Play40
P
EL MANUAL

How to play Cuarenta

Every rule, shown in motion. Scroll through — each section loops a small demo of the play it describes.
01 — DECK & DEAL

40 cards, four palos

Cuarenta is played with the baraja española, a deck of 40 cards in four palos (suits) — oros, copas, espadas and bastos. Each palo runs 1 through 7 and then three face cards: the sota (10), the caballo (11) and the rey (12). The sequence that matters for captures runs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, sota, caballo, rey. Cards are dealt five at a time.
Two-player hands deal five cards, four times, through the whole 40-card deck each round; four-player team games deal five cards twice per player instead.
1
1
7
7
10
10
4
4
12
12
5 cards dealt, 4 times per round
02 — MATCHING

Same rank, straight capture

Play a card that shares a rank with one already on the table, and you take it. A 7 captures a 7, a rey captures a rey — face cards match this way even though they hold no numeric value.
This move alone scores 0 points — only caída, limpia, ronda and cartón do. Captured cards still count toward cartón at round's end.
12
12
7
7
7
7
MATCH
Captures the card — no points by itself
03 — ADDITION

Sum the table to your card's value

Any numeral card, 1 through 7, can capture a combination of table cards whose values add up to it. Play a 7 and sweep a 2 and a 5 sitting together. Face cards carry no value, so they can never be captured this way.
This move alone scores 0 points — only caída, limpia, ronda and cartón do. Captured cards still count toward cartón at round's end.
11
11
2
2
5
5
7
7
2 + 5 = 7
Captures the cards — no points by itself
04 — SEQUENCE

Keep chaining upward

After a match or an addition capture, keep going: take the next card up in sequence order too, as long as it's sitting on the table. Play a 7 that matches a table 7, and if a sota is also there, it comes along — 7 is followed by the sota in Cuarenta's order.
This move alone scores 0 points — a bigger chain just banks more cards toward cartón.
12
12
7
7
10
10
7
7
7 → SOTA CHAIN
Captures the cards — no points by itself
05 — CAÍDA

Catch the card that just landed

If an opponent plays a card and it's still sitting alone on the table, matching it immediately is worth an extra +2. It doesn't count if that card was left over from an earlier deal — only a card played this instant, by someone else, qualifies.
1
1
11
11
11
11
CAÍDA +2
Matching a card the instant it's played
06 — LIMPIA

Sweep the whole table

Any capture that empties the table entirely is a limpia, worth +2 — whether it happens through a plain match, a sum, or a sequence chain. Land a caída and a limpia on the same play and both stack — +4 total. Exception: at “38 que no juega” the limpia is voided even when it lands alongside a caída — only the caída's +2 counts.
2
2
5
5
6
6
7
7
LIMPIA +2
Table is clear — ¡limpia!
07 — RONDA & DOBLE RONDA

Three or four of a kind, dealt

Get dealt three cards of the same rank and you can claim a ronda for +2. Get dealt all four, and it's a doble ronda: an instant win, no further play needed.
Play40 auto-claims rondas the instant they're dealt — traditional table play instead calls for announcing one yourself before your first card of that hand.
6
6
6
6
6
6
RONDA +2
Dealt, not played — claimed the moment the hand lands
08 — CARTÓN

Whoever banked more, scores

Once all 40 cards have been played, count captured piles. Holding more than 20 cards scores 6 points, plus 1 per card past 20 — rounded up to the next even number, so 21 or 22 cards is +8, 23 or 24 is +10. Tied at any count, the side about to deal next gets “dos por dar”, +2. If neither side reaches 20 (cards were left uncaptured on the table), whoever holds more still scores +2. Once a side is already at 30 points or more, cartón stops scoring for them entirely — a game can't be won on cartón alone.
You
AI
22 CARDS = +8
09 — 38 QUE NO JUEGA

Stuck at 38? Only a caída finishes it

Land on exactly 38 points and the easy roads close: limpias, rondas and cartón stop scoring for you. The only way to reach 40 from there is a caída — landing the exact card your opponent just played. Even a caída that also happens to sweep the table only counts for its usual +2, not the +4 a caída-and-limpia combo would normally add.
0
40
LIMPIA BLOCKED — 38
CAÍDA +2 — 40, YOU WIN
COMMON QUESTIONS

Cuarenta, asked and answered

What deck do you use to play Cuarenta?

Cuarenta is played with the baraja española, a deck of 40 cards. It has four palos (suits) — oros, copas, espadas and bastos — and each palo runs 1 through 7, then three face cards: the sota (10), the caballo (11) and the rey (12). That is the whole deck, not a bigger one with cards taken out. The sequence that matters for captures runs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, sota, caballo, rey. Cards are dealt five at a time.

How do you capture cards in Cuarenta?

There are three ways. Matching: play a card sharing a rank with one on the table and take it. Addition: any card from 1 to 7 captures a combination of table cards whose values sum to it. Sequence: after a match or an addition, keep taking the next card up in sequence order while it is on the table. Capturing alone scores no points (only caída, limpia, ronda and cartón score), but captured cards count toward cartón at the end of the round.

What is a caída in Cuarenta?

A caída is worth +2 points. If an opponent plays a card and it is still sitting alone on the table, matching it immediately is a caída. It does not count if that card was left over from an earlier deal: only a card played that instant, by someone else, qualifies.

What is a limpia in Cuarenta?

A limpia is any capture that empties the table entirely, worth +2 points — whether it comes from a match, a sum, or a sequence chain. A caída and a limpia on the same play stack, for +4 in total. The exception is “38 que no juega”, where the limpia is voided and only the caída's +2 counts.

What is a ronda and a doble ronda?

Being dealt three cards of the same rank is a ronda, worth +2 points. Being dealt all four is a doble ronda: it wins the game instantly, without another card being played.

How does cartón scoring work?

Once all 40 cards have been played, each side counts its captured pile. Holding more than 20 cards scores 6 points, plus 1 per card past 20, rounded up to the next even number: 21 or 22 cards is +8, and 23 or 24 is +10. If the count is tied, the side about to deal next takes “dos por dar”, +2. If neither side reaches 20 because cards were left uncaptured, whoever holds more scores +2. Cartón scores nothing at all for a side already at 30 points or more: a game cannot be won on cartón alone.

What does “38 que no juega” mean?

Landing on exactly 38 points closes the easy roads: limpias, rondas and cartón stop scoring for you. The only way to reach 40 from 38 is a caída — matching the exact card your opponent just played. And even if that caída also clears the whole table, it is worth its usual +2 rather than the +4 of a caída-and-limpia combo: the limpia stays voided.

Where does Cuarenta come from?

Cuarenta is the national card game of Ecuador, played by 2 to 4 people with the 40-card baraja española. It was born and took root in the sierra, above all in Quito, and is played across the country. The name works twice over: the 40 cards it is played with, and the 40 points you have to reach to win.

Cuarenta — Ecuador's national card game, first to 40.