Rank and value of cards In order to define which card wins a particular trick, we must first define a card ranking, given from highest to lowest: ace, three, king, queen, jack, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2. Also, the cards have a point value: ace (asso): 11 points three: 10 points King (re): 4 points Queen (donna): 3 points Jack (fante): 2 points The remaining cards have no point value. As you see, the total value of cards in the deck adds up to 120 points. The player (or team) which scores at least 61 points in a game wins. Games can end in a draw when both reach the same point total (60), and usually Briscola is played to the best of three or five games. Two player Briscola This is the easiest version of the game, and will serve as a basis for the multiplayer versions. One of the two players shuffles the deck and deals three cards to each player. He then takes a card (the seventh, in this case) and puts it face up near the pile of undealt cards, which are placed face down. The face-up card suit defines which will be the Briscola suit for the game. The Briscola suit is the trump suit, i.e. the suit which always takes all other cards, card ranking notwithstanding. The game starts. The first to play is the player to the right of the dealer. In the two player version, this means that the non-dealer (A) will start. A leads one of his three cards, face up. B plays one of his cards, and wins or loses the trick according to these three simple rules: If B plays a card of the same suit as the card led by A, then the trick is won by whoever played the higher card - the winner takes both cards away, and puts them, face down, in a pile near him. If B plays a card which has a different suit from the card which A led, but neither card is a Briscola (trump), A wins the trick, and the cards will go to A, even if B's card was of higher rank. If B plays a card of a different suit from A's, and one of the cards is a Briscola (trump), then the player of the Briscola wins the trick. Example (Briscola is the four of Denari): Player A leads the 5 of Bastoni. Player B plays the ace of Bastoni. B takes the trick (Rule 1). Player A leads the 5 of Bastoni. Player B plays the King of clubs. Player A takes the trick (Rule 2) Player A leads the ace of Bastoni. Player B plays 6 of Denari (briscola). He wins the round (Rule 3). Note that Briscola is unlike many card games, in that there is no obligation for the second player to play a card of the same suit as the first card or to trump it, just because he can. The second player is free to play any of his cards. Note that if both players play a briscola, rule 1 dictates that the higher ranking card wins. After each trick, each player draws a card from the pile of undealt cards, and the game goes on. The player who won the trick will lead to the next one. Eventually the undealt cards will be used up, and one of the two players will have to draw the face up Briscola card. The game then continues, without drawing cards, until all the cards have been played. At the end, each player takes the pile of cards he won in tricks during the game, and counts up the points according to the point scale shown above. The player with more points wins, or if each has 60, it is a draw. Variation Some people play that if the turned-up card, the one that indicates the trump suit, is an ace or a three (the two strongest cards), the card is put back in the middle of the deck and another card is turned up. Four player Briscola The game remains more or less the same, but the two pairs of players sit face to face, and each pair plays as a team, like in Bridge. Playing proceeds counter-clockwise. g about the cards they have in hand. However, some players use a system of signalling, using facial expressions to indicate what cards they have. The player to the right of the dealer leads first. The other players may play ANY card (there is no requirement to follow suit). If no one plays a Briscola the trick is won by the highest card of the suit led. If one or more players plays a Briscola, the highest Briscola wins. Each player in turn, starting with the winner of the trick, then draws a card from the undealt pile. The winner of the trick then leads to the next one. When the undealt cards are used up, the next player draws the Briscola card, and the game continues without drawing until all the cards have been played. Example: The players are A, B, C, D, placed around a table like this: A ----- D | | B ----- C A and C play together against B and D. A deals the cards. Briscola (the thirteenth card) comes up as a three of hearts. D, who sits counter-clockwise from A, plays first, and leads the 4 of spades. C plays the Jack of spades. B plays the two of hearts. If A does not play a higher Briscola, all four the cards will go to the D & B team. A thinks that for this meagre booty (the Jack is only two points, after all) it is not worth using a Briscola, or perhaps he does not have one; anyway, he plays the 5 of clubs. The trick is taken by the B & D team. B leads to the next trick. Signals One system of signals in use to indicate high Briscola cards is as follows: Ace stretch the lips over the teeth Three distort the mouth to one side King glance upwards Queen/Knight show the tip of the tongue Jack shrug one shoulder Six player Briscola This works in the same way as the four player version. The two teams are made up of three players each: A B C ----------- | | ----------- D E F A, C and E play against D, B, F. The deck is reduced to 36 cards by taking away the two's. Three player Briscola It's played the same as the two player version, and the deck is reduced to 39 cards by taking away a 2. All three players try to gain the highest number of points. |
| BRISCOLA INFORMATION AND RULES |