Talk:Briscola

Etymology

What is the etymology of the English-language term? -Fsotrain09 21:10, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

This entry describes one kind of deck used in Italy to play this game, however it's perfectly possible to play it using an international deck, by simply removing the 8, 9, 10 and Jolly Joker cards. In the north-west of Italy French style decks are commonly used, while the deck described is used mostly in southern Italy. Mikelima (talk) 09:00, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Face Cards (Knave/Jack vs. lady)

I was under the belief that the term for the face card of the woman was called the lady, or the donna, rather than the Knave, or the fante. Can someone please clarify this for me? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.30.3.99 (talk) 05:40, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Relative ranks of ace and three

An anonymous user reversed the order of ace and three, saying that the three ranks higher than the ace. That's possible, but all sources I could find say otherwise. If the anonymous user was right, we would need a source that gets it right. Or is it a regional variation? --Hans Adler (talk) 11:38, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

I played Briscola all from Bologna through Rijeka to Split and we always used the aces before threes. Maybe he was really thinking of some local variation Kpreitsetljiann (talk) 14:11, 31 March 2011 (UTC)

FOURS REMOVED NOT TWOS

The article states that when three or six players are involved the cards with the number two are removed. Another, I believe more common, practice is to remove the fours, since the fours don't rank high in tresette(as opposed to the twos, which are the second highest card in tresette). Briscola and Tresette are commonly played together (tresette till 21, then briscola till 3 and finally Bella, wich is tresette till 41). So it is quite unpractical to remove once the twos when playing briscola and some other card when playing tresette. I speak from experience since I live in the northern mediteran and I learned to play those games from my grandfather. :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.143.211.221 (talk • contribs)

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. I will correct it tomorrow. Since you know the game, can you comment on my question in the previous section? Hans Adler 00:49, 25 April 2010 (UTC)

Removal of signaling information?

Signals are an incredibly important part of Briscola game play. Not sure why the signaling info was removed? I see it's referenced as irrelevant...it's definitely not irrelevant as the game is not traditional Briscola (at least in Italy) if the signals aren't used. As for sourcing, it's referenced in several memoirs of Italian culture and considering it's common knowledge for most Italians, i think there's a challenge in finding a source but here's a source as well: http://www.pagat.com/aceten/briscola.html#signals Is there a good reason why that was removed? Risingphoenix7 (talk) 22:35, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

That's interesting. The way it's phrased on pagat.com it sounds as if the signalling is a variation. I can't say much more before I am back to my card game books, though. Hans Adler 15:51, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

Would like to see what you come up with. I've played Briscola for 30 years throughout Northern Italy and always had signals be integral to the game. I do think signalling info should be returned to the article, even if just under variations Risingphoenix7 (talk) 03:22, 16 August 2010 (UTC)

Signals are used when playing briscola in Croatia too.[1] (in Croatian) GregorB (talk) 15:55, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

They are also used in the littoral part of Slovenia. Although the signals are often only used by elder people who still know them. Kpreitsetljiann (talk) 14:15, 31 March 2011 (UTC)

We use signaling in Puerto Rico, too. 24.139.147.229 (talk) 20:15, 2 June 2011 (UTC)

I'd like to propose returning the signaling information to the article. Assuming they are used in Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Puerto Rico, this seems like a good add, as it's integral to the game. The deleted information (which is the correct signaling in Northern Italy) read:

In four- and six-player variations a system of signally is often allowed between members of the same teams. In this variant, the first round is played without speaking and on all subsequent rounds players are permitted to signal their partners and attempt to signal without the other team noticing. A common system of signaling is as follows:

Ace - stretch the lips over the teeth or purse lips

Three - distort the mouth to one side

King - glance upwards or raise eyebrows

Knight - shrug one shoulder

Knave - show the tip of the tongue or lick your lips

Threes or Aces outside of the Briscola suit - quickly open and close your mouth Risingphoenix7 (talk) 17:44, 29 July 2011 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.73.12.89 (talk)

Deuce and seven

Never heard of such rules, and I played briscola for years. Without a reference, I'm going to remove them in a few days. --Webwizard (talk) 01:13, 16 August 2012 (UTC)