Truco is a free online version of the card game played across Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil, here as Truco Argentino for two, against the computer at five tables. It uses the 40-card Spanish deck — swords, clubs, coins and cups, with no 8s or 9s — and each hand is only three cards and best of three tricks. Which card takes a trick is a fixed order that mostly ignores suit: the ace of swords, the ace of clubs, the seven of swords and the seven of coins sit at the top, then every 3, every 2, the other two aces, the kings, knights and pages, the other two sevens, and last the 6s, 5s and 4s. Tied cards make a parda. The cards are only half of it. Before the first trick you can bet envido on your points — two cards of one suit count 20 plus their numbers — and at any point you can call truco and double what the hand is worth, then retruco for three and vale cuatro for four. A call can be accepted, refused, or raised, and refusing pays the caller what the hand was worth before the call, so a well-timed bluff wins points with nothing in your hand. Played without flor; first to 15, or to 30 at the last table. The computer players get stronger table by table: a beginner who only bets on a sure thing, a club player, a bluffer who calls truco on nothing, and a card counter who remembers every envido number said out loud and reads how you bet.
How to play Truco
- Press Play and pick a table. The first is against a beginner; each table you win opens the next.
- You and the computer get three cards each. The player who leads the first trick is the mano, and it changes every hand.
- Play one card to each trick by tapping it or pressing 1, 2 or 3. The higher card on the ladder takes the trick, whatever the suits: ace of swords, ace of clubs, seven of swords, seven of coins, then the 3s, the 2s, the other two aces, the 12s, 11s and 10s, the other two sevens, the 6s, 5s and 4s. The four cards at the top wear a gold star; the Card order button shows the whole ladder.
- Two tricks win the hand. If a trick is tied (a parda), the next one decides; a tie after you have won the first trick wins it for you; three ties go to the mano.
- Envido: in the first trick, before you have played to it, you can bet on your points — two cards of one suit are 20 plus their numbers (10, 11 and 12 count nothing), or your best single card if you have no pair. Envido is worth 2, real envido 3, and falta envido everything the leader still needs to win the game.
- Truco: on your turn you can call truco and the hand is worth 2 instead of 1. Only the player who accepted a truco can raise it: retruco for 3, then vale cuatro for 4.
- Answer every call with ¡Quiero! (accept), No quiero (refuse) or a raise — the buttons show what each is worth, or press Q, N, T, E, R and F. Refusing gives the caller what the hand was worth before the call.
- If truco is called in the first trick you may answer envido first — "el envido está primero" — and the truco is settled after it.
- Mazo folds the hand: the other side takes whatever it is worth right now.
- First to 15 wins; the last table plays to 30. Win for one star, and hold the other side to the table's lines for two and three.
Tips
- The four starred cards are what make a truco. Two of them is a strong hand; with none, think twice before accepting a retruco.
- Refusing a truco costs only 1 point. Accepting and losing costs 2. Against a player who calls on everything, say quiero more often — they cannot all be good hands.
- Win the first trick and a tie in the second wins the hand, so after taking the first you can play your worst card and keep the best for the third.
- Count your envido before you play: two cards of one suit are worth 20 plus their numbers, so a 7 and a 6 of the same suit is 33, the best there is. The 10, 11 and 12 add nothing.
- As mano you win every envido tie, so the same points are worth more from the mano's seat than from the other one.
- When a player sings a number out loud they have told you two of their cards' suit and values. Use it when the tricks are played.
- Watch when a truco comes. One called in the last trick, after they have seen the card you kept, is a classic place to bluff.
- Near the end of a game to 15, falta envido is worth whatever the leader needs to finish — a single envido can end the game.
FAQ
Is Truco free to play online?
Yes. It runs in your browser for free, with no download, no install and no account. Nothing is wagered — the points are only the game's own score.
Which version of Truco is this?
Truco Argentino for two players with the 40-card Spanish deck, played without flor: envido, real envido and falta envido before the first trick, truco, retruco and vale cuatro on the hand, first to 15 — or to 30 at the last table.
What is the card order in Truco?
Ace of swords, ace of clubs, seven of swords, seven of coins, then every 3, every 2, the aces of cups and coins, the 12s, 11s and 10s, the sevens of cups and clubs, and last the 6s, 5s and 4s. Suit only matters for those named cards; two cards on the same step tie.
How do you count envido points?
Two cards of the same suit are worth 20 plus their numbers, with the 10, 11 and 12 counting nothing — so a 7 and a 6 of one suit is 33, the most you can have. Without two cards of one suit your envido is your best single card. Ties go to the mano.
What happens when a trick is tied?
A tied trick is a parda. If the first trick is a parda the second decides the hand; if you won the first, a parda later wins it for you; if all three are pardas the mano wins.
What do truco, retruco and vale cuatro mean?
They are the raises on the hand. A hand is worth 1; truco makes it 2, retruco 3 and vale cuatro 4. Only the player who accepted the last call can raise again, and refusing pays the caller what the hand was worth before the call.
Does the computer bluff?
Some of them do. Counting the hands where the caller held no 2, no 3 and none of the four starred cards, the bluffer at the third table calls truco in almost half of them, the card counter in about a third, the club player in about a quarter and the beginner in about one in ten — the beginner only when a trick already won has made a small card good. The card counter also keeps track of how often your own calls turned out to be on nothing.
How good are the computer players?
Measured on the same deals played both ways round, the club player beats the beginner about three games in four, and the card counter beats the club player about two games in three. Reading how the other side bets is worth something too: the card counter beats a copy of itself with that switched off about three games in five.
Can I win by always calling truco, or by never calling?
No. Measured over hundreds of games against the card counter, a player who never calls anything and accepts every bet loses more than nine games in ten, and one who calls and raises on every hand loses more than three in four.
Does Truco work on a phone?
Yes. Tap a card to play it and tap the call buttons to bet; on a keyboard press 1, 2 or 3 to play and Q, N, T, E, R, F or M for the calls. It plays upright or sideways.