Briscola

Quick Rules

Briscola is the card game you'll find on the table in Italian bars, kitchens and family reunions. It is quick, it is friendly, and the rules fit on a napkin. You play against one computer player with a 40-card deck: an ordinary deck with the 8s, 9s and 10s taken out.

  • The deal. Each player gets three cards. The next card is turned face up and tucked under the stock. Its suit is trump (the "briscola") for the whole hand.
  • Play. The leader plays any card, then the other player plays any card. You never have to follow suit.
  • Winning a trick. The highest trump wins. If no trump was played, the higher card of the suit led wins. A card of another suit can't win.
  • Drawing. The trick winner draws the top card of the stock first, then the other player, so you always hold three cards. The winner leads next. The very last card drawn is the face-up trump card.
  • Points, not tricks. Ace 11, three 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2, everything else 0. The deck holds 120 points. Take more than 60 to win the hand; 60 each is a draw.

In every suit the order is ace, three, king, queen, jack, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2. Yes, the three outranks the king. Our game puts a small point badge on every card and keeps a running count, so you never have to add it up in your head. Play differently at home? Open Settings to change the match length or allow swapping the 2 of trump for the face-up card. See Briscola rule variations.

Read the full Briscola rules with worked examples and a points table

Tips for Winning at Briscola

  • Lead a "liscio". When you have nothing to gain, lead a card worth no points, like a 4 or a 5 of a plain suit.
  • Don't waste trumps on empty tricks. A trump spent on a trick with no points is a trump you won't have for an ace later.
  • Take the loaded tricks. When an ace or a three is on the table, that is what your trumps are for.
  • Watch the aces and threes. Forty of the 120 points are in the four aces and four threes of the plain suits. Know which ones are still out.
  • Count the trumps. There are ten. Once they are all gone, your aces are safe to lead.

Read our Briscola strategy guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this Briscola game free?

Yes. You can play as many games of Briscola as you like for free, with no account, no email and no download.

Does the computer cheat?

No. The computer can't see your cards or the order of the stock. It knows its own three cards, the face-up trump card and every card played so far, the same as you. Near the end of a hand, once the stock is gone, it can work out your last cards by counting, which any careful player can do too. At the end of every hand, tap Show All Hands to see every card each player held. Every game has a deal number; tap Replay This Deal, or type the number in Settings, to play the same cards again.

Why are there no 8s, 9s or 10s?

Briscola is played with a 40-card Italian deck that has no 8s, 9s or 10s. Many families play it with an ordinary deck by taking those twelve cards out, and that is what we do here. The jack, queen and king stand in for the Italian fante, cavallo and re. The rules page has a table matching the Italian suits to ours.

Do I have to follow suit in Briscola?

No. You may play any card from your hand at any time. A trick is won by the highest trump played; if there is no trump in it, the higher card of the suit that was led wins. A card of a different, non-trump suit can never win.

How many points do I need to win a hand?

The deck holds 120 card points: aces are worth 11, threes 10, kings 4, queens 3 and jacks 2. Take more than 60 and you win the hand. If you each take 60, the hand is a draw. Our standard match is the best of three hands; you can choose a single hand or a longer match in Settings.

Does the game save my progress?

Yes. Your game is saved in your browser after every card. Close the page and come back later, and you can pick up where you left off on the same device.

Enjoy trick games? Try Whist, the old English partnership game where trump is also turned up from the deck, or Oh Hell!, where you bid exactly how many tricks you will take.

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