Lesson 1 · The Duck's Course
The cards of truco
The ladder, from the queen up to the 3, and the vira that turns four plain cards into the manilhas of the hand.
The ladder
In truco the order of the cards is not the one from a regular deck. In Pato Simplificado, from weakest to strongest: Q, J, K, A, 2, 3. Yes: the queen (Q) is the lowest of them all, the jack (J) beats the queen, the king (K) beats the jack, and the ace loses to the 2, which loses to the 3. Learn the ladder by heart and you already win half the rounds. On the frozen table below four cards have landed: the 2 of diamonds takes the round, because only a 3 would beat it. Two plain cards of the same value are not separated by suit: they tie, and what happens after a tie is lesson 2. The full Paulista deck also has 4, 5, 6 and 7 below the queen, but up at the top the order is the same.
Which one wins?
On the table: 3 of diamonds, K of clubs, A of hearts and Q of spades. Which of those cards takes the round?
The vira and the manilhas
After the cards are dealt, one is turned face up on the table: that's the vira (turn-up card). The manilhas of the hand are the four cards of the value NEXT to the vira on the ladder. A K came up? The manilhas are the aces. A 2 came up? They're the 3s. A 3, the very top? The ladder wraps around and the manilhas are the queens: the lowest card in the deck becomes the highest of the hand. The vira itself is never a manilha, it only points. A manilha beats any plain card, even the 3, and between two manilhas the suit decides, from weakest to strongest: diamonds, spades, hearts, clubs. On the table below the vira is the K of diamonds: the A of diamonds is a manilha and takes the round, even though it's the weakest of the four manilhas and even with a 3 on the table. Pato Mineiro has no vira: the manilhas are always the same four, and each one has a name — zap (4 of clubs), copas (7 of hearts), espadão (ace of spades) and pica-fumo (7 of diamonds).
Manilha against manilha
The vira is the J of diamonds: the manilhas are the kings. Down came K of spades, K of clubs, 3 of diamonds and K of diamonds. Who takes it?
Take the first round with the manilha
The vira is the K of diamonds: the manilhas are the aces, and the A of clubs in your hand is the highest card in the game. You lead the round. Play the manilha and watch the other three try in vain.