Truco

Truco is a popular card game originating from Latin America, known for its blend of strategy, bluffing, and luck. Played with a unique deck of 40 Spanish cards, the game is typically enjoyed by 2 to 4 players in teams or individually. The goal is to outsmart your opponents by winning hands and calling Truco to increase the stakes. Its dynamic gameplay, quick rounds, and tactical mind games make Truco a favorite among card enthusiasts. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, Truco offers excitement and challenge in every match.

Gameplay Variations Tips & Strategy

Object of Game

Truco is a very popular game in South America that is a fun mix of poker, spades, and war. It's played with a 40-card deck by removing the 8's 9's and 10's from a standard 52-card deck.

Truco means Bluff and the fun of the game lies on winning tricks by fooling the opponent team.

The object of the game is to win the most points from taking "tricks" in hands of three cards (See Gameplay).

The first team to reach the points goal wins.

Plato Truco's can be played with different variations maintaining the basis gameplay (See Variations).

Players

2 - 4 players

The game can be played by 2 or 4 forming duos when played by 4 players, sitting in alternate positions.
Deck of Cards - a traditional (or Spanish) pack, without Jokers, 8's, 9's or 10's.
Distribution - 3 cards each participant per round.
Objective - reach score 12, 15 or 30 points ( See Variations).

Game Loop (playing tricks)

Every player is dealt with 3 cards.
Counterclockwise a player plays one card each.
Once all cards are played the trick winner is declared according to the card rank order.
The player that won the trick, leads the next hand.
If the player (or team) wins two of the three hands in the round, the round is won and the points bet is added to the scoreboard of the player.
If the player/team total score reaches the goal (12, 15 or 30) the game ends. If not, it goes back to step 1.

Card Ranking

In Truco suits have no meaning and only card ranks counts, with exception to the four high ranked cards known as Cartas Bravas in Spanish or Manilha in Portuguese.

Ranks have the following order, going from high to low:

3 > 2 > 1 (Ace) > 12 (King) > 11 (Queen or Horse) > 10 (Jack or Sota) > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4

Note that, as in many games of Portuguese ancestry (such as 🇧🇷), the Queens rank lower than the Jacks.

Bets (raising points at stake)

Remember: Truco means Bluff and Retruco means Accept bluff and raise.

During the game loop when a player turn is starting, and before playing the card, the player can play 'Truco', meaning that a challenge is set for the next player to act upon. The challenged player can, accept, reject or 'Retruco' (adding extra points to the current bet) challenging the original challenger. Once the bet is taken the game continues. If a challenged player rejects a bet the bidding team wins the round and the current stake is added to their scoreboard.

Points

Truco is normally played to 12, 15 or 30 points according to the game variation that is being played. Teams earn points per hand win. The points won per hand will be the value that it's at stake by the round end. Players win hands by taking the majority of "tricks" played in that hand.