Loteria is not a traditional bingo game. It is a card game that originated in Spain in the 1500s.
The object of the game is to win as many cards as possible by matching pairs of cards of the same value. This can be done by either drawing cards or buying cards from the dealer. .
There are variations of the game, but loteria is typically played with 52 cards. The Ace and 10 of each suit areworth 1 point, while the 2 through 9 are each worth face value.
To play, players must draw five cards and discard one. They then put the remaining four cards into their hand and keep them concealed until they are required to make a play.
The player with the highest card of any suit becomes the first dealer, and deals five cards to each player clockwise. Play then passes to the left, and each player tries to make as many matches as possible by playing adjacent cards from their hand onto those on the table.
Matches can be made either vertically or horizontally, but not both at the same time.
Matches are scored as follows: two pairs (two cards of the same value), a three of a kind (three of a kind consisting of one Ace and two lower-valued cards), a straight (five consecutive matching numbers), or an flush (four matching poker hands). If two players have the same score after all plays have been made, then the player with the higher card of their last played card wins the hand.
The game is over when one player has no more legal plays left in their hand and all other players have either passed or folded. The player with all six cards in their hand at this point is declared the winner and collects all of the bet money from all players.
Although loteria may not be considered a traditional bingo game, there are some similarities between them. Both require players to draw five cards, put four into their hand, and then conceal these until they are required to make a play.
Additionally, both games award points for matches in different ways, and both end when one player has all six of their cards showing. However, there are also significant differences between loteria and bingo that should be considered before making any conclusions about whether or not Loteria is a Bingo game.
First off, while bingo calls for players to randomly draw numbers from 1-52, loteria requires players to draw specific numbers based on what card has been dealt to them previously in that round. For example, if you get an 8th card that is equal to or greater than your last played number (e.g., an 8th card that is an Ace would give you an automatic match since an Ace equals 1 point), you would add that number (e.g.
, if your last played number was 2 and you drew an 8th card that was an Ace, you would score 3 points since 2 plus 1 equals 3) up against any other numbers drawn so far during that round in order to make matches. Secondly, while bingo calls for all valid numbers excluding 00 (zero), loteria only allows matches between two specific numbers: 2 through 9 inclusive and either an Ace or 10 (since these are both worth 1 point). Finally, while bingo typically has one winner who collects all bet money from all players at the end of play, loteria can have multiple winners who share in some or all of the prize money depending on how much money has been wagered on that particular hand.
