Question 1

What is the difference between Truco Paulista and Truco Mineiro?

Accepted Answer

In Paulista the manilha changes every hand: it is the rank right above the vira. In Mineiro the manilhas are fixed (4 of clubs, 7 of hearts, ace of spades and 7 of diamonds). In this version Paulista has hands worth 1 and calls of 3, 6, 9 and 12, and Mineiro has hands worth 2 and calls of 4, 6, 8 (or 10) and 12. In some parts of Minas Gerais a truco only covers the trick where it was called, but here it covers the whole hand in both variants.

Question 2

How does the manilha work in Truco Paulista?

Accepted Answer

After the deal one card is turned up: the vira. The manilha is the rank right above it in the order 4, 5, 6, 7, Queen, Jack, King, Ace, 2, 3. If the vira is a King the manilha is the Ace; if it is a 3 the manilha is the 4. The four cards of that rank become the strongest of the hand, and among them the suit decides: clubs, hearts, spades, diamonds.

Question 3

What is the card order in Truco?

Accepted Answer

Leaving manilhas aside, strongest to weakest: 3, 2, Ace, King, Jack, Queen, 7, 6, 5 and 4. Suits do not matter and the Jack beats the Queen. Above everything sit the manilhas: in Paulista the cards of the rank after the vira, and in Mineiro the zap, the 7 of hearts, the espadilha and the pica-fumo.

Question 4

What is the hand of eleven?

Accepted Answer

When a side reaches 11 points it may look at its partner's cards and decides whether to play the hand for 3 points or fold, giving the other side 1 point. Nobody can call truco in that hand. In Truco Mineiro, where hands are worth 2, the same happens at 10 points (playing is worth 4, folding gives 2).

Question 5

What is the iron hand?

Accepted Answer

It is the special hand when both sides are on 11 points (10 in Mineiro). Nobody looks at their cards: each player turns over the top card of their hand and plays it. There is no truco and whoever wins the hand wins the match. If it ties, another iron hand is played.

Question 6

How do ties (cangou) work in Truco?

Accepted Answer

If the strongest cards of two sides tie, the trick ties. Then: a tie in the first trick, the second decides. A tie in the second or third, the first trick's winner takes the hand. A tie in the first and second, the third decides. If all three tie nobody scores, or, if you switch on the house rule, the dealer's side wins it.

Question 7

What happens when I fold to a truco?

Accepted Answer

The side that called gets the value the hand had before the call: folding to truco gives 1 point (2 in Mineiro), folding to six gives 3, to nine gives 6 and to twelve gives 9 in Paulista. If you accept you play for the new value and lose that much if you are beaten.

Question 8

Can I play in pairs or only one on one?

Accepted Answer

Both. In pairs you play with a computer partner against two computer opponents; your partner plays its own cards without seeing yours, and there are no agreed signals. One on one it is just you and the computer, and the hand of eleven works without a partner.

Question 9

Does the computer cheat? What are the levels like?

Accepted Answer

No. The AI only sees what a player sitting at the table would see: its own cards, the vira and the cards played. Easy counts strong cards and slips now and then; Medium simulates a few possible hands; Hard simulates dozens, compares the expected gain of accepting, folding and raising, and bluffs now and then; Master simulates more, watches the score and learns how you answer calls. We measured it over 1,000 simulated matches between each pair of levels (Truco Paulista, sides swapped). One on one, Medium beat Easy in 61% of matches and Hard beat Medium in 57%, but Master tied with Hard (51%). In pairs the steps are clearer: 73% (Medium over Easy), 56% (Hard over Medium) and 71% (Master over Hard). Against a real player, Master also keeps learning how you answer calls.

Question 10

Can I play covered cards?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and you can switch it off in the house rules. From the second trick on, a card played face down never wins the trick but hides what you hold. If every card in a trick is covered, the trick ties.

Question 11

Is my game saved? Does it work on phones?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The match in progress, your settings and your stats are kept in the browser, so the game resumes where you left it. It works on screens from 320 px wide, with touch, mouse or keyboard, and nothing is sent to servers.

Question 12

Why do the rules differ from the truco I play at home?

Accepted Answer

Because truco has no single rulebook: each table, tournament and region agrees on the details (all three tricks tied, covered cards, the Mineiro values). This version follows tournament rules tied to the Paulista Truco Federation and reference sources, cited below, and leaves the main differences as options.

Question 13

Are Gaucho and Argentine truco the same game?

Accepted Answer

No. Gaucho and Argentine truco use a Spanish deck, have envido and flor, and a different card hierarchy. This page covers Truco Paulista and Truco Mineiro.

Truco

Truco

Brazilian Truco, Paulista and Mineiro, against the computer with the real rules

Tap a card, shout truco, accept or fold

Sources and references for this tool

Frequently asked questions

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Truco

Brazilian Truco, Paulista and Mineiro, against the computer with the real rules

Tap a card, shout truco, accept or fold

Sources and references for this tool

Frequently asked questions

Where to go next

Related tools