Truco rules
Truco Paulista, with manilhas. 1 vs 1 or in pairs
Players and cards
Play with 2 (each on their own) or 4, in 2 pairs (partner across), with 40 cards (no 8, 9 or 10). From strongest to weakest: 3, 2, Ace, King, Jack, Queen, 7, 6, 5, 4.
Manilhas
The dealer deals 3 cards each and turns the next one. The manilha is the rank after the turned card (after 3 comes 4): those are the 4 strongest cards, by suit: clubs (the zap), hearts, spades, diamonds.
Suit breaks ties
The higher card wins. If both have the same rank, the suit breaks the tie, in the same order as the manilhas: clubs, hearts, spades, diamonds (a 3 of hearts beats a 3 of spades). So no round is ever tied.
Rounds
Each hand is up to 3 rounds; whoever wins 2 wins the hand. Play goes anticlockwise, starting to the dealer's right.
Truco
On your turn you can call truco: if accepted, the hand is worth 3 (then 6, 9 and 12). The other side can accept, run (and you get what the hand was worth) or raise. The side that called cannot call again until the other side raises.
Hand of eleven and the game
The side with 11 points sees its cards (with 4 players, the partner's too) and decides: play the hand worth 3, with no truco, or run (the other side gets 1). With both on 11 (iron hand), the hand is worth 1, no truco. The first to 12 wins.
Other games
GG · Sueca · Hearts · Bisca · Up and Down · Spades · Donkey · Buraco · King · Italian Sueca · Solitaire