ALCALDE

Alcalde is a version of a Spanish card game called Briscola, designed for three players. In this game, one player takes on the role of the Alcalde, while the other two players work together to defeat them. Every time the Alcalde wins a round, they continue to be the Alcalde. However, if the Alcalde is defeated, the player on their right becomes the new Alcalde.

SETUP

To set up the game, the Alcalde shuffles the cards and deals them to each player. The other players receive 3 cards each, while the Alcalde gets 6 cards. The remaining cards are placed in the center, and the top card is turned face up to determine the trump suit for the round. The trump card is then placed face down at the bottom of the deck, with the suit showing.

Modified Deck

Did you know that you can play the game with a modified deck of cards? All you have to do is remove the eights, nines, and tens. The ranked order for this deck is Ace (high), 3, King, Queen, Jack, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2 (low).

Let’s talk about points

Not all cards are created equal when it comes to points. Aces (Ones) are the big winners, worth a whopping 11 points. Threes come in second with 10 points, while Kings (Twelves) claim 4 points. Queens (Elevens) have 3 points, and Jacks (Tens) bring in 2 points. As for the rest of the pack, they don’t have any value in terms of points. The game offers a grand total of 120 points up for grabs, but watch out for ties. When it comes to a draw, the Alcalde takes the victory.

Ready for some gameplay?

Hey there! I’m here to tell you all about Alcalde, a super cool game where the goal is to score as many points as possible by winning tricks. To start the game, the player to the right of the Alcalde will play the first trick. After that, the player who won the previous trick gets to lead the next one.

Now, here’s the really interesting part: you can play any card you want to start a trick, and the other players can play any card they want too! There’s no need to follow suit. When the Alcalde plays, they actually get to play two cards. And if the other players want, they can even show each other their cards as they play.

So, how do you actually win a trick? Well, it’s simple. The player who has the highest card of the same suit as the lead or the highest trump card, if there are any, wins the trick. Easy peasy! And after all ten tricks have been played, it’s time to tally up the scores.

After each trick, the winner gets to draw a card from the draw pile, and the other players do the same. But the Alcalde, being extra special, always gets to draw two cards. They sure have some perks!

The Game’s End

Once all ten tricks have been played, the round comes to an end. The scores are added up, and the player with the highest score wins the round. If the Alcalde wins or if there’s a tie, they get to remain the Alcalde. But if one of the other players wins, then the player to the right of the Alcalde becomes the new Alcalde.