Briscola Rule Variations and House Rules

Briscola is played in every corner of Italy, and in Spain, Latin America and Italian-American homes as well, so it is no surprise that families have their own ways of doing things. The heart of the game is always the same: a 40-card deck, a trump card turned up under the stock, no need to follow suit, and 120 points to share. Here are the common differences, and which ones you can turn on in our free Briscola game under Settings → House rules.

Match Length

A hand of Briscola is over in a few minutes, so one hand rarely settles anything. The most common custom is to play the best of three. If each player has won one hand, the third is the deciding hand, often called la bella ("the beauty"). Other tables play the best of five, or keep going until someone has won a set number of hands. A drawn hand, 60 points each, usually counts for nobody.

In our game: choose a single hand, the best of three (standard), the best of five, or first to win five hands. A 60–60 hand counts for nobody; in a single-hand game it ends the game as a draw. The change starts with your next game.

Swapping the 2 of Trump

In Spanish Brisca, and in some Italian households, a player holding the lowest trump may exchange it for the face-up card under the stock. The face-up card is usually much better, so the swap is a small reward for holding the 2. The exchange is made on your own turn, before you play your card, and only while the face-up card is still under the stock. Some families use the 7 of trump instead, or only allow the swap when the face-up card is a high one.

The swap changes the end of the hand: once it is done, the 2 lies face up and will be the last card drawn, and everyone knows that the swapper holds the old face-up card.

In our game: turn on "Swap the 2 of trump". When you can swap, a button appears under the table. The computer always swaps when it can, and the Hint will remind you.

Four Players in Partnerships

With four, Briscola becomes a partnership game, and many Italians would say this is the real thing. Partners sit across from each other. Each player is dealt three cards, the trump card is turned up as usual, and play goes around the table. The winner of each trick draws first, followed by the others in turn, so the face-up card goes to the last player to draw after the final full round. Points are counted per partnership, and 61 still wins.

The famous part is the signals. In many places partners are allowed to tell each other what they hold with small faces: a pout of the lips, a raised eyebrow, a squint, a shrug. Each traditional signal stands for a card, such as the ace or the three of trump. Signals have to be quick enough that the other side doesn't catch them, and catching your opponents' signals is part of the fun. Other tables play strictly silent. In many places partners may also show each other their cards once the stock is gone.

In our game: Briscola here is the two-player game. Signals and partnership play need a partner you can see across the table, which a computer can't offer in a fair way.

Three Players

With three, a 2 is taken out of the deck so that the 39 remaining cards divide evenly. Everyone plays for themselves, the trick winner draws first and the others follow in order, and the points still add up to 120 because a 2 is worth nothing. The player with the most points wins the hand, so with three at the table a score well short of 61 can be enough.

Briscola Chiamata (Five Players)

"Called" Briscola is a lively five-player game. All 40 cards are dealt, eight each, and there is no stock. Players bid by naming a card rank, and the winner of the auction chooses the trump suit and calls one card. Whoever holds that card becomes the caller's secret partner, and the other three play against them. Nobody knows who the partner is until the called card is played. Because there is no stock and no draw, it plays quite differently from ordinary Briscola.

Counting Out Loud

At many tables it is bad manners, or simply not allowed, to look through the cards you have won during a hand or to count points out loud. You have to keep the count in your head, which is a big part of the skill.

In our game: we show the running points on screen, because the point values are the hardest part for newcomers and seeing them makes them stick. Once you know them, try keeping your own count and check yourself against the score bar.

Italian Cards or Standard Cards

Italian decks come in many regional patterns, with suits of coins, cups, swords and batons and court cards called the fante, cavallo and re. Many families abroad play with a standard deck instead, removing the 8s, 9s and 10s. The game is exactly the same; only the pictures change. Our game uses standard cards, and the rules page has a table that matches the two.

Related Games

• Brisca is the Spanish cousin, with the same idea and its own house rules, such as the swap described above.
• Tressette is another Italian classic with the 40-card deck, where following suit is required.
• Whist also turns up a card from the deck to decide trump, but you must follow suit and every trick counts.

Ready for the standard game? Read the full Briscola rules or our Briscola strategy guide.