How to play Truco: rules and scoring

• 2 or 4 players
• 3 cards each
• To 30 or 12

Goal: Score with envido and truco bets and reach the target first.

Setup

• A 40-card Spanish deck.
• 3 cards each.

How to play

1. Two of three tricks win the hand.
2. Top cards: 1 of swords, 1 of clubs, 7 of swords, 7 of coins, then 3s, 2s, the other 1s, kings, horses, jacks.
3. Envido and truco bets can be raised. Envido: 20 plus two cards of one suit (face cards 0).
4. In paulista hands are worth 3, 6, 9, 12. The card above the turned-up vira is the manilha, the strongest.
5. Paulista: a side on 11 (mão de onze) sees its partner’s cards and plays for 3 or folds.

Scoring

• Argentine: envido 2, real envido 3, falta envido what the leader needs; truco 2, retruco 3, vale cuatro 4; flor 3.
• A refused call gives the caller 1, or the value before the raise.
• Paulista: the hand’s value to its winner.

Winning

• The first to the target wins.