Truco rules: how to play

How do you play truco?

In truco paulista, the Brazilian version of truco, each player gets three cards from a 40-card deck and one card is turned face up. The next rank above it is the manilha, the strongest card. Each hand has three tricks and is worth 1 point. Calling truco raises it to 3. The first side to reach 12 points wins.

Object of the game

Truco is played in hands. Each hand has up to three tricks, and the team that wins two tricks takes the points for that hand.

A plain hand is worth 1 point. Calling truco raises that value. The first team to reach 12 points wins the game.

Setup and deal

• Remove the 8s, 9s, 10s and jokers from the deck. Truco paulista uses the 40 cards that remain.
• With four players, partners sit across from each other. This way the teams take turns around the table.
• One player shuffles and deals three cards to each player. Nobody shows their cards.
• The dealer then turns one card face up in the middle of the table. This is the turn-up card, called the vira, and it sets the manilhas for that hand.
• The deal passes to the next player after each hand. In truco paulista the custom is to play counterclockwise: the player to the dealer's right leads first.

How to play

1. Look at the turn-up card and find the manilha. The manilha is the rank that comes right after the turn-up card in truco order. If the turn-up card is a 7, the four queens are the manilhas. If it is a 3, the four 4s are the manilhas.
2. The first trick begins. The leader places one card face up on the table. Then each player places one card, one at a time. Any card may be played: in truco you do not have to follow suit.
3. The strongest card wins the trick. With teams, the trick belongs to that player's team.
4. The winner of a trick leads the next one.
5. The team that wins two tricks wins the hand. If the same team wins the first two, the third trick is not played.
6. Two plain cards of the same rank tie, because suits do not count for them. If the strongest cards in a trick tie and belong to different teams, the trick is tied.
7. A tie in the first trick: whoever wins the second trick wins the hand. A tie in the second or third trick: whoever won the first trick wins the hand. If the first two tricks are tied, the third one decides.
8. From the second trick on, you may play a card face down. A face-down card has no value and helps you hide your hand.
9. At any moment during the hand, a player may call truco. Most players call it on their own turn, before playing a card. The call raises the hand from 1 to 3 points.
10. The other team has three answers. Accept: the hand goes on, worth 3. Fold: the hand ends and the calling team scores 1 point. Raise to six: the hand is now worth 6, and the first team must answer.
11. The raises go in this order: truco (3), six (6), nine (9) and twelve (12). A team cannot raise twice in a row: only the team that accepted the last call may make the next one. A team that folds gives up the value the hand had before that raise.
12. When the hand ends, the winning team scores its points. The cards are shuffled again and a new hand begins, with a new turn-up card.
13. Hand of eleven: when one team reaches 11 points, the partners show each other their cards and decide whether to play. If they play, the hand is worth 3 points. If they give up, the other team scores 1 point. Nobody calls truco in this hand.
14. Iron hand: when both teams have 11 points, everybody plays with cards face down, without looking. Nobody calls truco, and the team that wins the hand wins the game.

Card ranking and value of the hand

• Plain cards, from strongest to weakest: 3, 2, ace, king, jack, queen, 7, 6, 5 and 4. Note that the jack beats the queen.
• The manilha is the rank right after the turn-up card in the same order, read from the bottom up: 4, 5, 6, 7, queen, jack, king, ace, 2, 3. If the turn-up card is a 3, the manilha is the 4.
• The four manilhas beat every plain card. Among them, the suit decides: clubs is the strongest, then hearts, then spades, and diamonds is the weakest.
• The manilha of clubs is called the zap. The manilha of diamonds is called the pica-fumo.
• Manilhas never tie. Plain cards of the same rank always tie.
• Hand with no call: 1 point. Truco: 3 points. Six: 6 points. Nine: 9 points. Twelve: 12 points.
• Folding to truco gives up 1 point. Folding to six gives up 3. Folding to nine gives up 6. Folding to twelve gives up 9.

End of the game

The game ends when a team reaches 12 points. That team wins.

Many groups play best of three games. Each game won is marked separately, and the team that wins two takes the match.

Common variations

• Truco mineiro: there is no turn-up card. The manilhas are always the same, in this order of strength: 4 of clubs (zap), 7 of hearts, ace of spades (espadilha) and 7 of diamonds. In many rule sets, a plain hand is worth 2 points and truco is worth 4. With that count, a team on 10 points plays the hand of ten, worth 4. The value of the next raises changes from one rule set to another, and some tables count 1 and 3, as in paulista. Agree first.
• Manilha velha: truco paulista played with the fixed manilhas of truco mineiro, with no turn-up card.
• Truco from southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay: played with a 40-card Spanish deck and no turn-up card. The strongest cards are fixed, and the highest is the ace of swords. Besides truco, players bid on envido and flor, which score for cards of the same suit in hand. The calls are truco, retruco and vale cuatro.
• Three tied tricks: at some tables nobody scores and the hand is dealt again. At others, the hand goes to the team of the player who led first. Agree on this before you start.
• Who leads after a tied trick also changes from table to table. The simplest rule: the player who led the tied trick leads again.
• Six-player truco: two teams of three, seated in alternating order. The rules of the hand are the same.

Tips to play better

• Learn the card order by heart first. A player who stops to recall whether the jack beats the queen gives the hand away.
• The first trick matters a lot: its winner takes the hand if a later trick is tied. With one strong card and two weak ones, think about using the strong one early.
• With two good cards, you can save the best one. Win a trick with the middle card and close the hand with the strong one.
• Bluffing is part of truco. Calling truco with weak cards may make the other team fold, but do it now and then, not every time.
• Count the manilhas already played. If the zap and the manilha of hearts are gone, the manilha of spades is now the strongest card of the hand.
• With teams, the partner who plays last knows more. If the trick already belongs to your team, that partner can play a weak card and keep the good ones.

Frequently asked questions