(You may want to print the compact, handy cheat sheet to keep with you.)
A card game for four to six players. Primero is played with a 40 card deck. The 8s, 9s, and 10s must be removed from a normal deck, or a 40 card Spanish primero deck can be used.
Begin: All players ante into the pot.
Play: The deal is counter clockwise, starting with the dealer. Two cards are dealt each player, then there is a pause for the first wagering. Beginning on the dealer's right, players may place a bet OR draw one or two cards, until a player places a bet. Once a bet is placed, no more cards may be exchanged, and all players must call the bet, raise, or fold. If all players, including the dealer, take cards rather than bet, all hands are taken up and redealt. When exchanging cards, players may turn in one or both of their initial cards to a discard pile, and the dealer will replace them with one or two cards from the deck.
After the first round of betting, two more cards are dealt to each player, again going counterclockwise. At this point, each player, beginning with the one on the dealer's right, must "declare and bet." This involves "declaring" the rank of the player's hand and placing or matching a bet. The declared rank may be the actual rank, or it may be higher, but it may not be lower. The first player declares and places a bet. Each subsequent player also declares and must either match the bet, raise it, or fold. A bet of nothing is a valid bet.
After the second round of betting, each player (in the same order as before) may trade one or two cards into a discard pile to be replaced by the dealer from the deck.
Finally, there is one last round of betting (this round may be omitted), after which hands are shown and the highest valued hand of the highest rank on the table wins.
Rank of Hands: (high to low)
| Chorus | Four of akind (e.g., four sixes) |
| Fluxus | Four cards of the same suit, equivalent to a poker flush (e.g., 2, 4, A, and 6 of hearts) |
| Supremus | Ace, 6, and 7 of the same suit (e.g., A, 6, 7 of spaces, 3 of diamonds). |
| Primero | One card of each suit (e.g., 3 of hearts, 5 of diamonds, K of spades, 7 of clubs) |
| Numerus | Two or three cards of the same suit. This is by far the most common hand (e.g., Q, 4, 6 of clubs, 4 of spaces). |
Points:
| Seven | 21 |
| Six | 18 |
| Ace | 16 |
| Five | 15 |
| Four | 14 |
| Three | 13 |
| Two | 12 |
| Face Cards | 10 |
Only cards which define the rank of the hand may be counted for point value. For example, in a Numerus, only the two or three cards of the suit making up the Numerus can be counted for value.
Wagering: The player to the dealer's right places the first bet in all cases except the first round (where that player may elect to take cards rather than bet, as may each subsequent player until someone places a bet). Every other player must match the bet, raise the bet (after which every player must match the new bet), or fold. If EVERY player at the table agrees that a bet or raise is too high, they may refuse. If EVEN ONE player accepts the bet, though, the bet is good and all players must match, raise or fold. If there are only two players remaining, bets may not be refused.