Lesson 5 · The Duck's Course
Fold, accept, raise
The three answers to a truco, and three decisions with the hands on show to learn how to choose between them.
Folding is arithmetic, not shame
When they call truco on you, you have three answers. Folding hands over the previous value, 1 point, and ends the hand on the spot. Accepting puts 3 points on the table and plays it out. Raising hands the bet back one step up, 6, and passes the decision back to them. The right question isn't “have I got the nerve?”, it's “how often do I win this hand, and what does each answer cost on today's score?”. A hand of queens and jacks against someone who called truco straight away is almost always a hand to fold: whoever calls usually holds a manilha. A hand with the highest manilha and a 3 is a hand to accept without blinking. And a hand that loses to nobody doesn't accept: it raises. In the three decisions that follow the Duck calls and you choose. Once you answer, all four hands are shown and you find out whether you got it right.
The arithmetic
They called truco. You reckon you lose this hand three times out of four. Is accepting worth it?
He calls, you've got nothing
The vira is the J of diamonds: the manilhas are the kings. You hold two queens and a jack, the three weakest cards of the hand. Play any card and watch what the Duck does. If he calls truco, decide: accept, fold or raise. Once you answer, the hands are shown.
He calls, you've got a hand
The vira is the Q of spades: the manilhas are the jacks. You hold the J of clubs, the highest manilha in the game, the 3 of diamonds and a king. Play a card and wait: if the Duck calls truco, take your time deciding.
He calls, and you can't lose
The vira is the A of diamonds: the manilhas are the 2s, and you hold the 2 of clubs and the 2 of hearts, the two highest manilhas in the game, plus the 3 of spades. There is no card at this table that beats you. The Duck is going to call truco. Accepting locks in 3 — but there's a better answer. Play a card and respond.