The obligation to ruff in coinche
Updated
Usually yes: if you can't follow the led suit, you must ruff (play trump), with some exceptions.
The basic rule
When a suit you don't hold is led, the classic coinche rule forces you to ruff, that is, to play a trump and try to win the trick. You can't freely discard another suit as long as you still hold at least one trump.
The partner-is-master exception
The main exception (widespread but still a convention): if your partner already wins the trick, you don't have to ruff. You can discard safely, since the trick is already going to your team. Do check that this rule is accepted at your table.
What if someone has already ruffed?
If an opponent ruffed before you and you can't follow, you should in principle overruff (play a higher trump) if you can, otherwise you still play a trump. Again, the duty to overruff depends on the conventions: some tables don't enforce it. With no trump at all, you discard.
Three concrete cases
Trumps are clubs and you have no diamonds. You hold the Jack and the 8 of clubs.
- An opponent leads the Ace of diamonds and nobody has ruffed yet: you must ruff, but with the trump of your choice. Ruffing with the 8 (no points) and keeping the Jack is often smart, unless you fear the last player will overruff.
- Your partner leads the Ace of diamonds and the next opponent follows: your partner is winning, so you don't have to ruff (common convention). You can discard, or load the trick.
- An opponent has already ruffed with the 10 of clubs: your Jack beats it, so you must overruff with the Jack. If you only held the Queen and the 7, you couldn't overruff, and most tables would still make you play a trump.
What about No Trump and All Trump?
The duty to ruff only exists when there is a trump suit. In No Trump there are no trumps: if you can't follow, you discard freely. In All Trump, every suit is its own trump: you must follow and go higher in the led suit if you can, and if you're void you discard, since you can't “ruff” with another suit.
If your table plays these modes, remember the card values change too: see No Trump points and All Trump points.
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FAQ
Must you ruff when you can't follow suit?
Usually yes: without the led suit you must play a trump. The main exception, by convention, is when your partner already wins the trick.
Can you discard instead of ruffing?
Only if you have no trump left, or, depending on the table convention, if your partner already wins the trick. Otherwise you must ruff.
Do you have to ruff with your highest trump?
No. If nobody has ruffed yet, any trump will do. Only when an opponent has already ruffed must you, if you can, play a trump higher than theirs.
Is there a duty to ruff in No Trump?
No, since there are no trumps. If you can't follow the led suit, you discard any card you like.