Rules of Tute in pairs
How to play Tute in pairs with the Spanish deck: the deal and trumps, the obligations to follow suit, beat and trump, the calls of the twenty and the forty, tute of kings and knights, and the ten for the last trick.
Tute in pairs: four players, two against two, with the 40-card Spanish deck. If you've never played, start with “Learn to play” in the game menu: seven short lessons with prepared cards.
The deal and trumps
All the cards are dealt, ten to each player. The last one, which belongs to the dealer, is shown: its suit is the trump suit and it beats any card of the other suits. The dealer keeps that card and plays it whenever they like.
The player to the dealer's right leads (the Mano). Whoever wins a trick leads the next one. With each new hand, the deal passes to the next player.
Order and value of the cards
| Card | Ace | Three | King | Knight | Jack | 7, 6, 5, 4, 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 11 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
From strongest to weakest: ace, three, king, knight, jack, seven, six, five, four and two. The deck adds up to 120 points; the last trick is worth 10 more (the ten for the last trick).
How to play
- Follow suit: if you have cards of the suit led, you must play one of that suit.
- Beat: also, if you can, you must play a higher card than the one currently winning. If the trick has already been trumped, following suit is enough.
- Trump: if you don't have the suit, you must play a trump.
- Overtrump: if there's already a trump in the trick, you must beat it if you can; if you can't, play any card you like.
- If you have neither the suit nor trumps, play any card.
These obligations apply even if your partner is winning the trick. The game only lets you play allowed cards.
Calls
Whoever has the king and the knight of the same suit calls them: 20 points, or 40 if they are trumps. You can only call after your pair wins a trick: the player who won it calls, and so can their partner, one call each. Each suit can only be called once. Here calls are made automatically as soon as possible, starting with the forty.
Tute
Whoever collects all four kings or all four knights has tute: as soon as their pair wins a trick, they call it and win the hand on the spot.
Who wins
- After the ten tricks, each pair adds up the points of their cards, their calls and, for whoever wins it, the ten for the last trick.
- The hand (a game) goes to the pair with more points. If they tie, it goes to the pair that took the ten for the last trick.
- The game is won by the first pair to reach 4 games.
Sources
Rules from Pagat (Tute) and the Bando rulebook. The number of games in a match is agreed at each table; here it's 4.
Frequently asked questions
How much are the forty and the twenty worth?
The forty is the king and knight of the trump suit: 40 points. The twenty, the king and knight of another suit: 20 points. They can only be called after your pair wins a trick.
What does calling tute mean?
Holding all four kings or all four knights. Whoever has it calls it when their pair wins a trick, and wins the hand on the spot.
Do I have to beat the card even if my partner is winning the trick?
Yes. The obligations to follow suit, beat and trump always apply, even when your partner is winning.
How many points are there in a hand of Tute?
The cards add up to 120 points (ace 11, three 10, king 4, knight 3 and jack 2) and the last trick is worth 10 more: 130 in total, not counting calls.
Can I play Tute online with friends for free?
Yes. On Naipera you create a room, share the link and your friends join from their phone or computer. The computer takes any free seats.