How to play Guandan
Guandan ("throwing eggs") is a climbing card game for four players in two fixed teams, played with two packs of cards including the jokers (108 cards). Partners sit opposite each other and play passes to the right. Each player gets 27 cards. The aim is to get rid of your cards: the team of the first player to go out wins the hand, and the better the partner finishes, the more levels the team goes up.
Levels and wild cards
Both teams start at level 2. Each hand is played at the level of the team that won the last hand. That rank, the level card, becomes the strongest rank after the jokers. The two hearts of the level rank are wild (in Chinese 逢人配): they can stand for any card except a joker, to complete a pair, a straight or a bomb.
Card order for singles, pairs, triples and bombs: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K A, level card, small joker, big joker. In straights, tubes and plates the cards keep their natural order, and the ace can be high or low.
Playing a hand
- The first player leads any combination. Each player in turn must beat it with the same kind of combination, higher, or pass.
- When the other three pass in a row, the last player to play leads again.
- If that player has just gone out, the lead goes to their partner (in Chinese 接风, "catching the wind").
- The hand ends when both players of one team have gone out.
Combinations
| Combination | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Single | one card | 8 |
| Pair | two of a rank (two small or two big jokers also make a pair) | 9 9 |
| Triple | three of a rank | K K K |
| Full house | a triple with a pair, ranked by the triple | 7 7 7 + 4 4 |
| Straight | exactly 5 ranks in a row; the ace may be high or low | 10 J Q K A |
| Three pairs (tube) | three pairs in a row | 5 5 6 6 7 7 |
| Two triples (plate) | two triples in a row | 8 8 8 9 9 9 |
| Bomb | 4 to 10 cards of one rank; more cards beat fewer | 5 5 5 5 |
| Straight flush | a straight in one suit: beats a 5-card bomb, loses to a 6-card bomb | ♠ 6 7 8 9 10 |
| Four jokers | both small and both big jokers: beats everything | 🃏🃏🃏🃏 |
Going up levels and winning
- Your team goes out 1st and 2nd: up 3 levels.
- 1st and 3rd: up 2 levels. 1st and 4th: up 1 level.
- The winning team's level is played in the next hand.
- A team that wins a hand at its own level A, 1st and 2nd or 1st and 3rd, wins the match. After three failed tries at A it starts again from 2.
Tribute
From the second hand on, the losers pay tribute before play. After a 1st-and-2nd win, both losers give their highest card (not a wild card): the higher one goes to the first player out, the other to the second. Otherwise the last player out gives a card to the first player out. Each receiver gives back a card of 10 or lower. Whoever paid the higher tribute leads the hand. If the paying side holds both big jokers, there is no tribute and the previous first player out leads.
Guandan strategy tips
- Plan your hand in plays. Twenty-seven cards are a lot. Group them into straights, three pairs, plates and full houses so you need as few turns as possible.
- Keep the wild cards flexible. A wild heart is most valuable for completing a bomb or a straight flush. Don't waste it on a pair you could play anyway.
- Bombs win the lead back. Use them to stop an opponent who is nearly out, or when your remaining cards will go out after it.
- Help your partner. Don't beat your partner's play. When your partner is low on cards, lead singles or pairs they can follow.
- Count the big cards. There are only four jokers and eight cards of each rank. Remember which ones are gone.
- The partner's finish matters. Going out first is only half the job: 1st and 2nd gives three levels, 1st and 4th only one.
Tip: tap cards or swipe across them to select. Hint suggests a play and cycles through others each time you tap it. If wild cards make two readings possible (say three pairs or two triples), you choose which one to play.
Where Guandan comes from
Guandan grew out of local climbing games in Huai'an, Jiangsu, in the 1960s and 70s, and spread from there through Jiangsu, Anhui and across China. It is the game of choice in many offices and family gatherings. National and provincial tournaments are held, and it is often called a sport for the mind. Sources: Wikipedia, pagat.com.
Rules differ between regions and apps, for example in the levels gained for a 1st-and-2nd win, whether the returned card must be 10 or lower, and what happens at level A. This table uses the rules described above.
What does Guandan mean?
掼蛋 (guàndàn) means "throwing eggs". The game comes from Huai'an in Jiangsu province and is now one of the most played card games in China, especially in Jiangsu and Anhui.
How many players and cards?
Four players in two teams of two, with two full packs including all four jokers: 108 cards, 27 for each player. Partners sit opposite each other.
What is the level and the wild card?
Each hand is played at a level, starting at 2. The level rank becomes the strongest rank after the jokers, and the two hearts of that rank are wild (逢人配): they can stand for any card except a joker.
What beats a bomb?
A bomb with more cards, a bigger bomb of the same size, or a higher bomb type. From low to high: 4 of a kind, 5 of a kind, straight flush, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of a kind, then the four jokers.
Can a straight have more than five cards?
No. In Guandan a straight is exactly five cards. Longer runs are not allowed; use three pairs in a row (a tube) or two triples in a row (a plate) instead.
How does tribute work?
From the second hand, if the winners went out 1st and 2nd, both losers give their highest card (not a wild card) to the winners. Otherwise the last player out gives one card to the first. Each receiver gives back a card of 10 or lower. Tribute is cancelled when the paying side holds both big jokers.
How do you win the match?
Teams go up 1, 2 or 3 levels when they win a hand. A team that wins a hand at its own level A, with the partner not last, wins the match. After three failed tries at A it starts again from 2.
How does online play work?
Press Play online and you sit at the next open 4-seat table; the game starts as soon as the seats are filled. You have 25 seconds to play and 15 seconds to give back a tribute card. If your time runs out twice, auto-play takes over until you tap to take back control. The table keeps playing hand after hand until the match is won.
Is it free?
Yes. There is nothing to download and no account to make.
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