How do I play?
Play your first round of Guandan
Start with what happens at the table. The essential rules stay in view; the denser details and terminology wait below when you need them.
The point of the game
You play the table with a partner, not just your own hand.
Four players form two fixed teams. Your partner sits opposite you: Blue holds seats 1 and 3, Red holds seats 2 and 4. Empty your hand early, but read every finish as a team result.
The first player out gives their partnership the round. Their partner finishing second, third, or fourth sets the advance: +3, +2, or +1 levels.
Your partner is across the table. Their cards are hidden, but their timing, passes, and finish place are part of every decision.
Your first round
How play moves around the table
Think in this loop. Setup matters, but you can learn it after you know what you are trying to do.
- 01
Lead
When the table is clear and it is your turn, lead any legal combination from your hand.
- 02
Answer or pass
Beat a normal play with the same type and shape at a higher strength, use a bomb, or pass. Passing is always voluntary while a play is on the table.
- 03
Clear the table
When every other active player has passed, the last unbeaten player takes control. The table clears and that player leads again.
- 04
Finish together
Going out first wins the round for your team. Where your partner finishes determines how far the team advances.
Read the table
Recognize the shapes before you need them.
You do not need every edge case to start. Learn these shapes, then practice the turn loop below.
- Single
- One card. A level-rank card beats an ordinary Ace; Jokers rank above level cards.
- Pair
- Two cards of the same rank. Two Jokers of the same color also form a legal high pair.
- Triple
- Three cards of the same rank. Triples compare by that rank.
- Straight
- Five consecutive natural ranks. Ace may be low, so A-2-3-4-5 is legal.
- Full house
- A triple plus a pair. Two Jokers of the same color may form the pair.
- Three consecutive pairs
- Three pairs in natural sequence. A response must keep the same shape.
- Two consecutive triples
- Two triples in natural sequence. This is a normal combination, not a bomb.
- Rank bomb
- Four or more cards of one rank form a bomb. A bomb can beat any normal combination.
- Straight flush
- Five consecutive cards of one suit. It is treated as a bomb.
- Four-Joker bomb
- The four-Joker bomb, 天王炸, beats every other combination.
On your turn
Lead, follow, beat, pass, clear.
A clear table lets you lead any valid play. Otherwise, match the type and, for sequence plays, the length; then be stronger. A bomb may beat a normal play. After a bomb, only a stronger bomb can answer.
You may pass even with a legal answer. You are not out of the round: once the table clears, you can play again when the turn reaches you.
Practice a response at the table
Choose cards, then play or pass just as you would at the table. You can also submit an invalid selection to learn why it does not work.
Every round changes the deck
Level cards and wild cards
Teams begin at level 2 and climb toward Ace. The active level rank is higher than an ordinary Ace for rank-based comparisons, with black Jokers and then red Jokers above it.
The heart cards of the active level rank are 逢人配, the wild cards. They may stand in for normal non-Joker cards to make a legal play, including a bomb or straight flush. In sequences, ranks still use their natural order, so the level rank does not jump above Ace.
Level rank
Spot 逢人配
Change the active level. Each heart of that rank becomes a wild card, while the other suits are powerful level-rank cards.
Use the wild card inside a combination
逢人配 is not its own combination type. It stands in for a missing ordinary card; the resulting shape is the combination that counts.
Pair + wild → triple
The heart level card stands in for a third Queen.
Triple + single + wild → full house
The wild card pairs the King, completing a full house.
Three of a kind + wild → bomb
Three natural Eights plus the heart level card become a four-of-a-kind bomb.
3–4 + wild + 6–7 → straight
The heart level card fills the missing Five, completing 3–4–5–6–7.
The score is a partnership result
Finish order moves the level.
A player finishes when their final play empties their hand. The first finisher’s team wins the round; the partner’s finish place sets the advance.
1st + partner 2nd
+3 levels
A sweep; the round ends immediately.
1st + partner 3rd
+2 levels
A decisive partnership result.
1st + partner 4th
+1 level
Still a round win, but the smallest advance.
If partners take first and second, the round ends immediately and the other team finishes third and fourth. If only one player still holds cards, that player finishes fourth.
The next round remembers
Tribute, then prove Ace.
After the first round, the finish order can reshape the next deal before the opening lead.
Tribute happens between rounds
In standard tribute, the previous fourth-place player gives the previous first-place player their highest eligible card; first place returns a 2–10 card that is neither a Joker nor the active level rank. A heart level wild card cannot be tribute.
A first-and-second sweep triggers double tribute. Third place gives first, then fourth place gives; the higher tribute goes to first and the other to second. If they tie, the earlier tribute from third place goes to first place. Two red Jokers on the tribute-giving side defend against tribute, whether held by one player or split between them.
Walk through tribute
Practice standard tribute, double tribute, and a red-Joker defense at the table. You will give tribute, choose return cards, and take returns; highlighted hands sometimes contain several legal choices.
Ace is not an automatic match win
Reaching Ace gives a team a chance to finish the match. At Ace, a +2 or +3 round win ends it; a +1 result does not. Each team has three chances at Ace before returning to level 2.
Build the hand you were dealt
Shape one crowded hand into a plan.
Guandan is not only about recognizing one legal play. Much of the game is structuring the 27 cards you receive into a set of combinations that uses the hand efficiently and leaves as few awkward cards as possible.
The best structure depends on the actual deal: connected ranks, bombs, wild-card possibilities, and overlapping shapes may all compete for the same cards. Grouping the hand makes those tradeoffs visible before you commit to a play.
Read a crowded hand
Arrange a full random 27-card hand. Select cards and group promising combinations; Reset groups keeps this deal, while Reset hand deals a new one.
When you want the fine print
Reference and table language
These details are useful once the first-round loop feels familiar.
Setup and the opening lead
Guandan uses two 54-card decks: 108 cards, including two red and two black Jokers. Every player receives 27 cards. In the first round, the player dealt the marked face-up card leads; later rounds deal first, then resolve tribute or its defense, then begin play.
Exact comparisons and bombs
Same-color Joker pairs are legal high pairs, and a triple plus a same-color Joker pair is a legal full house. Equal strength never beats the table play.
Bomb order is four of a kind, five of a kind, straight flush, six of a kind, seven of a kind, eight of a kind, then the four-Joker bomb. Within each category, the higher rank or straight wins.
Clearing, finishers, and Ace edge cases
If the player who last led a table play has already finished when the pass rotation returns, their active partner takes the cleared lead when possible; otherwise the next active seat does.
Each team has three chances at Ace. A +1 win or a loss by the team currently at Ace uses one chance. After the third unsuccessful attempt, that team returns to level 2.
Key Chinese terms
上游
shàngyóu
first finisher
逢人配
féng rén pèi
heart level-rank wild card
炸弹
zhàdàn
bomb
进贡 / 还贡
jìn gòng / huán gòng
tribute / return
Review the table vocabulary
Open the full compact glossary of terms you are most likely to hear at a Guandan table.
Ready for the table?
Play one round. Learn the rhythm with your partner.
Start a table with bots or friends when you are ready. If you want the story behind the rules first, read why Guandan matters.