Briscola
A three-card hand, one trump suit, and 120 points to fight over. Play the Italian classic against the computer, with a guided tutorial and a card-power reference beside the table.
How to play Briscola
Briscola is about the points in your captured cards. You and the computer each receive three cards from a 40-card pack. The next card is turned face up beneath the stock: its suit is the briscola, or trump suit, for the whole game. The non-dealer leads the first trick.
Tap a card to play it. Your opponent then plays one card. You may play any card in your hand: there is no obligation to follow suit or play a trump. Any trump beats any non-trump. When neither card is trump, the higher card of the suit led wins; a card from an unrelated suit cannot win.
Card power and points
The order from strongest to weakest is Ace, Three, King, Queen, Jack, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Two. Aces score 11 points, Threes 10, Kings 4, Queens 3, and Jacks 2. The remaining cards score zero. The French-suited pack used here omits Eights, Nines and Tens.
The Three is unusually powerful, but even a low trump can capture an Ace of another suit. Open RANKS at the table whenever you want to check the order and point values.
Drawing and the last tricks
After each trick the winner draws first and the loser second. The winner also leads the next trick. The face-up briscola is the very last card drawn. Once the stock is empty, finish the final three tricks using only the cards left in hand.
Winning the match
There are 120 card points in the pack. Score at least 61 to win a game; 60 each is a draw and awards neither player a game. The first player to win two games wins the match. The dealer alternates between games, so the opening lead alternates too.
Learning and strategy
The guided tutorial points out the trump card, card values, and drawing order as they become relevant. Choose Tutorial on the menu to start the tips again, or turn them off in Settings. Save your strong trumps for valuable tricks and discard low cards when winning would cost more than it gains.
The computer remembers cards already played and searches the final tricks when the stock is exhausted. Settings lets you change sound, avatars, table backgrounds, card backs and card faces. The web version currently offers play against the computer.
Frequently asked questions
Must I follow suit?
No. You may play any card in your hand, even when you hold the suit led or a trump.
Can I swap the Seven of trumps?
This version uses the base two-player rules, without the regional Seven-swap variation.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. The table supports portrait and landscape, and you can rotate during play.