Truco: the card game of bluff and poetry explained
Truco was born in Valencia and became Argentina's national game: three cards, coded signals, escalating bets and the strangest card ranking in the world.
Truco is the card game where lying is a virtue: born as truc in the Valencia region of Spain, carried to South America by colonists, and perfected in Argentina and Uruguay into a national institution of bluff, coded facial signals between partners and bets shouted in verse. Three cards each, the strangest ranking in card games (the ace of swords rules, followed by the ace of clubs and the sevens of swords and coins), and two simultaneous battles per hand: the envido, wagered on point totals nobody shows, and the truco itself, wagered on winning tricks — each raisable until an entire game hangs on one card and one straight face. Jorge Luis Borges dedicated a poem to it.
Our complete guide — the Valencia-to-Buenos-Aires history, full rules, the signals and the betting ladder — is available in Spanish: Reglas del truco. You need a traditional 40-card Spanish deck from our playing cards collection.
Playing Cards
Gemini Casino Phthalo Green – Playing Cards
Icon Black – Playing Cards
Premier Edition Restricted Red – Playing Cards
Premier Edition Jet Black Private Reserve – Playing Cards
One Piece – Robin – Playing Cards
One Piece – Chopper – Playing Cards
Lounge Edition Terminal Turquoise – Playing Cards
Lounge Edition Taxiway Yellow – Playing Cards
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