Gamehelptrucopaulista

Truco Paulista — Game Rules

Truco Paulista is one of the most traditional variants of Truco in Brazil, played in pairs with a reduced deck and energized by bet-raising calls (Truco) and dynamic high-value cards (Manilhas).

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1. Overview

• Players: 4 players, divided into 2 pairs (teams). Partners sit facing each other.
• Objective: Be the first pair to reach 12 points.
• Basic Terminology:
  • Hand: A full round worth points for the match, played in up to 3 tricks.
  • Trick: Each of the sub-rounds where each player plays a card to the table.
  • Vira: The face-up card turned from the deck that determines the trump cards (manilhas) for the hand.

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2. Deck and Card Ranking

• Composition: A 40-card French deck (excluding 8s, 9s, 10s, and Jokers).
• Hierarchy of Regular Cards (from weakest to strongest):

4 < 5 < 6 < 7 < Q < J < K < A < 2 < 3

• Ties: Between regular cards of equal rank, suits do not matter (e.g., a 3 of Diamonds has the same value as a 3 of Clubs).

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3. Vira and Manilhas (Trump Cards)

• Determining the Manilha: After dealing the cards, the top card of the remaining deck is turned face up (the Vira). The manilhas will be the cards immediately above the Vira in the cyclic order of regular cards.

Example: Vira 4 → Manilha 5 | Vira K → Manilha A | Vira 3 → Manilha 4.

• Strength: The 4 manilhas outrank any regular card in the game.
• Suit Tie-breaker: When two manilhas are played in the same trick, suits break the tie (from weakest to strongest):

Diamonds (♦) < Spades (♠) < Hearts (♥) < Clubs (♣ / Zap)

Note: Manilhas never tie with each other.

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4. Round Structure and Dealing

• Dealing: In each hand, the dealer role passes to the player on the left (clockwise). Each player receives 3 cards.
• Opening: The player to the left of the dealer leads the 1st trick.
• Flow: Play proceeds clockwise. The winner of the current trick leads the next trick.
• Leading After a Tie: If a trick ends in a tie, the player who played the first card of that tie leads the next trick.

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5. Covered (Face-Down) Card

• 1st Trick Rule: In the first trick of a hand, all cards must be played face up.
• Playing Face Down: Starting from the 2nd trick, a player may choose to play their card face down (covered).
• Properties:
  • A face-down card forfeits its numerical value and loses to any face-up card.
  • If all cards in a trick are played face down, the trick ends in a tie.
  • Face-down cards are not revealed at the end of the hand.
  • Playing face down is prohibited during the Mão de Ferro.

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6. Resolving the Hand (Best of 3 Tricks)

The pair that wins 2 tricks wins the hand. A trick belongs to the pair that played the strongest card.

Tie Scenarios (Canga)

When the strongest cards played by opposing pairs have equal value:

• Tie in the 1st Trick: The pair that wins the 2nd trick wins the hand. If the 2nd trick also ends in a tie, whoever wins the 3rd trick takes the hand.
• Winning 1st Trick with Subsequent Tie: The pair that won the 1st trick wins the hand.
• Ties in All 3 Tricks: Neither pair scores, and a new hand begins with the next dealer.

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7. Betting System (Raises)

Every hand starts worth 1 point. On their turn to play (before playing a card), any player can request a raise.

Call	New Hand Value
Truco	3 points
Six	6 points
Nine	9 points
Twelve	12 points

Responding to a Call

Both players on the opposing pair must respond (Accept, Fold/Run, or Raise):

• Accept: If at least one opponent accepts, the hand is worth the new value.
• Fold/Run: If both fold, the team that raised wins the previous value of the hand, and the round ends immediately.
• Raise: Requests the next level in the progression. The decision returns to the pair that made the previous raise.
• Right to Raise: Once a raise is accepted, only the pair that accepted can request the next level of raise.

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8. Hand of 11

Occurs when only one pair reaches 11 points in the match.

• Card Inspection: Partners on the team with 11 points may look at each other's cards and decide together whether to play the hand or fold.
• Options:
  • Fold: Opponents gain 1 point, and a new hand begins.
  • Play: The hand becomes worth 3 points. If the pair with 11 points wins, they win the match.
• Restrictions: Requesting Truco is not allowed during the Hand of 11.

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9. Hand of Iron

Occurs when both pairs reach 11 points (11–11 tie).

• Blind Play: No one looks at their own cards or their partner's cards. Each card is revealed only when played to the table.
• Special Rules:
  • Playing face down is prohibited.
  • Bet raises (Truco) are prohibited.
  • The pair that wins the hand wins the match.
  • If all tricks end in a tie, a new Hand of Iron is played.

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10. Game End

The game ends immediately when a pair reaches 12 points. The maximum score is capped at 12 points.