Tute is one of the most popular card games of Spain, and also in some Latin American countries. It is a point-trick game with trumps of the "marriage" type. There are several versions, all with the same basic structure of trick taking and card values, but adapted for different numbers of players, and in some cases with the extra complication of bidding. The game for four players in two fixed partnerships will be described first, then versions for other numbers of players.
For Tute, a standard Spanish pack of 40 cards is used. The suits and the rank and value of the cards in each suit are as follows:
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It can be seen that there are 120 card points in the pack altogether (30 in each of the four suits). In addition to these, 10 points are awarded for winning the last trick, bringing the total available to 130, and further points can be scored by a player who holds the king and horse of the same suit.
In each deal one suit is designated as the trump suit, all of whose cards can beat any card of the other three suits. In most forms of the game the trump suit is determined by turning a card face up during the deal - this card is called "la carta que pinta" (the card that paints).
In North America, Spanish cards can be obtained from TaroBear's Lair.
The first dealer is chosen at random and the turn to deal passes to the right after each hand. The dealer shuffles the cards, the player to dealer's left cuts, and then all the cards are dealt out one at a time, face down, starting with the player to dealer's right and continuing anticlockwise, so that each player has 10 cards.
The last card of the pack, which belongs to the dealer, is turned face up, and the suit of this card is trumps. This card is part of the dealer's hand. When the other players have seen it the dealer can pick it up and play it in the same way as the other cards.
The cards are played out in tricks, the object being to win tricks containing high-value cards. The direction of play is anticlockwise; the player to dealer's right leads to the first trick.
Any card may be led. If possible, the other players must follow suit - that is, play a card of the same suit that was led. Subject to the necessity of following suit, players are also obliged to play a card which beats the best card so far played to the trick is they can. This means that:
On the other hand, if you are unable to beat the best card in the trick, you have no obligation except to follow suit. This means that:
If no trumps were played, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit was led. If anyone trumped it is won by the highest trump played. The cards of the completed tricks are kept face down in front of one of the members of the team that won the trick. The winner of the trick leads to the next.
A player who holds in hand the king and horse of the same suit can score extra points by declaring ("singing") them, and showing the two cards. The king and horse of a non-trump suit are worth 20 points, and the king and horse of trumps are worth 40. When declaring a 20 you also mention the suit - for example "20 in cups" (veinte en copas). When declaring 40 it is not necessary to mention the suit (as it must be the trump suit).
You are only allowed to sing immediately after winning a trick. Before leading to the next you can declare one king-horse combination which you have in your hand. If you have more than one such combination you must win another trick before you are allowed to declare another. If you want to declare a 40 and a 20, you must declare the 40 first. It is illegal for a player to declare a 40 having previously declared a 20.
When all the cards have been played, each team counts the points in the tricks they have won. The team which won the last trick counts 10 points extra (called diez de últimas or diez de monte), and any team which has declared any 20's or 40's adds in these points as well.
The team which has more points in total wins the game. If there is a tie the team that won the last trick wins.
It is usual to agree to play a series of games - say six or eight. The team which wins more games wins the match, and the losers pay for the drinks. Sometimes it is agreed that the match should continue until the winning team is ahead of the losing team by a margin of two games.
A tute is a combination of all four kings or all four horses held in one hand. Some play that a player who has a tute can declare it after winning a trick, and this declaration wins the game.
Some play that the partner of a player who wins a trick can also sing. It is then possible that both partners will sing after the same trick, but each player can only sing one 20 or 40 at a time.
Some play that if a team wins with 101 or more points, they win two games instead of one.
Luis Fernando Gimnez describes the following version of Tute for three or two players playing as individuals.
The dealer deals 10 cards to each player, one at a time. The next card is placed face up to determine the trump suit and the remaining undealt cards form a stock which is placed face down across the trump card, leaving its rank and value visible. After each trick, each player, beginning with the winner of the trick and going around anticlockwise, draws a card from the stock without showing it to the other players. In the two-player game the trump is drawn as the last card of the stock; in the three player game the face-down stock is exhausted after three tricks and the face-up trump is left on the table. After the stock is exhausted the players continue playing from the cards in their hands.
The remaining rules and the scoring are the same as when playing with partners, except that each of the players counts their points separately and the player who has most wins.
The players descide at the beginning how long they want to play (number of games or length of time). At the end of the session the player who has won the most games is the overall winner.
The books say that this two-player game is the oldest form of Tute. Six cards are dealt to each player, and the thirteenth card is placed face up on the table and determines the trump suit. The remaining stock is placed face down across the face-up trump. The non-dealer leads to the first trick.
Until the stock is exhausted, there is no requirement to follow suit, overtake or trump - the second player to a trick may play any card. The winner of the trick draws the top card of the stock without showing it, the other player draws the next card, and the winner of the trick then leads to the next. The face up trump will be taken as the last card of the stock. When there are no stock cards left, the play continues as before except that the second player to each trick is obliged to follow suit and to beat the led card if possible, and if holding no card of the suit led to play a trump if possible.
A player who has just won a trick can sing one 40 or 20. Declaring a 20 does not debar you from declaring a 40 later. If immediately after winning a trick you hold 4 kings or 4 horses (a tute) you can sing them and win the game.
If the face-up trump is an ace, three or picture card it can be exchanged for the trump seven. If it is a 4, 5, 6 or 7 it can be exchanged for the trump 2. If you wish to exchange you must notify your opponent by placing your trump two or seven under the face-up trump. Then the next time after that that you win a trick (assuming that you do win a trick before the stock is exhausted), you can add the face-up trump to your hand. If you win no tricks before the face-up trump is drawn from the stock, then you simply take your two or seven back.
After all the cards have been played each player counts the points won for cards in tricks, singing and the ten for last. 101 or more points are needed to win. If neither player has as many as this a second deal is played, dealt by the player who scored the 10 for last in the first deal. The points won in the second deal are added to those won in the first. As soon as you believe you have 101 or more points you can claim to have won. If your claim is correct you win, but if you claim and it turns out that you have fewer than 101 points you lose (irrespective of how many points your opponent has).
This is another two player game. The rules are the same as for tute corriente except for the following:
This is another two player game. The rules are the same as for tute corriente except for the following:
This is a game for three players, though often four play with the dealer sitting out of each hand.
Thirteen cards are dealt to each player and the last card is turned face-up to determine the trump suit. If it is higher than 7, it can be exchanged for the trump 7; if it is a 7, 6, 5 or 4 it can be exchanged for the trump 2. The holder of the trump 7 or 2 makes the exchange before the lead to the first trick.
The player to dealer's right leads and the rules of play are the same as in partnership tute, as is the singing. Tute (4 kings or 4 horses) is valid - a player who can declare a tute after winning a trick wins the hand outright.
At the end of the play, each player counts their points won for cards, singing, and the last trick. The player who has most points wins 100 chips from each opponent if he has 100 points or fewer; 200 chips from each opponent if he has 101 or more. Also any player who sang a 40 or 20 receives 40 or 20 chips from each opponent for this. If there are four at the table, the dealer does not take part in the payments.
It is also possible to play with a pot (plato). In this case everyone at the table puts in 100 chips at the start and whenever the pot is emptied. To win the pot you have to announce before the play begins that you will win at least 101 points on the hand. If no one makes such an announcement the hand is played and the winner is paid as described above. If you play for the pot and succeed in taking 101 or more points then you win 200 chips from each opponent and take the pot. If you play for the pot and take 100 points or fewer, you have to pay 200 chips to each opponent and double the pot. In the unlikely event that more than one player wants to play for the pot, then there is an auction and whoever is prepared to contract to take more points is allowed to play for it, winning if they make at least the contracted number of points.
This description of Tute subastado (Auction Tute) is based on a contribution from John Williamson.
If the soloist's bid was 120 points or more the payment for the bid (won or lost) is doubled.
Tute gana-pierde (win-lose tute) has at least two versions: one for four or five players in which the aim is to avoid taking most points, and one for three players where the aim is to avoid having the middle score.
This game for 3 to 6 players, playing as individuals, is popular in Argentina and Uruguay. The objective is either to avoid winning any tricks, or if you do take tricks, to have either the highest or the lowest total of card points. In each deal there will be one or more losers, and a player who has lost four times is eliminated from the game. The game continues until there are fewer than three players, and the remaining one or two players are the winners.
Deal and play are counter-clockwise.
In the first hand of the game, coins are trumps and the player who has the two of coins is the mano - this player will lead to the first trick. For the second hand, the player who was mano for the first hand becomes the dealer. From now on the mano is the player to the right of the dealer, and the turn to deal passes to the right after each hand.
In a game with more than three players, in the second and subsequent hands, the last card dealt to the mano is turned face up and its suit is trumps.
If there are three players to begin with, then in the first hand the centre card is dealt face down, and the holder of the two of coins exchanges it for the centre card, which is not seen by any of the other players. If no one holds the two of coins (because it is the centre card), the holder of the four of coins is mano. In subsequent hands with three players, the centre card is dealt face up and its suit is trumps. If it is higher than a 7, the holder of the 7 of trumps can exchange it for this card. If it is a 5, 6 or 7, the holder of the 2 of trumps can exchange it for the centre card.
The rules of play and singing are the same as in partnership Tute. Note that there is no obligation to sing when you are able to, and sometimes it is better not to sing.
At the end of the play, players who have taken tricks count their points, not forgetting the 10 for the last trick, and the points for singing if any. Then assuming that there are no ties, the result is determined as follows:
Please note that:
The cases where some of the players who have taken tricks have equal numbers of points are resolved as follows:
Examples with five players:
The usual penalty for infractions (failing to follow suit, failing to beat the highest card played, etc.) is that the offender scores two losses.
A count is kept of how many times each player has lost, and as already explained, a player who has lost four times must retire from the game. It is not quite clear what happens if the player whose turn it was to deal next has to drop out. I would suggest that he should only drop out after having dealt the next hand to the remaining players, so that the player to his right does not lose a turn to be mano.
With more than three players, some prefer to rotate the trumps suit instead of turning up the mano's last card. The sequence of suits is coins, cups, swords, clubs, coins, etc.
Some break ties using the seating order - the player whose turn to play in the first trick was earlier is considered to have more points. In the examples above, assuming that the players A, B, C, D, E are listed in counter-clockwise order and A is mano, A would lose as well as B and E in the first case (because A's 23 is higher than D's 23), and in the second case B would lose alone (because B's 28 is higher than E's 28).
This is a version of Tute for 2, 3 or 4 players played in Aragón, Navarra and part of Castilla. In Guiñote the horse (caballo) and jack (sota) change places. This means that:
There are some other differences:
These rule differences can be applied to any of the versions of Tute described above, producing corresponding variations of Guiñote.
Emilio Platzer's page tute.com.ar has rules in Spanish for Tute Cabrero and some other Tute variations.
Don Naipe has published apps for playing four-player partnership Tute on Android and iOS. Also an Android app for Tute Cabrón, a Spanish variant similar to Tute Cabrera.
