How to play Brisca: rules of the Spanish card game

Brisca is the trick-taking game of the Spanish deck, played in bars and at family tables from Spain to Mexico, Puerto Rico and Argentina. Hold three cards, follow suit only if you want to, and take the tricks with the points in them: aces, threes and the court cards.

• Players2, or 4 as partners
• Cards40-card Spanish deck
• Hand3 cards, drawing after every trick
• Goal61 of the 120 points; the first to win 3 hands

The cards and the deal

Brisca is played with the 40-card Spanish deck: 1 to 7, then the sota (10), the caballo (11) and the rey (12), in oros, copas, espadas and bastos. Each player gets three cards. The next card is turned face up and placed under the stock: its suit is trumps - the triunfo - for the whole hand, and it will be the last card drawn. Two play one on one; four play as partners, partner sitting opposite. Play goes round to the right, and the player on the dealer's right leads.

Playing a trick

Each player plays one card. You may play any card you hold: there is no need to follow suit, or to beat the card on the table. The highest trump takes the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led takes it. A card of another suit never wins, however high. The order in each suit, from the top:

Ace, three, king (rey), knight (caballo), jack (sota), 7, 6, 5, 4, 2.

The winner of the trick draws the top card of the stock, then the others draw in turn, and the winner leads the next trick. When the stock runs out - the turned-up trump goes last - the final three cards are played out.

What the cards are worth

• Ace: 11. Three: 10. Together they are the briscas.
• King (rey): 4. Knight (caballo): 3. Jack (sota): 2.
• The 7, 6, 5, 4 and 2 are worth nothing, though they still take tricks.

There are 120 points in the pack. At the end of the hand each side counts its cards: 61 or more wins the hand. At 60 each, nobody wins it. A game is usually played to three hands.

Swapping the seven

A player who has just won a trick may swap the 7 of trumps for the turned-up trump card, if that card is an ace, three, king, knight or jack - a good trade, since the 7 is worth nothing. If the turned-up card is a 7, 6, 5 or 4, the 2 of trumps takes it instead. The swap is closed once only the last draw is left.

Arrastre

Many tables in Spain add one rule once the stock is gone: in the last three tricks you must follow suit, beat the trick if you can, and if you have none of the suit, trump it. If your partner is already winning the trick, following suit is enough. At Manita it is a setting, off unless you turn it on.

Strategy

Lead your blank cards - the 2s, 4s and 5s - and keep your briscas back: an ace or three led is an invitation to trump it. Take a trick with points in it as cheaply as you can, and do not spend a trump on a trick worth nothing. Count the trumps that have been played. With a partner, throw your points onto a trick your partner is sure to win.

Questions

How many points do you need to win Brisca?

61 of the 120 points in the pack. If both sides have 60, the hand is a draw and counts for nobody.

Do you have to follow suit in Brisca?

No: in classic Brisca you may play any card at any time. Some tables play "arrastre", which makes you follow suit, and beat or trump the trick, once the stock has run out.

What is the difference between Brisca and Briscola?

Brisca is the Spanish game and Briscola the Italian one. They share the deck, the card values and 61 to win; Brisca adds swapping the 7 of trumps for the turned-up card.

Can I play Brisca online with friends?

Yes, free: one on one or four as partners, against anyone online, friends with a code, or the computer in any empty seat. In Spanish and English.