Casino Night

Back row: Mayra (loca, the one getting married), me.

Front row: Iván, Marco, Quinantzín, Eddy, Mayra (aka Mayrita)

I got a text on Thursday from Iván saying 9:00 at Casino something or other.  I knew Alma and others would be going, so I didn't really need to know where said casino was and definitely didn't need to know how to get there.  I asked no questions.

At some point during the evening on Friday, I got a text from Alma saying Mayrita would pick me up at 9 to go to Iván's, that she was going to a party with Lenin first.

I was ready of course, long before the clock struck 9.  Mayrita, of course, was not at the door until after 9:30.  Thankfully I've been here long enough to expect this and not be remotely bothered by it!

Mayrita pulled up and off we went.  Though, we still had to pick up the other Mayra (they call her Mayra loca), who had some games (darts, roulette, etc).  I found it strange that she had games to go to a casino, but I kept that to myself.  

Our last stop was the grocery store to grab some goodies.  Another strange stop before a casino.  I began to realize that we were going to Iván's house and that casino night is what we would call game night.  His text had been some sort of inside joke about his house or street or some such.  Like I might say at 335 referring to my address.  Anyway, we got to his house a little before 11.  

When we got there, Jared stopped me outside, speaking nothing but English, repeating every story he'd already told me.  His girlfriend Iris was with him as well as his cousin maybe?

Once inside, there was a table of people playing cards, all of whom I knew except for one girl's boyfriend.  I had met her at another party at Iván's house apparently and I had seen her again at the English event.  

They were playing "screw your neighbor," which I had never played before, but was fun enough and fast moving.  We played several rounds and I won or came in second each time.  Then we decided to up the ante.  This time the chips cost 5 pesos each.  Everyone got two, just like in the practice round.  

This time, I tied for first loser!  Josué, I think was his name, and I both tied for the lowest card, both in the first two rounds.  I was a foul loser and pouted.  Ever the gambler, I decided to play round two.  This time, I was alone as the first one to lose.  I decided I actually hated the game!

The crowd got a bit unsettled, so those who had been playing cards decided to figure out the roulette wheel.  I stayed put while others joined the card table.  I wasn't about to play again since I don't love losing.  I was content to watch someone else lose!  Jared, however, was having none of that.  He put in 10 pesos for me.  It's always easier losing someone else's money!

Lose it I did, but not nearly as quickly thank goodness this time!  I was the semi-finalist and then Liliana's brother Daniel happily stomped me on the last two rounds.  No fair. 

I think the second round I played on Jared's money I lost relatively quickly.  Jared had lost within the first two people on both games, so he was feeling my pain.

We stopped that game and it turned to a darts tournament again.  Unfortunately, with real darts, I was not as good as with the magnetic ones.  Well, my form and such was still decent, but no one knew how to score, and we didn't want to take hours to play the way where you mark off each number (and I was the only one who knew how to play that way and you can see just how sure of it I was!).  Even if you were right near the bull's eye, if you were in the pie slice that was 3 points, you got three points.  I was not a fan.

Later, the crowd thinned, and we started playing a game called pandejo.  If you're interested in the translation, you can search an online translator.  We're a family show here, people!  

The gist of the game is like spoons, only the whole deck isn't used, and no spoons are used.  The way you "grab a spoon" is a signal, and that signal changes every round.  Right hand to right ear.  Left hand to left ear.  Right hand to left ear.  Left hand to left ear. Right hand to chin.

Add to that that the cards are passed in whatever direction the person in charge of the game decides.  (Add to that it's in Spanish!)

If you lose the round, you have to write the letters of pandejo on your forehead.  The first person with the whole word is out.  Then the next until there are two winners (because you pretty much can't get a winner at spoons).  There's an advanced penalty that if you talk to a person who has writing on his/her forehead, you get a letter.  

However, Jared's girlfriend was having a hard enough time discerning left from right (both for signal and for passing- once she had cards piling up on the right of her because Iván was saying pass to the left repeatedly!), so we didn't play the advanced way.

Quinantzin, who I met at Wings before Christmas at (what else) a birthday party with Alma, and I won.  I was pumped!  Finally!

By 3:15, we were about spent, and Iván and Eddy were falling asleep.  I'm not sure why, but we all went together in Marco's car to take Quinantzín home.  But before we did that, we drove all over Culiacán.  It was a really foggy night, and the conversation had turned to ghosts and all that mess.  Who believed and who didn't.  Who had had a strange experience and who hadn't.  I guess we were looking for some beings out in the fog.  We didn't find any.

We drove back to Iván's house after dropping Quinantzín off.  Mayrita and I got in her car and Mayra Loca stayed in Marco's car.  We drove together to Mayra Loca's house.  Then Marco followed us to my house, then followed Mayrita to her house.  I think that's a common practice here in the late hours.

Alma and Lenin never made it to the party.  Alma had to proctor a test for 8 hours on Saturday (4 sessions of the same test) starting at 8, but having to be there at 7, so she was in bed by one she ended up telling me later!  I love it when I stay up later than the natives; it doesn't happen often!