hốt lú

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To scoop and deal in Lú: The primary meaning refers to the specific action in the Vietnamese card game "Lú" of taking money from the pot and then dealing out cards, paying out winnings in increments of four coins. The payout is determined by the remainder when the total coins are divided by four: a remainder of three is "tam," two is "lượng," one is "yêu," and zero (a multiple of four) is "túc."

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đến lượt, anh ta hốt lú rất điệu nghệ. (When it was his turn, he performed the "hốt lú" scoop-and-deal very skillfully.)
  • Luật chơi quy định người thắng ván trước sẽ được hốt lú. (The rules state that the winner of the previous round gets to "hốt lú.")

Advanced Usage

• The term is highly specific to the traditional card game "Lú" (also called "Tú lơ khơ" or Vietnamese Poker) and describes a key mechanic of handling the pot and payouts. It is not used in a general context outside of this game.

Variants and Related Words

• Đánh lú (v): to play the card game Lú.

  • Họ ngồi đánh lú suốt đêm. (They sat playing Lú all night.)

• Tam, lượng, yêu, túc: The four possible outcomes when "hốt lú," based on the remainder of coins divided by four.

  • Hốt lú ra túc nên được nhiều tiền. (The "hốt lú" resulted in "túc," so he won a lot of money.)

Synonyms

• To bank (in a specific game context): To manage and distribute the pot in a card game. (Note: This is a conceptual synonym, as no direct English equivalent exists for this specific action.)

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms using "hốt lú" due to its highly specialized usage.