Glossary
Glossary of Spanish card games
The words you hear at any table of Tute, Guiñote, Brisca or Mus, explained in one sentence and with examples.
How to read a Spanish deck
The Spanish deck uses oros (coins), copas (cups), espadas (swords) and bastos (clubs). Its pintas—the breaks in the border—identify the suit without revealing the whole card: none for oros, one for copas, two for espadas and three for bastos.
Baza (trick)
A baza (trick) is the set of cards played in one round, one per player; whoever plays the highest card (or the highest trump) takes it.
Triunfo (trump)
The triunfo (trump) is the suit that rules the hand: any card of that suit beats cards of the other suits.
Muestra (turned-up card)
The muestra is the card turned face up after dealing that shows which suit is trump.
Arrastre (obligatory phase)
The arrastre is the phase in which you must follow suit, beat the card if you can, and play a trump if you cannot follow suit.
Cante (declaration)
A cante is announcing that you hold the rey and the caballo (in Guiñote, the rey and the sota) of the same suit: it is worth twenty points, or forty in trumps.
Renuncio (revoke)
A renuncio (revoke) is breaking a playing obligation, such as not following suit when you could or not beating a card when you must.
Órdago (all-in bet)
In Mus, the órdago is betting at once all the points needed to win the game: if accepted, that single play decides the match.
Asistir (follow suit)
Asistir means playing a card of the same suit as the one that led the trick.
Montar (beat / head the trick)
Montar means playing a higher card than the one currently winning the trick, usually of the same suit.
Fallar (trump / ruff)
Fallar means playing a trump when you have no cards of the suit that led the trick.
Terms for each game
Each game has its own expressions. Check their short definitions before taking a seat.