Lesson 7 · The Duck's Course
Reading your opponent
The Duck's reactions give his hand away: the Tame one doesn't lie, the Sly one mixes it up, the Old one lies almost always — and no bubble is ever proof.
The bubble says more than the card
Nobody types at this table, but everybody reacts. There are six stickers: confidence, fear, sadness, anger, celebration and confusion. The first thing to know is WHO reacts. The Duck reacts to the truco he calls himself — and that's one more reason to call: your call forces the other side to show its face. Both sides of the bet react, the caller and the one who took the call; the caller's partner stays quiet. The second is that each level reacts in its own way. The Tame Duck is transparent and can't fake anything: strong hand, confident; weak hand, fear; middling hand, confused. The Sly Duck gets it right half the time and inverts the other half, on purpose, so his sticker on its own is worth almost nothing. The Old Duck inverts because he wants to, but not always: he lies most of the time, not every time, and with a middling hand he stays quiet, because there's no way to invert “nothing”. An Old Duck showing fear holds a manilha almost always. Almost. And two warnings worth their weight in gold. The bubble doesn't come every time: even on a truco, the noisiest moment at the table, it shows up about once in four — silence means nothing. And when a round or a hand ends, the reaction is honest at every level, the Old Duck included: nobody fakes sadness over a round the whole table watched them win. You can only bluff with what's hidden.
Fear from the Tame Duck
The Tame Duck called truco and turned up scared. What does that tell you?
Confidence from the Old Duck
The Old Duck picked up his cards and turned up confident. What does that tell you?
The Tame Duck calls, scared
A Paulista table, 2 against 2, the vira is the 7 of hearts: the manilhas are the queens. You hold the 2 of clubs, the K of diamonds and a 6 — a middling hand that decides nothing on its own. Play a card and watch the Tame Duck, who plays right after you: see what he calls and which sticker comes with the call. Once you answer, all four hands are shown.
The Old Duck calls, scared
The same table and the SAME cards in your hand: 2 of clubs, K of diamonds and a 6. The only change is who plays after you — now it's the Old Duck. Play a card and see what he does. Once you answer, the hands are shown.