How to Play Loteria - 

1. Pick a dealer. The dealer will hold the cards so that no one 
else can see them, and she will draw cards one at a time - 1st 
from the top of the deck, then the bottom, then the middle - 
always in that order - top, bottom, middle.

2. With each card the dealer draws, she says the name of the 
object - then shows the card to everyone - this gives students 
the incentive to memorize the words and not just go by the 
pictures - in case of a tie, the person who covers the square 
first wins! So knowing the words gives a distinct advantage. 
Another thing is this: the dealer can go as fast as she likes. 
This makes it hard for people who don't learn the words well 
enough to win - they are going to miss a square, and then 
they can't win!  Then, the cards that have been shown are placed 
face up with one on top of the other - if someone missed out on 
seeing that was played, they cannot ask to see them again! 
You have to pay attention!

3. Play it just like bingo - only there are two wins in a game - 
the first when someone gets squares all in a row (or there are 
options - on the corners - "esquinas" this version is called; 
and the inside four squares "cuadros") - the final win in the 
game is when all of the squares are covered. You have to find 
your own markers - and typically people use beans, small stones, 
bottle caps, coins, buttons - anything that seems handy. A lot 
of people play by covering the squares for one round, and then 
leaving the markers in place, and instead of putting them on 
this time, they take them off. This takes some getting used to, 
but it a good exercise in concentration and learning to think 
differently. Try it!

4. If you want, you can place small bets at the beginning of each 
round - the winner takes all. So there would be two times during 
each session that everyone puts up - say - a penny: before the 
game starts, and after the first part where the first person will 
have made "buenas", or have gotten their markers in a row (or 
"esquinas" or "cuadros"). You can also use loteria for money 
raising events, by having people pay for their cards each time, 
and then awarding prizes to the winners. If, for instance, there 
are duplicate cards, from having bought several sets and using 
them altogether, the rule that whoever says "buenas" first wins - 
or they have a playoff of strictly one round of "esquinas", usually, 
between tied players.