Tough Questions: Find the Syracuse trivia night that's right for you

The buzzy commotion of the bar softened and gazes shot to the front of the room in excited anticipation.

"The 'Seychelles' are a group of islands in what ocean?" Brian Cocca asked the group gathered at Trapper's Pizza in East Syracuse. Teams as small as three or as large as six were crammed around tables laden with drinks, appetizers, free popcorn, and baskets containing the cellphones of all participants. Trivia nights need to take certain precautions in the age of the smartphone.

"We're the Three Musketeers," Kirkville resident Nancy Fuegel said, after she and her two partners, husband, Bill, and friend, Doris Curcinga, came to a consensus about the islands and turned in their answer. She cackles: "We've come in last place every time."

The Three Musketeers have enthusiastically come to Trapper's Trivia Night for the past seven weeks, unperturbed by their losing record. "Someone's gotta do it," Curinga grinned.

Although it's the only trivia night that group attends, Trapper's certainly isn't the only game in town: 14 other bar-hosted trivia nights dot Syracuse and the surrounding area. Monday through Friday, a night doesn't go by lacking tough questions, grand prizes, and brain-stumping fun.

Cocca, whose eyes twinkle as his voice takes on the perfect game-show host cadence, owns Syracuse Trivia Company, which puts on eight different trivia events every week. "I've kind of established a fan base," he said. "The way I structure the games -- five questions, take a break, five questions, take a break -- keeps people engaged, but allows them to have time to buy food, and hang out. It's the perfect happy medium."

A hush once again comes over the room. "The 'Seychelles' are a group of islands in the... Indian Ocean!" Cocca announced, causing cheers and groans to erupt from the crowd. High-fives are exchanged and playful glares are shot, the omens of satisfaction and frustration respectively. Not every team got the question correct, but, as the Three Musketeers well know, racking up points isn't the only point.

If you think you're ready to test your chops, pick a trivia night that's right for you, and let the games begin:

See something that looks good? Plug the address into your GPS and get going.

(Bonus points if you can answer what GPS stands for.)