Briscola vs Brisca
Brisca is a Spanish variant of the Italian card game “Briscola”.
Briscola and Brisca are both card games, and are sometimes used interchangeably.
Origin
Briscola originated in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy in the 16th century. Brisca is popular in Spain, Italy, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other countries.
Basics
Gameplay
In both games, players aim to win the most points, either individually or in alliance with a partner. In Brisca, the goal is to reach 61 card points to win, and a score of 60-all is a draw.
Card values
In Briscola, the card values are:
- Ace: 11 points
- Three: 10 points
- King: 4 points
- Queen: 3 points
- Jack: 2 points
- Anything else: 0 points
Card suits
The suits in Briscola cards are bastoni (sticks), denari (coins), spade (swords), and coppe (cups), which are the same as the suits in Tarot cards.
Variants
There are several variants of Briscola, including Briscola to scoperta, where players place their cards face up on the table, and Mariaje or Cinquecento. In some parts of Mexico, there is a variant where the goal is to not add more than 11 total points at the end of the game.
You can play both Briscola and Brisca online over at Solitare Paradise.
If you like to try with friends you can purchase a deck of cards. You can use the more traditional cards or a regular deck of cards.
Quick 3 Minute Lesson
Full Play-Through, Tips and Strategy