Tute

How to play Tute

Tute is one of Spain's best-loved card games — a partnership trick game of the ace-ten family, famous for its cantes: the moment you proudly declare a King and Knight in your hand for bonus points. It rewards disciplined card play under the strict "arrastre" rules and a sharp eye for when to sing your twenties and forties. You play with a bot partner against two more.

The cards

A 40-card Spanish deck — Ace, 2-7, and the three court cards Sota (Jack), Caballo (Knight) and Rey (King) in each suit. Cards rank, high to low, Ace, 3, Rey, Caballo, Sota, then 7 down to 2. Only five carry points: the Ace is 11, the 3 is 10, the Rey 4, the Caballo 3 and the Sota 2 — 120 in the cards, plus 10 for the last trick.

Trump & the deal

Each player gets ten cards; the dealer's last card sets the trump (the triunfo), which the dealer keeps and shows. The player to the dealer's right leads the first trick.

The arrastre rules

• You must follow the led suit, and if you can beat the card that is currently winning, you must.
• If you are void, you must trump — and over-trump if a trump has already been played.
• Both obligations are lifted when your partner is already winning the trick.

Cantes

When you win a trick and hold the Rey and Caballo of a suit, you declare it: 20 for a plain suit ("las veinte"), 40 for trump ("las cuarenta"). Those points go to your side.

Scoring

Add up cards plus cantes plus the 10 for the last trick. The side with more points wins the deal and takes a game point. The first partnership to 4 wins the match.

Strategy

Protect your Aces and 3s — together they are 21 points a suit. Hold a King-and-Knight pair until you win a trick, then sing it; a forty can swing the whole deal. Under the arrastre you are often forced to spend a high card, so plan which trick to win. Feed your partner points (an Ace or a 3) when they are taking a trick. Tap a card to play it; legal cards are highlighted. N starts a new game.