The Mus is a game of 4 players in pairs. It is played with the 40 cards of the Spanish deck. There are two peculiarities regarding the composition of the deck: the four threees of the deck will be held by kings and the four twos of the deck will be considered as aces.
Game development: The game is divided into 3 phases: discards, casts and final count.
Discards: Players announce if they want to discard one or more cards to exchange for other cards in the deck by saying the word 'MUS'. If one of the players wishes not to be discarded, there will be no possibility for any of the players to do so.
If the four players had asked to be discarded they will proceed to throw the number of cards they want. Each player will receive as many cards as they would have discarded.
This option of discards can be repeated as many times as the players wish, until the moment when one of them announces his will to cut the mus.
Launches: The bets or sets are:
* Big (Grande): The big bet is won by the player with the highest cards according to the numbering of the indexes of the cards themselves: King, Horse, Jack, seven, six, five, four, Ace. The comparison will be made based on a la carte with greater numbering for each of the players. In case of equality based on the second highest card, and so on.
* Small (Chica): It is exactly the same concept as the big move but reversing the order in the valuation of the cards (Ace, four, five, ...).
* Pairs (Pares): Before placing any bet, players announce if they have one or more cards of the same number. Only players who announce they have pairs can bet. The order of the plays, from highest to lowest is as follows:
Doubles (Duples): combination of four cards paired two by two with the same number. In the event that two players have doubles, the one with the highest card will win, in the same order as for large.
Averages (Medias): combination of three cards of the same number. If two opponents had averages, the one with the highest card wins according to the hierarchy used for big.
Pair (Parejas): combination of two cards of the same number. If two opponents have a partner, the one with the highest card according to the same hierarchy used in large will win.
* Game (Juego): As in pairs, players declare if they have a game. The game is played by a player who, adding the value of his cards, reaches the number of 31 or higher. To make the computation the figures (Jack, Horse and King) are worth 10 each, and the rest of the cards according to their own index. The hierarchy order of the different possible combinations in which the game is played is as follows: 31, 32, 40, 37, 36, 35, 34 and 33.
* Point (Punto): If none of the four players had a game, a new set opens that consists of betting on whoever is closest to 31 points.
Mus Betting
In each of the sets the players decide if they want to bet or if they abstain. In pairs and game they can only bet what they have pairs or game respectively.
If a player chooses to make a bet (it is called a bet) it has a value of 2.
The opponent may choose three different things:
- Accept the bet: The bet remains pending until the final count.
- Decline the bet: The pair that made the set wins 1 point or the last bet made by the couple in that set.
- Increase the bet: the bet is increased by 2 and the next pair decides if they want to accept, decline or increase the bet again.
Mus final count
In sets without a big, girl or point bet, the couple whose player had the best trick will win 1 point. In pairs or game the pair whose member was the winner, will add the corresponding points.
In pairs: 1 point for each pair, 2 points for each average and 3 points for each double.
At stake: 2 points for each different game of 31 and 3 points for each game of 31.
The couple that reaches 40 points before wins.
