Briscola

Briscola is one of Italy’s most popular card games: a quick, tactical trick-taking game for two where you never have to follow suit. Play this Briscola card game free in your browser against a computer opponent, with the classic two-player rules and the 40-card Italian deck.

How to play Briscola

The deck has 40 cards in four suits: coins, cups, swords and clubs. Each suit runs from the Ace to 7, plus three face cards: the Fante, the Cavallo and the Re (King).

• The deal: each player gets 3 cards. The next card is turned face up and laid crosswise under the stock. Its suit is the briscola, the trump suit for the whole hand. The player who didn’t deal leads first.
• Playing a trick: the leader plays any card, then the other player plays any card. There is no rule to follow suit and no rule to trump. You can always play whichever card you like.
• Who wins the trick: if a trump was played, the highest trump wins. If not, the higher card of the suit that was led wins. A card of a different suit that isn’t a trump can never win, even an Ace.
• Card ranking: from high to low, Ace, 3, Re, Cavallo, Fante, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2. Note that the 3 outranks the Re.
• Drawing: after each trick, the winner draws a card from the stock, then the other player draws, so both of you are back to 3 cards. The winner leads the next trick. The face-up briscola is the very last card of the stock, so the loser of that trick takes it.
• The last three tricks: once the stock is gone, you play out the 3 cards left in each hand without drawing.

Scoring

Only some cards are worth points, and they are the same in every suit:

• Ace: 11 points
• 3: 10 points
• Re: 4 points
• Cavallo: 3 points
• Fante: 2 points
• 7, 6, 5, 4 and 2: nothing

That makes 120 points in the deck. At the end of the hand, count the cards you won in tricks. Take 61 or more and you win the hand. If both players finish on 60, it’s a draw and the hand doesn’t count. After each hand you see the tricks, cards and points each of you took, plus the match score. The deal passes to the other player every hand.

Options

• Match length: play a single hand, or a match of best of 3 or best of 5 hands. Best of 3 or 5 is the usual way to play.
• Italian or French suits: the Italian deck shows coins, cups, swords and clubs with the Fante, Cavallo and Re. The French option shows diamonds, hearts, spades and clubs with the Jack, Queen and King, ranked and scored the same way.
• Easy or Smart computer: the Easy player often plays a card at random. The Smart player saves its trumps, grabs tricks loaded with Aces and 3s, and plays the last three tricks perfectly once the stock runs out.

Cards of the trump suit in your hand carry a small gold dot, and the trump suit is always shown under the stock.

Strategy tips

• Lead cards that are worth nothing. A 2, 4 or 5 of a plain suit costs you nothing if your opponent takes it. Leading an Ace or 3 invites a cheap trump.
• Don’t waste trumps on empty tricks. A trump spent on a trick with no points is a trump you won’t have when an Ace comes along.
• Count the Aces and 3s. Eight cards hold 84 of the 120 points. Knowing which of them are still out tells you when it’s safe to lead a high card.
• Watch the end of the stock. Whoever loses the trick before the stock runs out gets the face-up briscola. Sometimes it’s worth losing that trick on purpose.

FAQ

Is this Briscola game free?

Yes. It’s free to play in your browser with no account and no download.

Do you have to follow suit in Briscola?

No. You can play any card at any time. That is the biggest difference from games like Hearts or Euchre.

How many points do you need to win at Briscola?

61 of the 120 card points wins a hand. A 60-60 split is a draw.

Are my stats saved?

Yes. Matches won and played, your best winning streak, hands won and your best single-hand score are saved in your browser, along with your options.

Like trick-taking games? Try Hearts, where you dodge points instead of chasing them, or play Euchre, another trump game with a short deck.