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italian card games - ciapanò
(more italian card games)

Ciapanò, also known as Rovescino, Traversone, Tressette a non Prendere, Perdivinci or Vinciperdi is a trick-taking game and is the reverse game of Tresette. The name Ciapanò is in Milanese dialect (in English it could be translated as "Don't catch it!") - Ciapanò was very popular in Lombardy until the 1980s and still played there now. Like most Italian games it is played anticlockwise. Ciapanò can be played by 3, 4 or 5 players.

the cards
A 40 card pack is used. In the North East of Lombardy the Italian suits: swords, batons, cups and coins are used. In the South or North West of Lombardy the game is played with 40 cards of the Milanese pack which has French suits (spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds). In each suit the cards rank as follows: 3 (highest), 2, Asso (ace), Re (king), Cavallo (horse, or queen), Fante(jack), 7, 6, 5, 4 (lowest). The cards have point values and the object is to avoid taking tricks containing valuable cards. There is an extra penalty for winning the last trick. The values of the cards are as follows:

    Each ace                           1 whole point

    Each 3, 2, re, cavallo or fante    1/3 of a point

dealing
Deal (anticlockwise) 8 cards to each player for 5 players, 10 each for 4 players and 13 each for 3 players (in this case the dealer receives 14 cards and discards one card, which will be given to the winner of the last trick). Turn to deal passes to the right after each hand.

playing
There are no trumps. The player to dealer's right leads first. 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
When all tricks have been played, the values of cards taken in tricks are counted. Each player except the winner of the last trick scores as penalty points the value of the cards they have taken, disregarding any fractions - for example a player who has taken three and one thirds point scores 3; a player who has taken just two thirds of a point scores nothing. The scores of all the players for one hand should add up to 11, so the player who won the last trick scores the difference between 11 and the total of the amounts scored by the other players.

Example:

                Actual value of cards taken     Penalty points scored

    Player A:               3 1/3                          3

    Player B:               2 and the last trick           4

    Player C:               1 2/3                          1

    Player D:               3 2/3                          3

    ---------               -----                         --

    Total                  10 2/3 + last trick            11, as always

variations
Some play that the target score is 21 or 41 rather than 31. Some play that when a player reaches or exceeds the target, the player with the lowest score immediately wins.

For rules and information on hundreds of other card games, visit www.pagat.com

The card game description on this page is reproduced with permission from the card games web site www.pagat.com and is copyright © John McLeod, 1996-2004. No further copying or reproduction of this text in any form is allowed, except with prior permission from the copyright holder.