Maltese card games online: Bixkla, Tombla and Ludo in Malta Living

Malta has always had its games: Bixkla (the island's three-card trump game) at the band club, the village band's club and bar; Tombla, festa bingo, in the parish hall; Ludo on the kitchen table. If you're looking for Maltese card games online, Malta Living has them all in one app on your in-game phone. It's a free life sim set in real Malta that runs in your browser, no download.

Open 🎮 Games and it's one screen, no tabs: the newest game big at the top, the games you've been playing, then four lanes, Originals, Maltese, Quick classics and With friends. Every game can be played on your own or against the computer, and every one has How to play behind the ? at its top.

Play Bixkla online

Bixkla is Malta's name for the card game Italians call Briscola. You hold three cards and play one a turn. The higher card of the suit led wins the trick, but a trump (the suit of the face-up card by the pile) beats any other suit, and you don't have to follow suit. Then you draw.

Cards you win score points: an Ace is 11, a Three 10, a King 4, a Queen 3, a Jack 2, the rest nothing. There are 120 points in the deck and 61 wins, the same as the real Briscola. The game's own tip: save your trumps and Threes for tricks worth taking.

• Play the computer: solo, free, at your own pace. Good for learning.
• A friend: challenge them by @username. The challenge shows on their main screen with Open, and Share link sends it on WhatsApp.
• Quick match: it looks for a player who's on now, and if nobody's found within a minute, a local sits in.

At the table you can react with 🍻 Prosit, 😖 Ouch, 👏 Nice or 😂, and it floats up on the other phone.

Tombla, Maltese bingo every 15 minutes

Tombla is the bingo of every Maltese parish hall, and in Malta Living a round starts every 15 minutes. Buy up to 3 cards for the next round at €1 each; one card a day is free. A number from 1 to 90 is called every 7 seconds: tap it on your card, or turn on Auto-mark. A full row wins Line, two rows Two lines, the whole card Tombla!. Ninety per cent of the card money goes back as prizes, and the game's residents play too, so the hall is never empty. Tombla is 18+ and uses game money only.

Ludo with friends online

Ludo is for two to four players. Pick ⚡ Fast, 2 tokens each (about 10 minutes), or 🏁 Classic, 4 each (about 25). A 6 brings a token out, land on someone and they go back to base, ⭐ squares are safe, and you need an exact roll home. Play the computer for free, invite friends by @username or link, or try Quick match, where locals sit in if nobody joins within a minute.

Bixkla and Ludo can be Friendly or played for chips, €1 to €100 each, in game euros, with the house keeping 5% of the pot. Chip games are 18+, and game money can't be cashed out. Every turn has a 20-second clock, against the computer too, and you play one game at a time.

More games, and the festa greasy pole

The Maltese lane also has Ġostra, the festa greasy pole: tap the side you're falling away from and grab the flag at 10 m. The real one is still run in seaside towns around Malta, where people try to seize a flag at the end of a greased pole (Culture of Malta). There's also:

• Daily Word: one five-letter word a day, the same for everyone, in six tries, paying €20 plus €5 for each try you didn't need.
• Solitaire, Snake and Snooker: six-red Snooker against the computer, with tables at Club Shady and the Casino, or a Pool & snooker table for home.
• Malta Living Originals: Festa Fight, Bus Rush and Merge Drop.

Bus Rush, Merge Drop, Snake and Ġostra keep a weekly board: on Sunday the top 3 win €50, €30 and €20 in game euros.

When it's your turn or a friend asks you to play, a number shows on the 🎮 icon, and 📤 at the top of any game sends a friend a link that opens it. For everything else you can do in this Malta life simulator, start with the full guide; to turn a Bixkla rival into a friend, read about clubs, friends and Gossip; and roulette and the lottery have their own Casino and Lottery House guide. Or just play Malta Living free in your browser.

Questions people ask

How do you play Bixkla?

Each player holds three cards and plays one a turn; the higher card of the suit led takes the trick unless a trump beats it, and you don't have to follow suit. Aces are worth 11, Threes 10, Kings 4, Queens 3 and Jacks 2, and 61 of the deck's 120 points wins.

Can I play Ludo with friends online for free?

Yes. In Malta Living's Games app you can invite 1 to 3 friends by @username or link and play Friendly, with no money at stake, or play the computer for free any time.

Can you win real money playing Tombla in Malta Living?

No. Tombla, like every game in Malta Living, uses game money only: nothing can be cashed out, and it's 18+.

Is there a time limit on turns in Ludo and Bixkla?

Yes: each turn has a 20-second clock, against other people and against the computer. You play one game at a time, so finish or Leave before starting another.