Learn Touti in 5 minutes

1. Form two teams. Four players, two teams of two; your partner sits opposite you.
2. Deal. Each player gets 10 cards from the 40-card Spanish deck (oros, copas, espadas, bastos).
3. Bid. The player after the dealer speaks first. On your turn, you bid a number of points (at least 70, then in steps of 10 up to 230) or you pass. Once you pass, you're out of the auction.
4. The declarer picks trumps. The last bidder left becomes the declarer and chooses the trump suit: any card of that suit beats the other suits.
5. Play 10 tricks. The player who spoke first leads. Everyone plays one card; the trick goes to the highest trump, otherwise to the highest card of the suit led. The winner of a trick leads the next one.
6. The declaring team declares its Ghna. A Ghna is the Rey and Cabal of the same suit in one hand: +40 in trumps, +20 otherwise, declared after a trick won by the declaring team.
7. Count. Cards collected + 10 for the last trick + Ghna. If the declaring team reaches its bid, it scores the bid amount; otherwise the defenders score it.

Out of the ten cards in each suit, only five score points. Learn this table and you can already score a hand:

The beginner's trap: the 3 beats the Rey. It is the second-highest card of its suit. All the details are on the Touti cards page.

1. Follow suit and play higher. If you have the suit led, you must play one, and a higher card than the highest already played in that suit if you can. Exception: if the trick has already been trumped, you can follow with any card of the suit.
2. Trump. If you can't follow suit, you must play a trump, and a higher trump than the one already played if you can. This applies even when your partner is winning the trick.
3. Discard. Only when you have neither the suit led nor any trumps can you play any card you like.

West deals. North, the player after the dealer, speaks first and opens at 70. East passes. South, North's partner, doesn't have much and passes too. West bids 80.

It's North's turn again. South is out of the auction but can still help: South holds an Ace, so sends the AS signal. Reassured, North raises to 90. West passes: North is the declarer at 90 and picks oros as trumps, the longest suit.

• North, who spoke first, leads the first trick with the Ace of oros. Everyone must follow with a trump if they have one; the opponents' trumps start to fall.
• Later, South wins a trick with an Ace and North adds points to it: that's teamwork, you feed your partner's tricks.
• After the 10 tricks, North and South have collected 85 card points plus the last trick (+10): 95 points, at least the 90 they bid. The contract is made: North-South score 90. East-West, with 35 points, score nothing.

The cards are dealt again (the deal passes to the next player), and play continues until a team reaches 600 points.

1. Thinking the Rey beats the 3. The order is Ace, 3, Rey, Cabal, Sota, then 7, 6, 5, 4, 2.
2. Forgetting to play higher. If you hold a higher card in the suit led, you must play it (unless the trick has already been trumped).
3. Not trumping your partner's trick. If you can't follow suit, trumping is compulsory, even when your partner is winning.
4. Passing too early. Passing is final for the hand: you won't be able to bid again.
5. Thinking the defenders score their points. In each hand, only one team scores anything: the bid amount.
6. Winning the auction at 80 with a Ghna in trumps. At 80, the +40 does not count; you need at least 90. At 70, no Ghna counts.
7. Playing your 3 under an opponent's Ace. Until the Ace of that suit has gone, your 3 is not safe: that's 21 points given away.
8. Forgetting the last trick. It is worth 10 points and often decides whether the contract is made.
9. Lying with signals. Signalling AS without an Ace pushes your partner towards a failed contract.
10. Forgetting to declare your Ghna. Declaring is optional and happens after a trick won by your team: let too many chances go by, and the opponents may force you to play your Rey or Cabal.

• Open at 70 carefully: two Aces and a long suit are often enough to start. To go higher, listen to your partner.
• Choose your longest suit as trumps, especially if it holds the Ace or the 3.
• Keep track of the Aces and 3s: between them they make up 84 of the 120 points.
• Feed your partner's tricks when they are winning: put your points there.
• Keep a trump for the end: the last trick is worth 10 points.

Ready for more? Read how to bid in Touti, discover the Ghna, then test yourself with the Touti quiz. Every word of the game is in the glossary.