Bestia (game)

Bestia

Rams group
Players	3–10
Cards	40 cards
Deck	Italian
Rank (high→low)	1 3 R C F 7 6 5 4
Play	Anti-clockwise
Chance	High
Related games
Bête

Bestia is an Italian card game. It is a gambling game and is similar to Briscola and Tressette. The word bestia means beast.

History

The game of Bête was born in France around 1600. It is recorded as early as 1608,^[1] and the game is described in La maison academique : contenant les jeux du picquet, du hoc, du tric-trac, (…), divers jeux de cartes, qui se joüent en differentes fac̜ons, Paris, 1659:^[2] as ‘Le Jeu de l'Homme, autrement dit la Beste’. La maison academique was later reprinted (1665, 1668, 1674, 1697, 1702), then was continued by the Académie Universelle des Jeux (Paris 1718, and later editions).^[3] The first description of the Italian game of Bestia comes from Raffaele Bisteghi in his Il giuoco pratico (Bologna, 1753).^[4] The French and Italian game are analyzed and discussed by Girolamo Zorli.^[5] Eighteenth-century Bestia was different from today's version described below. It was a catch game with an obligation to

but carried forward to the next hand's pot.

Rules

Bestia is played by 3 to 10 players. Deal and play are anticlockwise. The game consists of several

and the aim is to take the most winnings from the pot and to prevent the others taking any tricks.

Cards

Bestia is played with a

, 3, Re (king), Cavallo (knight), Fante or Donna (jack), 7, 6, 5, 4, 2.

Stakes

At the start of the hand, a

anted

the stake to the pot, each player is dealt 3 cards.

Deal

First

first hand

on the right.

Auction

The purpose of the

It follows the deal, is opened by first hand and proceeds anticlockwise. Each player may "pass", laying their cards down, or knock, thus committing to play the hand and take at least one trick. Once the bidding is over, the dealer invites those who passed to discard their hands and receive 3 more cards. If they accept, they must play and commit to making at least one trick. This exchange has various regional names such as: "andare a cicca" ("picking up the dregs"), "andare a dottore" ("going to the doctor's"), "fare un dottore" ("doing a doctor"), "prendere il buco" ("taking a lucky dip"), "prendere il bambino" ("taking the baby"), "andare a spizzico" ("getting a takeaway"). If there are insufficient cards left to replenish all those who passed, the dealer collects the trump

drop out

of the current hand.

Play

First hand leads to the first trick and each player, in turn, plays one card to the trick. A

led suit

, a player must play a trump if able. The trick is taken by the player who played the highest trump, or the highest card of the led suit if no trumps were played. The trick winner leads to the next trick.

Settlement

At the end of the hand, the pot is divided among the players on the basis of their tricks, therefore one third per trick taken. If a player fails to make at least one trick, he loses ("goes

force

in which everyone must play.

Tactics

• If player
  on lead
  has the highest trump (the Ace) he should play it. The same rule does not apply to the three, even if the ace of the same suit is out.
• If player on lead has a trump after the first trick, he must play it.
• If a player has to play trumps (e.g. having only trumps in his hand or not having the led suit for the second trick) he will play the highest trump. An exception is when one's highest trump does not exceed the one already played, which has nothing to do with the obligation to trump.

The above 3 maxims are excellent tactics and many circles make them rules, punished with the payment of the pot if broken.

References

External links

• Modern rules of Bestia