Mahjong, sabong, posoy dos… these are names of games that broke-ass people like myself are too familiar with. Casinos in Reno, Cache Creek, Thunder Valley, etc… are black holes located in Northern California where people spend their paychecks on Lady Luck, or as I like to call her, bitch.

And then a few years ago I found out that my family partook in something a little more proactive called paluwagan. As I see it, a paluwagan is a Filipino tradition that involves a group of people who gather, say once a month, to contribute money to a common pot/pool/fund which is then given to one of the members for them to enjoy. This repeats every month until each member has had a chance to receive the pot (this tradition of “community sharing” is reminiscent of bayanihan. Or a friendlier, kinder, mafia). My aunts and uncles meet every birthday/baptism/holiday and have a paluwagan where the contribution is $200. $2000-$3000 goes a long way to pay a few bills. In my case, for more gambling.