Loteria Game Mx

The Lotería game, widely played in Mexico, is a game of chance consisting of a deck of 54 cards and an indefinite number of boards usually from 2 to 30 or more if many people participate, called tables with 16 of these cards randomly chosen in a 4 × 4 table, although there are also smaller 3 × 3 for children or larger 5 × 5. Each time a card is randomly drawn from the deck, it is announced and only the participants who have it must mark it on their table. The winner will be the first to form on their table the alignment of one of the kinds: Line, Center, Corners and Full, usually the entire table with the marked cards and shout "Lotería" as a sign of victory. It is the same as the game Bingo, only in a different way and originating in Mexico.

To mark the cards on the table, you can place any small object on them: coins, beans, chips, corks, pebbles, paper balls, etc. The winner is the person who marks the cards on their table that make up the alignment established at the start of the game and shouts "Lotería!" or "Buenas!" , after which they receive a prize that can be the money bet by all the participants per card. This can end the game, but if the shouter says "Don't take them away!" or "Continue!" the game can continue until someone else wins, as many times as the shouter decides. In these cases, those who have already won cannot continue participating, at least until the game is over. Participants, including the shouter, must mark the numbers with coins, beans, corks, pebbles, etc. At many popular fairs, it is customary to play for money or compete for a prize. To participate, a fee is paid, which is collected by the shouter or an assistant. It is called "la vaquita," a reference to the custom of some rural Mexican communities who donate money on holidays to buy a cow for a collective meal. When players aren't competing for a monetary bet or a prize, they are called "de a frijolito" or "de a 5," because the beans or coins used to mark the cards are the only thing at stake.