Truco Uruguayo is a very popular game in Uruguay, with similarities to Truco Venezolano and Truco Argentino. It is played with a 40-card Spanish deck, without eights, nines, or wildcards.

Number of players

It can be played with 2, 4, or 6 players.

Objective

The goal of the game is to be the first to reach an agreed number of points, usually 30 or 40.
The score is generally divided into malas and buenas (15 and 15, or 20 and 20).
In a 30-point match, the first 15 are the malas and the following 15 are the buenas.

Each player receives 3 cards and a card called the trump is turned face up, which determines the suit of the pieces.
The player who plays the highest card wins the trick; the best of three tricks wins the round and the corresponding points according to the cantos, envidos, or gritos.

Categorization of calls

• Cantos: Flor, Contra Flor al Resto, Con Flor Envido.
• Envidos: Envido, Real Envido, Falta Envido.
• Gritos: Truco, Retruco, Vale 4.

Card values

From lowest to highest value:

Common cards: 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3
High cards: 7 of coins, 7 of swords, 1 of clubs, 1 of swords
Piezas: 10, 11, 5, 4, and 2 of the suit of the trump

Values for Flor or Envido

• 2 of the suit of the trump = 30 points
• 4 of the suit of the trump = 29 points
• 5 of the suit of the trump = 28 points
• 10 or 11 of the suit of the trump = 27 points
• The rest of the cards are worth their face number, except 10, 11, and 12, which are worth 0.
• If the trump is a pieza, the 12 of that suit takes the value of the corresponding pieza.

The trump is the card turned face up at the start of each round that defines the suit of the piezas.

Flor

FLOR is called before playing the first card.
It is called when:

• A player holds 3 cards of the same suit.
• A player holds at least 2 piezas.
• A player holds 1 pieza and the other two cards of the same suit.

In the digital game, the system automatically detects if the player has Flor and calls it at the appropriate moment.

Scoring

• A Flor is worth 3 points.
• If the opponent also has a Flor, the higher value one wins.
• It can be answered with Contra Flor al Resto or Con Flor Envido.
  • Contra Flor al Resto: the winner takes the match.
  • Con Flor Envido: the points of Flor and Envido are added together.
• If the challenges are declined, the challenger wins the 3 points for their Flor.

The value of the Flor is obtained by adding the 3 cards. If there is more than one pieza, the full value of the highest one is taken and only the last digit of the others.
The maximum possible value of Flor is 47, holding the 2, 4, and 5 of the suit of the trump (30 + 9 + 8).

Envido or Toques

Players call Envido (2 points), Real Envido (3 points), or Falta Envido (the points needed by the opponent to win).
It is called before playing the first card. If any player has a Flor, Envido is not played.

The rival can accept or decline. If declined, the challenger wins 1 point.
They can also raise (call a higher Envido).
Points accumulate:

• Envido–Envido: 4 points (2 if declined).
• Envido–Real Envido: 5 points (2 if declined).

Envido Calculation

• The two highest cards are taken.
• If a player holds a pieza: value of the pieza + the remaining highest card.
• If a player holds two cards of the same suit: add both and add 20.
• If all three cards are of different suits: the value is that of the highest card.
• The maximum possible Envido is 37 (2 of the suit of the trump and a 7).

Shouts

During their turn, a player can say Truco:

• Truco: 2 points (if the rival declines, 1 point is earned).
• Retruco: 3 points (if the rival declines, 2 points are earned).
• Vale 4: 4 points (if the rival declines, 3 points are earned).

Gritos must alternate between teams: whoever calls Truco cannot call Retruco; their rival must do so, and so on.

The objective of each round is to gain as many points as possible through Flor, Envido, and Truco/Retruco/Vale 4.
Each player plays a card, and the highest card wins the trick.
The player or team that wins 2 out of the 3 tricks wins the staked points.
If nobody calls Truco, the round is worth 1 point.

In case of a tie:

• If there is a tie in the first trick, the second trick defines the round.
• If there is a tie in the second or third trick, the team that won the first trick wins.
• If there is a tie in all tricks, the lead player wins.

Team play

When played with 4 or 6 players, the game is played in teams:

• In 4 players: 2 vs 2.
• In 6 players: 3 vs 3.

The rules remain the same.
When playing with 6, while in "malas", rounds alternate between 3 vs 3 and 1 vs 1, where each player faces the opponent directly opposite them.

Echar los perros

A team can call Contra Flor al Resto, Falta Envido, and Truco before dealing the next hand.
This is known as Echar los perros or “A ley de juego está todo dicho”.

The rival team picks up their cards and must respond:

• If they have a Flor, they decide whether to accept the Contra Flor al Resto.
• If they do not have a Flor, they respond to the Falta Envido and the Truco.

If accepted, the corresponding tricks are played.
If declined, the other team wins according to the values of the calls.

During this process:

• En Ley: having a Flor.
• A Punto: not having a Flor.

Examples:

• “En Ley se pasa y se quiere” → having a Flor, Contra Flor is declined, but Truco is accepted.
• “A Punto se quiere y se quiere” → not having a Flor, but Falta Envido and Truco are accepted.
• “A Punto se pasa y se pasa” → not having a Flor nor accepting anything, folding.