Explore Traditions of Play from Around the World
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Lunar Festival Gambling – Bau Cua Ca Cop
Bầu cua cá cop is a popular Vietnamese dice game played mostly during Tết – their Lunar New Year.
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Ombre – The First Card Game with Bids
In the late 16th century, Spain introduced a new concept to trick-taking games – bidding that you could win. Ombre is a 3-player trick-taking game so popular that triangular tables were in fashion for a time.
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Games of the Caddo Tribe
I first taught historic games at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. Here are some of the tribal games I learned about.
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El Mundo – Four Player Backgammon?
This is an intriguing backgammon variant from Libro de los Juegos. Four players circle the board in the same direction to reach the opposite side and bear off.
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Charades – From Cryptic Riddle to Pantomime
Did you know that charades was once played without any gestures? Or that Jane Austen helped to spread it? Learn the fascinating roots of this party game.
