The deal, the vira and the manilhas
Each player receives three cards, dealt one at a time, non-dealer first. The next card is turned face up: the vira. The four cards of the rank immediately ABOVE the vira - in the cyclic order 4, 5, 6, 7, Q, J, K, A, 2, 3 and back to 4 - become the manilhas, the four strongest cards for the hand. If the vira is a 7, the queens are manilhas; if it is a 3, the fours are.
Manilhas beat every ordinary card and rank among themselves by suit: clubs (the zap) over hearts (copas) over spades (espadilha) over diamonds (the mole). Every hand crowns a different set, which is exactly what separates Truco Paulista from Truco Mineiro and its fixed manilhas.
| Cards | Rank |
|---|---|
| 6♣ (zap) | highest |
| 6♥ (copas) | 2nd |
| 6♠ (espadilha) | 3rd |
| 6♦ (mole) | 4th |
| 3s | 5th (all four equal) |
| 2s | 6th |
| Aces | 7th |
| Kings | 8th |
| Jacks | 9th |
| Queens | 10th - below the jacks |
| 7s, 5s, 4s | lowest (skipping the manilha rank) |
Playing the tricks
- The non-dealer (the mão) leads the first trick; there is no obligation to follow suit - play any card.
- The higher card wins the trick and its player leads next. Equal cards tie the trick (empate): it belongs to nobody, and the leader of the tied trick leads again.
- Winning two tricks wins the hand. After any tie, the hand instead goes to the first player to win a trick - so a tie makes the very next trick decisive.
- A 1-1 score with the third trick tied goes to whoever won the first trick. If all three tricks tie, the hand is drawn and nobody scores.
Truco: the betting ladder
On your turn, before playing a card, you may call "truco" - an offer to raise the hand's stake from 1 point to 3. Your opponent has three answers: accept (play on for 3), raise to 6 ("seis!"), or run away - conceding the hand immediately at its previous stake.
- Raises alternate between the players: 3 is answered by 6, 6 by 9, 9 by 12 - the whole game. Whoever made the last accepted raise may not raise again until the opponent does.
- Running away always pays the stake that was already accepted - fold against "seis" after an accepted truco and you concede 3.
- It is illegal to raise when simply accepting would already win you the game - the engine greys the option out.
- No truco of any kind may be called once either player stands at 11 points.
Mão de 11 and the iron hand
At 11 points - one from victory - the rules change. You look at your dealt hand and choose: play the hand for 3 points, or concede 1 point to your opponent and move on. No truco calls are allowed either way.
When BOTH players stand at 11, the deal is a mão de ferro - the iron hand. Nobody looks at their cards: each turn simply flips the player's top card, blind. The winner of the hand wins the game; a fully tied iron hand is redealt. Having failed to win by skill, says the tradition, you may as well settle it by luck.
Scoring
| Situation | Points to the winner |
|---|---|
| Plain hand, no bets | 1 |
| Truco accepted | 3 |
| Seis / nove / doze accepted | 6 / 9 / 12 |
| Opponent runs away | the previously accepted stake |
| Mão de 11 played | 3 |
| Mão de 11 conceded | 1 to the opponent |
| Completely tied hand | nobody scores |
First to 12 points wins. Because doze puts the whole game on one hand, and the iron hand settles 11-11 blind, no Truco game ever drifts to a quiet finish.
Differences from other Truco versions
- Truco Mineiro (Minas Gerais) uses FIXED manilhas - 4♣, 7♥, A♠, 7♦ - with no vira, and its truco bets the current trick rather than the hand.
- Truco Argentino / Uruguayo is a different game altogether: Spanish-suited cards, the envido and flor point-bidding phases, and no vira.
- The traditional 4-player partnership game adds a secret code of gestures (signals) between partners; heads-up there is nobody to signal, and the pagat option of playing cards face down (encoberta) exists only to hide information from future tricks in partnership play, so this version omits it.
Frequently asked questions
What are manilhas in Truco?
The four cards of the rank directly above the turned vira, following the cycle 4-5-6-7-Q-J-K-A-2-3 and wrapping around. They beat everything else and rank by suit: clubs (zap), hearts (copas), spades (espadilha), diamonds (mole). A new vira every hand means new manilhas every hand.
Why does the queen rank below the jack in Truco?
Truco inherits the old Portuguese card order, in which the dama sits under the valete. The full ordinary ranking is 3, 2, A, K, J, Q, 7, 6, 5, 4 - newcomers lose more tricks to this line than to any other rule.
Who wins a hand when a trick ties?
A tied trick belongs to nobody. The hand then goes to the first player who wins any trick outright - so after a first-trick tie, the second trick is for everything. If every trick ties, the hand is drawn and no one scores.
What happens if I refuse a truco call?
You "run away" (correr): the hand ends at once and the caller collects the stake that was already accepted - 1 point against a plain truco, 3 against a seis, 6 against a nove. Refusing is often right; paying 1 to dodge a lost 3 is a profit.
Can I call truco whenever I want?
On your turn, yes - before you play your card - with three limits: you may not raise twice in a row (raises alternate), you may not raise when accepting would already win you the game, and no truco exists at all once either player stands at 11 points.
What is the mão de ferro (iron hand)?
The 11-11 tiebreaker: cards are dealt but nobody may look at them. Each turn flips the top card blind, no bets allowed, and the winner of the hand wins the whole game. A fully tied iron hand is dealt again.
Is this the same Truco played in Argentina?
No. Argentinean and Uruguayan Truco use Spanish-suited cards and add the envido and flor bidding phases, with fixed top cards instead of a vira. This page and our game implement Brazilian Truco Paulista, the São Paulo rules.
Related rulebooks
- Thirteen rules - climb with pairs and runs - 2s rule
- Big Two rules - poker hands climb to the mighty 2♠
- President rules - climb from scum to president
Last reviewed 2026-08-10 · play Truco online free