Tressette

What is Tressette?

Tressette is one of Italy's great card games, a game of skill played from the Alps to Sicily with the 40-card Italian pack in four suits: cups, coins, swords and clubs. Its name means "three sevens", although in play the 3 is the highest card and the sevens count for nothing. Here you play it two-handed, "tressette in due", against the computer: ten cards each and a stock of twenty to draw from.

There are no trumps. You must follow suit, and only the higher card of the suit led wins the trick, so the game is all about capturing the aces, worth a point each, and counting the cards. A match runs to 21 points, the computer comes in three strengths, and every day brings new deals, the same for everyone.

How to play

The player who did not deal leads to the first trick; the deal passes from one side to the other after every deal.

• The cards. Each suit ranks 3, 2, ace, king, knight, jack, then 7, 6, 5 and 4. As on every Italian pack the corners are numbered 1 to 10, so the jack shows 8, the knight 9 and the king 10.
• The tricks. Lead any card. The other player must follow suit if possible; with no card of that suit any card may be played, but it cannot win. The higher card of the suit led takes the trick, and its winner leads next.
• The stock. After each trick the winner draws the top card of the stock, then the loser draws the next, and both show the card they drew. A dot marks your cards that the computer has seen. When the stock runs out, the last ten tricks are played without drawing.
• The points. Each ace is worth 1 point; each 3, 2, king, knight and jack is worth 1/3; the 7, 6, 5 and 4 nothing. The last trick earns 1 point more. Each side's thirds are rounded down at the end, so a deal always gives out 11 points.
• Declarations. Holding the 3, 2 and ace of one suit (a napoletana) scores 3 points, three 3s, three 2s or three aces score 3, and all four score 4. They count from the ten cards dealt, or the moment a drawn card completes one, and the declared cards are shown. Both sides declare automatically.
• Winning. Points carry over from deal to deal. Whoever has 21 or more at the end of a deal, and more than the other side, wins the match.
• Score. 10 for every point you take, up to 21, 10 for every point the computer is short of 21, and 100 for winning the match.

Strategy tips

1. Hunt the aces. An ace is worth three times any other card. Keep your 3s and 2s to capture the aces the computer is forced to play.
2. Lead a 3 to pull out an ace. If the computer holds the ace of a suit with few other cards of it, leading the 3 can force the ace into your trick.
3. Cash your masters. Once the 3 and the 2 of a suit are gone, the ace is the master: lead it while nobody can beat it.
4. Watch the drawn cards. Every card drawn from the stock is shown. Remember them, along with the suits the computer could not follow.
5. Count the last ten tricks. When the stock is empty you can work out exactly what the computer holds, and the last trick is worth a whole point.

FAQ

Is Tressette free to play?

Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account needed.

Can the computer see my cards?

No. It plays only on what it can see from its seat: its own hand, the cards already played, the cards you drew from the stock or declared, and the suits you showed you were out of. Once the stock is empty it knows your last cards, as anyone who counts the cards does.

Why are the drawn cards shown?

That is the rule of two-handed Tressette with a stock: each player shows the card they draw. It keeps the game a test of memory and skill rather than luck.

Why is a deal worth 11 points?

The aces make 4 points, the twenty threes, twos and court cards make 6 and 2/3, and the last trick 1. Each side's thirds are rounded down, which always leaves 11 between the two.

What is the daily deal?

Every day everyone gets the same deals against the same computer, so scores compare directly on the leaderboard.