Whether we are playing for fun, to socialize, or even for money, there is a mutual and cherished love for the game. Since my parents and I only add up to 3, we often play a variation of Pedro called Cinch that doesn’ t involve partners. When we go out to local restaurants, we have a card deck on hand to play. The workers at La Hacienda or Super Burger often have to maneuver our plates of food around the cards scattered across the table. But who doesn’ t love some tacos with a side of cards?
This past year, my parents and I have hosted two Pedro parties where friends and family play in a tournament-style bracket for money. We play once with every person and total our scores of all the rounds. The player with the highest score wins the pot, and the loser, as a token of our pity, gets their money back.
Now, I will teach you how to play my favorite card game, and you too can join in the fun. My family plays to 61 points, with partners and a minimum six-point bid. Each player gets nine cards, dealt three at a time, and bidding begins to the left of the dealer based on how many points each player believes they can earn. The highest bidder chooses the suit. All non-trump cards( except the 5 of the same color) are discarded.
This is where Pedro comes into play, because I know you were wondering. The " Pedro " is the five of trump( on suit), and the five of the trump’ s same color suit( ex: five of hearts and diamonds). The Pedro is the highest point card, worth 5 points, the Jack worth 3, and Ace, deuce, and Ten worth 1.
But beyond the points, strategy, and rules, Pedro is more than just a game. It ' s about the people you play with and the memories you share. Maybe someday, the cards on your table will tell stories just like ours.
To learn more about Pedro the card game, visit:
studyinger. com / master _ pedro boardgamegeek. com / rules _ for _ pedro pagat. com / allfours _ pedro groupgames101. com / pedro
Morgan Blaettler was born and raised in Gilroy. She is pursuing a major in Creative Writing at Chapman University in Orange County, California, with a minor in Business Administration. A contributor for Gilroy-Morgan Hill TODAY, she completed an internship at She Heals the World as a Media Apprentice in 2025. She is the Publicist for the Active Minds Club at Chapman and a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She has been
published in UndertheMadness Magazine, Chapman Ouroboros Magazine, and gmhTODAY Magazine.
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