Non-consecutive pairs may not be played) three of a kind straights of at least five cards in length, regardless of suit/color (so 56789TJQ is playable) and full houses (three of a kind & a pair). Playable card combinations include: a single card any pair two or more 'stairs' (consecutive pairs for example, 55667788. A player may pass on a trick with the option to play in later (essentially checking in Poker), and a trick is completed if it is passed three times in a row. In Tichu, playable card combinations are generally based on Poker hands, with some exceptions. Should a player declare 'Tichu' before the simultaneous exchange, players are allowed to change their out-going exchange cards.Īfter the card exchange, the player with the Mah Jong leads the first trick. The differences between Grand Tichu and Tichu are when they may be called, the number of cards you've seen, and the number of points involved.Īll players prepare three cards for simultaneous exchange, with each player passing one card (face down) to each of the other players - one to each opponent and one to the partner. Once players have decided whether to make this call, six more cards are dealt (the remaining cards in the deck) and players may no longer declare 'Grand Tichu.' Now, and at any time prior to playing his/her first card, a player may call 'Tichu,' a 100-point bet that he (not his partner) will be the first to get rid of his cards. A standard 52-card deck with 4 jokers (marked to indicate the special cards) can also be used.Įach player is dealt (or alternately draws, in Chinese play) eight cards, and may call 'Grand Tichu,' a 200-point bet that he (not his partner) will be the first to get rid of his cards. The game is played with a deck of 56 cards, consisting of a 52-card deck of four suits (Jade, Sword, Pagoda, Star) plus four special cards (Mah Jong, Dog, Phoenix, Dragon). The game is traditionally run counter-clockwise, but is frequently played clockwise. However, for more comprehensive rulesets, consult the links below.Įach player sits across from their teammate so that play alternates between the two teams. The following covers the basic rules of gameplay. Tichu is the trade name for what appears to be a variant of Choi Dai Di (Cantonese) or Da Lao Er (Mandarin), meaning 'big two', combined with Zheng Fen ('Competing for Points'). Teams work to accumulate points the first team to reach a predetermined score (usually 1,000 points) is the winner.

Tichu (also known as Tai Pan) is a multi-genre card game primarily a shedding game that includes elements of Bridge, Daihinmin, and Poker played between two teams of two players each.

Hound in tichu