TRESSETTE
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THE CARDS
The cards are divided into four suits:
Denari (Coins)
Spade (Swords)
Coppe (Cups)
Bastoni (Batons)
Tressette is played with a standard Italian 40-card deck. Card rankings from highest to lowest for the game of Tressette are as follows;
Card Rankings (highest - lowest):
3 Numeric Card
2 Numeric Card
Asso (Ace)
Re (King)
Cavallo (Knight)
Fante (Jack)
Then all the remaining cards in numerical orderfrom 7 down to 4.
THE DEAL
Games are traditionally played with a 40 card deck. The game can be played with 4, 3 or 2 players. Cards can be dealt in a anti-clockwise (as traditionally played) or a clockwise direction. Dealer turns will follow the same direction decided.
Dealing for 2 players
For a 2 player game the deck of 40 cards is played over 2 rounds with 20 cards in play for each round. At the beginning of each round, the dealer will deal 10 cards to each player, 5 at a time.
Dealing for 4 players
4 player games can be played as individuals or as pairs (teams of 2) for team play. If playing as teams, team players must be positioned opposite each other on the playing surface. 10 cards to each player are dealt, 5 at a time. When playing in teams, paired players are able to view each other hand before the last trick play of the game.
Dealing for 3 players
It’s not traditional to play with 3 players, but card dealing can be adapted. To begin, simply remove the lowest ranking card (ie. 4 card from any suit) from the 40 card deck, leaving 39 cards in play. Then, like the 2 player game, the game will be played over 2 rounds of play, with 7 cards dealt to each player for roud 1, followed by 6 cards dealt to each player for round 2.
THE PLAY
The player to dealer's right leads first (if deciding to play in an anti-clockwise direction) or left leads first if deciding to play in a clockwise direction. Any card may be led, and the other players must play a card of the suit led if they have one. A player with no card of the suit led may play anything. The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and the winner leads to the next trick.
SCORING
Points are scored by collecting the face cards including; Re (King), Cavallo (Knight), Fante (Jack), 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 points in a deck; with the point for the last trick that makes a total of 11 points available. The match continues until a score of 21 is achieved. There are certain card combinations dealt which score additional game points when held in the hand ofone player.
These are:
Four 3's, four 2's or four Assi (Aces) = 4 points
Three 3's, three 2's or three Assi (Aces) = 3 points
Napoletana (3, 2 and Asso of a suit) = 3 points
A player with such a combination must declare it with their very first card play of the game (it does not matter if one of the cards of the combination was played to the trick). When declaring a Napoletana you must specify the suit, and when declaring three of a kind you must say which suit is missing. It is possible to use the same card in a Napoletana and another combination - for example you could declare for a Napoletana in Coppe (Cups) and four twos for 7 points.
PLAYER INTERACTION
During game play, no verbal communication is allowed between players with exception to declaring card combinations for point scoring at the beginning ofeach game. When playing in teams, leading to a trick, players are not allowed to communicate with each other each other however three conventional signs are allowed:
Busso (”knocking") Is signaled by a knock on the table while playing your card. This indicates that you want your partner to play their highest card in the suit you play, and lead the suit back if it wins.
Volo ("flying") Is signaled by allowing your card to fall from a few centermeters above the table, so it glides onto the table surface. This signal indicates that you have just played your last card in that suit.
Striscio or Liscio ("Sliding") Is signaled by sliding the card on the table. This signal indicates that you have, besides the card you are playing, one or more cards of the suit to play. BASIC
GAME STRATEGY
Basic strategy in tressette revolves around gathering as many Asso (Ace) 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 Asso (Ace); at that time, the Asso (Ace) may be played safely and a point scored in their favour. Hence, when holding several lower ranked cards in a suit plus the Asso (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 Asso (Ace). Obviously, holding Asso (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.