Differences between the 40 and 48-card Spanish decks

The difference between the 40-card and 48-card Spanish decks is the eight and nine of each suit: the 48-card deck includes them, while the 40-card deck leaves them out. Most traditional games, including Tute, Brisca, Mus and classic Chinchón, use 40 cards; the 48-card deck suits games and variants that need more cards.

What cards are in each deck

In the full version, each suit (Oros (coins) [coins], Copas (cups) [cups], Espadas (swords) [swords], and Bastos (clubs) [clubs]) has twelve cards: from 1 to 9, plus the Sota (10) [jack], the Caballo (11) [knight], and the Rey (12) [king]. This totals 48 cards. If you remove the 8 and 9 from each suit, you are left with ten per suit, and 40 in total. Some decks also include two jokers.

Why were the 8 and 9 removed?

It is a long story related to the game of El Hombre and how cards were ranked centuries ago. We explain it in detail in why the Spanish deck does not have an 8 or 9.

Which games use each version

• 40 cards: Brisca, Tute, Guiñote, Mus, Escoba, and the most common version of Chinchón.
• 48 cards: variants of Chinchón with 8s and 9s, Pumba, and some regional games like Manilla or Butifarra.

At Lascuarenta, you can choose, for example, between 40 or 48-card Chinchón in matches against bots and in custom rooms.

Which one should I buy?

Buy the 48-card deck. If a game requires 40, you simply remove the eights and nines; you cannot do it the other way around. This is what almost all families who play various games do.