trick-taking · South America (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay), Spain & Italy

Truco

Also known as Truco Argentino · Truco Paulista · Truco Mineiro · Truco Uruguayo · Truco Venezolano · Truc

Truco is a fast, loud, bluff-heavy trick-taking card game from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Spain, played with a 40-card Spanish deck and just three cards per hand. What makes Truco unique is its scrambled card ranking and its two betting systems — Envido (best two same-suit cards) and Truco/Retruco/Vale Cuatro (raising the stakes on the tricks) — where calling "quiero" or "no quiero" and bluffing with hand signals matter as much as the cards you hold. Play Truco online free here against smart bots or friends, learn how to play Truco from scratch, and master the rules of Argentine and Brazilian Truco.

Coming soon — learn the rules below

2–6 players · free to play online

How to play Truco

Form teams (1v1, 2v2 or 3v3) and get dealt 3 cards each from the 40-card Spanish deck.
Remember the ranking: the 4 cartas bravas (Ace of Swords, Ace of Clubs, 7 of Swords, 7 of Coins) beat everything, then 3s, 2s, and so on down to the 4.
On the first trick, decide if you'll bet Envido — add your two same-suit cards plus 20 to find your score, and call "Envido" if it's strong.
Play one card per trick, highest card wins, no need to follow suit — aim to win 2 of the 3 tricks.
Call "Truco" to raise the trick stakes to 2 (then Retruco for 3, Vale Cuatro for 4) — bluff freely, even with weak cards.
Answer any bet with "quiero" to accept or "no quiero" to fold and give up the smaller stake.
Bank your points and keep playing hands until your team reaches 30 (Argentine) or 12 (Brazilian) to win.

Truco rules

Objective

Be the first team to reach 30 points (15 "malas" then 15 "buenas") in the Argentine game, or 12 points in Brazilian Truco. You earn points by winning the tricks (Truco), by holding the best two same-suit cards (Envido), and — if used — by holding three cards of one suit (Flor). The real skill is in the betting: raising the stakes, accepting with "quiero", folding with "no quiero", and bluffing your opponents into bad decisions.

The deck & the deal

Truco uses a 40-card Spanish deck (suits: swords/espadas, clubs/batons/bastos, cups/copas, coins/oros), with the 8s, 9s and 10s removed so each suit runs 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 plus three court cards (10=sota/jack, 11=caballo/knight, 12=rey/king). The dealer gives each player 3 cards, one at a time, dealt anticlockwise. The player to the dealer's right is the "mano" (leads first and wins all ties); the dealer is the "pie" and acts last. Play 1v1 (head-to-head), 2v2, or 3v3 in fixed partnerships sitting alternately.

Card ranking (the unique part)

Truco does NOT rank cards in normal order. Four special cards (the "cartas bravas") top every hand, in this exact order: 1) Ace of Swords (1 de espada), 2) Ace of Clubs/Batons (1 de basto), 3) Seven of Swords (7 de espada), 4) Seven of Coins (7 de oro). Below those four, suit no longer matters and the order is: 3s, 2s, the "false" Aces (of cups and coins), Kings (12), Knights (11), Jacks (10), the "false" Sevens (of cups and clubs), 6s, 5s, 4s. So a humble 3 beats a King, and the 4 is the weakest card in the game.

How to play a hand (the tricks)

A hand is three tricks. The mano leads any card; play continues anticlockwise and the highest card wins each trick — there is no requirement to follow suit. Win two of the three tricks to win the hand. Tied tricks are a "parda": if your team plays the joint-highest card the trick is yours; if opposing teams tie, the trick belongs to no one and the winner of an adjacent trick takes the hand. If all three tricks tie, the mano's team wins. The base value of winning a hand is 1 point — until someone calls Truco to raise the stakes.

Envido betting (first trick only)

Before or during the first trick, players can bet on Envido — the value of their best two cards of the same suit. Score it by adding the two cards' pip values plus 20 (Aces-7s count face value; court cards 10/11/12 count as zero). No matching pair? Your Envido is just your highest single card. Top score is 33. Calls escalate: "Envido" (2 pts) can be raised by another "Envido" or "Real Envido" (+3), and capped by "Falta Envido" (worth whatever the leader needs to win the game). Answer any bet with "quiero" (accept — highest Envido wins the staked points) or "no quiero" (fold — caller takes the lower amount).

Truco, Retruco & Vale Cuatro

At any point in the hand a player can raise the trick stakes by calling "Truco" (worth 2). The other team answers "quiero" to play on for 2 points, "no quiero" to concede 1 point now, or re-raises to "Retruco" (3). Retruco can be pushed to "Vale Cuatro" (4), the maximum. Each fold awards the previous stake to the raising team. The genius of Truco is that you can call it with terrible cards: a confident "Truco!" backed by a good bluff (and señas — secret hand signals to your partner) can make a stronger hand fold. Brazilian Truco uses the same escalation as 3-6-9-12.

Flor, scoring & variants

Optional Flor: if your three cards share one suit, you announce "Flor" before the first card is played for 3 points (sum of all three pips + 20 decides ties). Flor can escalate via "Contraflor" and "Contraflor al resto". By bidding order Flor is settled first, then Envido, then Truco. A game is won at 30 points (Argentine) — the first 15 are malas, the next 15 buenas. Brazilian Truco Paulista wins at 12 with manilhas (dynamic trumps from a flipped card); Truco Mineiro uses fixed trumps and counts rounds as 2 points; Uruguayan Truco adds high-ranking "piezas". Many casual games are played "sin flor" (no Flor) to keep things simple.

Strategy tips

Track the cartas bravas: there are only four unbeatable cards (Ace of Swords, Ace of Clubs, 7 of Swords, 7 of Coins). Once they're gone, a 3 or 2 becomes the boss of the hand — call Truco accordingly.
Bluff the Truco, value-bet the Envido. Truco is about confidence and reading folds, so you can call it on air; Envido is mostly math, so call it when your two-suit total is genuinely 27+.
Use the mano advantage. The hand to the dealer's right wins all ties, so as mano you can play more aggressively and chase pardas in your favor.
Win the first trick when possible — taking trick one lets you safely tie (parda) the next and still win the hand, a huge positional edge.
Watch the score. Near 30, opponents will Falta Envido or push Vale Cuatro to end it in one swing — fold marginal hands and don't hand them a game-winning bluff.

Variants

Truco Argentino (to 30 points, with Envido and optional Flor) · Truco Paulista (Brazilian, to 12, with manilha trumps) · Truco Mineiro (Brazilian, fixed trumps, rounds worth 2) · Truco Uruguayo (adds high-ranking piezas) · Truco Venezolano / Paraguayo · Sin Flor (played without the Flor bet) · Spanish/Italian Truc (2, 4 or 6 players)

Truco — frequently asked questions

How do you play Truco for beginners?

Each player gets 3 cards. Win 2 of 3 tricks by playing the highest card (suit doesn't matter for following). Learn the special ranking — the Ace of Swords, Ace of Clubs, 7 of Swords and 7 of Coins are the four highest cards. During play you can raise the stakes by calling "Truco" and bluff your opponents, or bet "Envido" on your best two same-suit cards. First team to 30 points wins.

What are the highest cards in Truco?

The four highest cards (cartas bravas) are, in order: the Ace of Swords (highest of all), the Ace of Clubs/Batons, the Seven of Swords, and the Seven of Coins. Below them come the 3s, then 2s, then the remaining Aces, then Kings, Knights and Jacks, the false 7s, and finally the 6, 5 and 4 (lowest).

What does Envido mean in Truco?

Envido is a side bet on the first trick based on your two best cards of the same suit. You add their pip values plus 20 (court cards count as zero) — the highest total wins the staked points. "Envido" is worth 2, "Real Envido" adds 3, and "Falta Envido" is worth however many points the leading team needs to win. Answer with "quiero" or "no quiero".

What's the difference between Truco, Retruco and Vale Cuatro?

They are escalating raises on the value of the hand's tricks. "Truco" makes the hand worth 2 points; the opponent can re-raise to "Retruco" (3 points), then "Vale Cuatro" (4 points, the maximum). If a team declines a raise with "no quiero", the raising team scores the previous stake instead.

Can I play Truco online for free?

Yes. You can play Truco online free right here against smart bots or with friends in real-time multiplayer — no real money and no download required. It supports the popular Argentine rules with Envido, Truco and optional Flor, so it's a great way to learn the game or get a quick match.

What is the difference between Argentine and Brazilian Truco?

Argentine Truco is played to 30 points with a fixed card ranking and includes the Envido betting system. Brazilian Truco (Paulista) is played to 12 points, raises the stakes as Truco-Retruco-Vale 9-Vale 12, and uses dynamic trumps called manilhas decided by a flipped card. Both share the core bluffing and three-trick structure.