Traditional card games in Murcia

Games in the Tute (a Spanish trick-taking game) family have a special place in the Region of Murcia, particularly Subastao (auction Tute), in which pairs bid before play begins on the points they expect to score. Brisca (Spanish briscola) and Chinchón (Spanish gin rummy) are also very popular, while Escoba (the Spanish sweeping game) is a regular feature of family gatherings.

Subastao

It works like Tute, but with an auction before play begins: the pair with the highest bid chooses trumps and must score the points they have promised. If they fall short, they lose the points. It’s a game of calculation and nerve.

Brisca and Chinchón

Brisca is the quick game played in bars, while Chinchón is for those long hours spent around the table at home after a meal. You’ll find the rules in how to play Brisca and everything you need to know about Chinchón.

A land of market gardens and card games

In the outlying villages of the market-gardening area, a card game in the cool late-afternoon air was a much-loved tradition (and in many places still is). We look back at it in how people used to play in village squares.