Classic Capote rules

Classic Capote is the core mode of the game. Two to six players sit at an online table, call their bids, play cards, and try to land exactly the number of tricks they called. This page documents every rule, option, and edge case in the current build.

Round structure

A Classic Capote match is a series of rounds. Each round has three phases:

1. Deal. Every player receives the same number of cards (default 3). The remaining deck is set aside face-down.
2. Call. Each player secretly bids the exact number of tricks they expect to win in the round.
3. Play. Players take turns laying down cards. The strongest card in the trick wins it. Special cards override the natural order.

After the round, every player counts their won tricks against their bid. Each trick of error costs one virtual shot. Players are eliminated once they reach four shots total.

Table sizes

Classic Capote supports 2 to 6 players per table. Smaller tables (2 to 3) are faster and good for bidding drills. Larger tables (4 to 6) are more chaotic and reward special card play.

Bots can fill empty seats at three difficulty levels:

• Easy — predictable bidding, never holds special cards.
• Normal — competent bidding, occasionally saves special cards.
• Hard — sharp bidding, plays special cards aggressively.

Custom rules

The lobby settings panel exposes the following toggles. Defaults are listed in parentheses.

• Hand size: 1, 2, 3 (default), 4, or 5 cards.
• Shot penalty: 1 (default), 2, or 0.5 per missed trick.
• Capotado threshold: 2, 3, 4 (default), or 5 shots.
• Special card pool: all, sabotage only, info only, or none.
• Bot difficulty: easy, normal, hard.
• Friendly fire on special cards: on (default) or off.

Custom rules are matched only — you cannot change rules mid-match.

Bidding rules in depth

• Bid 0. Legal. Costs 1 shot per trick actually won.
• Bid max. Legal. Costs 1 shot per trick below the bid.
• Bid a non-integer. Not legal. The bid must be a whole number.
• No bid. Treated as bid 0 by the engine. Confirm your bid before the timer expires to be safe.
• Tie on bid. No special rule. Each player’s tricks are counted individually.

Play order

Play order is left of the dealer, clockwise. If a special card like Reverse Order flips it, play continues right of the dealer (counter-clockwise) for the rest of the round.

If two players would play simultaneously because of a special card, the player closest to the original left-of-dealer position plays first.

Special cards in Classic Capote

All eleven special cards from the Special Cards Catalog are legal in Classic Capote. Custom rules can disable certain categories, but the default rule set uses the full pool.

Scoring and progression

• Match score. Tracked per round. The match ends when only one player remains below capotado, or when the table decides to end by vote.
• Tiebreaker. When two players capotado in the same round, the player with the higher shot count is eliminated first. If tied, both are eliminated.
• Quit penalty. Leaving a match mid-round counts as a capotado and adds one extra shot on top of your current shots.

Achievements tied to Classic Capote

• Hot Streak — win 5 tricks in a row in a single round.
• Perfect Match — win every bid for an entire match.
• Old Guard — play 100 matches of Classic Capote.
• Full Bar — fill every seat with bots in one match.

Common table rules

• No bots above Hard. Hard bots are intentionally brutal. If your table is stuck at three players, recruit a friend instead of stacking Hard bots.
• Hand 5 with 6 players. That is the hardest configuration in the game. The table will reset every round.
• Custom shot penalty of 0.5. Useful for tutorial matches with new players.

What comes next

• Betejack is the solo mode you graduate to once Classic Capote feels routine.
• Truco is the upcoming team mode — bookmark the Updates Hub for the release window.
• Betting Strategy deepens the math behind your bids.

The full Guides Hub covers every mechanic referenced on this page.