Scarto

Scarto is a three player trick taking tarot card game that originated in the Piedmont region of Italy, generally regarded as an accessible introduction to the larger and more intricate family of tarot card games. Its name comes from the discarded cards exchanged with the stock during play, a naming pattern also seen in the unrelated card game Skat. The dealer deals twenty five cards to each of the three players, leaving three cards as a stock; play proceeds counter-clockwise starting with the player to the dealer's right, and players must follow the led suit or play a trump card if unable to follow suit. The Fool card may be played at any time to excuse a player from following suit, though it cannot itself win a trick. After all cards are played, points from won tricks are tallied and each player subtracts twenty six from their total to reach a final game score, with the lowest scoring player after everyone has dealt once traditionally paying the other players.