Guandan rules · 掼蛋规则
How to play Guandan, the Chinese team card game
Guandan (掼蛋, “throwing eggs”) is a four-player partnership game played with two standard decks. You and your partner sit opposite each other and race to get rid of your cards before the other team. It started in Jiangsu province and is now one of the most played card games in China. If you know Big Two, President or bridge, much of it will feel familiar.
This guide covers the rules most commonly played today, including wild cards, levels and tribute. Guandan has an official competition rulebook in China and many house rules, so some details differ from table to table. Where the practice game at the bottom of this page makes a specific choice, it says so below.
What is Guandan?
Guandan is a climbing game. One player leads a combination of cards, and the others must beat it with a higher combination of the same kind or pass. When everyone passes, the last player to play wins the round and leads again. The goal is for both you and your partner to go out early. The better your team finishes, the more levels you climb. The first team to climb past Ace wins the match.
Setup
- Players: four, in two teams of two. Partners sit opposite.
- Cards: two standard decks with all four jokers, 108 cards in total.
- Deal: each player gets 27 cards. Play passes counter-clockwise.
- Levels: both teams start at level 2. Each game is played at the level of the team that won the previous game.
Card ranking and the level card
Suits do not matter for ranking. From highest to lowest:
Big Joker › Small Joker › level card › A › K › Q › J › 10 › 9 › 8 › 7 › 6 › 5 › 4 › 3 › 2
The level card is the rank your game is played at. In a game at level 2, every 2 jumps up to rank just below the jokers. In a game at level 7, the 7s do. This changes every game, which is what makes Guandan feel different each time.
Card combinations
You may play any of these combinations. To follow, you must play the same type with the same number of cards, ranked higher.
| Combination | Chinese | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 单张 | One card | K |
| Pair | 对子 | Two cards of the same rank | 8 8 |
| Triple | 三张 | Three cards of the same rank | 5 5 5 |
| Full house | 三带二 | A triple plus a pair, ranked by the triple | 9 9 9 + 4 4 |
| Straight | 顺子 | Exactly five consecutive ranks | 6 7 8 9 10 |
| Three pairs in a row | 三连对 | Three consecutive pairs | 3 3 4 4 5 5 |
| Two consecutive triples | 钢板 | Two triples next to each other in rank, sometimes called a “plate” or “steel plate” | J J J Q Q Q |
In sequences an Ace can be high (10 J Q K A) or low (A 2 3 4 5), and the level card sits at its normal place. Jokers cannot be used in sequences.
Bombs
A bomb beats any combination that is not a bomb, whatever its type. Bombs rank like this, from lowest to highest:
- Four of a kind
- Five of a kind
- Straight flush (five consecutive cards of one suit)
- Six of a kind
- Seven of a kind
- Eight of a kind (and larger, using wild cards)
- All four jokers, the strongest play in the game
Bombs of the same size compare by rank: four Ks beat four 9s.
How a round works
- The leader plays any legal combination.
- Going counter-clockwise, each player either plays a higher combination of the same type and size, plays a bomb, or passes.
- Passing does not stop you from playing later in the same round.
- The round ends when every other player who still has cards has passed since the last play. The last player to play wins the round, clears the table and leads the next one.
- Players who have already gone out take no further part, so later in a game fewer passes are needed to end a round.
- If that player has already gone out, their partner leads instead. This is called jiefeng (接风, “catching the wind”).
Going out and climbing levels
A game ends when both players of one team have gone out. The team whose player went out first climbs levels, depending on where the partner finished:
| Partner of the first player finished | Team climbs |
|---|---|
| 2nd (a “double win”) | 3 levels |
| 3rd | 2 levels |
| 4th (last) | 1 level |
To win the match, a team on level A must win a game at A with the partner not finishing last.
Tribute
From the second game onward, the losers pay tribute before play starts:
- The last-place player gives their highest card (never a wild heart) to the first-place player. This applies even when the two are partners, as in the published rules of the Haling Guandan platform; some house rules handle that case differently.
- The receiver gives back any one card of 10 or lower.
- If the losing team finished 3rd and 4th, both losers pay. The higher tribute card goes to the first-place player.
- If the paying side holds both Big Jokers between them, the tribute is cancelled.
- The player who paid the highest tribute leads the first round. If the tribute is cancelled, the first-place player from the last game leads.
House rules vary on a few edge cases. In the practice game: if both tribute cards in a double tribute are equal, the third-place player’s card goes to the first-place player and the third-place player leads; and if the receiver holds no card of 10 or lower, they give back their lowest card instead.
Beginner strategy tips
These are good starting habits, not fixed rules. Strong players break each of them when the situation calls for it.
- Lead low cards early, usually. Clearing low singles and combinations while you still hold high cards helps you win the lead back. The exception: if an opponent is about to go out, lead something they are unlikely to beat.
- Beat with the smallest card that works, usually. If a 7 wins the round, a King is often wasted. Sometimes playing high on purpose is right, for example to take the lead and set up your partner.
- Think twice before beating your partner. If your partner is winning the round, passing is often best. But if beating them lets you go out, or your partner is clearly stuck, taking over can help the team.
- Hold bombs for when they matter. Bombs are most useful for stopping an opponent close to going out or regaining the lead at a key moment. Holding one too long can also leave you stuck with it.
- Count the big cards. There are only four jokers and eight level cards. Knowing which are gone tells you when your high cards are safe.
- Use wild cards with a plan. A wild heart can complete a bomb or a straight. Spending it early on a small pair usually gives away more than it gains.
About the practice game
- It follows the rules on this page, including wild hearts, levels, tribute and passing Ace.
- The computer players and the coach use simple strategy. Their advice is a reasonable starting point, not expert play.
- Some competition rules are not included, such as limits on how many times a team may attempt to pass Ace.
Frequently asked questions
Is Guandan the same as Big Two?
They are related climbing games, but Guandan uses two decks, is played in fixed teams of two, and adds level cards, wild cards, tribute and more bomb types.
How many cards does each player get?
27 cards each, from two standard decks including all four jokers.
Which cards are wild in Guandan?
The two hearts of the current level rank. They can replace any card except a joker.
What beats a straight flush?
A bomb of six or more cards of the same rank, or all four jokers.
Can I play Guandan with fewer than four players?
The standard game needs four. In the practice game below, computer players fill the other three seats.