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Keeping score at Briscola
Briscola has the simplest count of any Italian card game, and the easiest one to check: the deck holds exactly one hundred and twenty points, every hand, without exception. An ace is worth eleven, a three is worth ten, a king four, a knight three and a jack two. Every other card — seven, six, five, four and two — is worth nothing at all, which is why a trick can hold three cards and still be worth zero.
That hundred and twenty is your checksum. When the hand ends, every player's total must add up to exactly that: if you get a hundred and eighteen, or a hundred and twenty-two, someone has miscounted a high card and it is worth recounting before entering anything. Whoever passes sixty wins the hand, and sixty apiece is a draw.
Deciding what to record
This is the choice every table makes differently. Some record the card points from each hand — a number between zero and a hundred and twenty — and race to a high running total. Others record only who won the hand, one point at a time, best of three or best of five. The first method rewards hands you lost narrowly; the second is quicker and keeps each hand independent. The scorer handles either, but settle it before you start, because switching methods mid-game makes the history unreadable.
Using the scorer
The target is set to sixty-one, the winning threshold for a single hand, so it already fits if you are recording card points. The one, five and ten quick buttons suit counting hands won, or small corrections; a total like seventy-three is quicker to type. Playing in partnerships, add two players named for the partnerships — the points are already counted from shared tricks.
Frequently asked questions
- What is each card worth in Briscola?
- Ace eleven, three ten, king four, knight three, jack two. Sevens, sixes, fives, fours and twos are worth nothing. The whole deck comes to one hundred and twenty points.
- Should I record card points or hands won?
- Either works, but pick one before you start. The default target of sixty-one matches the card points in a single hand; if you are counting hands won, ignore it and play best of three or five.
- What happens if a hand ends sixty to sixty?
- It is a draw, since neither side passed half the deck. Enter sixty for both if you record card points, or zero for both if you record hands won.
- How do I check I counted correctly?
- Add up every player's total: it must come to exactly one hundred and twenty. Any other number means a card was miscounted or left in the wrong pile.