GAME GUIDE
Briscola
Italian trick-taking game with hidden trump.
01 · UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE
Essential rules
Objective
Italian trick-taking game with hidden trump.
Variant played: CardVerse variant · must follow suit if possible
- Players
- 2 to 6
- Duration
- 15–30 min
- Deck
- 40 Italian cards
Identify the briscola
The card turned up from the stock sets the trump suit, called briscola. The other suits do not become trumps during the deal.
Follow the requested suit
In the proposed CardVerse variant, follow the suit requested if you have it. This requirement differs from many traditional Briscola variants.
Trump with briscola
If you do not have the requested suit, you may play a briscola. Here, coins are trumps: the 2 of coins beats the Ace of cups.
Discard
If you do not have the requested suit, you may discard another suit. A non-trump card does not beat the requested suit.
Replenish the hands after the trick
After a trick, while the stock is still available, each player receives a card starting with the winner. The winner leads the next trick.
Count won cards
An Ace is worth 11 points, the 3 is worth 10, the King 4, the Knight 3, and the Jack 2. Points reward cards won and do not by themselves describe trick-taking strength.
Detailed rules
Variant played: CardVerse variant · must follow suit if possible · Version 1.0.0
The essentials to get started
Italian trick-taking game with hidden trump.
Identify the briscola
The card turned up from the stock sets the trump suit, called briscola. The other suits do not become trumps during the deal.
Follow the requested suit
In the proposed CardVerse variant, follow the suit requested if you have it. This requirement differs from many traditional Briscola variants.
Trump with briscola
If you do not have the requested suit, you may play a briscola. Here, coins are trumps: the 2 of coins beats the Ace of cups.
Discard
If you do not have the requested suit, you may discard another suit. A non-trump card does not beat the requested suit.
Replenish the hands after the trick
After a trick, while the stock is still available, each player receives a card starting with the winner. The winner leads the next trick.
Count won cards
An Ace is worth 11 points, the 3 is worth 10, the King 4, the Knight 3, and the Jack 2. Points reward cards won and do not by themselves describe trick-taking strength.
The table guides you through each turn and suggests the legal moves. This guide presents the basic rules; regional variants may differ.
02 · Cards to inspect
Cards to inspect
Look at the ranks and suits of these cards.
VIDEO ACTIONSView every type of move
Identify the briscola
1 / 6Preparing cards…
Read the steps in this demo
- Spot the cards in this example.
- Look at the ranks and suits of these cards.
- With this card, coins are trump.
Cards to inspect
01 · Situation
Spot the cards in this example.
The card turned up from the stock sets the trump suit, called briscola. The other suits do not become trumps during the deal.
Teaching example · playable table cards