Setup & dealing
Briscola uses the 40-card Italian deck: ace through seven plus the jack, queen and king in every suit, with the 8s, 9s and 10s removed. Each hand, the dealer gives 3 cards to each player (non-dealer first) and then turns the next card face up - its suit is the briscola, the trump suit for the whole hand. The turned card stays visible under the face-down stock, and it will enter play at the very end of the drawing phase.
The non-dealer leads the first trick, and the deal alternates every hand of the match. Within every suit the ranking is the game's famous quirk - the three is the second-best card, right behind the ace:
| Card | Rank (high to low) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | 1st | 11 |
| Three | 2nd | 10 |
| King | 3rd | 4 |
| Queen | 4th | 3 |
| Jack | 5th | 2 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4, 2 | 6th - 10th | 0 |
The aces and threes carry 84 of the 120 points between them; the eight cards from seven down to two are pure filler, worth nothing even when they win a trick. Briscola is not about winning tricks - it is about winning the RIGHT tricks.
Trick play
The leader plays any card; the opponent replies with any card at all. Briscola has no obligations whatsoever: you never have to follow suit, never have to trump, never have to beat anything. Every card in your hand is legal on every turn - the only question is which one you can afford.
The two-card trick is then judged by three simple cases:
- Same suit: the higher-ranked card wins (ace beats three beats king, and so on down the order).
- A briscola against a non-trump lead: the briscola wins, however small - the 2 of trumps beats a non-trump ace.
- Off-suit and not a briscola: the reply can never win. Throw the ♣A on a ♥4 lead and the four takes it, eleven points and all.
That third case is the heart of two-player Briscola. Because you need not follow suit, every reply is a free choice between three moods: win the trick (with a higher card of the suit or a briscola), load it (gift points to a trick you have given up on - never wise here, but legal), or duck it (throw a worthless off-suit card and save your strength). The winner of the trick leads the next.
Drawing & the turned briscola
After each trick, both players draw back to three cards: the trick winner draws first from the stock, the loser second. This tempo matters - winning a trick buys you the better card of the next two off the deck.
The turned briscola card is the last card of the stock. On the trick that empties the deck, the winner draws the final face-down card and the loser of that trick takes the turned briscola into their hand - a known card, and always a trump. From that moment there is no more drawing: the last three tricks are played from hand, both players knowing exactly one of each other's recent pickups.
A hand therefore runs exactly 20 tricks: seventeen with a draw after each, then the three dry tricks at the end. The endgame is where hands are decided - by then strong players have counted the briscolas and the big points, and the last three tricks play almost like a double-dummy puzzle.
Scoring & winning
When the twentieth trick is done, each player totals the points in the cards they captured. The arithmetic is closed: aces, threes, kings, queens and jacks add up to exactly 120, so the two totals always mirror each other.
| Your points | Result |
|---|---|
| 61 - 120 | You win the hand |
| 60 - 60 | Drawn hand - counts for neither player |
| 0 - 59 | Your opponent wins the hand |
The match is best of three: the first player to win TWO hands takes it. Drawn 60-60 hands score for nobody and simply extend the match, and the deal alternates every hand. A match therefore lasts at least two hands and - draws aside - at most three.
Because only crossing 61 matters, margins are irrelevant: a 61-59 squeaker and a 120-0 shutout are each worth exactly one hand. Once you are safely over 61 in the endgame, conserving big cards for the NEXT hand is worthless - there is no carryover - but conceding worthless tricks to protect a won position is fine.
Edge cases & fine print
- Every card is always legal. There is no such thing as a revoke in Briscola; the game never restricts your choice of card.
- A trump lead can only be beaten by a higher trump. When a briscola is led, an off-suit reply loses no matter its rank - the "briscola beats non-trump" rule only applies against non-trump leads.
- No card ever ties. The 40 cards are all distinct, so the same rank never meets itself and every trick has a clean winner.
- The turned briscola always reaches the trick LOSER. The winner draws first and takes the stock's last face-down card, leaving the face-up briscola to the loser - a small consolation prize, and a card the opponent gets to see.
- A trick can be worth zero. Two pip cards (7 down to 2) carry no points at all; winning such a trick gains you nothing but the lead and the first draw.
- 60-60 is a genuine dead heat. Neither player scores a hand win; the match simply continues with the next deal.
- No last-trick bonus. Unlike some point-trick games, the twentieth trick is worth only the cards in it.
Variants
What we play is the standard two-player Briscola described on pagat.com, with one documented site choice: pagat gives the match as "best of three or five games", and we play best of three - first to two hand wins. Notable variants not offered here:
- Briscola a chiamata - the five-player version where the bidder "calls" a card to secretly pick a partner. A different, negotiation-heavy game.
- Briscola scoperta - both players' cards are played face up on the table, turning the game into a perfect-information duel.
- Three- and four-player Briscola - three players remove a 2 and play cutthroat; four play fixed partnerships. Our table seats exactly two.
- Signalling (segni) - in partnership Briscola, coded facial signals to your partner are traditional and legal. With no partner, there is nobody to wink at.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the three beat the king in Briscola?
It is the traditional Italian rank order: within every suit the cards run ace, three, king, queen, jack, then 7-6-5-4-2. The three is the second-strongest card and the second-biggest point carrier (10 points to the ace's 11) - treat your threes like near-aces, because everyone else will.
What happens at exactly 60-60?
The hand is a draw and counts for neither player. The 120 deck points split evenly, no hand win is recorded, and the match continues with the next deal until someone reaches two hand wins.
When are the last three tricks played without drawing?
Once the stock is gone. On the trick that empties it, the winner draws the last face-down card and the loser takes the turned-up briscola; both players then hold three cards and play them out over the final three tricks with no more drawing.
Who draws first after a trick?
The trick winner, always - they take the top card of the stock and the loser draws the next one. That first-draw privilege is a real part of a trick's value, especially when big cards are due off the deck.
What happens if neither card is a trump and the suits differ?
The leader wins. An off-suit card that is not a briscola can never take a trick, whatever its rank - replying to a lowly 4 lead with an off-suit ace just donates 11 points.
Can I trump even when I hold cards of the led suit?
Yes. Briscola has no obligations at all - no following suit, no forced trumping, no forced overtaking. Every card in your hand is legal on every turn; the rules never make the choice for you.
How many hands does a Briscola match last?
Two or three, plus any 60-60 draws. The match is best of three - first to two hand wins - so a 2-0 start ends it immediately, drawn hands extend it, and the deal alternates every hand.
Is a trick with no point cards worth anything?
Not on the scoresheet - the 7, 6, 5, 4 and 2 carry zero points, so a trick made of them scores nothing. It still gives you the lead and the first draw from the stock, which can be worth more than a few points at the right moment.
Related rulebooks
- Scopa rules - match and add to capture - sweep for a scopa
- Belote rules - the french classic - trumps, tierces and belote
- Durak rules - attack, defend - don't be the fool
- Whist rules - classic tricks, rotating trump, first to 7
Last reviewed 2026-08-10 · play Briscola online free