Briscola
The Italian classic, with a trump in every hand
- Deck
- Italian 40-card · 40
- Players
- 2 players · 4 players (partners)
Briscola is the game most Italians learn first. Forty cards, one trump suit turned up at the start, and three cards in your hand at any time. You play a card, your opponent plays a card, and whoever takes the trick leads the next one.
How to play
The trump card sits face up under the deck and its suit beats every other suit for the whole match. Cards are not led by suit — you may play anything you like, which is what makes it a game of judgement rather than obligation. After each trick both players draw, so your hand stays at three until the deck runs out.
Scoring
Only some cards carry points: the ace is worth 11, the three is worth 10, then king 4, knight 3 and jack 2. Everything else is worth nothing but can still take a trick. There are 120 points in the deck and 61 wins the match.
A few tips
The three is the trap of this game — it is worth ten points but loses to any ace and to any trump. Holding a low trump to capture it later is usually worth more than spending a high trump early.