Touti: the complete card game rules (and where to play online)

Touti uses the 40-card Spanish deck: four suits (oros = coins, copas = cups, espadas = swords and bastos = clubs) of ten cards each. Each suit has an Ace, the 2 to 7, then three court cards: the Sota (numbered 10), the Cabal (11, a knight on horseback) and the Rey (12, the king). There are no 8s or 9s. Full details on the Touti cards page.

Four players, two teams of two. Partners sit opposite each other, so the two teams alternate around the table. Each player gets 10 cards, so a hand always has exactly 10 tricks.

• One player deals all 40 cards: 10 each.
• The player after the dealer in the order of play speaks first in the auction, then bidding goes round the table.
• That same player leads the first trick, whoever won the auction.
• At the next hand, the deal passes to the next player. This also happens after a cancelled deal (when everyone passed): the cards are never redealt by the same dealer.

From strongest to weakest within each suit: Ace > 3 > Rey > Cabal > Sota > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 2.

The first bid must be at least 70. Every new bid must beat the previous one by at least 10: 80, 90, 100… up to 230, the maximum (120 card points + 10 for the last trick + every possible Ghna). You cannot bid 75 or 85.

On your turn, you either raise or pass. A player who passes can't bid again in that hand. Bidding continues among the remaining players and ends when only one bidder is left: they become the declarer (the winning bidder), and their bid becomes their team's contract.

If all four players pass without anyone bidding, the hand is cancelled: nobody scores, the deal passes to the next player and the cards are dealt again.

A player who has already left the auction can still help their partner by sending a signal. All of these conditions must be met:

• the player signalling has already left the auction (by passing or by an early announcement);
• it is their partner's turn to bid, and that partner is still in;
• a bid has already been made in this hand;
• at least one opponent is still in;
• they have not already signalled at this bid level: if an opponent raises, they can signal again at the new level.

On their own turn, instead of bidding, a player can also announce AS or COMPTE straight away. This early announcement counts as a pass, but it tells their partner what they hold. It is allowed only once per hand, and only if the player has not sent any signal yet in that hand. It can even be made before the very first bid.

The first trick is led by the player after the dealer (the one who spoke first in the auction), whether or not their team won the bid. After that, whoever wins a trick leads the next one.

If you have cards of the suit led, you must play one, and you must play higher: a card stronger than the highest card of that suit already played, if you have one. If you cannot beat it, you still follow suit.

The only exception: if the trick has already been trumped (and the suit led is not trumps), the obligation to play higher disappears: you can follow with any card of the suit led.

If you can't follow suit, you must trump. If a trump has already been played to the trick, you must overtrump (play a higher trump) if you can; otherwise you still play a trump. Note: this applies even when your partner is winning the trick.

Only when you have neither the suit led nor any trumps. You then play any card you like: usually a low card with no value, or points if your partner is winning the trick.

The trick goes to the highest trump if any were played, otherwise to the highest card of the suit led. A card of another suit (a discard) never wins.

• Only the declaring team can declare a Ghna; the defenders never score one.
• It is declared after a trick won by your team, one Ghna per trick won.
• You must still hold both cards: if you've already played the Rey or the Cabal of that suit, that Ghna is lost.
• Declaring is optional: the player holding the Ghna decides whether to declare it after a trick won.

At 90, the cap of 40 gives a real choice to a team holding both a Ghna in trumps and Ghna in other suits: either one +40 or two +20. The first Ghna declared decides: after a +20, the +40 no longer fits under the cap.

The team that wins the tenth and last trick adds 10 points. A team's points = the cards in its tricks + 10 if it won the last trick + its Ghna (declaring team only).

• If the declaring team collects at least its bid, the contract is made: it scores the bid amount, and the defenders score nothing.
• Otherwise the contract fails: the defenders score the bid amount, and the declaring team scores nothing.

Hands are played one after another. The first team to reach 600 points wins the game.

Touti takes four players, and getting four people round a table is not always easy. On Atlas Carta you find partners and opponents whenever you feel like playing, and you can also invite your friends to a table of your own. The rules on this page are the rules the app applies: no arguing over the obligation to play higher or the Ghna cap, everyone plays under the same referee.

• Real players, in teams: you play 2 vs 2 with a partner, with everything that makes Touti rich: the AS, COMPTE, +10 and PASS signals, the Ghna, the last trick.
• Rules checked on every card: the app only accepts legal cards and scores every hand for you, Ghna caps included.
• With friends: a private table to meet your usual group, wherever everyone is.
• To learn and improve: a guided introduction to discover Touti step by step, then games at your own pace.
• To test yourself against others: a tournament every evening and seven weekly leagues to climb week after week.
• Four languages: English, French, Spanish and Arabic, to play with people from all over the world.
• Three more games in the same app: Ronda, Rummy and Belote.