Gemopedia
Card Games🇮🇹Italymedieval

Tressette

One of ITALY'S MOST IMPORTANT + WIDELY-PLAYED national card games — 4-player partnership trick-taking game (2 & 3-player variants) using 40-card ITALIAN suits (spade, coppe, denari, bastoni). Complex rank order (3-2-A-K-C-F-7-6-5-4); NO TRUMPS. Sicilian/Neapolitan origin (~15th c.); often played with special STRICT COMMUNICATION SIGNALS between partners.

⏱~45 min🌤indoor

Quick facts

Category

Card Games

Type

Team sport

Players

2–4

Duration

~45 min

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇮🇹 Italy

Estimated origin

Emerged 15th century Southern Italy (Sicily / Naples); rules documented 16th century; became one of the Italian national card games alongside Briscola + Scopa.

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

How it works

Objective

First partnership to reach 21 points (or agreed target) by winning tricks + capturing scoring cards.

Rules

Basic rules

  • DEAL: 10 cards each; no stock (all cards dealt)

    Standard 10-card deal.

  • RANK ORDER (HIGH to LOW): 3, 2, ACE, KING (RE), CAVALLO/QUEEN, FANTE/JACK, 7, 6, 5, 4

    Signature unusual rank order.

  • NO TRUMP SUIT — must follow suit; highest card of led suit wins trick

    Signature no-trumps rule.

  • SCORING (per card captured): ACE = 1 pt; 2/3/K/C/F = 1/3 pt each (i.e. 3 of them for 1 pt); LAST TRICK BONUS = 1 pt

    Signature 1/3-point card values.

  • MELDS (ACCUSI): NAPOLETANA (A+2+3 same suit) = 3 pts; 3 or 4 ACES/2s/3s = 3 pts each — declared before trick play

    Signature meld system.

  • STRICT COMMUNICATION SIGNALS between partners often allowed (bussare = knock, striscio = slide, volo = fly)

    Signature partner signals.

Scoring

Card points (ace=1, 2/3/K/C/F=1/3, last trick=1); melds (accusi 3 pts each); total ~11 per deal.

Win condition · First partnership to 21 (or 31/41) points.

Equipment

  • 40-card Italian deck (Napoletane / Piacentine / Siciliane etc.) — suits: coppe, denari, bastoni, spade

    Signature Italian regional decks.

  • Scoresheet + pencil

    Score tracking.

Terminology

Napoletana
A+2+3 in same suit meld = 3 pts.
Accuso
Meld declared at start (three of a kind of A/2/3 = 3 pts).
Bussare
'Knock' partner signal = 'lead this suit'.
Striscio
'Slide' partner signal = 'I have many of this suit'.
Volo
'Fly' partner signal = 'I am void in this suit'.
Punto
1 point (in card values).

Where it is played

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-28.verified