Card game · 4 players in pairs

Mus: Spanish bluffing card game online

The great Spanish betting game: four cards, four rounds of betting (big, small, pairs and game) and a pair across the table to fool. Ask for mus to change cards, pass signals to your partner and, if you dare, go all in with an órdago. With 8 or 4 kings, to 30 or 40 points.

Play Mus How to play

Players: 4
Elo-ranked games: Yes

How to play: Mus

A betting card game for four players in pairs (partners sit opposite) with the 40-card Spanish deck. The first pair to reach 40 points (or 30, if chosen) wins the game.

Everyone gets 4 cards. Starting with the mano (the first player, which rotates), each player says mus or cut. If all four ask for mus, each one throws 1 to 4 cards, draws as many and everyone talks again. As soon as someone cuts, the betting rounds begin.
With 8 kings (the usual way) threes count as kings and twos as aces; with 4 kings every card is itself.
Grande (big): the highest cards win (compared from the top card down). Chica (small): the lowest cards win.
Pares (pairs): a pair (two alike, 1 point), medias (three alike, 2) and duples (two pairs or four alike, 3). The best play wins and, if equal, the higher card. Only players with pairs take part.
Juego (game): face cards are worth 10 (and threes, with 8 kings), the rest their number. 31 or more is juego: 31 is the best (3 points), then 32, 40, 37 and so on down to 33 (2 points). If nobody has juego, punto is played instead: closest to 30 wins (1 point).
In each round, starting with the mano, you may pass or bet (2 points or more). The other pair accepts, refuses or raises. If a bet is refused, the betting pair takes the deje at once: 1 point, or what was on the table before the last raise.
The órdago bets everything: if accepted, the cards are shown and the pair that wins that round wins the whole game.
When the hand ends the cards are shown and counted in order: big, small, pairs and game. A round everybody passed is worth 1 point to its winner; in pairs and game the winning pair also collects its plays. Ties go to whoever is closest to the mano.

Tips and options

Ranked: a game to 40 points with 8 kings and signals; if people are missing, bots of your level fill the seats. In a room with friends you choose 8 or 4 kings, 30 or 40 points, 1, 2 (a vaca) or 3 games to win, and the time per turn.
Signals: from the panel you tell your partner what you hold (two kings, duples, 31, blind…). Only your partner sees which one; the rivals just see that you made a signal.
If nobody accepts a bet in pairs or game, the betting pair takes the deje and, at the count, its plays as well.
If your time runs out, you pass or refuse (and during mus, you cut). If someone leaves, their partner loses the game.

Frequently asked questions

What does playing with 8 kings mean?

Threes count as kings and twos as aces in every round, so the deck has eight kings and eight aces. It is the most common way to play Mus; you can also choose 4 kings.

What happens if nobody has juego?

Punto is played instead: the highest total below 31 wins (30 is the best) and takes 1 point, plus anything that was bet.

How does the órdago work?

It is a bet for the whole game. If the other pair accepts, the cards are shown right away and whoever wins that round wins the game. If they refuse, the pair that called it takes the deje.

Can I signal my partner?

Yes: the signals panel tells your partner what you hold. Only your partner sees it; the rest of the table knows a signal was made, but not which one.

Can Mus be played with fewer than four?

Mus is always four players in pairs. If you are fewer, fill the empty seats with bots from the room.

Big, small, pairs and game: bet, bluff and call an órdago.

Play Mus