The origins of the game come from Spain. It was played initially in the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe under various names like Hombre, Mediator, Tresillo and L'Hombre the most common of which was Hombre. At present it is most commonly known by the name of Tresillo. In this all English version I have named it Tridge.
Some of the triangular tables that were used can still be found today as antique items. Besides the Spanish and Latin Americans the other people that play a variant of this game with conventional cards are the Danish, using a mixture of French and Spanish terms to describe various game stages. The name they use, L'Hombre sounds like the original Hombre, but the meaning has changed. In the original it meant The Man and in their version, which seems connected to the French it means The Shadow.
In the original version with the Spanish cards and their different suits (Sovereigns, Goblets, Swords and Clubs ) it is a little confusing for the average player to learn. The game in that form is for some, more difficult to play and hence I have described it here with the normal English cards and provided it with the name of TRIDGE that represents a three handed game as Tresillo does.
This is a tactical game where players have to consider the strength of the cards in their hand, to play or defend a game. The person trying to play has to pass judgment on the ability to win the game, with the cards held in hand, that could be enhanced or not by exchanging a few cards. To aid players in deciding what constitutes a bidding hand, I have listed the required card combinations in the different suits and bidding types. I have also ranked the cards with a points system to act also, as a rough bidding guide.
Exchanging some cards after contracting to Play, can produce good or bad results. A good card exchange makes the game easier to play, but after a poor to bad exchange the player can find himself facing defeat or trying to force a game, by playing the opposition against each other. The last alternative before losing, is to draw and lessen the loss.
It is not only the player that has to consider all the possibilities but also the opposition. There is for this purpose a conventional dialogue, for the defenders to enter into. The opposition also need to consider and decide which of them is better placed to provide a positive defense and who will aid this purpose.
They have to avoid playing against themselves, to the benefit of a player with a poor hand.
The game is quite intricate in its rules and scoring which adds to the enjoyment once all the terms and rules are mastered. To help those playing for the first time I have introduced some pictorial game protocols that describe the steps to be followed. Scoring is also presented in a tabular form for clearness. It has to be said that the game will only be appreciated fully after a few sessions. At the beginning it may seem too complex but with time the complexity will fade into the background for the niceties of the game to be enjoyed. So do persevere and do not give it up too soon.
This game for three people is played with 40 cards. Select ten cards from each suit (King, Queen, Jack, seven, six, five, four, three, two and Ace). Exclude from the game the tens, nines and eights.
Scoring is by means of counters or chips of various values, normally of 1, 5,10, 20,50 and 100 points. At the start each person is provided with between 400 and 600 points. This is by convention and depending of the length of play.
Two small dishes are used to hold the counters in play. One of these will be for the GAME FUND and the other will hold the WIDOW'S FUND.
Before the cards are dealt each player including the Dealer, if four are playing, contributes 25 points to the Widow's Fund and 5 points to the Game Fund. The Widow's Fund is a bonus fund, for exceptional bids destined to accumulate all the initial high contributions and subsequently all penalties. It can only be won by making special games, as we will see later or could remain unclaimed until the end of the match, at which point all players agree as to its fate. It can be then divided amongst the players or it can be played for in one lot or split evenly to form more than one pot. In cases where it is won in the middle of a match, all players start a new fund by contributing once more another 25 points.
The Game Fund on the other hand is the active fund, which can be won or lost at every game. Before the start of each game it contains 15 or 20 points depending on whether 3 or 4 people are playing. It grows whenever a game is lost, or is completely depleted whenever a game is won.
The Game fund can also increase in value if all players Pass. In this case before the next player deals, all players contribute another 5 points. This can take place more than once, but in no case can the Game Fund be more than the quadrupled initial sum. So for example in the case of three players contributing 5 points, the fund will contain 15 points. After the first Pass another 5 points per player are added. The fund increases to 30 points. If another consecutive Pass occurs, the total will be 45 points and the fund in trebled.
In the case of Play taking place with a doubled fund (30 points) and the Player drawing, he will have to pay another 30 points into the Fund and this would make a quadrupled fund.
No Game Fund can be more than four times its initial value. After that if there are more Passes, draws or loses all points added to the Fund are set aside and go to form a RESERVE Game Fund, which can be brought into play after the original Game Fund is won. There could be more than one Reserve Fund but all are set aside and played for in the sequence as they accumulated.
If there is a doubled or higher fund and Reserve funds awaiting play, the players do not add any more contributions until the initial and all Reserve funds have been won.
There is no fixed time for the game, just a few hands could be played or it could continue for some time, depending on the choice of the players. In most cases to avoid discord between all parties it is best to agree on a time limit at the start.
Each player receives nine cards, in three lots of three to begin the game. Four people can participate but only three play. In the case of four players, one becomes DEALER only and the other three players. The dealing role in the next game moves to the person to the left of the DEALER. Therefore among four people each person is DEALER in rotation and does not participate in play. If only three people participate in the game, one person will assume a double role, DEALER and player.
The DEALER gives each person nine cards in lots of three by handing the first three cards to each player in the hand and saying "For all of them". This is as a sign of courtesy to initiate play, excusing oneself for the way the cards are dealt thereafter, as it was considered rude having to throw the cards onto the table next to the player. Each DEALER will in turn do this routine ONLY ONCE, with the first set of three cards, when their turn to deal comes for the first time. Thereafter all cards will be dealt normally.
Once the players have received their nine cards they should arrange them into different suits. Remember the reversed sequence in Diamonds and Hearts. Inspect the hand for high value cards and possible TRUMPS with the purpose of making TRICKS.
At this point the player to the left of the DEALER called the LEAD player has the first say in the bidding, and if he considers the hand to have enough strength to make four to five TRICKS, he declares PLAY.
If a subsequent player also thinks that his or her hand has the possibility of making that number of Tricks, he can over bid by declaring PLAY MORE. At this point the second bidder is not obliged to declare what suit or type of game will be played. This only indicates that this is a higher bid that will at least declare as Trumps the higher ranking or preferential suit of Diamonds. The ranking order of all bids including these two will be described later.
Alternatively if a player or all players can not bid, because of low value cards, they declare PASS. If all players Pass, there is no game and all the cards are shuffled, cut and dealt by the next person, for the playing process to begin again.
Once a player declares Play, with the other two having Passed, that person becomes THE PLAYER and declares his actual bid. See below for a description of the various bids.
These last two are the highest bids and are unusual because the game can not be drawn. The only possibilities are to win or lose.
The Player has first option at exchanging cards. Generally the cards deemed no good for that particular game are discarded, in exchange for others that might be better. From the thirteen cards left in the EXCHANGE PACK (start with 40, deal 9 per player or 27 and 13 remain) the Player can request to exchange a few, normally between zero and six.
As the Player exchanges cards he declares his chosen Trump suit by typically saying " I will have five Diamonds " meaning that from then on Diamonds are the declared Trump suit and that he requires five exchange cards.
This would leave eight cards in the Exchange Pack for the other two players.
Before these other players now called DEFENDERS exchange cards, they have to agree who has the better hand to become 1st DEFENDER and who will have the supporting role of 2nd DEFENDER. At this stage the person to the left of the Player now called the CENTRE consults with the remaining player, called the REAR about the strength of their hands.
Typically if the Centre has a good hand he declares " I keep the defence ". Alternatively if the hand of the Centre is not so good, in the declared Trump suit, he can consult if the Rear has a better hand by saying " can you take defence or do you send it back to me ".
This means I offer you the opportunity to be 1st Defender, do you accept or decline. At this point the Rear has the choice of becoming 1st or 2nd Defender.
If the Centre has no defence he would indicate this to the Rear saying " I send you the defence ". The Rear has the choice of accepting or returning the defence, if his hand has no strength in the declared suit.
In this fashion the two defenders settle the position of 1st Defender and the order of card exchanges. In no circumstances is it permitted to ask about Trumps or number of other cards in this dialogue.
The earlier example had the Player exchanging 5 cards; therefore a total of 8 would be available to the 1st Defender. The maximum number of cards that can be exchanged is eight, so the Defender could take all eight or choose a smaller number. If he exchanges less than eight the remainder are offered to the 2nd Defender.
After card exchanges the Dealer must make sure before play starts, that there are exactly 13 cards in the discard pack. If there are found to be more or less than 13 the game is declared Not Valid. If everything is correct play is then started, by the person to the left of the Dealer or Lead, by placing the first card on the table.
The other players are obliged to follow suit and the highest card in the suit wins. This group of three cards is known as a Trick and once collected, the cards are placed face down, at the side of the player that made the Trick. Subsequent Tricks are placed crossed on top of the first one, so that all players can easily see how many Tricks each player has made. The player that makes a Trick leads play again.
If a player does not have cards of the requested suit, it is known as a VOID, and the person can play any other suit including the Trump suit. The Trump suit wins over all suits, but within the suit the ranking order prevails. So for example, in the case of two players with Voids playing Trumps on any other requested suit, the highest played Trump wins.
The Player wins the game by making more Tricks than any other single player. Therefore a game can be won with the following combinations of Tricks: 5:4:0 or 5:3:1 or 4:3:2 (Player: 1st Defender: 2nd Defender). In the first two cases the Player wins cleanly by making 5 Tricks but in the third instance, the Player is unable to win outright and has to resort to SPLITTING the Defence, or the Defence Split themselves and allow the win.
Alternatively a Player that can not win, can draw with one or both Defenders, in the following combinations: 4:4:1 or 3:3:3 respectively.
Sometimes the role of the first and second Defenders can reverse because of the card exchanges. Normally the role of the 2nd Defender is to use his high Trumps, to prevent the Player making Tricks, or force him to use his high value Trumps, always surrendering Tricks to the 1st Defender thereafter. It is not uncommon for the 2nd Defender to get high ranking Trumps in the last exchange cards and these enable a better defence than at first agreed. The first Defender notices in this case more aggressive play by the 2nd Defender, and takes a supporting role to signal lack of good cards.
If the Player wins the game, he collects the Game Fund and HONOURS from each player, including the Dealer if there was one. Honours are the points payed to the player for the first four Trumps in Diamonds and Hearts. Or the first three Trumps in Spades and Clubs. The Honours points are only payed for consecutive Trumps starting with the first Trump. If a player has only the 2nd ,3rd, 4th Trumps no Honours are collected. The sequence must always start with the first Trump. In Diamonds the Honours are payed doubled, therefore with the first three Trumps in this suit the Player would collect six points from each player.
If the Player draws the game with one or both Defenders in the 4:4:1 or 3:3:3 combinations, he does not collect the Game Fund or Honours, instead he must pay the value of the fund, which becomes double in amount and remains in the same receptacle for the next game. The Game Fund is thus doubled and the Player pays penalty points for the first and subsequent two or three Trumps, if he had them, into the Widow's Fund.
If the Player obtains less Tricks than one of the Defenders in one of the following combinations 3:4:2 or 4:5:0 or 3:2:4 or 4:0:5 he incurs a DOUBLE LOSS. This means that he must pay both the value of the Game Fund and the same amount to the defeating Defender. The Game Fund then becomes doubled and the winning Defender collects from the Player and keeps the value of the non doubled fund. The doubled Game Fund remains in the receptacle for the next game and there are no more contributions from any other player until the fund is won.
The 40 cards in the game are divided into FIXED TRUMPS ( 1st and 3rd ), FLOATING TRUMPS ( 2nd and 4th ), LONG SUITS and SHORT SUITS. This arrangement also produces the NORMAL and REVERSED suit sequences. To clarify all these terms and arrangement I will describe each in turn.
The two FIXED TRUMPS, the most important cards in the game are the ace of Spades and the ace of Clubs. These two cards assume the permanent status of TRUMPS. They have no suit, they belong to the TRUMP suit and are only played as TRUMPS. The ace of Spades is always the first TRUMP no matter what suit is played. The ace of Clubs is always the third TRUMP. Therefore whatever suit is played the ace of Clubs can not be regarded as a Club but must be played as a TRUMP. Even if Clubs are declared TRUMPS, the ace of Spades assumes the status of FIRST TRUMP and the ace of Clubs that of THIRD. This arrangement fixes the first and third highest cards in the game, leaving a gap for the second TRUMP according to suit.
The card used as second or FLOATING TRUMP varies according to the suits. Since the pack is divided into the red suits of Diamonds and Hearts and the black suits of Spades and Clubs the two colours have a different arrangement. The red suits are called the LONG suits, in these suits the second TRUMP, only if a suit is declared TRUMPS is the seven ( 7 ). Therefore if a LONG suit like Diamonds is played, the order of the first three TRUMPS is ace of Spades, seven of Diamonds and ace of Clubs.
In the black or SHORT suits alternatively, which include Spades and Clubs the second TRUMP, if either of these are declared TRUMPS is the two ( 2).
So if the SHORT suits are played the order of the first three is, ace of Spades, two of Spades or Clubs and ace of Clubs. An easy way to remember this arrangement is as (1/7/1) one-seven-one in the red suits and (1/2/1) one-to-one in the black suits.
I hope this makes it clear which cards are the first three TRUMPS, when the different suits are played. Remember that there is no change in the first and third, only the second changes according to suit. The first and third are fixed for all games. Alternatively when a suit is not declared TRUMPS, this would be second card or FLOATING TRUMP moves to a different position, as will be seen later, it occupies the last position in the sequence.
The LONG and SHORT suits are a consequence of having designated the two black aces as first and third TRUMPS. In the two red suits, their Aces are therefore an extra card. Hence the red suits have 12 TRUMPS and are called LONG and the black suits with only 11 are called SHORT.
This extra card or Ace in the LONG suits assumes the position of FOURTH TRUMP if either of these suits is played as TRUMPS. This fourth TRUMP together with the second are called FLOATING TRUMPS because if the suit is not played both cards revert back to their original positions.
At this point and to clarify the sequence of the various TRUMPS, the full card order for the two colours is be shown below.
The correct order in the LONG suits of Diamonds and Hearts that have REVERSED SEQUENCE or inverted order of values, for the number cards only is as follows:
Ace of Spades - 7 - Ace of Clubs - Ace (D/H) - K - Q - J- 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
Remember the first and third are fixed and are always the same. The seven is the second TRUMP and the ace of the suit or FLOATING TRUMP is the fourth, followed by the King, Queen and Jack. At this point the value of the cards is reversed with the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 following the Jack in that order.
However if neither of these suits are declared TRUMPS the FLOATING TRUMPS, the 7 and Ace as the 1, assume their correct numerical value and the card order then becomes
K - Q - J - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
Notice that in this case, of the two FLOATING TRUMPS, the ace occupies again the fourth place but the 7 reverts to the lowest position in the suit.
The SHORT suits of Spades and Clubs have NORMAL SEQUENCES, the order in these suits if declared TRUMPS is:
Ace of Spades - 2 - Ace of Clubs - K - Q - J - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3
In these suits when not declared TRUMPS the only FLOATING TRUMP or 2 reverts back to its numerical position and becomes the lowest card in the suit. The sequence is as follows:
K - Q - J - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2
All this information will be presented later in a tabular form and will become easier to consult, at the point of bidding, until players are familiar with the card order.
The bids in ascending order of rank are:
It was mentioned earlier that chips or counters are used for scoring and that two receptacles should be employed to hold the Game Fund and Widow's Fund.
At the conclusion of a game there are three alternatives for collecting or paying points. These depend on whether the game is won, lost or drawn.The Player collects the points in the Game Fund, plus one Honour point from each player for each consecutive Trump ( 1st to 3rd or 4th in Diamonds and Hearts) starting with the Ace of Spades. If the Ace of Spades is not present in the Trumps of the Player, no Honours are payed for lower consecutive Trumps. Honours always start with the highest Trump and if this card is not present there are no Honours.
The maximum number of Honours is four in the Long suits, where their Ace is the fourth Trump. In the Short suits the maximum is only three. If Diamonds are Trumps the Honours are doubled, as this is the preferential suit. Thus the maximum number of points collected in Diamonds is eight (4 x 2) in Hearts is only four and in Spades and Clubs is only three.
Therefore with the following combinations 5:4:0, 5:3:1, 4:3:2 or 5:0:0 the Player collects the Game Fund and the corresponding Honours from each player.
If the game ends with the following combinations of Tricks 4:4:1 or 3:3:3 it is a draw with one or both Defenders.
In this case the Player has to pay the value of the Game Fund which then becomes doubled. This sum remains in the receptacle and constitutes the Game Fund for the next game. Remember that each Game Fund can not be more than four times its initial value.
The Player also pays penalty Honour points to the Widow's Fund for his consecutive Trumps starting with the first. If only the second or others are held no penalties are due.
If the Player fails to win the game because of one of the following combinations 3:4:3 or 4:5:0 or 2:3:4, he has lost to a Defender. In this case the Player has to pay the value of the Game Fund and a similar amount to the defeating Defender. There is also a payment of 1 point for each consecutive Trump to the Widow's Fund. This is known as a DOUBLE LOSS.
| Bid | On Winning | On Drawing | On Losing |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLAY (Hearts, Clubs or Spades) | Collect the Game Fund.
Collect Honours points if due, from all players including the Dealer | Pay the value of the Game Fund.
Honours points if due, are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. | The Player pays the value of the Game fund.
The Player also pays a similar sum to the winning Defender. Honours points if due are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. |
| PLAY (Diamonds) | Collect the Game Fund.
Collect Double Honours points if due, from all players including the Dealer | Pay the value of the Game Fund.
Double Honours points if due, are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. | The Player pays the value of the Game fund.
The Player also pays a similar sum to the winning Defender. Double Honours points if due are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. |
| FLIP | Collect the Game Fund plus 5 points per player
including the Dealer.
Collect Honours points if due, from all players including the Dealer. (Honours are double if Diamonds are trumps.) | Pay the value of the Game Fund
plus 5 points to each player including the Dealer.
Honours points if due, are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. (Honours are double if Diamonds are trumps.) | The Player pays the value of the Game fund.
The Player also pays a similar sum to the winning Defender. Also 5 points are payed to each player including the Dealer. Honours points if due are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. (Honours are double if Diamonds are trumps.) |
| NO CHANGE (in Hearts, Spades or Clubs) | The Player collects the game Fund plus 10 points
per player including the Dealer.
Honours points if due, are collected from each player and the Dealer. | The Player pays the value of the Game Fund and 10
points to each player including the Dealer.
Honours points if due, are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. | The Player pays the value of the Game Fund.
The Player also pays a similar sum to the winning Defender. Also 10 points are payed to each player including the Dealer. Honours points if due, are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. |
| NO CHANGE (Diamonds) | The Player collects the Game Fund and also the Widow's
Fund plus 20 points per player including the Dealer.
Double Honours points are collected from each player and theDealer.
| The Player pays the value of the Game and Widow's
Funds plus 20 Points to each player including the
Dealer.
Honours points if due are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. | The Player pays the value of the Game Fund.
The Player also pays a similar sum to the winning Defender. The Player also pays the value of the Widow's Fund plus 20 Points to each player including the Dealer. Honours points if due are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. |
| NO TRICKS or ALL TRICKS | The Player collects the Game and Widow's Funds plus 40
Points from each player including the Dealer.
Honours if due, are also collected from all players including the Dealer.
| The Player has to pay both the Game and Widow's
Funds plus 40 Points to each player including the
Dealer.
Honours points if due are only payed by the Player and go to the Widow's Fund. |
Note: The above is the case when the game is contracted at the beginning of play. The exception is in the All Tricks bid, when the bid can be declared after winning the fifth Trick. In this case the player just declares Play as normal, but after he has won the first five Tricks if he continues and plays for the sixth Trick, he is deemed to be going for all Tricks.
In this case if the Player wins, he collects both Funds and the 40 points per player. Alternatively if the remainder four Tricks are not made, the Player collects the Game Fund but has to pay the Widow's Fund and the 40 points to each player and Dealer.
The reason for collecting the Game Fund after losing is because the Player contracted initially to play only for five Tricks and in making the five the requirement was fulfilled. What the Player lost was an ulterior bid for the extra four Tricks, for which he must pay penalty points on losing or collect the rewards on winning.
What should be highlighted is that the foursome is a poor substitute to three handed play with a ranked defence, since the In-comer can gain an advantage from both confusion among the defenders and a wider distribution of the trumps. Nonetheless as an alternative to proper play, this compromise that works with even marginal hands because of the above points can be accepted.
The following lines describe the rules by which the Tridge Club allows Dealer participation.
Alternatively, if the contracted bid differs by only one trick above or below the predicted number, the player only collects half the value of the Game Fund if it contains an even number of points, or 10 points from a 15 point pot, or 20 points from a 45 pot. In this case the player does not collect the extra points awarded for the No Change situation.
Finally, if the player ends up with two or more tricks above or below the contracted bid, it is deemed to constitute a loss, and the player is compelled to pay the value of the Game Fund plus 5 penalty points to each player if the contract was for one trick, 4 points for a two trick contract and 3 points for a three trick contract.
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