Italy's best-loved card game: no trumps, you must always follow suit, and the winner is whoever counts the cards best. Play one-on-one with a draw pile, or in partnerships of four.
Goal: Be the first to reach the chosen score (21, 31 or 41 points) by winning tricks that hold the most valuable cards, and the last trick.
Tressette is played with the 40-card Italian deck in four suits: denari (coins), coppe (cups), spade (swords) and bastoni (batons). Each suit has an ace, the numbers 2 to 7, the fante (jack), the cavallo (knight) and the re (king). There is no trump suit: only the suit of the first card played and the rank of the cards matter.
From highest to lowest: Three, Two, Ace, King, Knight, Jack, 7, 6, 5, 4. Strength is not the same as value: the Ace is worth the most (1 point) but it is beaten by the Three and the Two; Three, Two, King, Knight and Jack are worth one third of a point each; 7, 6, 5 and 4 are worth nothing (the “low cards”).
Every player is dealt 10 cards. The player after the dealer leads to the first trick with any card; its suit becomes the suit led.
The others play in turn and must follow suit if they can. A player with no card of that suit may play any card, but then cannot win the trick.
The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and its player leads to the next one. After each hand the deal (and with it the lead) passes to the next player.
With two players the 20 undealt cards form the stock. After each trick the winner draws first, then the other player, and each shows the drawn card to the opponent, so both players know every card drawn.
Following suit is always compulsory, even while there is still a stock. Once the stock is gone, the last ten tricks are played with the cards in hand: from then on every card is known and every move can be worked out.
Partners sit opposite each other and play as a team. There is no stock: each player plays their 10 cards in 10 tricks, and a trick goes to the team of the player who played the highest card.
Partners may not communicate: this version has no signals (such as busso, striscio or volo).
At the end of the hand each side (each player, or each pair) counts the cards it has won: an Ace is worth 3 thirds, each Three, Two, King, Knight and Jack 1 third. The thirds are added up and the fraction is dropped: 13 thirds are worth 4 points.
The winner of the last trick scores 1 extra point. Every hand is worth 11 points in total.
Hands are played one after another up to the chosen score: 21 points (the classic), 31 or 41. The check is made at the end of each hand: if at least one side has reached the target, the side with more points wins. If they are level, another hand is played.
With this option, a player holding the Three, Two and Ace of the same suit (a “napoletana”) scores 3 points at once for each complete suit.
The declaration is automatic: it happens when the player plays their first card of the hand; with two players it also happens when a drawn card completes a napoletana. The three declared cards are known to everybody until they are played.
Count the cards played: once the Three and the Two of a suit are gone, your Ace of that suit is safe. Do not lead an Ace while the Three or the Two is still out.
When you cannot win a trick, throw away low cards and do not give points away; when your partner is about to win, load Aces and face cards onto their trick. The last trick is worth a point: keep a strong card for the end.