How to Play Tute

Tute is one of Spain's classic trick-taking games, in two forms: Tute Clásico, the traditional four-player partnership game, and Tute Habanero, a faster two-player duel. Learn both rulesets here, then play free as part of our Spanish 10-in-1 collection.

Overview

Tute is one of Spain's classic trick-taking games, played in two popular forms: Tute Clásico, the traditional four-player partnership version, and Tute Habanero, a faster two-player duel against a single opponent. Both share the same card values, rank order, and cantar declarations — they differ mainly in player count, dealing, and match structure.

Card Values & Rank Order (Both Variants)

The Spanish deck has 40 cards across four suits. Only 5 ranks score points, the same values in every suit:

Rank order, high to low, is the same in every suit: As, Tres, Rey, Caballo, Sota, then 7 down to 2 — note the Three outranks the King, which surprises many new players.

Tute Clásico — The Four-Player Partnership Game

You and your partner sit opposite each other against two opponents. All 40 cards are dealt out at the start of the hand — there's no stock — and the trump suit is fixed by the dealer's own last card, turned face up as the final card is dealt.

Because every card is dealt from the start, one strict ruleset covers every trick from first to last: follow suit if you can, and if you can, you must beat the best card of that suit currently in the trick if you're able to. If you're void in the led suit, you must play trump — unless your partner is already winning, in which case you're free to discard anything.

Cantar (declaring a King + Knight of the same suit) is allowed any time you're about to lead, right up until the final trick — but only by the player who personally won the previous trick, and only once your team has already won a trick this hand. Your partner may never declare on your behalf.

Each hand is a discrete game — whichever team scores more points wins it, and there are no draws. First team to win 6 games wins the match.

Tute Habanero — The Two-Player Duel

You play against a single opponent. Each player is dealt 8 cards; the remaining 24 form the stock, with the top card turned face-up to reveal the trump suit, then slid face-down underneath — still visible for reference. The non-dealer leads the first trick.

While the stock has cards, there's no obligation to follow suit or trump — play any card at all. After each trick, the winner draws first, then the loser draws, keeping both hands at 8 cards until the stock runs out.

Trump swap: after winning a trick, while stock remains, you may swap your 7 of trump for the face-up trump card if it's an Ace, Three, or a picture card, or swap your 2 of trump for it if it's a 4, 5, 6, or 7. Only one swap per trick, and only by the player who just won.

Capote: the moment the stock runs out, either player may announce Capote — a bet that you can win every one of the 8 tricks remaining in your hand. Succeed and you win the match instantly, no matter the score; fail even one trick and you lose instantly instead.

Collecting all four Kings or all four Knights also wins the match instantly, and can be declared the moment you win a trick that completes the set. Reach 101+ points to win normally, or tap Claim Win at any point you believe your running total has reached it.

Cantar Values (Both Variants)

If you hold both at once, declare the Cuarenta first — but declaring a Veinte on an earlier turn doesn't stop you from declaring a Cuarenta later.

Strategy Tips

• Protect Kings and Knights. They score points and enable a cantar — sacrificing them to win a 0-point trick is almost never correct, in either variant.
• In Tute Clásico, track what's been played. With no stock to hide cards, careful counting of each suit tells you exactly what your opponents still hold.
• In Tute Habanero, use the 7/2 trump swap. Trading a weak trump for a stronger face-up card costs nothing and strengthens your hand for free.
• Only announce Capote when you're genuinely confident. Failing even one of the last 8 tricks loses the match instantly.
• Hold trump for the middle and end of the hand in Tute Clásico — since you're forced to follow suit and beat when you can, strong trumps are most valuable for contested tricks later.

Frequently Asked Questions

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