Tressette

Tressette

Italian playing cards
Origin	Italy
Alternative names	terziglio, trešeta
Type	Trick taking
Players	2-8
Skills required	Tactics
Cards	40 cards
Deck	Italian
Play	Counter-clockwise
Card rank (highest to lowest)	3 2 A R C F 7 6 5 4
Playing time	25 min
Random chance	Medium
Related games
Calabresella

Tressette or Tresette (trešeta in Croatian and Montenegrin) is one of Italy's major national trick-taking card games, together with Scopa and Briscola. It is recorded only from the early 18th century, though greater antiquity is suggested by its trumplessness. The name of the game, literally "three Seven" may refer to seven sets of three or four point possibilities when a minimum of three each (three, two, ace or all of those together in a matching suit are dealt), or to the fact that it is played up to twenty-one. There are many variants depending on the region of Italy the game is played in.

Tressette is played with a standard Italian 40-card deck and the cards are ranked as follows from highest to lowest: 3-2-Ace-King-Knight-Knave and then all the remaining cards in numerical order from 7 down to 4. The game may be played with four players playing in two partnerships, or in heads-up play. In either case, ten cards are dealt to each player. In one-on-one play, the remaining twenty cards are placed face down in front of both players. The object of the game is to score as many points as possible until a score of 21 is achieved. Players must follow suit unless that suit does not remain in their hand, and players must show the card they pick up off the card pile to their opponent.

Points are scored by collecting the face cards (King, Knight, Knave), threes, and twos; each of these cards scores one third of a point. An ace scores one point on its own. Each player can only score an integer number of points; the thirds of point "in excess" go to the player who scored the last trick. There are 10 and ⅔ points in a deck. The match continues until a score of 21 is achieved.

Basic strategy in tressette revolves around gathering as many Aces as possible because they are worth three times the value of any one face card. As such, players typically attempt to "strip" their opponent of the Three and Two in the suit in which they themselves hold an Ace; at that time, the ace may be played safely and a point scored in their favour. Hence, when holding several lower ranked cards in a suit plus the ace you may play the lower ranked cards in the hope your opponent is forced to play the three or two of the suit allowing you to play the ace. Obviously, holding Ace, Three and Two of a suit (called a "Napolitana", "Napoletana" or a "Napoli") is a particularly powerful holding as it allows you to play the Ace with impunity, careful not to surrender it to an off-suit card. As picking up the last hand garners a point, players try to organize their card play for this purpose near the end of a round.