Truco is a trick-taking card game from South America with a unique card hierarchy that differs completely from standard card values.
Card Rankings (Brazilian Truco — Paulista)
The four special high cards (manilhas), from highest to lowest: 4 of Clubs (Zap — highest card in the game), 7 of Hearts (Copas), Ace of Spades (Espadilha), 7 of Diamonds (Ouros). After these four, the remaining order is: 3s, 2s, Aces, Kings, Jacks, Queens, 7s (other suits), 6s, 5s, 4s (other suits).
Calling Truco
Any player can call 'Truco!' to raise the stakes. If the opponent accepts, the hand is worth 3 points instead of 1. The opponent can counter-raise: 'Retruco!' (6 points) or 'Vale Seis!' (9 points in some variants). If the opponent runs (folds), the caller wins the current stake.
Winning
Win 2 of 3 tricks to win the hand. The player/team to reach 12 (or 15, depending on variant) points wins the game. The bluffing and counter-bluffing around Truco calls is the heart of the game.
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