Briscola tips
You learn the rules of Briscola in five minutes, but winning often takes a bit of thought. Here are ten simple tips, from the easiest to the cleverest.
1. Lead with a low card
When it is your lead, play a card worth no points (a 2, a 4, a 5): if your opponent takes it, they gain little or nothing.
2. Do not lead with a carico
Leading with an ace or a three is a gift: your opponent takes it with any trump, even the 2. Keep your carichi for when you are sure to win the trick.
3. Do not waste trumps
A trump used to take a 4 worth no points is a trump thrown away. Trumps are for the carichi: use them when there are aces, threes or picture cards on the table.
4. Win with the cheapest card
If your opponent plays the king of swords and you have both the ace of swords and the 2 of trumps, think about what you need later. The ace is often the right choice: you take 15 points and keep your trump.
5. Strangle the carichi
If your opponent plays a three and you have the ace of the same suit, take it: 21 points without using a trump. In Italian this is called strozzare.
6. Count the trumps
There are 10 trumps. Remember how many have been played and which ones: if the ace and three of trumps are gone, your king of trumps becomes almost unbeatable.
7. Remember the carichi played
Aces and threes are worth 84 of the 120 points. Knowing which ones have gone tells you which cards your opponent may still have and when you can play one of yours safely.
8. Watch the trump under the deck
The last card drawn is the face-up trump. If it is a strong card, whoever draws last will get it: keep that in mind in the last rounds of drawing.
9. When the deck runs out, the cards are almost open
Once the deck is used up, in a two-player game you can work out your opponent's three cards by counting the ones played. Think through all the remaining tricks before you play.
10. In pairs, help your partner
If your partner is winning the trick and nobody after you can beat them, give them a carico: the points go to your pair. If they are losing, throw a low card. More on the Briscola in pairs page.
Practise
On FantaCarte you can try these tips with Luca: on hard he counts the cards and never gives away his high cards. The words of the game are explained in the Briscola glossary.