Play Brisca online
A real online table for four players in pairs, dealt as soon as the page opens. It is the same server as the BriscaCard app, with bots in any empty seat: no account, nothing to install, and every game starts from zero.
Dealing the table…
Each game is a single hand for four players in two pairs. When it ends, another table is dealt. Nothing is saved: statistics, medals and ranking live in the app.
Learn Brisca in one hand
Two decisions are enough to understand the game. You play against one opponent, and coins are trumps. Tap a card to play it.
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Step 1 of 2
Trump Played by your opponent The 4 of coins lies face up under the stock, so coins are trumps. Your opponent leads the ace of cups, worth 11 points.
Your hand
Which card do you play?
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Step 2 of 2
Trump You lead You won the trick, so you draw first and lead the next one. You drew the 2 of swords.
Your hand
Which card do you lead?
That is the whole game: you never have to follow suit, trumps beat everything else, and the points are in the aces and threes. The winner of each trick draws first and leads the next one. When the stock runs out, the last cards are played without drawing, and 61 of the 120 points win the hand.
The rules at a glance
These are the rules BriscaCard plays, on this page and in the app.
- Deck
- The Spanish deck of 40 cards: coins, cups, swords and clubs, from the ace to the king, without 8s and 9s.
- Deal and trump
- Each player receives three cards. The next card is turned face up and its suit is trumps for the whole hand; it stays under the stock and is the last card drawn.
- Playing a trick
- The player after the dealer leads. You may play any card: you never have to follow suit. The highest trump wins the trick; without trumps, the highest card of the suit led wins.
- Drawing
- The winner of the trick draws first, the others follow in turn, and the winner leads the next trick. When the stock runs out, the last cards are played without drawing.
- Taking the trump
- Right after winning a trick and before drawing, you may take the face-up trump: with the 7 of trumps when it is worth points, or with the 2 of trumps when it is worth nothing (two or four players).
- Points
- Ace 11, three 10, king 4, knight 3, jack 2 and the rest 0: 120 points in the deck. 61 points win the hand; a tie decides nothing and a new hand is dealt.
- Two, three or four players
- With three players the four 2s are removed (36 cards) and 41 points win. With four, partners sit opposite each other and add up their points; play goes counter-clockwise.
- Signals
- In pairs, BriscaCard includes nine traditional signals to tell your partner which trumps or points you hold, each usable a limited number of times per hand.
- Matches
- A match can be a single hand or the best of three, five or seven. The table on this page plays single hands, one after another.
What each card is worth
Strength and points are different things: the ace and the 3 win almost everything and carry most of the points, while the 7 is fairly strong and worth nothing.
| Strength | Card | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ace | 11 |
| 2 | Three | 10 |
| 3 | King (12) | 4 |
| 4 | Knight (11) | 3 |
| 5 | Jack (10) | 2 |
| 6 | Seven | 0 |
| 7 | Six | 0 |
| 8 | Five | 0 |
| 9 | Four | 0 |
| 10 | Two | 0 |
The four aces and the four threes are worth 84 of the 120 points: most hands are decided by who takes them.
With three players the 2s are removed: 36 cards, still 120 points, and 41 points win.
Points counter
At the end of a hand, tap the cards you won to count your points (two or four players).
Coins
Cups
Swords
Clubs
Brisca, Briscola, Bisca: compare the rules
The same family of games is played with different decks and a few different rules. The last row is the game you play on this page and in the BriscaCard app.
| Game | Deck | Cards in hand | Players | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BriscaSpain, Catalonia and Latin America | Spanish, 40 cards | 3 | 2 to 4; partners of four sit opposite | Signals between partners are part of the game. The face-up trump can be taken with the 7 of trumps, or with the 2 when it is a low card. |
| BriscolaItaly | Italian regional, 40 cards | 3 (8 in briscola chiamata) | 2 to 6 | 60–60 is a draw, and some tables allow signals. With five players, briscola chiamata: the bidder names a card, and whoever holds it becomes a secret partner. |
| BiscaPortugal | French-suited, 40 cards (no 8, 9 or 10) | 3, or 9 in Bisca de Nove | Mostly 2 | The 7 is the second card and is worth 10 points; the jack (3 points) ranks above the queen (2). In pairs, Portugal plays Sueca. |
| BriškulaCroatian coast, islands and Istria | Triestine, 40 cards | 3 (4 in dupla briškula) | 2 to 4; partners of four | Signals between partners (moti) are a defining part of the game, which is often played together with trešeta. |
| BriškolaSlovenian Littoral | Triestine, 40 cards | 3 | 2 to 6; partners sit opposite | The same card values as briscola, played in Primorska, the Karst, the Vipava valley and on the Istrian coast. |
| BixklaMalta | 40 cards | 3 | Not well documented | Named as the Maltese member of the family; the few sources disagree on its rules. |
| BriscaCardThis page and the app | Spanish, 40 cards | 3 | 2, 3 or 4; partners of four | You never have to follow suit. The 7 or the 2 of trumps takes the face-up trump. With three players the 2s go and 41 points win. Nine signals in pairs. |
Rules change from table to table. This comparison gathers the most widely documented forms, from Heraclio Fournier, pagat.com and the Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Croatian and Slovene encyclopedias.
Tips to win at Brisca
Brisca is quick to learn and hard to master. These habits separate a good player from a lucky one.
Follow the aces and threes
They are 84 of the 120 points. Keep track of all eight and you always know what is still at stake.
Lead a blank card
When you have nothing to gain, lead a card worth nothing: a 2, 4, 5, 6 or 7 that is not a trump. If your opponent takes it, they win nothing.
Capture big cards with small trumps
A 2 or a 4 of trumps is enough to take an ace or a three of another suit. Keep the ace and the three of trumps for the tricks that decide the hand.
Do not feed a lost trick
If you cannot win a trick, throw a card worth nothing instead of a king or a knight.
Count the trumps
There are ten trumps. Counting the ones already played tells you when your high cards are safe to lead.
Plan for the face-up trump
It is the last card of the stock, and right after winning a trick you can take it with the 7 or the 2 of trumps. Plan the last draws so that it ends up in your hand.
Read the end of the hand
In a two-player game, once the stock is empty every card you have not seen is in your opponent's hand: the last tricks can be played without guessing.
Play for your partner
In pairs, drop your points on a trick your partner is winning, and use the signals to say which trumps you hold.
Take BriscaCard with you
The BriscaCard app for Android and iPhone adds everything the table on this page leaves out:
- An account that keeps your statistics, medals and ranking
- Friends, private rooms and chat
- Offline games against bots with two, three or four players
- Matches of one, three, five or seven hands
- Decks, table mats, avatars and larger cards
