Brisca guide
How to play Brisca step by step
Brisca is a trick-taking game in which timing matters more than following suit. Each player starts with three cards, one suit becomes trump, and the valuable cards collected in tricks decide the result.
Last updated: 22 July 2026
Prepare the table and deal
Use a 40-card Spanish deck. Deal three cards to each player. Turn the next card face up: its suit is trump for the entire hand. Place the remaining cards above it as the draw pile.
The player who leads chooses any card. There is no obligation to hold a particular suit before the first trick, so the opening lead is already a tactical decision.
Play one card each
Players take turns placing one card in the centre. In Brisca you do not have to follow the suit that was led, and you do not have to play a trump even when you can. Any card in your hand is a legal choice.
This freedom makes it useful to remember which high cards and trumps have already appeared.
Decide who wins the trick
If one or more trump cards were played, the strongest trump wins. If nobody played trump, the strongest card of the suit led wins. Cards from any other suit cannot win that trick.
Within a suit the strength order is ace, three, king, knight, jack, seven, six, five, four and two.
Collect and draw
The winner collects the played cards face down. While the deck still contains cards, that player draws first, followed by the others in turn. The winner also leads the next trick.
When only the face-up trump remains, it is drawn last. From then on there is no more drawing and players finish the cards in their hands.
Count the points
Aces are worth 11 points, threes 10, kings 4, knights 3 and jacks 2. Sevens, sixes, fives, fours and twos score no points. A full 40-card deck therefore contains 120 points.
After the last trick, add the points in the tricks won by each player or team. The side with more points wins the hand.
A complete trick example
Suppose cups are led with a seven. Another player lays the three of cups and a third lays the two of swords. If swords are trump, the two of swords wins despite being a zero-point card. If swords are not trump, the three of cups wins and contributes 10 points.
This distinction between card strength, suit and point value is the key to reading every Brisca trick.