Players and deck
Truco Paulista is normally played by two or four people; this table uses two fixed partnerships. From a standard deck, remove the 8s, 9s, 10s and Jokers, leaving 40 cards. Deal three to each player.
Trick-taking & bluffing · Paulista rules
Truco.
Three cards, a changing top rank and a question that can turn one point into twelve: will you call Truco?
ViraManilhas:
Y
YouPartner: North
Choose a card. You may play any suit.
01 How to play
The vira changes
everything.
This table plays Truco Paulista: you and North face West and East. Win the best of three tricks, or persuade your opponents to fold when the hand's value rises.
Ranks and the vira
Without a manilha, cards rank 3, 2, A, K, J, Q, 7, 6, 5, 4 from high to low. Turn one remaining card face up: the vira. The manilha is the next rank in the rising sequence 4, 5, 6, 7, Q, J, K, A, 2, 3, wrapping from 3 to 4.
Four manilhas
All four cards of the manilha rank beat every other card. Between them, Clubs are strongest, then Hearts, Spades and Diamonds. The vira's suit does not matter. Ordinary cards of the same rank tie, regardless of suit.
Three tricks
Each player plays one card per trick, in turn. You may play any suit. The strongest card wins and its player leads next. Win two tricks to take the hand. A tied first trick gives the second winner the hand; a tied second or third trick favours the first winner. If all three tie, nobody scores.
Truco, six, nine, twelve
A hand starts at 1 point. On your turn, call Truco to offer 3. The opposing team can accept, fold and give you the old value, or counter to 6. Further counters offer 9 and 12. After an accepted call, only the other team may make the next raise.
At eleven
If one team starts a hand on 11, its partners may inspect each other's cards and choose to play for 3 points or fold for 1 point to the opponents. No raises are allowed. At 11–11, this table plays a blind hand of iron for 3 points: choose among your face-down cards.
Win the match
The first team to reach at least 12 points wins. After each completed hand, deal again and move the opening lead to the next player. Bot players use only their own cards, the vira and cards already played, except when the hand-of-eleven rule lets partners look together.
02 History & variants
A game that
travels.
From Truc to Truco
The wider Truco family developed from the Valencian game called Truc and spread through South America. Local games preserve the challenge and bluffing while changing the deck, strongest cards and side bets. The online rules here reflect the Paulista form played in Brazil.
Calling “Truco” can be a confident claim or a bluff. Its appeal lies partly in deciding whether to risk more points with only three cards, and partly in watching how your partner and opponents react.
Other tables, other rules
Truco Mineiro normally uses fixed manilhas and a different point ladder. Truco Gaúcho uses Spanish-suited cards and may include Envido and Flor. Those games deserve their own rule choices; the switchable vira and moving manilhas on this page are specifically Paulista.
Some groups alter tie rules, hide cards or handle the hand of iron differently. Agree on the local version before playing in person.