Truco

Truco is a trick-taking card game originally from Valencia and Balearic Islands. It is a variant of Truc. It is popular in South America and Italy. It is usually played using a Spanish deck, among two, four or six players, divided into two teams.
Card ranking.
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 called "Perico," worth 30 points, and the Jack, which in some regions is called "Perica," worth 29 points. 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. 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 offset 90 degrees so that it is visible during the hand. The suit of "La Vira" designates the suit of "El Perico" (the Knight) and "La Perica" (the Jack) which become the highest two cards in the game. The remaining three Knights and Jacks are ranked as initially specified.
Mano (Mão) and Pie (Pé).
In Truco, two concepts govern which player begins the round and who ends it. The "mano" in Spanish or "mão" in Portuguese ("hand") is the one that plays first and the "pie" in Spanish or "pé" 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 call "envido" in a game of four or more. Then, the hand is the first one to call his points for "envido".
Scoring.
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 in bridge, it is not rare for partners to share information using pre-established signs and gestures. Communication is usually performed by standard gestures. Arranging a secret set of gestures is frowned upon.
Gameplay.
Each player is dealt three cards from a subset of the deck consisting of the numbers 1 to 7 and figures "sota" in Spanish or "valete" in Portuguese (jack, worth 10), "caballo" in Spanish or "dama" in Portuguese (equivalent to a queen, worth 11) and "rey" in Spanish or "rei" in Portuguese (king, worth 12).
The most common form of the game is the four-player version, in which two teams of two players sit opposite each other. For six players, the two teams have three players, with every second player on the same team.
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 called "malas" in Spanish or "ruins" in Portuguese (bad) and the higher half called "buenas" in Spanish or "boas" in Portuguese (good). Therefore, a team with 8 points would be "ocho malas" or "oito ruins" (8 bad ones), and a team with 21 points would be "seis buenas" or "seis 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. The "mano" 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 same "mano" 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 a "parda", the team that won the "earlier" 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 two "pardas", the winner of the remaining trick wins the round. In case of three "pardas", the "mano" 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 "truco" is said, the only way to accept it is by saying "quiero", but in a less competitive fashion it could be accepted to close the challenge saying "veo, dale" or another way of saying yes . To call "retruco" immediately, it is necessary first to say "quiero" (and the same is true when calling "vale cuatro"). Instead of saying explicitly "quiero", a player can play a card and it is implied that they accepted.
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. In some cases (for example, when "envido" has been played), other players may be able to deduce the value of some of the remaining ones. 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 should not be confused with "irse al mazo" (going to the deck), which means a whole team admits defeat without finishing the hand.
"Envido".
In games of two people, "envido" must be said before the player plays a card. In games of four or six, the foot and the player to the left of the foot are the ones who say "envido" (when they do, there are already cards played).
"Envido" bets have precedence before "Truco" bets. If one team calls "Truco", and then the other calls "Envido", the last must be completed (accepting, increasing or declining it) before the "Truco".
When "Envido" is said, the challenged team/player can answer in any of these ways:
For "Real Envido", the answers are the same, excepting "Envido" (because it would "lower" the bet). For "Falta Envido", the answers are also the same as in "Envido", excepting "Envido" and "Real Envido" (that leaves only "Quiero" and "No quiero").
"Quiero" and "No quiero" close the bet and after one of that, no other "Envido" bet can be opened. In the cases where the bet is ended with "Quiero", a comparison of the pairs ("puntos de envido" = "score of "envido"") is performed to see which team/player has the highest and wins the bet. The "puntos de envido" are calculated thusly: 
The "puntos de envido" are told from the "mano" to the dealer player anticlockwise. In case of a tie, the earliest (i.e. the one most on the left among the tied players) has preference. Any player with a bad "envido" can fold without revealing his cards to the other team/player by saying "Son buenas" ("They're good"). To say this when playing in teams is to surrender on behalf of the team. It is usual that while telling the "puntos de envido", the partner of the player that with the highest "envido" remains silent unless the other team says a higher "envido". Then, the silent player either raises or folds.
After finishing the "truco", the winner of "envido" 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 the "envido"] "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.
The "envido" is also referred to as "tanto", in order to talk about it without actually proposing it.
Flor.
A "Flor" is three cards of the same suit in the hand. Any player with "Flor" must announce it or risk a penalty. The player with the best "Flor" wins 3 points for each "Flor". A player without a "Flor" cannot announce one (on the contrary to "Envido", where any player can announce it).
The call for "Flor" can only be made before playing the first card, by simply saying "Flor". Then, any other player having "Flor" must announce his/her own (play is suspended, so players without "Flores" wait until the bet is over), going anticlockwise and by saying any of:
After calling "ContraFlor", the challenged team must answer:
After "ContraFlor al resto", the answers are:
After the bet has been closed by saying "con Flor quiero" or "con Flor me achico", players announce the "Flores". The comparison between "Flores" is done as in "Envido": the values of the three cards are added up plus 20 (Aces to 7 are worth the face value and "Sotas", Knights and Kings, 0). When two "Flores" have the same suit, the one of that player playing earlier (counting anticlockwise) has precedence. If an earlier player announces a better "Flor", it is usual to say "son buenas", admitting defeat but without revealing information about their cards. At the end of the hand, the "Flores" must be shown.
As with all bets in "Truco", each "Flor" (or surrender) is made on behalf of the team.
In Argentina, "Truco" is sometimes played without "Flor", called "Sin Flor", or "Sin Jardinera" (without the gardenmaid).
"Pedir Flor".
This is a penalty for those players that, having a "Flor", do not announce it. If a player suspects that another is hiding a "Flor", he/she can challenge this player by saying "Pido Flor". In the case that the player had actually a "Flor", the challenger team earns three points. But, if the challenged player shows at least two different cards, his/her team earns one point.
Tricks.
Truco players trick their opponents:
"Pica Pica".
In a game of 6, sometimes "Pica 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. Usually "Pica 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 as "Punta 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, three "vale cuatro" in the same hand, which quickly raises scores. However, "envidos" and its raises are usually capped (usually 6 points).
"Truco" in Brazil.
"Truco" is popular in Brazil, with many regional variations. The most known versions ("Truco Paulista" and "Truco Mineiro") use a French deck and different rules. "Truco Paulista" can be known as "Ponta Acima" in some regions.
"Truco" in Brazil is mostly associated with college 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 as "Jogos Universitários". "Truco" can be played by two, three and even four people in each team, which is thought to make it more exciting.
Brazilian "Truco" 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".
"Truco Paulista" is played mostly in the state of São 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.
One player is the first to shuffle and deal. The dealer is allowed to look at the faces of the cards while 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 (the "cortador"), 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 the "cortador") is then returned to the dealer who deals the cards from the top or bottom of the deck (this is chosen by the "cortador"). 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 the "cortador" 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, the "mão" (hand) and ending with the dealer, called the "pé" (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 during the game any of the players can raise the stakes by saying "truco". When a player "asks for truco", the opposing team has three options:
If the team chooses to "ask for 6" the round is now worth three points. The opposing team (the one who asked for "truco") has the same three options:
This system goes on in this same pattern, with the players raising the stakes further to "game" and finally "match."
When one of the teams reaches 11 points, they play the "mão-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 of 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 for "truco" 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.
In "Truco 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 the "trump 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".
"Truco mineiro" is a variety of "Truco" played mostly in the state of Minas Gerais. The rules are mostly the same as in "Truco Paulista", except:
The round of eleven is replaced by the roughly similar "round 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" (signals).
"Señas" are gestures used between players of the same team to tell the "pie" (captain) their most valuables cards or if they have a good "envido" score. In some versions the official "señas" must be used, rather than private ones not generally understood. In the Argentine game the accepted "señas" are:
"Señas" take time to master. The player has to be careful to avoid detection by opposing players, although because of this the "señas" also can be used as a strategy to trick them (for example, show a gesture of a low valuable card and then play with an unexpected card).
Jargon (Spanish).
Many informal expressions have become part of the game, such as:
Jargon (Brazil).
In "Truco 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, the "manilha" are the 3s. Then, the strength of each "manilha" 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.