An official, academically recorded history of the card game Mexico (also known as Gangsters) does not actually exist in written historical archives, for the simple reason that it is a folk (tavern) game. It belongs to a group of local Balkan games that developed and were passed on exclusively by word of mouth — through play in company, student dorms, and taverns across the former Yugoslavia. Still, its origin and evolution can be traced quite precisely through the development of card games in Europe. Here is how the game came about and took its shape.
1. Origins in Central European games (Austro-Hungarian influence)
Mexico belongs to the large family of trick-taking games. It comes directly from games brought to the Balkans under Austro-Hungarian influence during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is played with 32 cards, the standard for the German-speaking world (so-called “Hungarian” decks were often used), and the mechanics of bidding, a 2-card talon, and choosing trump are borrowed directly from Preference and Skat.
2. Evolution: a “rebel” Preference
Preference long stood as a serious, mathematically demanding game reserved for older gentlemen, requiring long sessions and complex scoring. Mexico/Gangsters arose as a faster, more dynamic, and more aggressive version of Preference.
- The foundation was kept (three players, bidding, 10 cards in hand, a talon).
- Complex rules about suit values and contras were dropped.
- The focus shifted to pure risk and quicker games (usually played to 51 points).
3. How the names “Mexico” and “Gangsters” came about
These names have no geographic link to the country of Mexico, nor to a real mafia — they grew out of players’ urban slang.
Mexico: The name of the game comes from its strongest move. When a player announces “Mexico,” they play blind, without taking the talon, and commit to taking all 10 tricks. In slang, the word “Mexico” meant anarchy, complete uncertainty, or an all-or-nothing move.
Gangsters: This alternative name perfectly describes the psychology of the game. When one player wins the auction, the other two automatically become “allies” and must jointly — often without a word — coordinate their cards to “bring him down” (break the bid). That dynamic of temporary alliances and ruthless takedowns earned it the name Gangsters.
4. Rules and status today
Because the rules were never printed in official card-game books, many small variations exist from city to city (for example, whether a fall is written as a minus or points are added to the opponents, whether there is a special signal for teaming up, and so on).
Today Mexico is recognized as a unique part of local Balkan card culture, and with the rise of technology it has, in recent years, received its first digital versions as apps and websites where the rules are standardized in software.