How to keep score in Briscola

In Briscola you count the cards you took in tricks: ace 11, three 10, king 4, horse 3, jack 2. Every hand adds up to 120, so 61 or more wins the hand and 60 each is a draw. A game is usually best of three or five hands.

At a glance

• Players: 2, 3, or 4 in two teams

• Who wins: 61 or more wins a hand

• Each hand: 120 points to share out

• A game: Best of three or five hands

What each card is worth

Briscola uses the 40-card Italian deck, the same as Scopa. Only five ranks carry points. The ace and the three are the carichi, the loaded cards. The two, four, five, six and seven are lisci, worth nothing.

Each suit is worth 30, so the four suits make 120. Add both piles before you write anything down. If they don't come to 120, someone has miscounted.

Who wins a hand, and the game

Whoever takes 61 or more wins the hand. At 60 all the hand is a draw, and it counts for nobody.

A game is usually best of three or five hands. Agree before you start, and mark who won each hand as you go.

Playing in teams, or with three

With four players, partners sit opposite and pool their tricks. The team with 61 or more wins the hand, and each hand still adds up to 120.

With three players, take one two out of the deck so the cards deal evenly. The twos are worth nothing, so the hand still adds up to 120, and the highest count wins.

Variants that change the score

• Playing to a total: some players add up the card points across hands and play to 120, or to 121 or 151 in the version called briscolone.

• Briscola chiamata, for five players: one player bids and calls a partner by naming a card. If they win, the bidder scores 2, the partner 1 and the other three −1 each. If they lose, the signs flip. Higher bids pay more. The points don't add up to 120, so set it up in Tallynight as your own game.

• Briscola a 31: you can stop play by claiming you have 31 or more. Right, and you win. Wrong, and you lose.

A scoring example

Ana and Ben play best of three. Every hand adds up to 120.

Ana took hands 1 and 3 with 61 or more, so she wins the game two hands to one. Each row adds up to 120: 68 + 52, 47 + 73 and 81 + 39.

Keep score in Tallynight

Briscola is set up for you: rounds, highest score wins. After each hand, type the card points for each player or team on one keypad, and Tallynight checks that the hand adds up to 120.

There's no target, so you choose when it's over: tap End game after the hands you agreed.

• Checks that every hand adds up to 120

• Each hand's points side by side, so you can see who took it

• Add each team as a player for four-player Briscola

• Tap any hand to fix a miscount

• Get Tallynight on the App Store: free, no ads.

• Print a Briscola score sheet if you'd rather keep score on paper.

Questions

How many points is each card worth in Briscola?

Ace 11, three 10, king 4, horse (or queen) 3 and jack 2. The other cards are worth nothing, and the whole deck adds up to 120.

How many points do you need to win Briscola?

61 of the 120 wins the hand. A game is usually best of three or five hands.

How many cards are in Briscola?

40, an Italian deck with ace to 7 and three face cards in each of four suits. With three players, take out one two so the cards deal evenly.

What happens at 60 to 60 in Briscola?

The hand is a draw, so it doesn't count for either side.

Is the three higher than the king in Briscola?

Yes. The three is the second-best card in each suit, after the ace, and it's worth 10 points. The king is worth 4.

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