Despite these variations of the game, the basic rules remain the same. The rules at first may seem complicated, but don't lose heart since once you get going it comes quickly. The game is played in numerous languages, but this introduction proposes that new players learn how to play the game in Euskara or the Basque language. Everyone has room for thirty-some new words in their head so this should not be a big problem. Select the Basque dialect appropriate for your community. Yes, there is a variation in some of the words used but do not despair, you will soon understand what is meant.

To get started, one player from each team cuts the deck to draw one card: the player who reveals the lowest card deals first. The game is played in a counter-clockwise direction. Four cards are dealt to each player. The player directly to the right of the dealer is the "esku" or first player to speak. This first team with the "esku" must now decide whether they want to play their hands or go "mus" and ask for new card[s]. All four players must agree to go "mus" since it only takes one player who wants to play to initiate the game. Mus can be repeated indefinitely until someone decides to start.

BETTING & SCORING

The minimum bet in mus is "enbido" [2 points]. Teams begin with zero points and the first team to gather the total decided [usually 40 points] wins the game. Thus you bet against the other team to get points. For each of the above phases, each player can be involved by either betting, declining to bet, accepting a bet, raising a bet, etc. In the event that no player bets on any given phase—that is all say "paso" and pass—then the game moves on to the next phase. Sometimes both players on the same team may want to bet, therefore the first bet issued by a player is the bet for the team. The opposing team may then decline the bet and forfeit one point [every forfeit or "tira" response is only worth one point regardless of the amount bet]. Or they may want to hold the bet ["gure" or "edoki"] and see who has the better cards later; thus it becomes important to remember what has been done in each phase because not until the end of the game are the cards revealed and final points decided. Finally, the opposing team can choose to respond to a bet with a raise. The raise can be everything from two more points upward to betting "hordago" or the whole game. Hordago always keeps a game close—even if you are losing by twenty points, and if the opposing team takes your hordago bet, if one of your team’s hand beats theirs, then you are the winner!

The betting and scoring of the first two phases of the game is straightforward: