Briscola

Italy's favourite trick-taking duel: you never have to follow suit, so every card you play is a small bluff about what you are holding back.

How to play

One suit is turned up as the trump (briscola). Players hold three cards, play one each to a trick, then draw from the stock. You are free to play any card. The higher trump wins the trick; with no trump played, the higher card of the led suit wins. The winner takes both cards' points and leads next.

• Card points: Ace 11, Three 10, King 4, Knight 3, Jack 2; the rest are worth nothing.
• There are 120 points in the deck — score more than 60 to win the game.
• The exposed trump card is the last one drawn from the stock.
• Matches are best of three games.

Controls

• Desktop: click a card in your hand to play it.
• Phone & tablet: tap a card in your hand to play it — no keyboard needed.

Game modes

• Daily: a shared seeded deal everyone plays.
• New Game: a fresh randomised best-of-three vs the CPU.
• Online: invite, join by code, or quick-match a stranger.

Tips & strategy

• Don't waste an Ace or Three on a trick worth nothing — bleed low cards and capture the big points yourself.
• Count the trumps that have appeared; a small trump late in the deck is often more decisive than a high non-trump card.

About Briscola

Briscola is a traditional public-domain Italian trick-taking game. This is an original, free browser version with daily and practice deals, a tactical CPU and online head-to-head play.

A free, original browser game on PlayPendium — no download, no install. Browse all games →