How to Play

Briscola is Italy's most popular café card game: a 40-card trick-taking race to capture more than 60 of 120 pips, with no obligation to follow suit and the famously surprising Three ranking just below the Ace.

Briscola is one of Italy's three national card games and a staple of café tables across the Mediterranean. It is a simple trick-taking game for two to six players using a 40-card deck, but its refusal to require follow-suit play gives it distinctive tactical depth. Each deal is a race for the 120 card points hidden across the Aces, Threes, and face cards; take 61 or more and you win. Partnership play adds the pleasure of reading a partner's signals without ever speaking.

Players

Briscola is played by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 players. Two-handed and four-handed (two partnerships) are the classic forms. Three-handed and five-handed versions remove one and two Deuces respectively so the deck divides evenly. The five-handed form is usually played as Briscola Chiamata (see Variations). This guide covers two-handed Briscola first, with four-handed partnership notes where they differ.

Card Deck

• Use a 40-card Italian deck (Coppe, Denari, Bastoni, Spade) or a standard 52-card deck with the 8s, 9s, and 10s removed.
• Within each suit the playing rank from highest to lowest is: Asso (Ace), Tre (Three), Re (King), Cavallo (Queen / Knight), Fante (Jack), 7, 6, 5, 4, 2.A♠3♠K♠Q♠J♠7♠2♠
• Card point values (total 120 pips): Ace = 11, Three = 10, King = 4, Queen/Cavallo = 3, Jack/Fante = 2, all others = 0.A♠3♠K♠Q♠J♠

Objective

Over the course of one deal, capture more card points than your opponents. With 120 points in the deck, 61 or more wins; exactly 60 is a draw. Briscola is usually played as a best-of-three or best-of-five rubber.

Setup and Deal

1. Choose first dealer by any fair method. The deal rotates one seat anti-clockwise thereafter (Italian custom is to play anti-clockwise).
2. Shuffle and deal three cards to each player, one at a time.
3. Turn the next card face-up in the centre and place the remaining stock face-down across it so the face-up card remains visible. This exposed card names the briscola (trump suit) for the whole hand.
4. The player to the dealer's right leads the first trick.
5. In four-handed partnership Briscola, partners sit opposite and combine their captures at the end of the hand.

Gameplay

1. Leading: The leader plays any card from their hand. There is no obligation to follow suit, a Briscola peculiarity.
2. Following: Each other player in turn plays any card from their hand.
3. Winning the trick: If any trump (briscola) is in the trick, the highest trump wins. If no trump has been played, the highest card of the suit led wins. Cards not of the led suit and not trump cannot win.
4. Drawing: The trick winner draws the top card of the stock first, then the other players draw in order. Each player always replenishes to three cards as long as the stock lasts.
5. The exposed trump: The last card drawn from the stock is the face-up briscola card itself, taken by whichever player is last to draw at that moment.
6. Endgame: Once the stock is empty, players simply play out the three cards in their hand with the same trick-winning rule. No more drawing.
7. Leading: The winner of each trick leads the next.

Scoring

• At the end of the deal, each side turns over their captured tricks and totals the card pips inside them (Ace = 11, Three = 10, King = 4, Cavallo = 3, Fante = 2; all others 0).A♠K♠3♠
• The side with 61+ pips wins the deal; 60-60 is a tie.
• A side that captures all 120 pips ('cappotto') may win extra stakes by prior agreement.
• Running a match? Play until one side wins two deals (best-of-three) or three (best-of-five).

Winning

The player or partnership with more than 60 pips wins the deal immediately once the last card is played. Ties at 60-60 leave the deal undecided and by convention the next deal is played with the same dealer. The 'game' in a social sense is won by whoever reaches the agreed rubber target (two or three deals) first.

Common Variations

• Briscola Chiamata (5 players): The highest bidder names a card (usually an Ace or Three of the chosen trump); the player holding that card is their secret partner. Partnerships are only revealed when the card is played. See the separate Briscola Chiamata entry.
• Briscola Scoperta (open hands): All hands are played face-up, turning the game into a pure memory and tactics exercise. Excellent for teaching.
• Briscolone: No trump suit; only the led suit can win a trick. Played in some Italian regions for variety.
• Briscola con il Due (with the Two): Treats the 2 of trumps as a semi-special card that beats the Ace of trumps. A regional Tuscan twist.
• Team signals (four-handed only): Teammates may agree on a small set of table-top signals (for example, a wink for 'I hold the Ace of briscola, keep playing low') with the opponents' consent. Silent partnerships are the classic Italian form.

Tips and Strategy

• The Three is the trap card. Because the Three is worth 10 pips yet loses to any trump, the Three is desperate to be protected. Lead it only when nothing better is likely to steal it.
• Waste pip-less cards. Your 2s, 4s, 5s, and 6s are worth zero pips; use them to discover what opponents hold and to surrender tricks deliberately when you cannot win cheaply.
• Save one trump for the endgame. The last three tricks, played hand-only, often decide the deal. A single saved trump can swing 20 pips.
• Count pips, not tricks. You can lose six of nine tricks and still win the deal if your three wins contain Aces and Threes.
• Partnership signals: In four-handed Briscola, leading a pip-less card early is a polite 'take over', while leading a high non-trump is often a request to trump in if your partner has one to spare.

Glossary

• Briscola: The trump suit; also the exposed card that names it.
• Asso (A): Ace, worth 11 pips, the highest-ranking card in each suit.
• Tre (3): The Three, worth 10 pips, ranks just below the Ace.A♠3♠
• Cavallo: The 'Horse' or Knight, equivalent to the Queen in a French deck, worth 3 pips.
• Fante: The 'Jack' or Page, worth 2 pips.
• Cappotto: A clean sweep, capturing all 120 pips in a deal.
• Stock: The face-down pile of undealt cards on top of the exposed trump.
• Mano: Italian term for 'hand' or 'deal' (one complete distribution and play).