Spanish playing cards: the 40-card deck explained

By The Atlas Carta teamUpdated on October 4, 2026✓ Rules checked in the app

Oros, copas, espadas, bastos: the Spanish deck (the “baraja española”) is the pack used for Touti, Ronda and Moroccan Belote in Atlas, and for classics such as Tute, Escoba and Brisca. Here is how it is made up, how to read each card and what it is worth depending on the game.

How many cards are in a Spanish deck?

The most common pack has 40 cards: 4 suits of 10 cards. Each suit holds the cards numbered 1 (the Ace) to 7, then three face cards numbered 10, 11 and 12. There are no 8s or 9s: the numbering jumps straight from 7 to 10.

A full 48-card version also exists, with the 8s and 9s, sometimes sold with two jokers. But most traditional games — including Touti, Ronda and Moroccan Belote in Atlas — use the 40-card pack. Atlas Moroccan Belote even removes the 2s and 3s, keeping just 32 cards.

What a 40-card Spanish deck contains
Item	Details
Suits	4: oros, copas, espadas, bastos
Cards per suit	10
Number cards	1 (the Ace) to 7
Face cards	Sota (10), Cabal (11), Rey (12)
Missing cards	8 and 9
Total	40 cards

The four suits: coins, cups, swords and clubs

Each suit (“palo” in Spanish) is recognised by its symbol, repeated on the card as many times as its value: the Ace of coins shows a single coin, the 7 of cups shows seven cups.

The suits of the Spanish deck and their names
Suit (Spanish)	Symbol	English name	French name
Oros	Gold coin	Coins	Deniers
Copas	Cup	Cups	Coupes
Espadas	Sword	Swords	Épées
Bastos	Club (baton)	Clubs	Bâtons

In Touti, Ronda and Moroccan Belote, players usually keep the Spanish names — oros, copas, espadas, bastos — and so does Atlas.

The face cards: Sota, Cabal and Rey

All three face cards have their number printed in the corner, so there is never any doubt when counting or building a run.

Face cards of the Spanish deck
Number	Spanish name	Name in Atlas	Equivalent
10	Sota	Sota	Jack
11	Caballo	Cabal	Knight (plays the Queen’s role)
12	Rey	Rey	King

The Sota shows a standing page, the Caballo a knight on horseback and the Rey a crowned king. There is no queen in the Spanish deck: when a game comes from the French-suited pack, as Belote does, the Cabal takes the queen’s place.

All 40 cards in pictures

Here are the 40 cards as they appear in the Atlas app, suit by suit, from the Ace to the Rey.

What is each card worth? It depends on the game

The deck itself does not say what a card is worth: the rules of each game do. In Touti and Belote, the cards you win in tricks score points at the end of the hand; in Ronda, only the number matters, to capture cards and build runs.

Card points in Touti and Belote
Card	Touti	Belote, trump suit	Belote, other suits
Ace (1)	11	11	11
2	0	—	—
3	10	—	—
4	0	0	0
5	0	0	0
6	0	14	0
7	0	10	10
Sota (10)	2	20	2
Cabal (11)	3	3	3
Rey (12)	4	4	4
Total per suit	30	62	30

“—”: Belote is played with 32 cards, without the 2s and 3s.

In Touti: the Ace and the 3 rule

Card ranking: Ace > 3 > Rey > Cabal > Sota > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 2. The whole pack is worth 120 points; with the last trick (+10) and Ghna declarations, a hand can reach 230 — hence bids from 70 to 230. Full details in the Touti rules and on Touti card values.

In Belote: the trump Sota takes over

In trumps: Sota (10) > 6 > Ace > 7 > Rey > Cabal > 5 > 4. Other suits: Ace > 7 > Rey > Cabal > Sota > 6 > 5 > 4. The Sota, a minor card in plain suits, becomes the strongest card in the game when its suit is trumps, with the 6 right behind it.

In Ronda: the number is everything

Cards carry no points: you capture the card on the table with the same number, plus the run that follows it. As there are no 8s or 9s, the 7 is followed directly by the Sota (10). At the end of the round, each side scores 1 point for every card captured beyond 20.

5 of coins — A run in Ronda: 5, 6, 7, then straight on to 10, 11 and 12.

6 of cups — A run in Ronda: 5, 6, 7, then straight on to 10, 11 and 12.

The Atlas games played with Spanish cards

Touti and Ronda use this 40-card deck; Moroccan Belote uses 32 of its cards. French Belote uses 32 French-suited cards, while Rummy uses two 52-card decks and jokers.

Touti (40 cards)

A bidding and trick-taking game for 4 players in 2 teams. Bids run from 70 to 230, the winning bidder names trumps, and the Ghna (Rey and Cabal of the same suit) scores 20 points, or 40 in trumps. The first team to 600 points wins. Full Touti rules.

Ronda (40 cards)

A capturing game, 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2: you take the card with the same number and the run that follows it, chain your plays and call a Ronda (a pair in hand) or a Tringa (three cards of the same number). First to 41 points. Available in Atlas.

Moroccan Belote (32 Spanish cards)

A trick-taking game with trumps and declarations, for 4 players in 2 teams. Declarations — runs, called Suivi (for example 4-5-6 of cups), and fours of a kind — and Belote-Rebelote (the trump Cabal and Rey) are added to the points from tricks; the game is played to 1,000 points. Atlas also offers French Belote with 32 French-suited cards and the same target.

Other famous games played with the baraja española

The Spanish deck keeps a whole family of games alive, played all over the world:

Tute: a trick-taking game with trumps in which you “sing” the Rey and Caballo of the same suit.
Brisca: a fast trick-taking game with three cards in hand and a turned-up card that sets trumps.
Escoba: a capturing game in which you take cards that add up to 15.
Mus: a four-player game of calls and bluffing, played in partnerships.
Chinchón: a melding game close to rummy.

Ronda belongs to the same broad family as Escoba and Italian Scopa: the fishing, or capturing, games.

Spanish cards vs standard cards: how they match

If you are used to the 52-card deck, these rank equivalents will help. There is no universal suit mapping between the two decks; in Atlas Belote, coins map to diamonds and cups to hearts.

Rank equivalents between the Spanish deck and the standard deck
Spanish deck	Standard deck
Ace (1)	Ace
2 to 7	2 to 7
(not included)	8, 9 and 10
Sota (10)	Jack
Cabal (11)	Queen (role)
Rey (12)	King

In Atlas Belote the match is exact, card for card: the Sota plays the Jack, the 6 plays the 9, the 7 plays the 10 and the Cabal plays the Queen. Points and card order are those of classic Belote.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards are in a Spanish deck?

40 cards in its most common form: 4 suits (coins, cups, swords, clubs) of 10 cards, from the Ace to 7, then Sota (10), Cabal (11) and Rey (12). The full version has 48 cards, including the 8s and 9s.

Why are there no 8s or 9s?

The full 48-card pack includes them, but most traditional games are played without them: removing them gives the 40-card pack, the one most widely used. Touti, Ronda and Moroccan Belote in Atlas use no Spanish cards numbered 8 or 9.

What do the numbers 10, 11 and 12 mean?

They are the face cards: 10 is the Sota (the jack), 11 the Caballo, called Cabal in Atlas (the knight), and 12 the Rey (the king). The number is printed in the corner of the card.

What is the highest card in the Spanish deck?

It depends on the game. In Touti it is the Ace, followed by the 3. In Belote it is the Sota (10) when its suit is trumps, and the Ace in the other suits. In Ronda no card beats another: the number is what lets you capture.

What are the Spanish suits called in English?

Oros are coins, copas are cups, espadas are swords and bastos are clubs (batons). Most players keep the Spanish names at the table.

Can I play Spanish card games online?

Yes: in the Atlas app, free on iOS and Android, you can play Touti, Ronda and Moroccan Belote with Spanish cards. French Belote uses French-suited cards.

Other games on Atlas

Play Touti online

On iOS and Android, play all four games online and invite your friends to a private table.

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