Apex Hold'em Truco

How To Play

APEX'S HOLD'EM TRUCO

INTRODUCTION

This game was especially developed for ODTUG APEX GAME COMPETITION 2015 by Brazilian Apex fans in less than a week! It is a 100% Apex game. We haven't used any other technology! That's our diferencial!

Truco is probably the most popular card game in Brazil (our country). It is a loud and lively game, which might look to an outsider like four drunken people arguing passionately and about to break into a fight. The players are dealt three cards each and the objective is to win the majority of the three tricks. However, it is possible to interrupt the play and attempt to raise the stake, and this is where there can be a lot of bluffing, yelling and good-natured intimidation.

At least three different versions of Truco are played in Brazil. Truco Mineiro is the most played in Brazil and it is the version of this Apex game.

PLAYERS, EQUIPMENT AND GAME FORMAT

This game is for four players in fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite. The direction of play is counter-clockwise.

This version is played with a 27 — card deck removing the 4's 5's 6's 7's 8's 9's and 10's (except the four of clubs, seven of diamonds and seven of hearts) from a standard 52 — card deck. This is called a clean deck (baralho limpo). In the clean deck, the ranking of the cards from high to low is:

  • Four of Clubs (zap)
  • Seven of Hearts (copas)
  • Ace of Spades (espadilha)
  • Seven of Diamonds (pica-fumo)
  • Threes
  • Twos
  • Aces of Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds
  • Kings
  • Queens
  • Jacks

The top four cards are called manilhas - their names in Portuguese are given in brackets. With the exception of these four, the suits of the cards are irrelevant, so that for example all the Threes are equal in rank, as are all the Twos and so on.

A game consists of a series of rounds, in each of which a partnership may win one or more points. The first partnership to collect 12 (or more) points over many rounds wins the game.

THE PLAY

Each round is played in three tricks, each consisting of a card from each player. The highest card played wins the trick for the team of the person who played it, and this person leads to the second trick. The second trick is played similarly and the winner of the second trick leads to the third. Whichever team wins a majority of tricks wins the round and takes one point (or more - we will see).

There is no restriction on what card may be played to a trick: for example there is no requirement to follow suit or to beat the previous cards.

Because some of the cards are equal in strength, there is the possibility that a trick may be tied, when there is more than one equally high card (played by opposing players) in the trick. In this case, the trick belongs to neither team. The player who played the first of the cards that tied as the highest cards in the trick plays the first card to the next trick. When a trick is tied in this way, the round is won by the first team that wins a trick.

In the unusual case where two partners play equal highest cards to a trick while their opponents play lower cards, the trick is not tied, but is won by the team that played the highest cards. Whoever played the first of those cards plays first to the next trick.

THE TRUCO

A call of "truco" is an attempt to raise the stake of the round from 1 point to 3 points, by betting on the result current trick. Any player may call "truco" when it is his or her turn to play to a trick. The player must then wait for a reply before playing a card.

The opposing team has three options:

RUN AWAY - the opponents give up and the team that called truco score 1 point without further play. The unplayed cards are not shown: the trucador (the player who called truco) will often hide his or her card(s) in the undealt pack to make sure no one sees whether the call was a bluff.

ACCEPT - the bet is accepted and the winners of the current trick will score 3 points. The play is resumed to determine the result.

RAISE - the bet is accepted and the opponents wish to raise the stake again to 6 points. This can also be expressed by saying "vale 6" (it's worth 6) or "peço 6" (I ask for 6), in which case the team of the trucador must reply.

In case of a raise, the trucador's team must reply: they run away, accept or raise again. The teams can continue to raise alternately, in increments of 3 points. After each raise, the other team either runs away allowing team who raised to win the previous stake without play, or accepts the new proposed stake and play the trick, or raises again. After "vale 6" the next raise is "vale 9" and finally "queda" (a fall), asking to raise the stake to 12 points, which is enough to decide the whole game. For example after "truco" - "raise" - "raise" - "run away" the trucador's team would take 6 points without play: after "truco".

After a truco, the reply is given by the next player.

The person who played the highest card in the previous trick of the same round begins the next trick. After a tied trick, the person who played the first of the tying cards plays first in the next trick. Each round is started by the player in the right of the player that started the previous round.