How to play Truc mallorquín (Mallorcan Truc)

Truc mallorquín (Mallorcan Truc) is a partnership game of tricks and wagers played with a reduced Spanish deck. Unlike the Valencian version, it uses a muestra (face-up indicator card) to determine which cards of that suit will be the strongest during the hand.

An island game

In Mallorca and Menorca, Truc has been played in bars, casinos and village festivals for generations. Each island (and almost every village) has its own variations, so before sitting down, it’s worth asking, ‘How do you play it here?’

How a hand works

• Each player is dealt three cards, and one card is turned face up as the muestra.
• The highest cards in the muestra’s suit outrank all the others.
• As in all forms of Truc, there is an envit (comparing points) stage and a truc (winning two out of three tricks) stage.
• Anyone can raise the stakes by calling out. The opponent accepts, raises or folds.

Signals and cunning

Partners communicate using signals, just as in Truc valenciano (Valencian Truc) or Mus (a Spanish partnership card game). But watch out: your opponents are watching too. If you’d like to get to know the whole family, we cover it in Truc and Truco (related card games): are they the same game?