How to Play Lotería (Even If Half Your Table Doesn’t Speak Spanish)
My grandparents played lotería like there was money on the line. They were so competitive, and so funny about it, because they cheated. My grandma would get up in the middle of a game, walk into the kitchen and pretend she was cooking.
She had cards stashed in there. She’d come back to the table like nothing happened, and my grandpa never knew.
That’s the energy I want for your table, minus the kitchen stash. This guide shows you how to play lotería step by step, which winning patterns to agree on before anybody yells, how to call the cards like a pro, and how to run the game when half your people don’t speak Spanish.
How to play lotería, the short answer
Lotería is a Mexican game of chance that plays a lot like bingo, but with pictures instead of numbers. One person, the caller, flips through a deck of 54 picture cards and calls each one out. Everyone else marks the matching picture on their tabla, and the first person to complete the agreed pattern yells “¡Lotería!”
That’s it. The fun is in the calling, the trash talk and the arguments about patterns, which we’ll get to.
What you need to play
You need four things, and you probably have three of them already.
A deck of 54 cards, called cartas. Each card has a picture and a name, like el gallo (the rooster) or la luna (the moon).
Tablas, the boards. Each tabla is a grid of 16 pictures pulled from the deck, and every board is different. One per player, or two if somebody’s feeling lucky.
Markers to cover the pictures. Dried pinto beans are the classic, and in a lot of families they’re called frijolitos. Coins, bottle caps, buttons or little pieces of torn paper all work.
One caller, el cantor or el gritón. Pick the loudest person in the family. You already know who it is.
How to play lotería, step by step
Here’s the full round, start to finish.
- Pass out the tablas. Every player picks a board and grabs a handful of markers.
- Agree on the winning pattern. Do this out loud before the first card. Trust me.
- The caller shuffles and flips one card at a time. They call out the card’s name, or a little rhyme or riddle about it (more on that below).
- Players mark their matches. If the called picture is on your tabla, cover it with a bean.
- The first to complete the pattern shouts “¡Lotería!” Some families shout “¡Buenas!” instead. Either one stops the game.
- Check the board. The caller reads back the marked cards against the ones already called. If it checks out, that player wins the round.
- Clear the boards and reshuffle. Winner sometimes becomes the next caller, which is a nice way to share the spotlight.
Lotería winning patterns (agree before you start)
This is where family game night turns into a family meeting. The lotería rules don’t change much from house to house, but the winning patterns do, so pick yours before the first card and say it twice.
A line. Four in a row across, down or diagonal. This is the fastest game and the best one for little kids.
Four corners, or cuatro esquinas. Mark all four corner squares of your tabla.
Center square, or el centrito. Mark the four squares in the middle of the board.
Full board, or tabla llena. Cover all 16 pictures. This takes the longest, so save it for the last round of the night when the stakes are high and the coffee is ready.
My tip: start with a line so everybody wins something early, then move up to four corners, and finish with tabla llena.
How to call lotería cards like a pro
A good caller makes the whole game. Instead of just reading the card name, traditional callers say a short rhyme or riddle, and the players have to figure out which card it is. The older folks at the table are usually the best at it.
You can make up your own. Here are a few I wrote so you can see how it works.
El sol (the sun). “Sale temprano, trabaja todo el día y nunca cobra.” In English: “Up early, works all day, never sends an invoice.”
La luna (the moon). “Sale de noche a pasear y nadie la puede alcanzar.” In English: “Comes out every night and nobody can catch her.”
El gallo (the rooster). “Despierta a todo el barrio sin que nadie se lo pida.” In English: “Wakes up the whole block and nobody asked him to.”
El corazón (the heart). “Late más rápido cuando llega tu crush.” In English: “Beats a little faster when your crush walks in.”
La sirena (the mermaid). “Mitad pescado, toda drama.” In English: “Half fish, all drama.”
The trick is to keep it short, a little funny, and a little hard. If the whole table gets it instantly, make the next one tougher.
How to play lotería with people who don’t speak Spanish
This is the part that makes or breaks your night. If your suegros, your partner’s friends or your kids don’t speak Spanish, the game can stall fast. Somebody misses a card, somebody else gets mad, and suddenly nobody’s having fun.
Here’s how to keep everyone in it.
Call every card in both languages. Say “¡El gallo, the rooster!” every time. It slows the game down by about two seconds and makes it ten times more fun for the people who would otherwise be guessing.
After a few rounds, the English speakers start calling out the Spanish names themselves, and that’s honestly the best part.
Use bilingual cards. Cards with the name printed in both Spanish and English are a game changer. Nobody has to lean over and ask what “el catrín” means, and nobody feels left out. Kids especially pick up the Spanish words faster when they see them next to the English.
Let the kids teach the grownups. Put a bilingual kid next to a grandparent or a first time guest and make them a team. The kid gets to be the expert, the grownup gets a translator, and you get the cutest teamwork of the night.
Keep the riddles bilingual, too. If you’re calling with rhymes, say the Spanish verse first and then a quick English hint. Everyone gets a shot at guessing, and the Spanish speakers still get the full experience.
Make it a Christmas lotería night
If you’re hosting anything between Thanksgiving and Día de Reyes, a Christmas lotería is the move. Instead of the classic deck, the cards are things like la piñata, el ponche, los tamales and el suéter feo, so it fits right into a Nochebuena dinner or a family game night in December. It’s one of my favorite Mexican Christmas games because the whole table can play, from abuela to the toddler on somebody’s lap.
I made our Lotería Navideña for exactly the problem in this post. Every card has the name in Spanish and English, so nobody gets lost.
It comes with 54 cards and 100 different tablas, so you only print what you need, whether it’s four cousins or a whole posada. There’s a Spanish rhyme for the caller on every card, a bilingual how to play guide with the winning patterns, and a low ink version. It’s a Christmas lotería printable, so you download the PDFs and print at home tonight on plain paper.
Lotería Navideña: Christmas Lotería Printable
54 cards and 100 different tablas, with Spanish and English on every card and a rhyme for the caller.
Instant download. Print at home tonight.
Hosting a posada?
A posada is a Mexican Christmas tradition held over nine nights, from December 16 to 24, that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for a place to stay. Families go house to house singing, then everybody ends up at one home for food, ponche, a piñata and usually a round of lotería.
If you’re hosting one this year, our Posada Party Bundle comes with a bilingual posada invitation you edit and send from your phone, plus the full Lotería Navideña. See the Posada Party Bundle on Etsy.
Lotería card meanings: a few of my favorites
Every card in a traditional deck has its own personality, and half the fun is the jokes everybody makes about them. Here are some classic card types and what they usually stand for.
El gallo (the rooster). The early riser and the loudmouth. Whoever gets this card gets teased about being the first one up.
La dama (the lady). Elegance and class. Every family has a tía who claims this card is about her.
La sirena (the mermaid). Temptation and beauty, the one whose song gets you in trouble.
El sol (the sun). Warmth, life and a fresh start. It’s the card that makes you feel like the day is going your way.
La luna (the moon). Romance and the night. The card people call when they want to sound poetic.
El corazón (the heart). Love, obviously, and usually the card that gets the biggest “awww” from the table.
Lotería FAQ
How many cards are in lotería?
A traditional lotería deck has 54 cards. Each tabla shows 16 of them in a four by four grid, which is why every board is different.
What do you yell when you win lotería?
You yell “¡Lotería!” as loud as you can. Some families say “¡Buenas!” instead. Either way, the caller stops and checks your board before you celebrate.
Can kids play lotería?
Yes, and it’s one of the best games for mixed ages. Little ones can play with a grownup or an older cousin, and the pictures make it easy for kids who can’t read yet. Start with a single line so they win early.
Is lotería the same as bingo?
They work the same way, but lotería uses pictures instead of numbers, and the caller often recites a rhyme or riddle instead of just reading the card. That calling is what gives lotería its personality.
Can you play lotería on a TV?
Yes. The caller can open a printable deck on a laptop hooked up to the TV and show each card as it’s called, while players mark their printed tablas. It works great for big rooms where people sit far apart.
Ready for your own lotería night
If you want more ideas for your next get together, check out my 80s party games and these 90s party ideas for a throwback night.
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Grab the Lotería Navideña and you can be playing tonight. If you want a whole night of games, the Christmas Loteria Bundle adds our Navidad de los 90s pack, with Nochebuena bingo and a dichos game, all in Spanish and English.
Want the whole night covered? See the Christmas Loteria Bundle on Etsy.
Just keep an eye on whoever keeps going into the kitchen. My grandpa never did.
