Briscola

Full rules

1. Overview
2. The cards
3. Setup
4. Playing a trick
5. The end of the stock
6. Scoring
7. Winning the match
8. Playing with four
9. Tips for beginners
10. Variants

Overview

Briscola is Italy's most popular trick-taking game. You try to win tricks that contain valuable cards – above all Aces and 3s. There are 120 points in the cards; whoever collects at least 61 wins the game. You never have to follow suit, so every card can be played at any time – the skill lies in knowing when to grab points and when to hold back.

• Players: 2, 3 or 4. With 4, you play in two teams of two, partners sitting opposite each other.
• You need: one standard 52-card deck. Paper and pen are handy if you play several games.

The cards

Take out all 8s, 9s and 10s and the jokers. You play with 40 cards: A, K, Q, J, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 in each of the four suits. (With 3 players, also take out one 2 – any one – so that 39 cards remain.)

In every suit the cards rank from high to low like this – note the unusual place of the 3, just below the Ace:

The cards without points rank 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 2, below the Jack. All points together make 120.

Setup

1. Dealer: choose a dealer at random; after that, the deal passes on in the direction of play (to the right, see 2).
2. Direction: in Italy, dealing and play go to the right (anticlockwise).
3. Deal: the dealer shuffles and deals 3 cards face down to each player.
4. Trump: the dealer turns the next card face up and lays it on the table. This card is the briscola: its suit is trumps for this game. Any trump beats any card of another suit.
5. Stock: the rest of the cards go face down across the briscola card, so that it stays half visible. This is the stock (draw pile). The face-up briscola will be the very last card drawn.

Playing a trick

A trick is one round in which each player plays one card face up; the best card wins them all.

1. The player to the dealer's right (with 2 players: the non-dealer) leads – plays any card face up.
2. The others follow in turn, one card each. You may play any card – you don't have to play the same suit, and you don't have to trump.
3. Who wins the trick: - If any trumps were played, the highest trump wins. - Otherwise the highest card of the suit that was led wins. A card of another suit (not trump) never wins, however high it is.
4. The winner takes the cards and puts them face down in their pile (a team keeps one pile together).
5. Drawing: the winner of the trick draws the top card of the stock first, then the others in turn. Everyone has 3 cards again.
6. The winner leads to the next trick.

Example: Hearts are trumps. Anna leads K♠. Ben plays A♦ – a different suit, so it cannot win. The K♠ wins, and Anna collects 4 + 11 = 15 points. Next, Anna leads 3♣ and Ben plays 2♥: the 2 of trumps wins, and Ben collects the 10 points of the 3♣.

The end of the stock

When the stock runs out, the last player to draw takes the face-up briscola card. Then play the last cards in your hands without drawing, following the same rules (still no need to follow suit). The last tricks are often the most valuable, because players keep their big cards until the end.

Scoring

When all cards are played, everybody counts the points in their tricks (partners add theirs together):

• 61 or more wins the game.
• 60 each is a draw.
• With 3 players, the highest total wins (a tie for first place is a draw).

Example: Anna's tricks contain A♠ A♥ 3♣ K♦ K♥ Q♠ J♣ J♥ = 11 + 11 + 10 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 2 = 47. Ben has the other 73 points and wins.

Winning the match

One game is quick, so Briscola is usually played as a match: best of three or best of five games.

Playing with four

• Partners sit opposite, so the teams alternate around the table.
• Each player plays for the team: if your partner is sure to win a trick, add a card with points; if the opponents will win it, play a card worth nothing.
• In Italy, partners traditionally pass on information about their hands – openly or with secret signals. Agree before you start whether you play in silence or with signals (see Variants).

Tips for beginners

• Protect your Aces and 3s. Together they are 21 of the 30 points in each suit. Don't lead them into a trick your opponent can win with a trump.
• Grab points cheaply. If a high card of a non-trump suit is led, win it with a low trump.
• Remember the trumps. There are only 10 of each suit; count how many trumps have gone and which high ones are still out.
• Keep something for the end. In the last three tricks there is no more drawing – a trump saved for then can be worth a lot.
• Play low when you can't win. A 2 or 4 costs you nothing.

Variants

All optional – agree before you start.

• Signals (4 players): partners may give each other agreed secret signs about their cards, for example for holding the Ace, 3 or King of trumps. In a stricter version, the first trick is played in silence and only afterwards may the leader ask their partner questions out loud.
• Swapping the trump card: at some tables, a player holding the 7 of trumps (elsewhere the 2) may exchange it for the face-up briscola card.
• Open Briscola (2 players): both players play with their hands face up; only the stock stays hidden.
• Briscolone (2 players): each player holds 5 cards instead of 3 and there is no trump; often you must follow suit.
• Briscola to 31 (2 players): the first player to collect 31 points may claim the win; if the claim is wrong, the opponent wins.
• Six players: remove all four 2s (36 cards) and play three against three, partners sitting so that no two team-mates are side by side.