- BGG rank
- BGG #7,618
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Truco
- 2–6 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,474
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Le Truc
Rules assistance for Le Truc
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 20 min
- 12+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Le Truc
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Le Truc is a board game for 2–4 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. Its main mechanics are Betting and Bluffing and Trick-taking.
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About the game
Le Truc is a 15th century card game from France and Spain. Sid Sackson included it in A Gamut of Games. Le Truc is a betting/bluffing/trick-taking game for two players or two teams of two players. It is played in rounds of 12 points and the first side to take two rounds wins. For each hand, players are dealt three cards from a French 32-card deck. A hand is initially worth one point, but the active player may propose a raise in stakes before answering each trick. A hand is won by taking the majority of tricks or by making the opponent(s) fold to a raise. Only ranks of cards are important in Le Truc, not suits. If two cards of the same rank are played in a trick it is "spoiled" and not counted for either side. The first trick of a hand is particularly important, because it acts as a tiebreaker when both sides win an equal number of tricks. There is a Brazilian variant know as Truco that also includes a card value to have higher in-game value than others. This value changes at each trick by drawing a card.
Mechanics
Publishers
- (Public Domain)
- Random House, Inc.
- Hugendubel Verlag
- Hutchinson
- Dover Publications
- dtv (Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag)
- RBA Libros S.A.
Questions and answers
Le Truc supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Le Truc is 20 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Le Truc for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Le Truc has a complexity rating of 1.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Le Truc belongs to these categories: Card Game and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Betting and Bluffing and Trick-taking. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The catalogue lists Le Truc as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.