Classic
Tressette
- Players
- 2–4
- Duration
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- 2/3
- Deck
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
Chapter 1 of 5
How to set up
Southern Italy's partnership trick-taking game, for four players with the 40-card deck, or two or three with the variants. No trumps, you must follow suit, and the 3 is the highest card. You talk to your partner only through busso, volo and striscio.
Objective
Reach 21 points with your partner before the other pair. Points come from the A and high cards you capture, from the last trick and from declarations, combinations of 3, 2 and A held in hand.
Setup
- Deck
- 40 cards: remove the 8s, 9s, 10s and jokers
- In hand
- 10 each, face down
- The pairs Four players in two pairs. Partners sit opposite each other.
- The deal Choose a dealer. They deal ten cards each, five at a time, counterclockwise starting with the player on their right. Nothing is left over.
Card ranking, within each suit:
The 3 is the highest card, the 4 the lowest.
Variants to agree on first
- Two-player Tressette (spizzichino). Ten cards each and the rest is drawn: after each trick everyone draws a card from the deck, the winner first.
- Terziglio (calabresella). Three players and an auction: whoever wins it plays alone against the other two.
- Losing Tressette (rovescino or traversone). You play to take as few points as possible.
- Declaring out. A player who thinks they have reached 21 declares it mid-deal: if they are right their pair wins, if wrong it loses.
- Mechanics
Chapter 2 of 5
How to play
- The trick The player on the dealer's right leads the first trick, playing one card face up. The others follow counterclockwise, one card each.
- Follow suit If you have cards of the suit led, you must play one. If you have none, play anything.
- Who wins The highest card of the suit led wins. There are no trumps: cards of other suits never win. The winner leads the next trick.
- Signals Whoever leads may add a signal to the card. Busso, knocking on the table: asks the leader's partner to play their highest card of that suit and, if it wins, to lead that suit back. Volo, letting the card drop: it is the leader's last card of that suit. Striscio, sliding the card across the table: the leader has more low cards of that suit. Nothing else may be said or hinted.
- Declarations At the end of the first trick, whoever holds a napoletana or a buongioco (the combinations are under Scoring) declares it, naming the suit, and their pair scores it at once.
- End of the deal After ten tricks each pair counts the points in the cards it took.
- The next deal The deal passes to the player on the right and another deal is played, until a pair reaches 21.
Frequently asked questions
What if I have no cards of the suit led?
Play any card you like. It never wins, since there are no trumps, but you can use it to get rid of a card you do not need.
Can I tell my partner what cards I have?
No. Only the signals made with the card you lead are allowed, busso, volo and striscio, and only about the suit you are playing.
What happens to leftover thirds of a point?
They are dropped. At the end of the deal each pair rounds down to whole points.
When are declarations made?
At the end of the first trick, naming the suit. The points are scored at once.
Chapter 3 of 5
How to score
After ten tricks each pair counts the points in the cards it took and throws away the leftover thirds. The deck holds 10 and 2/3 points, plus 1 point for the last trick: 11 in all.
| Item | Points | How |
|---|---|---|
| Last trick | +1 | to the pair that takes the last trick |
| Napoletana | 3 | 3 2 A of the same suit, declared after the first trick |
| Buongioco | 3 | three 3, three 2 or three A, declared after the first trick |
| Buongioco | 4 | four of a kind |
Cappotto and stramazzo
If a pair takes all ten tricks, it wins at once and the win counts as two games. If it takes all the points but leaves the opponents some pointless tricks, it is stramazzo and counts as three.
Who wins. The first pair to reach 21.
Chapter 4 of 5
An example hand
The start
Anna and Carla play against Bruno and Dario. Dario deals, so the order of play is Anna, Bruno, Carla, Dario.
Tips
- Count the 3 and 2 played in each suit: knowing which card has become the highest tells you when a card is sure to win.
- Save busso for when your partner needs to know they should play their highest card of that suit.
- The last trick is worth a whole point, more than three court cards. Keep a sure winner for the end.
Chapter 5 of 5
Table summary
- 2–4 players
- 10 min
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
In short
- Four players, two pairs, partners opposite. Counterclockwise.
- Ten cards each, five at a time. No trumps.
- Follow suit. The highest card of the suit led wins.
- The first pair to 21 wins.
Ranking and points
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| 3 | 1/3 |
| 2 | 1/3 |
| A | 1 |
| K Q J | 1/3 |
| 7 6 5 4 | 0 |
- Last trick: 1 point. Leftover thirds are dropped.
Declarations (end of the first trick)
- Napoletana, 3 2 A of the same suit: 3 points.
- Three 3, three 2 or three A: 3 points. Four of a kind: 4 points.
Signals (only with the card you lead)
- Busso: asks the partner to play their highest of this suit and lead it back.
- Volo: it is the player's last card of the suit.
- Striscio: the player has more low cards of this suit.
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