' (Ace). A lower-ranked called card is a stronger claim because it restricts which cards the caller may later name.A♠K♠Q♠J♠3♠2♠
5. After the auction, the winner announces the called card (any specific rank and suit they do not hold themselves; in the ladder auction the called rank must be no higher than the winning bid's level, e.g., 'I bid a King' limits the caller to calling a King, 3, or Ace).
6. The suit of the called card becomes briscola (trump) for the hand; the caller does not otherwise pick trumps.
7. If the caller chooses to call a card they themselves hold (a 'solo'), they play 1 vs 4; see Scoring for double-value payout.

Trump Rules and Partnership

1. The suit of the called card is the briscola (trump) for the hand. All cards of that suit outrank any non-trump cards at the trick level.
2. The player who holds the called card is the silent partner. They are not to reveal themselves, so their identity stays hidden until the called card is actually played to a trick.
3. If the caller themselves holds the called card, they have accidentally soloed. They tell no one and play as though partnered; the defenders may not realise they are actually in a 4-against-1 contest until late in the hand.
4. Players may not signal or discuss partnerships; any communication beyond the legal play is cheating.

Gameplay

1. The player to the dealer's right leads the first trick (some circles let the caller lead; confirm before play).
2. Each player in turn, anticlockwise, plays one card. Following suit is not obligatory in Briscola Chiamata (this is the traditional Italian Briscola rule); a player may play any card regardless of the lead.
3. Winning a trick: The highest briscola wins; if no briscola is played, the highest card of the led suit wins. If nobody follows the led suit and nobody trumps (rare with the non-follow rule), the led card wins by default.
4. The winner of a trick collects the five played cards face-down into their own personal pile and leads the next trick.
5. Play continues for all 8 tricks. Each player then counts the point values of their won tricks; the caller and the silent partner combine their piles after the final trick.

Scoring

1. Sum the caller's team card points (caller + silent partner). Compare against the bid: the team must reach at least 61 and at least the bid.
2. Caller's team wins (made or exceeded the bid): Caller scores +2 session points, silent partner +1 session point; each defender scores −1 session point.
3. Caller's team loses: Caller scores −2, silent partner −1; each defender +1.
4. Cappotto (sweep of all 120 points): Double all payouts: caller +4, partner +2, defenders −2 each (or −4 if caller's side lost and took zero points, depending on local rules).
5. Solo (caller alone): All caller scores are doubled; e.g., caller +4 on a win, −4 on a loss. Defenders' scores are unchanged.
6. Over many deals, each player accumulates session points; the player with the most at the session end wins.

Winning

• A single deal is resolved by the scoring table above.
• A session is typically played to a fixed point target (e.g., +15 or +20) or for an agreed number of deals; the player with the highest balance wins.
• Exact 60-60 split on a straight 61 bid: The caller's team loses (they needed 61, not 60); this is a defenders' win.
• Misdeal: If a player receives the wrong number of cards, all cards are returned and the same dealer redeals; no auction takes place on a misdeal.

Common Variations

• Briscola Chiamata al Due (calling a 2): A stronger bid in the ladder auction; the caller may only name a 2 of a given suit (which is the lowest-scoring card of its suit), ensuring the partner is weak but the bid is low.
• Monte (blind bid): The caller may bid at the lowest bid level sight unseen, before receiving the last two cards of their deal; used in some clubs to add gambling spice.
• Exchange variant: After the auction, the caller may discard one card face-down and draw from the bottom of the dealer's remaining stub (rare; used in some tournament settings).
• Four-player version: Same rules but 10 cards each; one player is left out of each deal and the caller calls a card among the remaining three.
• No-Cappotto scoring: In casual play, some circles drop the cappotto doubling rule and simply require 61 points.

Tips and Strategy

• Caller: pick a called card in a suit where you hold several middle trumps already. Calling an Ace in a suit where you have the King and 3 gives your silent partner a landing ground for their Ace and hides the partnership longer.A♠K♠
• Caller: avoid calling the Ace of your strongest side suit when you already control that suit; the partner's 11-point card will be wasted in a suit you could have won anyway. Call into a suit you are weak in instead.
• Silent partner: play the called card at the last possible moment, ideally to a trick you can safely win. Once your card is exposed, defenders will coordinate against you for the remaining tricks.
• Silent partner: early in the hand, play cards that fit any of the three likely partnerships, to keep the defenders guessing; do not start leading trumps until your identity is already out.
• Defenders: watch who refuses to ruff an obvious winning trick. A player deliberately dumping small cards when they could have trumped is almost always the silent partner protecting their called card.
• Defenders: when you deduce the partner, lead the called suit immediately; forcing out the called card early turns the hand into a 2-vs-3 race where the defenders already hold the majority.
• Bidding: high bids like 75+ or an 'Ace' call in the ladder only make sense with a hand strong enough to take 60 points on your own; otherwise you are gambling that your partner's Ace will survive long enough to join you.

Glossary

• Briscola: Italian for 'trump'; the nominated trump suit for the deal.
• Called card (carta chiamata): The specific rank-and-suit named by the winning bidder; its holder is the silent partner and its suit is trump.
• Caller (chiamante): The winning bidder and leader of the hidden partnership.
• Silent partner (compagno): Holder of the called card; hidden ally of the caller.
• Cappotto: Sweeping all 120 points; doubles the payout.
• Solo: When the caller names a card they themselves hold; they secretly play 1 vs 4 and win or lose double.
• Ladder auction: Bid progression stepping through card ranks (2, 3, ... Ace) where each bid restricts which rank the caller may later name.
• Points auction: Alternative bid progression where players bid in card points rather than ranks.
• Card points: Point values assigned to Aces (11), 3s (10), Kings (4), Cavallo/Queen (3), Fante/Jack (2), others 0 (120 total).A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• Anticlockwise: Counter-clockwise play direction used in most Italian card games.