El Tresillo is a trick-taking card game for three players. It originated in Spain at the beginning of the 17th century, when it was also known as El Hombre ("The Man"). This name was lost in Spain, where the game is nowadays known only as El Tresillo (this name simply refers to "three" - the number of active players in the game). In the rest of Europe the game was generally known as Hombre (or variations of this name such as l'Hombre, Ombre, Lomber and Lumbur). In South America it is called Rocambor, and in Portugal it was known as Voltarete.
El Tresillo or Hombre spread rapidly across Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries and became a very famous and fashionable game, enjoying a position of prestige similar to Bridge today. During the 18th and 19th century, Hombre was progressively displaced in most of Europe by other games - first by the four-player variation Quadrille and later by Whist. Although it has by now died out in most parts of Europe, El Tresillo is still played in Spain, though unfortunately it is far less widespread than formerly. The game also survives in Denmark as l'Hombre, in the Faroes and Iceland as Lomber, and in Peru and Bolivia as Rocambor.
An excellent account of the early history of Hombre can be found in a series of three articles by Thierry Depaulis in The Playing-Card (Journal of the International Playing-Card Society). They are entitled "Ombre et Lumière. Un Peu de Lumière sur L'Hombre" and appeared in Vol XV, No 4, pp 101-110, Vol XVI, No 1, pp 10-18, and Vol XVI, No 2, pp 44-53.
This page describes how El Tresillo is currently played in Spain.
El Tresillo is a plain-trick game, which is basically for three players. It is very common for four people to take part, but there are only three active players in each hand. A deck of 40 spanish cards is used. Each active player is dealt 9 cards and the remaining 13 are placed in a face down heap, which the players can later use to try to improve their hands.
After the deal there is an auction (the bidding is known as "cantar" - singing). The purpose of this is to decide who will be the declarer - known as "el hombre" (the man) or "el jugador" (the player) - and what will be the contract. In all contracts, the declarer plays against the other two players, who are known as "los contrarios" ("the opponents").
The declarer has the privilege of choosing the trump suit ("cantar un triunfo"), and must take more tricks than either opponent in order to succeed in the contract. The declarer also has the first chance to discard some cards in the hope of drawing better cards from the heap, if the contract allows this. The opponents cooperate against the declarer, and will decide between themselves which is to be "el primer contrario" ("the first opponent"), who will try to defeat the declarer by taking at least as many tricks, and which is "el segundo contrario" ("the second opponent"), who will play to help the first opponent. The first opponent has the chance to discard and draw replacement cards from the heap after the declarer has done so, and finally the second opponent can do the same.
The cards are played out in nine tricks. After the play, payments are made in tokens ("fichas"), acccording to whether the contract was successful. The main payments are made to and from a pool ("el plato"). There are other payments between the players, which increase with the rank of the contract.
The whole game - the deal, the bidding and the tricks - is played anticlockwise.
El Tresillo is played with a deck of 40 Spanish cards. Many Spanish packs are sold with 48 cards - in this case the eights and nines are not used. The standard Spanish suits are swords (espadas), batons (bastos), cups (copas) and coins (oros), and the cards in each suit are
In El Tresillo, as in many of the oldest card games, the numeral cards in the round suits (cups and coins) rank in the reverse order from the numeral cards in the long suits (swords and batons). When these suits are not trumps, the ranking order of the cards from high to low is:
In El Tresillo, there is always a trump suit. The ace of swords and the ace of batons are permanent trumps (which is why the 1 of these suits is missing from the non-trump ranking above).
In summary , the ranking of the trump suit from high to low is:
The highest three trumps (espada, mala, basto) are collectively known as estuche.
The scoring equipment for Tresillo may seem elaborate, but in practice, when the players are familiar with it, the scoring process works smoothly and efficiently. All scores and payments are in units known as tantos. Tresillo is normally played for stakes, and at the start the players should agree the monetary value of a tanto. A moderate value could be 1 tanto = 5 pesetas. Normal values could be: 1 tanto = 10 pesetas or 1 tanto = 25 pesetas.
The equipment required is as follows.
Fichas (tokens)
Each player has a supply of tokens in their own colour. If there are four players the usual colours are blue, green, yellow and red. There are normally 30 tokens of each colour, in shapes representing different values as follows:
At the start of the session, each player must put one pajarito into the plato para los parajitos. One pajarito is just one round token, that is, 5 tantos. These parajitos will gradually be used during the game. If at any stage the plato para los parajitos becomes empty, it must be replenished by each player once again putting in one parajito (5 tantos).
The first dealer is chosen at random. Before dealing, the dealer should check that the pack of cards is complete. The cards are shuffled by the dealer and cut by the player to the dealer's left.
If the plato is empty, and there are no outstanding debts recorded on the scoresheet, the dealer takes one of the parajitos from the plato para los parajitos and transfers it to the plato. The dealer then adds one tanto from his own bowl to the plato and places it to his right. It will then contain 6 tantos.
If the plato already contains some tokens left over from the previous hand, or if there is a debt on the scoresheet to be played for, the dealer simply adds one tanto to the plato from his own bowl and places it to his right.
The dealer now deals out the cards face down, anticlockwise, in batches of three cards to the active players, until each of them has nine cards. If there are four players at the table, the dealer is inactive and deals only to the other three players. The remaining 13 cards are placed face down in the centre of the table. They are the sleeping cards ("las cartas que duermen"), also known as the heap ("el montón").
The turn to deal passes to the right after each hand.
The player to dealer's right speaks first, followed by the other active players in anticlockwise order. Speaking in the auction is actually called "cantar" (singing). It continues around the table, for several circuits if necessary, until a declarer is determined, the other players having passed.
There are just three possible contracts. In all cases, the declarer has to take more tricks than either opponent, but there are different conditions concerning how trumps are chosen and whether new cards can be drawn from the heap. In ascending order, the contracts are:
In the auction, there is a priority order among the players. The player to dealer's right (el mano) has highest priority, the player opposite the dealer (el medio) is second, and the player to the dealer's left (el postre) has lowest priority - assuming that there are four players at the table. When there are only three, the player to dealer's right is still el mano and has priority over the others, the player to dealer's left is el medio, and the dealer is el postre, and has lowest priority.
The declarer ("el hombre") will be the player who is willing to play the highest contract. If two players want to play the same contract, the player who has higher priority will be the declarer.
When bidding, the players do not normally state the contract they wish to play, but instead use the following expressions:
Here are some examples of possible auctions.
If all three players pass, the player who has the espada (the ace of swords, which is the highest trump) must play as declarer in an ordinary game. This is called "espada forzada" (forced espada).
In a four-player game, if all three active players passed and no one has the espada (because it is in the heap) then the fourth player (the dealer) must say "Yo penetro" ("I enter"). The dealer now plays the equivalent of an ordinary game, taking 10 cards from the heap and discarding one. One of the other three players will drop out, so that the dealer has two opponents. The details of this are explained later.
In a three-player game, if all three active players passed and no one has the espada (because it is in the heap), then the deal is cancelled, and the turn passes to the next dealer, who must place one more tanto in the plato as usual.
After the declarer has determined the trump suit, by simply announcing it in the case of an entrada or a solo, or by turning the top card of the heap face up in a vuelta, the players can try to improve their hands by exchanging some cards with the heap.
If the contract is entrada or vuelta the declarer can discard any number of cards face down, announcing the number of cards discarded. The declarer then draws an equal number of cards from the top of the heap, including the face-up trump card if the contract is vuelta. So the declarer has nine cards again. If the contract is solo, the declarer is not allowed to exchange any cards.
Next, the two opponents decide between themselves which will have the first chance to exchange cards for any that have been left in the heap by the declarer. It is an advantage for the opponent with the stronger hand to exchange first, so as to become even stronger and have the best chance of defeating the declarer. The opponent who exchanges first is called "el primer contrario" (the first opponent) and the other is "el segundo contrario" (the second opponent). The agreement is achieved by means of a formalised conversation in which the two opponents speak alternately. The opponent to the right of the declarer speaks first. The only statements allowed are:
If one opponent says "vienen" and the other says "van", then the conversation is over. Quite often, however, both will begin by saying "van", or both say "vienen", or one or both are not sure. In that case they continue speaking alternately until an agreement is reached. Through this conversation the opponents get an impression of the strengths of their hands, but the declarer of course also gets this information, which can be useful during the play.
The first opponent can now discard any number of cards face down, from none up to the number of cards that remain in the heap. For example if the declarer exchanged 6 cards, the first opponent can discard as many as 7 cards. If the declarer is playing solo there are 13 cards in the heap, and the first defender could in theory discard all nine cards, though in practice this is unlikely. Having discarded, the first opponent draws an equal number of cards from the top of the heap, so as to have a hand of nine cards again.
If any cards are left in the heap, the second opponent can now discard face down any number of cards up to this number, and draw an equal number of replacements from the heap. If any cards remain in the heap after the second opponent has exchanged, these remain face down and unknown until the end of the play. They are "permanently sleeping cards".
The cards that have been discarded by the players also remain face down until the end of the play. The players are not allowed to look again at the cards they discarded - they are supposed to remember what they were.
In the four-player game, when the three active players pass and none of them has the espada, the procedure is as follows.
The dealer must say "Yo penetro" (I enter) and become the declarer. The dealer takes 10 cards from the heap - either the top 10 or the bottom 10 cards - but is not allowed to look at the heap cards before deciding which 10 to take.
The dealer then looks at the 10 cards, and is at this point allowed to surrender, and pay as though the result was puesta (see scoring below), thus avoiding a possible codillo. If the dealer wants to surrender, the other players cannot prevent this. If the dealer decides to play on, the next step is for the dealer to choose and announce a trump suit, and to discard any one of the ten cards face down.
Next, the other three players must decide which of them will be the first opponent, which will be the second and which will drop out. First, the player who will drop out is decided by a formal conversation, beginning with the player to the right of the dealer and continuing anticlockwise. The possible statements are:
As soon as one of the players says "Me voy", that player drops out. The other two players then agree between them as above which is the first opponent. There are only three cards left in the heap after the declarer has taken 10, so the first opponent can discard up to three cards, replacing them from the heap, and if any are then left the second opponent can discard up to the number remaining.
The play is anticlockwise. The player to the right of the dealer leads to the first trick. (In a penetro, if this player has dropped out, the next player in turn leads, i.e. the player opposite the dealer). A trick is won by the highest card of the suit led, unless it contains a trump, in which case highest trump wins it. The winner of a trick leads to the next.
Players must follow suit if they can, playing any card they wish from the suit led. A player with no card of the suit led may play any card, including a trump.
The obligation to follow suit does not apply fully to the estuche (the highest three trumps: espada, mala and basto). When a trump is led, the holder of an estuche need not play it unless a higher estuche has been led, and the player has no other trumps. It follows that the espada can never be forced out. The mala is forced out when the espada is led and the holder of the mala has no other trumps. The basto is forced out if the espada or the mala is led and the holder of the basto has no other trumps.
Only the highest three trumps enjoy this privilege - all other trumps can be forced out by the lead of a lower trump. Note also that if the first player to a trick leads a small trump, the second player plays the espada and the third player's only trump is the basto, then the third player need not play the basto, because the espada was not led to the trick.
Although players are not allowed to look at the discards, they are allowed to inspect the cards played to previous tricks - for example to check what trumps have been played - irrespective of who won the tricks.
The declarer tries to take more tricks than either opponent, and the opponents cooperate to arrange that one of them takes at least as many tricks as the declarer. Note, however, that this cooperation takes place in silence - there is no conversation or signals between the players other than the formal discussion to decide who is the first opponent, that was described above.
There are three basic possible outcomes of the play.
The declarer's best result is to win a juego sacado, next best is puesta, and worst is to lose codillo. Note that the "puesta real" in which the tricks are divided 1-4-4 is not codillo, so it is better for the declarer to win one trick with the possibility of puesta real than two tricks, which inevitably leads to codillo.
An opponent's best result is to make codillo, second best is puesta, third best is for the other opponent to make codillo, and worst is for the declarer to win juego sacada.
It is normal not to play out the cards to the bitter end when the result is inevitable. If you can demonstrate that you are certain to take at least five tricks, it is polite to show your cards and claim a win, to save time.
If the contract is entrada (juego simple) or vuelta, the declarer can propose to surrender, just before playing to the fourth trick. The declarer will choose this option when the risk of codillo outweighs the chances of winning. If the opponents accept the surrender, the result is a puesta. But either opponent has the right not to accept the surrender, but to say "yo sigo" ("I continue" or "I follow"). In this case the play continues, and the opponent who demanded the continuation takes over the role of declarer, while the original declarer becomes an opponent.
A solo contract cannot be surrendered, and a penetro can only be surrendered at the start, not at the fourth trick.
Winning all nine tricks is called bola and is rewarded with an extra payment. If you win the first five tricks you must decide whether to claim a win or to play on. If you lead to the sixth trick rather than claiming, you are considered to be trying for bola. If you succeed you get the additional payment for bola, but if you lose a trick you have to pay the others for your failed bola, though you are still paid for the basic contract.
When the outcome of the contract is known, payment is made in tokens. There are two parts to this:
The amount in play depends on the value of tokens in the plato, the amounts (if any) recorded on the paper, and whether the plato already contains an amount paid in by a previous losing declarer. There are three main possible cases:
Extra complications can arise when the original declarer tries to give up (before playing to the fourth trick), but one of the opponents insists on continuing and becomes the new declarer. There are now several possible results, which are handled as follows.
| Event | Scoring Description |
|---|---|
| Original declarer gives up; an opponent becomes the new declarer and wins. | The original declarer pays the amount in play to the new declarer. The plato and scoresheet are left as they are. |
| Declarer abandons and a defender becomes declarer, but the result is puesta. | Two new puestas are generated. One by old declarer and another by new declarer. |
| Declarer abandons and a defender becomes declarer, but the new declarer loses codillo. | Old declarer generates a puesta. New declarer generates a puesta and pays the amount in play to the winner. |
In general, when a Tresillo game session finishes, there may be tokens remaining in the plato and in the plato para los parajitos, and puestas reservadas reamining on the paper. Normally the tokens in the dishes would be distributed equally among the players, so that they can settle up in money corresponding to the quantity of tantos they have won or lost in the session. This paper with the puestas reservadas will be kept to use in next Tresillo session between the same players. At the start of this new session, the dealer will put one tanto in the plato, but no parajito, and the first hand will be played for the largest puesta reservada on the paper. If the same group of players are not expecting to play again in the near future, then each of the players should pay the money equivalent of their debt recorded on the paper into a common fund, which is then distributed equally among the players.
Conditiones are additional payments, paid either to the declarer from each of the other players or from the declarer to each of the other players. They are in addition to payments due as part of the puesta system, which was explained above. If there are four players, the inactive player also takes part in these additional payments.
| Event | Payment | Comment or explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Juego simple (entrada) | none | These extra payments for the higher contracts are paid to the declarer for a juego sacada. If the declarer loses (either puesta or codillo) the declarer has to pay the equivalent amount. In an ordinary game there is no extra payment for the contract - just the payments under the puesta system and any other condiciones that apply. |
| Vuelta | 1 tanto | |
| Solo | 2 tantos | |
| Penetro | 1 tanto | |
| Estuche | 1 tanto | If the declarer has the highest three trumps (espada, mala, basta) and wins, everyone pays the declarer one extra tanto for estuche. There is no payment for estuche if the result is puesta or codillo. |
| Primeras | 1 tanto | A declarer who wins the first five tricks and stops there gets one extra tanto from each player for primeras. |
| Bola | 8 tantos | A declarer who wins all nine tricks gets 8 extra tantos from each player. If you continue after winning five tricks and fail to win all the tricks you have to pay everyone 8 tantos for a failed bola, though you are still paid for winning the contract and any other applicable condiciones. There is no payment for primeras if bola is attempted. |
Notes:
Since the scoring system is rather complex at first sight, it may help to give a specific example. The table below represents a sample game between four players, North, West, South and East. The events are listed in order, with the resulting number of tantos in the bowls of the four players, the two dishes and on the paper.
| Event | North | West | South | East | Plato | Plato para los parajitos | Paper | Comment or explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of session | 155 | 155 | 155 | 155 | 0 | 20 | empty | Everyone starts with 160 tantos, of which they place 5 in the plato para los parajitos. |
| North is chosen as the first dealer | 154 | 155 | 155 | 155 | 6 | 15 | empty | North transfers a parajito (5 tantos) to the plato and adds one tanto. |
| South wins a vuelta with estuche | 151 | 152 | 170 | 152 | 0 | 15 | empty | South takes the pool plus 3 tantos from each player - one as part of the puestas system, one for the vuelta and one for the estuche. |
| West deals | 151 | 151 | 170 | 152 | 6 | 10 | empty | West transfers a parajito (5 tantos) to the plato (because it is empty and there is nothing on the paper) and adds one tanto. |
| North plays a simple game and the result is puesta. | 141 | 151 | 170 | 152 | 16 | 10 | empty | North has to pay the amount in play to the plato. The amount in play is the amount in the plato plus one for each player: 6+4=10. |
| South deals | 141 | 151 | 169 | 152 | 17 | 10 | empty | South adds one tanto to the plato. |
| All pass and no one has the espada. South says "Yo penetro", looks at the top 10 cards of the heap and surrenders. | 142 | 152 | 166 | 153 | 17 | 10 | South: 21 | South must pay 1 tanto to each player (the condición for penetro) and a debt of 21 (the amount in play is 17+4) is written against South on the paper. |
| East deals | 142 | 152 | 166 | 152 | 18 | 10 | South: 21 | East adds one tanto to the plato. |
| West plays a simple game but the result is codillo; North is the winner. | 164 | 130 | 166 | 152 | 18 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 |
The value of the game is now 22 (18+4). West pays this to North (the winner) and also has it recorded as a debt. |
| North deals | 163 | 130 | 166 | 152 | 19 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 |
North adds one tanto to the plato. |
| East plays a solo with estuche, tries for bola but loses the last trick. | 167 | 134 | 170 | 159 | 0 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 |
East wins the plato and 1 tanto from each player as part of the puestas system, plus 2 from each for solo and 1 for estuche, but has to pay them each 8 for the bola. |
| West deals | 167 | 133 | 170 | 159 | 1 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 |
West adds one tanto to the plato. This hand will be played for the largest puesta reservada. |
| All pass; South has the espada and is compelled to play; South tries to give up at the fourth trick but East insists on continuing; South and East win 4 tricks each (puesta). | 167 | 133 | 170 | 159 | 1 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 23 East: 23 |
The amount in play is 23 (the largest number on the paper plus the 1 in the plato) so South and East each get a debt of this amount. |
| South deals | 167 | 133 | 169 | 159 | 2 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 23 East: 23 |
South adds one tanto to the plato, so the amount in play is now 25 (that is 23 on the paper plus 2 in the plato). |
| West plays a simple game and wins. | 167 | 158 | 169 | 136 | 0 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 23 |
West collects the plato and 23 tantos from East; East's debt is erased. West could equally well have collected from South - South's debt will be played for next. |
| East deals | 167 | 158 | 169 | 135 | 1 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 23 |
East adds one tanto to the plato; the amount in play is now 24. |
| South plays a vuelta and wins. | 166 | 157 | 173 | 134 | 0 | 10 | West: 22 South: 21 |
South's largest debt is erased and South collects the plato and an extra tanto from each of the others for vuelta. |
The game could continue, but if it were to stop at that point, there would be 53 tantos to be shared among the players: these represent the two unused parajitos and the two remaining puestas reservadas. Giving 13 each and the odd one to the loser (East) the players end with North:179, West:148, South:165, East:148. So if a tanto is worth 10 pesetas the final result is that North wins 190 pesetas, West loses 120, South wins 50 and East loses 120.
In addition to the actual rules of the game, there are a number of rules of etiquette and other conventions that have evolved over time. These are not indispensable to play, but they are strictly observed in many circles of players. Here is a list of those observed in the family of Joan C de Gispert, who provided most of the information for this page.
The above account is based on the version of Tresillo played in in the family of Joan C de Gispert. It is clear from the Spanish literature on this game that there were and probably still are many variations played in different parts of Spain and among different circles of players. Here are some examples of variations. I would be interested to hear from any Tresillo players who play these or other variations of the game.
This section was contributed by Joan C de Gispert
El Tresillo was a game deeply embedded throughout a wide spectrum of old Spanish society. It was played in cities, towns and villages all around Spain, and it inspired some interesting writing. References are found in the works of some of the most important Spanish writers, such as Lope de Vega, who wrote in the 16th century. A range of amusing and interesting proverbs also shows how firmly El Tresillo was established as a part of Spanish life.
There are many proverbs referring to El Tresillo. In general, they give specific advice about how to play in particular situations. It is difficult to give satisfactory translations into English, because they are often involve word play and rhyming. In any case, a free translation is included. As well as being amusing, they can be useful for players, especially beginners. Here are some examples:
All these first seven proverbs convey tha same idea: be prudent. Perhaps the sixth is the best: "To know when to pass is to know how to play", in other words, "a good player passes often".
It explains exactly the privileges of withholding an estuche when a lower trump is led.
Two sure tricks do not justify a bid, because is not very likely that exchanging cards will give you 5 tricks (or 4).
If you have the king with many cards of the same suit, someone is almost sure to be void of the suit.
Look who and how exchanges cards with the heap, and all will be clear"
A solo with out a void - don't play it.
With the espada and two kings, you have to bid vuelta
A poor entrada is better than a good vuelta
Solo with void and king - OK, play it.
A poor solo is better than a good Entrada
El Tresillo has created its own historical legends. One of them is found in an old spanish book entitled "Quiere usted aprender a jugar al Tresillo?" ("Do you want to learn to play Tresillo?") by Arturo Hermosilla, published in Barcelona (no date sepecified, but probabily 100 years ago). Legends do not supply scientific information, but often indicate the historical and sociological context of a subject. Here is a summary of this legend.
| Original | Translation / commentary |
|---|---|
| "Una casita alegre y coquetona circundada de frondosa alameda, alzábase como blanca paloma sobre la extensa pradera de un pueblecito de nuestros Pirineos ...." | This sounds like old Spanish. Note the location: a nice little house in the Pyrenees Mountains. |
| "Un venerable anciano que vestía el honroso uniforme militar ... su esposa ... y sus dos hijos eran sus moradores ..." | "A retired military gentleman ... his wife ... and two sons living in the house ...." |
| "... Corría a la sazón el año 1778. ... El anciano militar, recordando lo pasado, sentía entonces renacer su espíritu juvenil y su ardiente imaginación guerrera le hacía ver que la densa neblina era el humo intenso que esparcían los cañones en el campo de batalla ... Crecía su entusiasmo y, aumentando su ilusión, divisaba a lo lejos la vanguardia de su ejército, que en formidable choque luchaba cuerpo a cuerpo con el enemigo ...." | The date is surprising: as late as 1778! ... The old soldier remembers old times. When he looks at the landscape around the house, his intense imagination confuses fog with cannon smoke ... and he sees his soldiers fighting hand to hand the with enemy ... (remembering Don Quijote!)... |
| " ... Pasaba la mayor parte de las veladas jugando al solitario y haciendo mil combinaciones. Un dia, estando de sobremesa, anuncia a los suyos que había hallado la manera de pasar las veladas lo más amenas y agradables que pudieran imaginarse por medio de los naipes. Pasaron al saloncito él con su esposa e hijos, les invitó a que tomaran las cartas y jugaran según las indicaciones que él les hiciera ...." | ... He spent his evenings playing patience ... and one day announced to his family that he had discovered a way to have the most enjoyable evenings imaginable ... |
| " ... Cierto día nuestro anciano recibió la visita de un hijo de su antiguo amigo y compañero de armas, a quien invitó a pasar una temporada, pues deseaba enseñarle un juego desconocido para él que con seguridad podría proporcionarle agradable pasatiempo si tenía cordura, o bien serios disgustos si lo tomaba como medio especulativo para hacerse rico. Después que se lo enseñó le dijo: - Ahí tienes ese juego, pero no quiero que en modo alguno se sepa mi nombre ...- Pues bien mi general, si acaso me preguntara alguien quién fue su inventor, diré que un Hombre ...- | ... One day our old man is visited by a friend's son. He teaches the new card game to the boy and urges him to conceal his name. The boy replys saying: "If somebody asks me 'Who invented this game?', I will simply answer: 'A Man' ..." |
Well, this amusing legend relates Tresillo's origin to a happy family living in a nice house in the Pyrenees Mountains in 1778. It also suggests a military connection, converting hand to hand fighting to a card game. It also reveals the risks of the new game, recommending that it be played prudently, avoiding speculation. Finally, this history attributes the origin of the game's name to its inventor, "A Man" (El Hombre) who wants to conceal his name.
In more recent times it has been said that "Tresillo is played in our inner country, on Saturday and Sunday evenings in winter, when wind, snow and darkness encourages families to stay near the chimney around a table, and time passes slowly ...". Another saying goes: "Tresillo is a game of lawyers, doctors and priests ..." (Just three people!) This "rural" image of Tresillo in Spain fits well with the way of life in towns and villages in old times. But it is well known that El Tresillo was also played in cities - for example it was played in two of the most prestigious societies in Barcelona ("Cercle del Liceu" and "Círculo Ecuestre").