https://youtu.be/aYD3gLCXXuU
That's probably been covered already on this blog but let's revisit this classic Spanish card game... First of all, the eights nine and tens are removed. The Jacks (sotas), queens (caballos) and Kings (Reyes) stay in the deck but the twos are classed as aces and the threes are classed as Kings, making eight Kings, eight aces, then four fours, 5s, 6s, 7s, sotas and caballos.
Then there's only two teams with two players acting as one team, betting and sending facial signals that are standardized. For arguments sake we'll pretend we're playing against Joseph Stalin and FDR who are one team, with Winston Churchill as our partner. Let's say FDR is the dealer and we're first after him clockwise, making us 'mano' (hand) and WC 'postre' (dessert). JS is mano for FDR and FDR postre. We'll use standardized facial signals to WC when neither JS or FDR are looking so WC can bet for both of us. And keep an eye out for any signals JS and FDR might be passing.
Listen to some Tom Petty or Lou Reed....
https://youtu.be/9wxI4KK9ZYo
Everyone can discard cards (4 max as everyone always has four cards) during the mus phase until someone cuts the mus. Normally postre cuts mus and speaks/bets for the team. Typically everyone will say mus so as discard useless cards until someone finally stops that, cutting the mus, then the game's four stages proceed: grande, chica, pares, juego (or punto if noone has 31 or higher, keeping in mind face cards like sotas and Kings (including threes) value ten points.
https://youtu.be/UvR0QKzLyNY
For example, we've been dealt pelote which means crap, discarded twice and after first discard bitten our bottom lip when noone but WC was watching indicating two Kings, then on the second discard biting the bottom lip indicating two Kings and winked with the left eye indicating 31 for the last round 'juego'. WC wants to cut the mus, having intercepted our signs and having good grande, pares and juego but seeing JS sign to FDR realizes FDR will cut the mus anyway and doesn't want to reveal too much so WC says mus and sure enough FDR cuts the mus and betting proceeds at the grande. The manos typically pass and leave betting for the postres. WC knows we have two Kings for grande and some other two cards totalling 11 so a seven and four or sota and Ace or the like. The strongest hand at grande is four Kings then three kings horse then three kings jack three kings seven all the way down to four aces. The chica round is the opposite to grande with four aces being strongest and four Kings worst . Generally all mus players repeat the mantra, jugador de chica, perdedor de mus ...
FDR says invido tres which is next to impossible to actually imagine FDR ever playing mus at all, but anyway, for the sake of argument he's bet a modest three points and WC ups that five to eight points (of total 40) bet. If FDR reneges then WC takes three points porque no. If FDR wants to see the eight it will be settled end of game and chica will ensue. FDR can also raise WCs 8 point bet.
...
https://youtu.be/s5BJXwNeKsQ
Chica round proceeds in the same way but pares and juego require players actually have pairs or over 30 (for juego) to actually bet at those rounds. If only one player has pares and only one player has juego only that player will claim the bonus points applicable to those rounds. It may be three players have pares and juego and the biggest bluffer with a lousy hand wins those two rounds despite horrible cards. Therefore only that one player that won those rounds can claim the applicable bonus points, eg 1 point for one pair, two points for three of a kind and three points for duples (two pairs). The facial sign for duples Altos is eyebrows up and duples bajos is blinking both eyes simultaneously. Three of a kind is effected by jerking the jaw swiftly to the left. If Kings then bight the bottom lip indicating two Kings. If three aces jerk jaw left quickly and stick tongue slightly out while pursing lips. Pursing lips alone with nothing else just means good chica hand which is losing.
I know when I was playing mus in Spain in 1992/93 with my buddies Raquel, Virginia and Ana at high school in Madrid the standard level was so competitive and professional you had to be on your a game, any extravagant bluffing etc people would be reading your mind and face so astutely, good luck trying to fool them.
https://youtu.be/AEBUNtbkea4
Pursing the lips indicating chica plus slightly extending the tongue would indicate two aces or more. A double blink after that four aces or a jaw jerk left there aces.
Actually I can't remember if it was Raquel and Ana or Alicia and Ana or Raquel and Alicia, just that one of the two had a boyfriend who was her f@ck buddy and a little older than her and the other two were single, one was kind of interesting looking and the other, Virginia has some blonde hair amongst her mostly brunette strands which is considered extremely desirable with the Spaniards where there's generally little blonde hair. Virginia generally wore black stockings and a miniskirt as I recall and was tall, slim and fairly pretty. One time she jumped on my back affectionately outside my classroom, piggy back style. Can't remember if she was in my classes which is odd as I was always in the same room with the same people. If there was an art class a model would come and potentially bare all or a lot. I didn't do art. This is not eyebrow raising with the Spaniards, nothing is except duples altos. Smoking on campus and eating sunflower seeds non stop average. Everyone wears denim or leather, including denim and leather shirts. Maybe 10% wear something else. Chewing sunflower seeds involves dehusking each one with the front two teeth, throwing the shell on the floor for the cleaners to sweep, swallowing the seed, repeating: forever. It's a common sight in Spain.
https://youtu.be/ikGyZh0VbPQ
Mus visto. You're dealing in the mus phase and accidentally reveal a card face up while dealing it, mus visto is called and noone can cut the mus on that deal. Next deal if it's not mus visto they can say corta (cut).
Thinking about it, Virginia sat immediately in front of the teacher's desk. We had various teachers coming to us each period. Next to her or immediately behind her were the other two mus girls. Around me, next to me and in front of me were three stone cold losers. Nineteen year olds that had repeated three times despite being able to cheat more or less freely to pass exams in Spain. In Spain you advance only if you pass your class so a blind eye is turned for exam cheaters generally although not ridiculously, you have to be a sly and discreet cheat and organized and smart enough your notes written in small font on an elastic band up your sleeve or whatever gets you over the finish line. My boys were too dumb even for that and felt no shame whatsoever at their complete lack of academic prowess. One was a Moorish looking fellow as was his girlfriend. They cut a handsome match together in their everyday denim jackets and jeans (everyday). Denim. Everyday. El Chino (chinaboy) coz of his scrunched up eyes most likely had zero Asian blood but was the least dislikable. Then Gordo, fatty, was the nineteen year old I'd push off a cliff to a rocky bluff a football field's length below any day of the week even February 29. I would not play mus with these boys if you paid me, and I detested their presence everyday. Like hell. I have no respect for nineteen year olds sitting in a classroom full of sixteen year olds. None.
Speaking of witch [sic]
https://youtu.be/CojNHPD_cOU
Watch his drive see him in church...
https://youtu.be/1HZ3Tjohwqo
Xmas 1992 approaches and it's time to hit the road. Big wheels to Paris and a beeline to Jim Morrison's grave at Pere Lachaise. We just saw recently the touching sight of his father a navy admiral talking about setting up just that grave after he was notified by the Navy of his son's death in Paris. Generally I'm not a happy boy. Travelling alone as a minor is nothing special I'd been doing it for years already. I'm on my way to Amsterdam to visit my sister Trish and her partner Jorrik, a bass guitarist in a famous Dutch music ensemble. At Pere Lachaise I get a photo with my arms splayed on Jim's gravestone and crouching down. I don't remember much else but Paris seems interesting and sophisticated. Later I return for a six month stay mostly staying at 1 boulevard Pershing not far from the arch de triompe. I find the French language a challenging thing. I can't remember anything else like the trip to Amsterdam. Staying with my sister isn't much fun she's totally mean and hostile towards me as usual, poisoning our relationship for life beyond redemption due to her shitty attitude. Generally I'm unhappy and lonely but do not dwell on it. Also my brain is working overdrive the five months I'm in Spain gulping hundreds of words down ravenously until eventually I achieve great mastery of the language so that many Spaniards sincerely tell me, in later years, I speak better than they do. I never fell sorry for myself. And I'm always alone and isolated but kind of in an autistic way so there's like mental pain like if you're a vampire or something but whatever. It's a kind of hell. At least the people in Spain know how to act respectfully which is refreshing from Western Sydney.
https://youtu.be/GJY8jJkDoMY
Anyway, we know how is COMO in Spanish, and I eat is COMO likewise... Most of my pre seven year old vocabulary in Spanish came from mus, definitely not enough to speak....
otorgar(
oh
-
tohr
-
gahr
)
TRANSITIVE VERB
a. to grant
1. (to bestow)
El consejo del pueblo otorgó el contrato a G&G Construction.The town council granted the contract to G&G Construction.
b. to confer (a title, authority)
El comité otorga las facultades necesarias a la administradora para la aplicación de los reglamentos.The committee confers the necessary authority on the administrator for the enforcement of regulations.
c. to award (a prize)
Le otorgaron el mayor honor de su país.They awarded her their country's greatest honor.
d. to give
La licencia de conducir me otorga el derecho de conducir un coche.My driver's license gives me the right to drive a car.
Otorgo a la grande! That's betting the game (total 40, or 30 points) in one go. If an otorgo is accepted one game is decided there. Three games in total is one match
No comments:
Post a Comment