Placing Your Bets
Let's get ready for game night! We will start by learning the basic terms for the round (runda) and the bet (pariul).
| The round started and he accepted my bet. | Runda a început și mi-a acceptat pariul. |
When things get serious, you will need the word for the stake (miza) and the verb to bet (paria). Note that the adverb și, when placed right before a past tense verb, can mean "actually" or "already."
| He actually bet the whole stake. | El a și pariat toată miza. |
Cards and Bluffs
When playing cards, you want to hold on to the ace (asul) and the trump card (atuul). Both of these are masculine or neuter nouns taking the definite article -ul.
| He already played the ace, so his trump card was red. | A și jucat asul, deci atuul său a fost roșu. |
Of course, if you don't have good cards, you can always rely on the bluff (cacialmaua). Because the base noun ends in a vowel, its definite form takes the -a suffix.
| He discovered my bluff. | El mi-a descoperit cacialmaua. |
| Did she already play the ace or the bluff? | Ea a și jucat asul sau cacialmaua? |
High Risks
Finally, let's talk about the consequences of bad behavior at the table. You will need the verbs to risk (risca) and to cheat (trișa). You will often see these verbs paired with the informal future tense structure o să in conditional "if/then" statements to warn opponents about their actions.
| If you cheat, you will risk everything. | Dacă o să trișezi, o să riști totul. |
| I will not risk betting the car! | Nu o să risc să pariez mașina! |
| If he cheats, I will not pay the bet. | Dacă el o să trișeze, eu nu o să plătesc pariul. |