BRISCOLA

This is one of the truly great Italian partner & hip games which is played extensively in the United States by Americans of Italian ex traction.

Requirements

1. A standard 52-card deck from which the eights, nines, and tens have been re- moved, making a 40-card deck.
2. Partners, two players against two.
3. The cards rank in descending order as follows: ace (high), three, king, queen, jack, seven, six, five, and four and two (low), the ace being highest and the four lowest both in cutting and in play.

Point Scoring Values of Cards Won in Tricks. Aces count 11 points, threes 10 points, kings 4 points, queens 3 points, and jacks 2 points. Sevens, sixes, fives, fours, and twos have no point values. The maximum number of points that can be scored in one hand by a partnership is 120.
Object of the Game . For a team of two partners to first score 121 or more points in two or more hands or deals, or score 61 points or more in one hand. When the hand is over, each partnership looks through its pile of cards (the tricks they have taken) and scores as described under Point Scoring Values.
How to Select Partnerships. Partnerships are determined by prearrangement or by cutting. Rules to determine partnerships by cutting the cards is the same as in Partnership Tressette. This also holds true for the shuffle and the cut.
The Deal. Dealer, starting with the player on his right, deals each play poker player including him- self three face-down cards, one at a time in counterclockwise fashion. The next card from the top of the deck, which is the thirteenth card, is placed on the table face up and the rest of the stock goes face down next to the upturned card.
How Trump Is Determined. The trump in Briscola is determined by the suit of the upcard, the thirteenth card. If the card faced in the center or the table IS a Club, the trump for this hand is clubs, and so on.
Beginning the Play. The player to the dealer’s right leads the first card. It may be anyone of the three cards he holds. There- upon, the turn of play passes to the right. Each player in his turn can play any card he wishes, he does not have to follow suit. A trick which contains one trump is won by the trump. A trick which contains more than one trump is won by the higher trump card. Any other trick is won by the highest card of the suit led.
The Stock. The winner of a trick draws the top card of the stock to restore his hand to three cards. The player on the winner’s right draws the next card, and so it rotates counterclockwise until each player has three cards. When all four hands have been restored to three cards, the winner of the previous trick must lead to the new trick, and play rotates to the right according to the rules set forth. The routine of play continues until all cards have been played to tricks. Then the score for points taken in tricks is totaled, and a second deal takes place and play continues until one partnership has scored 121 points and wins the game. The upturned trump card is considered the last card of the stock. Immediately upon the picking up of the last card of the stock (trump upcard), partners are permitted to exchange hands and after studying such hands return them to their rightful owner; then the last hand is played to a finish. Note: If partners believe they have scored a total of 121 points, they may throw in their hands to their opponents. However if such is not the case, the opponents are declared the winners.
Briscola and Tressette both have a unique feature of an informatory exchange in certain arbitrary and authorized facial and verbal cues which inform the partner as to what good or bad cards each is holding. This discussion and cueing is sort of a secret convention and is not a binding contract and cannot take place until the first trick has been taken. It need not even be an accurate description of what it purports to describe, namely the card values in a partner’s hand. Online play poker players will often give their partners inaccurate cures with the thought in mind of misleading their eavesdropping opponents.
CALABRASELLA

This is another game of Italian origin. While it has a rather unique rank of cards, it’s not too difficult to learn and is simple in its bidding and in its play, which never has a trump suit.

Requirements

1. Three players, but four may play with the dealer taking no cards.
2. The 40-card Italian deck.
3. The cards rank as follows: three (high), two, ace, king, queen, jack, seven, six, five, four (low). Suits have no comparative rank.

Beginning of the Game. The selection of the dealer, seating positions, changing seats, shuffle, and cut are as provided under the General Rules for Card Games, chapter 1.
The Deal. Players cut and low card deals. Dealer gives each player a hand of 12 cards, dealt four at a time per round, beginning at dealer’s left. The remaining four cards are placed face down in the center of the table as a widow. The turn to deal in subsequent hands passes to the left.
Object of the Game . To win in tricks as many as possible of the 35 points that can be made in counting cards.
Points to Be Won in Play. Certain cards have counting value as follows: ace, 3 points; three, deuce, king, queen, and jack, 1 point each a total of 8 points per unit. Winning the last trick is worth 3 points. Thus a total of 35 points can be scored on a hand.
The Bidding. Player at dealer’s left has first turn. He may say “I play” or “Pass.” If he says “I play” he proposes to play alone against the other two, who combine as partners against him. If he passes the turn goes to the player at his left. But as soon as any player announces he will play, there is no further bidding by the others. If no one pro- poses to play, the deal goes to the player at the left.
The Play. The single player discards face down from one to four cards as he pleases. He then turns up the widow and takes from it as many cards as he discarded. The cards left over from his discards and the widow are placed together in a single pile face down and will go to the winner of the last trick. Player at dealer’s left leads any card to the first trick. Each other player in turn must follow suit if able to but may playa card of any rank. If a player cannot follow suit, he may play any card. There is never any trump.
A trick, which consists of three cards, one from each player, is won by the highest card of the suit led. Winner of the last trick also takes the cards in the discard pile and adds them to his trick pile. Opponents of the single player keep their cards together in a common trick pile. Winner of a trick leads to the next, and play proceeds until all 12 tricks have been played.
Scoring. Players count the points in their trick piles as previously described. Lower score is deducted from higher score and the difference represents the winning margin for the player or side with the higher score. If either side takes in all 35 points, the winning score becomes 70.
If the single player is the loser, he pays to each opponent in poker chips or points. If he is the winner, each opponent pays him. Game may be set at 100 points if a pencil and paper score is kept or the game may end, if chips are used, when any player loses all his chips.
Additional Rules. The following will cover j. the various irregularities of Calabrasella:

1. In case of a misdeal, the same player deals again.
2. If a player looks at any cards of the widow before there has been a proposal to play, the hands are thrown in and offender j pays 35 to each opponent. The same is true if the single player looks at the widow cards before he discards.
3. If an opponent of the single player looks at any cards of the widow after there has been a proposal to play, there is no penalty. But the single player may look at the widow cards before discarding.
4. If an opponent of the single player exposes a card, except for the purpose of playing it, or leads out of turn, the single Player may demand that the hands be thrown in. Opponents then score only for points that they won before the offense and single player scores for all points that he took plus 3 for last trick.
5. If a player fails to follow suit when able to, it is a revoke and 9 points are subtracted from his score and added to the score of opponent or opponents. The hand is played out.