Definition

Briscola is one of Italy's most beloved card games. At the start of each hand, a card is drawn from the deck and placed face-up — its suit becomes the briscola (trump suit) for that entire round. Players draw from the deck after each trick until the deck is exhausted, then play out the remaining cards in hand. The five highest-scoring cards are the Ace (11 points), Three (10 points), King (4 points), Queen (3 points), and Jack (2 points). The player or team that accumulates more than 60 points wins the hand. In its 2-player form the game is direct and fast; with 4 players it becomes a partnership game where communication is forbidden but signaling with body language is a celebrated part of the culture.