Classic
Five-player Briscola
- Players
- 5
- Duration
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- 2/3
- Deck
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
Chapter 1 of 5
How to set up
Briscola chiamata, for exactly five players. An auction decides who is in charge and which card they call. Whoever holds it is the secret partner, and nobody knows for sure until that card hits the table.
Before you start, make sure you know Briscola well: this page takes card values and trick-taking rules for granted.
Objective
The winner of the auction calls a card: its suit becomes trumps and whoever holds it becomes their partner, without saying so. Caller and partner must collect at least the points they bid in the auction, from 61 to 120; the other three must stop them. At the end of each game the winners score points. Play the number of games agreed at the start, and whoever has scored the most at the end wins.
Setup
- Deck
- 40 cards: remove the 8s, 9s, 10s and jokers
- In hand
- 8 each, face down
- The games Before you start, agree how many games to play, for example five so that everyone deals once. The numbers stay small: memory or a note on a phone will do.
- The hands Choose a dealer. Deal out all the cards counterclockwise starting with the player on the dealer's right. Nothing is left over and there is no face-up trump card.
The card ranking is that of Briscola.
Variants to agree on first
- Card auction. Instead of points you bid a rank, without naming the suit, and each bid must be lower than the last in the trick order: A, 3, K, Q, J, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2. The winner must make at least 61 points with the partner. Going lower is riskier: whoever bids the 7 usually already holds the strongest cards of a suit, and the partner will bring only a small trump. Once someone bids the 2 you cannot go lower and bidding continues in points: the 2 for 65, the 2 for 70 and so on. The winner names the suit: it becomes trumps, and whoever holds the bid rank in that suit is the partner. For example Anna bids the A, Bruno the 3, Carla the K and the others pass: Carla names hearts, and the partner is whoever holds the K♥.
- Blind first trick. Trump suit and called card are announced only after the first trick, which is played without trumps.
- Mechanics
Chapter 2 of 5
How to play
- The auction The player to the dealer's right starts and the auction goes counterclockwise. On your turn you bid a number of points, at least 61 and at least one point more than the last bid, or you pass. Whoever passes is out of the auction for this game and does not come back in. The auction ends when four players have passed, or at once when someone bids 120: they win it, and with the partner must make all 120 points.
- The call The winner of the auction calls a card by rank and suit, for example "the 3♠": that suit becomes trumps and whoever holds the called card is the partner. The partner says nothing. From now on caller and partner must make at least the points of the winning bid. The caller may also call a card already in their own hand: in that case they play alone against four, and the others only find out when the card is played.
- The tricks The player to the dealer's right leads, then play goes counterclockwise. No obligation to follow suit or to trump. The highest trump wins the trick or, if there are none, the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads the next trick. Eight tricks in all.
- The partner The partner never declares themselves: the teams become certain when the called card is played. Until then only the partner knows who is playing with whom.
- The next game Count the points, the deal passes to the right and the next game begins.
Frequently asked questions
Can the caller call a card they hold themselves?
Yes. It is called "calling in hand" and you play one against four. If you win you score four points instead of two; if you lose, each of the other four scores one.
When is the partner revealed?
For certain when the called card is played, because the partner must not say so before. Usually, though, you can tell a few tricks earlier, from who throws points onto the caller's tricks. Since all 40 cards are in the players' hands, the called card always comes out sooner or later.
Chapter 3 of 5
How to score
After the eight tricks, caller and partner add up the points in the cards they captured, with the values of Briscola, 120 points in all. If they reach the points of the winning bid, they have won the game.
| Outcome | Caller | Partner | Each of the others |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Loss | 0 | 0 | 1 |
The points are doubled in two cases:
- Alone: a caller who called in hand and wins scores 4 points instead of 2.
- Cappotto: the side that wins all eight tricks scores double points.
Nobody ever loses points.
Example, alone. Anna calls a card in her own hand and wins all eight tricks: 2 points, doubled because she plays alone make 4, doubled again for the cappotto make 8. The other four score 0. If instead Anna loses she pays nothing: she scores 0, and Bruno, Carla, Dario and Elena score 1 point each.
Example, the defenders' cappotto. Carla calls, Elena is the partner, and Anna, Bruno and Dario win all eight tricks: the loss is worth 1 point to each of the others, doubled it makes 2 each. Carla and Elena score 0.
Who wins. Whoever has the most points after the games agreed at the start.
Chapter 4 of 5
An example hand
The start
At the table are Anna, Bruno, Carla, Dario and Elena; Elena dealt, so the auction and the first trick start from Anna, on her right.
Tips
- Caller: call the card you are missing, not the highest one in the deck. If you already hold the A♥, call the 3♥, so that your partner brings the carico you do not have.
- Partner: do not reveal yourself too early. A hidden partner is worth more than an ace, because the opponents do not know whom to feed points to and whom to starve.
- Opponents: watch who loads points onto the caller's tricks and who declines a trick they could take. That is usually the partner.
- Opponents: a good strategy is to spread the points among all the players. While the partner is hidden, any carico can end up with the wrong side: if you spread them, a mistake costs few points, and nobody can tell which side you are on.
Chapter 5 of 5
Table summary
- 5 players
- 15 min
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
In short
- 8 cards each, no face-up trump card.
- The auction winner calls a card: its suit is trumps, whoever holds it is the partner, in silence.
- Caller + partner: at least the points of the winning bid.
The auction
- Starts on the dealer's right, counterclockwise.
- Bid points or pass. Once you pass, you are out for good.
- Each bid beats the last by at least 1: minimum 61, maximum 120.
- Ends when four players have passed, or at once at 120: whoever bids it must make 120.
- The winner calls a card, for example 3♠: spades are trumps, whoever holds the 3♠ is the partner.
Points
| Outcome | Caller | Partner | Opponents (each) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Loss | 0 | 0 | 1 |
- Alone and wins: 4 to the caller. Alone and loses: 1 to each of the other four.
- Cappotto (all 8 tricks): everything doubled. Alone with cappotto: 8. Defenders with cappotto: 2 each.
Values
A 11 · 3 10 · K 4 · Q 3 · J 2 · the rest 0. Same ranking.
Good game night? Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi (opens in a new tab)