The game chinchon came up in another thread, which made me think - hey, we need to start something on Spanish card games!

Spain has a unique deck of cards. Instead of hearts, spades, etc., they have gold coins, wooden clubs, swords, and "copas" (they look something like trophy cups). A deck of Spanish cards might make a good gift for someone who likes playing/learning new card games.

In our house we play chinchon and escoba, but my favorite game is MUS!

Mus is played with four people. It involves strategy, cooperation, lying, twitching of facial muscles on the sly (which MUST be honest - you have to be careful about when you lie), and it's a lot of fun. Many people find it too hard to play, but once you get the hang of it, it can be addictive.

A foreigner who learns how to jugar al mus becomes something of a celebrity, and his/her respect rating goes sky high. You can find people tucked away in a corner of a bar playing mus, or in organized tournaments in almost every town.

If I've captured your attention, and you'd like to learn more, there are websites out there (here's one - in Spanish, of course! http://www.geocities.com/Augusta/4063/Mus.html )

Have fun!

During our recent trip to Spain, my husband and I ended up in a tiny bar in Candelario (beautiful pueblo near Bejar), trying to wait out a rainstorm. There were three guys there, playing cards and drinking cañas. After a while, a fourth joined them. We were the only other people in the bar, and we watched them play cards for a long while. Doug, who is really into card games, tried and tried to figure out the game. Finally, I asked.

They were playing chinchon, and tried to explain the rules to us. We didn't get it (I speak Spanish, but don't understand cards, and Doug understands cards but doesn't know Spanish), but Doug and I both loved the gorgeous deck of cards they were using. Our bartender seemed to be losing a fair amount of money, though! How popular are card games? I remember seeing lots of people playing backgammon and chess in parks in Spain (in summer), but not as many playing cards. Do most games involve betting?

I always thought those coins were buttons. thanks a lot for keeping me in the in.

People usually don't bet, with Mus never, they only play for fun and maybe who loose pays the coffees or the liquors.
Other very famous game is el Tute, I think it's the second after Mus, and very similar la Pocha and la Brisca, el Julepe (with this one you bet)....
Very popular in bars is also domino, more spectacular even than mus.....