The Bisca.
Briscola
Venceslao.
The cardsA 40-card deck has Coins, Cups, Swords and Sticks. Suits rank in that order. Within a suit, higher numbers win; 1 is the Ace, 8 the Peasant, 9 the Knight and 10 the King.
Bet firstBefore each round, bet on how many hands you will win. The last bettor cannot make everyone's bets add up to the number of cards dealt. This restriction is lifted in the one-card round.
Play a handPlayers play one card each in turn. The highest card wins, and its player leads the next hand. Play continues counterclockwise, with the player on your right next.
AcesChoose high or low when playing an Ace. The Ace of Coins can become the strongest card in the deck or the weakest; other Aces can be highest or lowest within their suit.
Rounds and livesThe host chooses the opening card count and starting lives (3 by default). Later rounds deal one fewer card each, down to one, then repeat. Miss your bet and lose one life per hand you were off. The last player standing wins.
One-card roundYou cannot see your own card while betting, but you can see everyone else's. Bets are 0 or 1; the Half Bets variant also allows 0.5. The last bettor has no restriction.
Half Bets variantChoose bets in half-hand steps, including 0.5 in the one-card round. Hands are still won whole, so a half bet always costs at least half a life. Life loss is the distance between your bet and the hands you take.
Babbeo bonusThe first player or players to lose all their lives return with one life. This bonus is awarded only once per game.
Everyone out?If all players who were still playing run out of lives together, the one closest to zero wins. If the closest players tie, everyone at the table gains one life, including previously eliminated players. The tied players continue with at least one life. This can happen again in later rounds.
Three players, three gamesPlay one game with each player dealing. Add the points from all three to find the match winner.
The briscolaA randomly sampled card sets the first trump suit. Only the two non-dealers see it. Remember the suit as it changes during play.
Take tricksEach player plays one card. The highest briscola wins, or the highest card of the suit led if no briscola appears. The winner leads next.
VenceslaoPlay the Due di Spade as soon as you draw it. The first opponent to click it chooses the new briscola.
CulettoFante di Bastoni starts a two-trick sequence. Leave the first three cards on the table; the second trick decides who takes all six.
ScoreCard points and Primiera decide each game. A player with a valid highest Primiera earns 11 points.
Variants
Find a table
Join a public table while players are gathering.
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Card artwork & licenses
The Bergamasche, Bresciane, and Napoletane card designs are adapted from files published on Wikimedia Commons.
- Bergamo deck: the playable cards are by Poulpy, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Brescia deck: the playable cards are by ZZandro, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Naples deck: the playable cards are credited to Trocche100 at Italian Wikipedia and marked public domain; other archived files have individual CC BY-SA 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, or public-domain terms.