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 The four top cards in Truco | |
| Origin | Spain |
|---|---|
| Family | Trick-taking |
| Players | 2, 4, or 6 |
| Skills | Tactics, Strategy |
| Cards | 40 |
| Deck | Spanish, French(Some Brazilian variants) |
| Play | Anticlockwise |
| Playing time | 31 min. |
| Chance | Medium |
| Related games | |
| Aluette • Put • Truc • Truc y Flou | |
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Truco, a variant ofTruc, is atrick-taking card game originally fromValencia and theBalearic Islands, popular in South America and Italy. It is usually played using aSpanish deck. Two people may play, or two teams of two or three players each.
In southern and southeastern Brazil, the most popular variant, calledTruco Paulista, uses dynamic card ranking.[1] The ranks from the 3s and downwards remain the same, but the four trump cards, calledmanilhas, are decided by flipping one extra card up after dealing, calledvira. The four cards conventionally ranked immediately above the flipped one (or, in the case of a flipped 3, the 4s) become the strongest cards. Their rank is as follows: clubs > cups > swords > coins. This variant is popular because it makes it harder to cheat and can potentially turn a bad hand into a great one once the card flips.
The Uruguayan version uses a "Muestra" each hand. The following cards of the same suit as the "Muestra" are ranked higher than the Ace of swords and are called "Piezas": 2, 4, 5, Knight, which in some regions is calledPerico, worth 30 points,[2] and the Jack, which in some regions is calledPerica, worth 29 points.[3] Finally, if any player has the King of the same suit as the "Muestra" and the "Muestra" is a "Pieza", the King becomes that card.
The Venezuelan version is similar to the Uruguayan version, exception that the "Piezas" 2, 4, and 5 are not used.[citation needed] The "Muestra", or "vira" as it is known in Venezuela is designated by turning over the top card of the deck after shuffle or optionally, the top card following the deal. "La Vira" is then placed beneath the deck at right angles to it so that it is visible during the hand. The suit ofLa Vira designates the suit ofEl Perico (the Knight) andLa Perica (the Jack) which become the highest two cards in the game. The remaining three Knights and Jacks are ranked as initially specified.
In Truco with four or six players, two concepts govern which player begins the round and who ends it. Themano in Spanish ormão in Portuguese ("hand") is the one that plays first and thepie in Spanish orpé in Portuguese ("foot"), the dealer, is the last to play. The hand is always the player on the right of the foot. The turn to deal is then passed counterclockwise, so the hand of the first round is the foot of the second and so on. If playing in teams, partners sit opposite each other.
They can also refer, when playing in teams of two, which player of the partnership plays before and which after. This has no significance in the game, as the playing is always done counterclockwise. But it has strategic significance since the foot of a team is traditionally considered the "captain" of the partnership that round.
If the game is tied (for example, if two opponents have the same points for envido), the hand wins. That advantage is offset by the fact that, as the last one to play, the foot plays with all their opponent's cards in sight. Also, the foot and the one sitting to the foot's left callenvido in a game of four or more. Then, the hand is the first one to call his points forenvido.
Players can earn points in three ways:
The points won by a player are added to their team's score (when playing in teams). Any bet, win, loss, or surrender by a player also affects their partners. For this reason, partnerships are usually formed by mutual arrangement. As inbridge, it is not rare for partners to share information using already established signs and gestures. Communication is usually performed through these standard gestures. Arranging a secret set of gestures is frowned upon.
Each player is dealt three cards from a subset of the deck consisting of the numbers 1 to 7 and figuressota in Spanish orvalete in Portuguese (jack, worth 10),caballo in Spanish ordama in Portuguese (equivalent to a queen, worth 11) andrey in Spanish orrei in Portuguese (king, worth 12).[4]
The game may be played by two players. Two teams of two players may play; less commonly three teams of two can play. The players sit so that play alternates from one team to the other.
The game is played until a team finishes a game with 30 points or more. The 30 points are commonly split into two halves, the lower half calledmalas in Spanish orruins in Portuguese (bad) and the higher half calledbuenas in Spanish orboas in Portuguese (good). Therefore, a team with 8 points would beocho malas oroito ruins (8 bad ones), and a team with 21 points would beseis buenas orseis boas (6 good ones). However, because both teams can score points in one round, it is possible (but rare) for both teams to go over 30 points in one round. Usually as soon as one team goes over 30 points, the game is ended, to prevent a tie. However, sometimes the winner is the one with more points, otherwise another hand is played, until the tie is broken.
Each type of scoring can be bid on to score more points. Bids can be accepted, rejected or upped.Bluffing and deception are fundamental strategies.
Each round has three tricks. Themano leads to the first trick by playing one card. Then, counterclockwise, each other player plays one card. The player with the highest card wins the trick. The cards remain face-up on the table during the round. Sometimes the highest cards tie. If these tied cards were played by the same team, that team wins the trick. Otherwise, the trick is called a draw,parda. The samemano then leads the next trick.
Winning two of three tricks wins a round, equivalent to one point. If one team wins the first two tricks, the third is not played. But if one of the games ends in aparda, the team that won theearlier of the other two tricks wins the round (e.g. If trick 1 was won by A, trick 2 was won by B, and trick 3 was a draw, A wins the round for having won the earlier trick). That concept is often referred to as "primera vale doble" (first is worth double) If trick 1 is drawn and trick 2 is won by B, the winner of the round is B and a third trick is not played). In the case of twopardas (ties), the winner of the remaining trick wins the round. In case of threepardas, themano wins the round. The winner of each round is the first to play the next card. If a round is tied, or "parda", the hand plays first.
During play, the teams have multiple opportunities to raise the stakes.
Truco must be accepted explicitly if playing strictly by the rules: iftruco is said, the only way to accept it is by sayingquiero, but in a friendly game the players may accept an informal answer such asveo, dale. To callretruco immediately, it is necessary first to sayquiero (and the same is true when callingvale cuatro). Instead of saying explicitlyquiero, a player can play a card and it is implied that they accepted. So, for example, the dialogue must betruco/quiero retruco/quiero vale cuatro, with none of these words omitted.
A player can play his card face up or face down, in which case it does not count towards the score. A card can be played face down in order to prevent opponents from deducing the value of a remaining card, possible ifenvido orflor/contraflor has been played. If a player does not want his opponents to know his cards, which can be done in order to trick them into raising their bets, they can play their card face down. This is not the same asirse al mazo (going to the deck), accepting defeat without finishing the hand.
In games of two people,envido must be said before the player plays a card. In team games, the foot and the player to the left of the foot are the ones who sayenvido (when they do, there are already cards played).
Envido bids have precedence beforeTruco bids. If one team callsTruco and the other callsEnvido, theEnvido dialogue must be completed (accepting, increasing or declining it) before theTruco.
WhenEnvido is said, the challenged team/player can answer in any of these ways:
ForReal envido, the answers are the same, exceptingEnvido (because it would "lower" the bet). ForFalta Envido, the answers are also the same as inEnvido, exceptingEnvido andReal Envido (that leaves onlyQuiero andNo quiero).
Unliketruco,Quiero andNo quiero close the bidding, andEnvido cannot be bid again. In the cases where the bidding is ended withQuiero, a comparison of the pairs (puntos de envido = "score ofenvido") is performed to see which team/player has the highest and wins theenvido. To calculate thepuntos de envido:
Thepuntos de envido are told from themano to the dealer player anticlockwise. A player can pass without stating their score if it is too low to win, thus avoiding revealing information about their cards. In case of a tie, themano or themano's team has preference. If any player saysson buenas ("They're good") on behalf of the team they admit defeat without stating their score. It is usual that while telling thepuntos de envido, the partner of the player with the highestenvido remains silent unless the other team says a higherenvido. Then, the silent player either raises or folds.
After finishing thetruco, the winner ofenvido has to show his cards by placing them on the table and announcing "[the amount of the envido]en mesa", or, in Argentina "las [the amount of theenvido]jugadas" meaning that the announced cards have been played. Failure to do so may be noted by the other team who then takes the points.
Theenvido is referred to in conversation astanto, as sayingenvido always counts as a bid.
AFlor is three cards of the same suit in the hand. Any player withFlor must announce it or risk a penalty. The player with the bestFlor wins 3 points for eachFlor. A player without aFlor cannot announce one (on the contrary toEnvido, where any player can announce it).
The call forFlor can only be made before playing the first card, by simply sayingFlor. Then, any other player havingFlor must announce his/her own (play is suspended, so players withoutFlores wait until the bet is over), going anticlockwise and by saying any of:
After callingContraFlor, the challenged team must answer:
AfterContraFlor al resto, the answers are:
After the bet has been closed by sayingcon Flor quiero orcon Flor me achico, players announce theFlores. The comparison betweenFlores is done as inEnvido: the values of the three cards are added up plus 20 (Aces to 7 are worth the face value andSotas, Knights and Kings, 0). When twoFlores have the same suit, the one of that player playing earlier (counting anticlockwise) has precedence. If an earlier player announces a betterFlor, it is usual to sayson buenas, admitting defeat but without revealing information about their cards. At the end of the hand, theFlores must be shown.
As with all bets inTruco, eachFlor (or surrender) is made on behalf of the team.
In Argentina,Truco is oftentimes played withoutFlor, calledSin Flor, orSin Jardinera (without the gardenmaid).
This is a penalty for those players that, having aFlor, do not announce it. If a player suspects that another is hiding aFlor, he/she can challenge this player by sayingPido Flor. In the case that the player had actually aFlor, the challenger team earns three points. But, if the challenged player shows at least two different cards, his/her team earns one point.
Truco players trick their opponents:
In a game of 6, sometimesPica Pica is also played. Instead of two teams of three, opposing players pair up and play a game, adding the resulting points to their team's score. UsuallyPica Pica is played every other game, but only if a team has 5 or more points, and no team has more than 20 (or 25).Pica Pica is also known asPunta y Hacha.
This is a way of finishing the game more quickly, because each pair in a pica pica plays a complete hand, with corresponding scores. Therefore, it is possible to have, for example, threevale cuatro in the same hand, which quickly raises scores. However,envidos and its raises are usually capped (usually 6 points).
Truco is popular in Brazil, with many regional variations. The most known versions (Truco Paulista andTruco Mineiro) use aFrench deck and different rules.Truco Paulista can be known asPonta Acima in some regions.
Truco in Brazil is mostly associated withcollege culture and lifestyle. Students typically sit on a table to play while drinking alcoholic beverages. This scene has been featured in advertising campaigns and it was included in the program of every University "Olympic" Games around the country, known asJogos Universitários.Truco can be played by two, three and even four people in each team, which is thought to make it more exciting.
BrazilianTruco has a maximum score of 12 points, values hands and cards differently (depending on where the game is played). It is common to use a best-of-three games system.
Truco Paulista is a variety ofTruco popular inBrazil, originally conceived in the state ofSão Paulo and is usually played between two teams of two players each. The game is won by the first team to reach 12 points. Each regular round is worth 1 point with some exceptions (seePointing System).
One player is the first to shuffle and deal. The dealer is allowed to look at the faces of the cards before shuffling so as to be able to place certain cards at certain spots within the deck (e.g. placing the highest-ranking cards together). They are not allowed, however, to browse freely through the deck. After shuffling, the deck must be handed to the player to the left (thecortador), who can either reshuffle (without looking at the faces of the cards). cut it or do nothing. The deck (or the part of it chosen by thecortador) is then returned to the dealer who deals the cards from the top or bottom of the deck (this is chosen by thecortador). The cards must be dealt counter-clockwise, starting with the player to the dealer's right. They can be dealt one at a time or, most commonly, three at a time. If thecortador chooses not to reshuffle, they can deal their and their partner's cards in advance.
The players each play one card, starting with the player to the right of the dealer, themão (hand) and ending with the dealer, called thepé (foot). The player who played the highest-ranked card wins the trick for the team and begins the subsequent trick.
The rounds consist of a best-of-three tricks. The team that wins two tricks wins the round and gets the point. If the first trick (or first and second tricks) ends in a tie, the winner of the next trick wins the round. If the second or third tricks end in a tie, the winner of the first trick wins the hand. In the rare occasion that all three tricks end in ties, nobody is awarded the point. In the case of a tie, the following trick is started by the player who tied the last trick.
At any point inTruco Paulista during the game any of the players can raise the stakes by sayingtruco. When a playerasks for truco, the opposing team has three options:
If the team chooses toask for 6, the round is now worth six points. The opposing team (the one who asked fortruco) has the same three options:
This system goes on in this same pattern, with the players raising the stakes further togame and finallymatch.
When one of the teams reaches 11 points, they play themão-de-onze (round of eleven). In this round, the members of each team can see their partner's cards before the round begins and the team with eleven points may choose to play the round or run away. If they choose to play, the round is worth three points. If they choose to run away, the opposing team is awarded one point. If any of the players ask fortruco during the round of eleven, the team loses the round. For this reason, if one of the players is dealt an unbeatable hand (having the two best cards at the same time) they may simply show the cards to the rest of the table and win the round without having to play. If both teams reach eleven points, the round must be played.
If one of the players receives fewer or more than three cards dealt by a member of the opposing team, they can point out this error after the round has begun and win the round. If the error is pointed out before the hand begins the deck must be shuffled and the cards dealt again.
InTruco Paulista the cards are ranked in the following order, from strongest to weakest:
8s, 9s and 10s are never included. Upon agreement, the 7s, 6s, 5s, and 4s can be removed from the deck, this is called playing with a clean deck (jogar com baralho limpo).
After the cards are dealt, one card from the remainder of the deck is turned over to determine thetrump cards (manilhas), which rank above all others. The trump cards are the cards directly above the one which was turned over (e.g. if the card revealed is a 7, the trump cards are the queens). The strength of a trump card when compared to the others is determined by its suit, with diamonds being the weakest, followed by spades, hearts and clubs being the strongest.
Truco mineiro is a variety ofTruco played mostly in the state ofMinas Gerais. The rules are mostly the same as inTruco Paulista, except:
The round of eleven is replaced by the roughly similarround of ten, except that only the team with ten points is allowed to see each other's cards and that the round is worth four points instead of three. If both teams reach ten points the round must be played and they are not allowed to see each other's cards.
Truco mineiro uses a fixed set of trump cards, so there is no need to turn one card over after dealing to determine them (the order of the suits remain the same, however). The ranking of the cards is:
The game can also be played with only the cards up to the Queens, removing 4 through 7.
Señas are gestures used between players of the same team to tell thepie (captain) their most valuables cards or if they have a goodenvido score. In some versions the officialseñas must be used, rather than private ones not generally understood. In the Argentine game the acceptedseñas are:[4]
Señas are optional; there is no obligation to signal one's cards. The intention is that signals are made to one's partner when opponents are not looking, but they can also be used as a deceptive strategy, making a misleading signal intended to be noticed by the opposition; this is not against the rules.
In Paraguay, "truco" enjoys great popularity, very similar to the Argentine variant but with certain peculiarities. In Paraguayantruco, if a player has not yet touched their cards, any calls they do will not be considered as such. Therefore, one of the "tricks" is to make these false calls to gauge the reaction of the distracted opponent. However, if a player already in the game has made a call before, what is said can be considered a response to the invitation.
In all cases, in the most important games, the custom of Paraguayan truco is that the rules are reviewed and agreed upon by the participants before starting the game, or at least the most controversial ones like the "Flor" or the "Falta Envido," given the large number of regional variants.
The Flower: There is no uniform rule, so it is customary to agree whether to play with it or not, and whether only during the "bad" (first 15 points) or also during the "good" (last 30 points), before starting the game to avoid inconveniences. If no agreement has been made, the game is played with the Flower during both the bad and good points for the player who calls it, and the game cannot be won with the Flower.
A little-used variant of the Flower, with loosely unified rules, is the "Flor Chaqueña," a play on words with the western region of Paraguay, arid and with scarce vegetation, and consists of having three "Cuatros" in hand. The Flor Chaqueña can award 3 points to the player who has it or grant them the game.
The Envido: As a general rule, the "Falta Envido" has a value equal to the points needed for the team closest to completing 30 points.
The Truco: It is played to the best of three hands, meaning the point is won by the player who wins two out of three games.
Emparde (Tie): If there is a tie in the first hand (empardar), the player or team that wins the second hand wins the point.
The "Pri": If a team wins the first hand, they will win the point if they tie in the second hand, or if, after losing the second hand, they tie in the third. Hence the expression used, "La pri vale oro" (The Pri is worth gold).
Many informal expressions have become part of the game, such as:
InTruco Paulista,manilha are the cards of the next number of the one who was trumped at the beginning of the round. For example: if a 2 is trumped, themanilha are the 3s. Then, the strength of eachmanilha depends on the stamp, which follows (strongest to weakest): clubs (zap), hearts (copas), spades (espadilha), diamonds (pica-fumo).
Jargon is often used to fool the other team.
