Briscola Chiamata is played by five players with the 40-card Italian deck, 8 cards each. The auction calls ever-lower cards from Ace down to Two; the last bidder names the trump suit, and the card they called marks their secret partner — revealed only when that card is played. Eight tricks decide 120 points; the declarer's side must reach the 61-point contract (60-60 favors the declarer). The declarer scores +2, the partner +1, the others -1 game points, and the match is played to 15.
Play now — it's freeThe game uses the Italian 40-card deck in suits of coins (denari), cups (coppe), swords (spade) and batons (bastoni): Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Jack, Knight and King per suit. Five players receive 8 cards each — there is no stock and no face-up trump card.
Card strength follows classic Briscola: 3, Ace, King, Knight, Jack, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace (Asso) | 11 |
| Three (Tre) | 10 |
| King (Re) | 4 |
| Knight (Cavallo) | 3 |
| Jack (Fante) | 2 |
| 7, 6, 5, 4, 2 (low cards) | 0 |
The deck is worth 120 points in total — every deal puts all of them in play.
The player to the dealer's right starts, play proceeds counter-clockwise. On your turn you either call a card — naming only its rank, never the suit — or pass. Once you pass, you are out of the auction for the whole deal.
Every call must be on a lower card than the previous one. If two or more players have called, another round is held among everyone who has not passed, until only one player remains.
| Call order (highest first) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ace → Three → King → Knight → Jack → 7 → 6 → 5 → 4 → Two | The lower the call, the stronger the promise: calling the Two is the boldest bid |
Once the ladder reaches the Two nobody can go lower: later players may only raise the required points, one point at a time from 62 upward.
The auction winner declares the suit of the card they called: that suit becomes trump. Whoever holds that exact card (say the Three of Cups) is the declarer's partner.
The partner cannot say so: their identity is revealed only when the called card is played to a trick. Until then even the partner bluffs and plays for themselves — that is the soul of the game.
If the declarer holds the called card themselves (calling "in mano"), they play alone against the other four.
The declarer leads the first trick. Briscola has no follow-suit rule: every player may play any card.
The highest trump played wins the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins. The trick winner leads next, until all 8 tricks (40 cards) are played.
At the end, the card points taken by the declarer and the partner are summed: those are the calling side's points, against the other three players' total.
| Outcome | Effect |
|---|---|
| Calling side ≥ contract (61) | Deal won |
| 60 to 60 with no raises | Favors the declarer: counted as a win |
| Raised to 71+ points | Game points doubled |
| Raised to 81+ points | Game points tripled |
| Cappotto (all 120 points) | Game points doubled |
Game points per deal: declarer +2, partner +1, others -1 on a win; declarer -2, partner -1, others +1 on a loss. A solo declarer scores double: ±4.
The match continues deal after deal (the dealer rotates) until a player reaches 15 game points — that player wins the match.
Bid to your hand: plenty of points and a long suit justify deep calls; with a weak hand stop at the Ace or pass.
If you are the secret partner, playing too well too early unmasks you — let the others burn their trumps first.
Count the trumps that have been played: once only yours remain you can harvest the point tricks at will.
Contracts raised above 70 points need a monster hand — cappotto doubles everything, defeats included.
All 40 of the Italian deck (coins, cups, swords, batons): 8 cards per player for five players, no stock and no cards removed.
Five: the declarer plus the secret partner against the other three players.
In turn each player calls a lower-ranked card (Ace, Three, King, Knight, Jack, 7, 6, 5, 4, Two) or passes. The last player left wins the auction and names the trump suit.
The player holding the card called by the auction winner. Their identity stays secret until the called card is played to a trick.
They have "called in mano": they play alone against the other four, and their game points double (±4 instead of ±2).
No: as in classic Briscola you may play any card. The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the led suit.
The base contract is 61 of the 120 points. A 60-60 tie with no raises favors the declarer; with raises (from 62 up) the raised contract must be reached.
Win: declarer +2, partner +1, others -1. Loss: declarer -2, partner -1, others +1. A solo declarer scores ±4. Raises past 70/81 points and cappotto multiply everything.
When a player reaches 15 accumulated game points across deals (typical targets run from 10 to 20).
Yes — briscolachiamata.yeeqia.com lets you play free directly in the browser, no download and no sign-up needed to try a table.