Cho dai di a great time killer, just beware of the Chinese sixth sense

Have I ever mentioned that I'm a lullophobe? If you're not familiar with the word, it describes what's probably a modern malady, although I've suffered from it all my life, which is getting damned long.

A lullophobe is one who hates /is afraid of/seeks to avoid lulls. Lulls are periods of down time during which you're in company and it's not practical or polite to take out a book, such as while waiting for food in a restaurant, for transport or 45 minutes to check out of a hotel (which happened in Taishan, Guangdong province, at Lunar New Year). In all of these situations, there is one way to assuage lullophobia - play cards.

Not just any kind of cards, but the excellent southern Chinese/Hong Kong game of cho dai di - "big two". I was introduced to this game by my ex-husband (a keen gambler) in 1990 and have been playing like a demented maniac ever since.

The game is not unlike poker but it can only be played by four people. It has everything: luck, skill, evil and … a little more evil.

Make no mistake, the Chinese are born holding a packet of cards and possessing a sixth sense that can predict your hand.