How to play Guandan

1Set up

• 4 players, in two teams. Partners sit opposite each other.
• Two full decks with all four jokers = 108 cards.
• Everyone gets 27 cards.
• Play goes around the table. In China it usually goes counter-clockwise (to your right).

First hand: someone flips one card face-up into the deck, and whoever ends up holding it plays first. After that, the tribute decides who starts (section 8).

2The goal

• In each hand, you want to get rid of all your cards first, and you want your partner out soon after you.
• Winning a hand moves your team up levels. Everyone starts at level 2.
• The first team to climb past Ace wins the game.

3Which cards are strongest

Normally the order is the usual one, with jokers on top. Suits don't matter, except for hearts and straight flushes.

The twist: the level card

Each hand is played "at" a level, and that rank jumps up to sit just under the jokers. At level 2, the 2s are the strongest normal cards. At level 7, the 7s are.

Example, playing at level 7:

Wild cards: the heart level cards

There are two of them, because there are two decks. At level 7 they're the two 7♥. A wild card can stand in for any card except a joker, in any combination or bomb. Say what it's standing for when you play it.

Played alone, a wild card counts as a normal level card.

4What you can play

When you lead, you can play any one of these. Everyone after you has to play a higher one of the same kind and the same size, a bomb, or pass.

5Bombs (炸弹)

A bomb beats any normal play. A bomb can only be beaten by a bigger bomb. From weakest to strongest:

1. 4 of a kind
   6♠6♥6♣6♦
2. 5 of a kind
3. Straight flush: 5 in a row, all the same suit
   9♥10♥J♥Q♥K♥
4. 6 of a kind
5. 7, 8 of a kind and so on. With wilds you can get 9 or even 10.
6. All four jokers (天王炸): beats everything.
   BIG
   JOKERBIG
   JOKERSMALL
   JOKERSMALL
   JOKER

Within the same size, the higher rank wins (in level order), so 4 Kings beat 4 Nines.

6How a round of play works

1. The leader plays any combination.
2. Going around, each player beats it (same kind, higher) or bombs it or passes. Passing doesn't lock you out; you can jump back in when your turn comes round again.
3. When the other three all pass in a row, the last person to play wins the round and leads again with anything they like.
4. When you play your last card, you're out. If nobody beats your last play, your partner gets the lead (接风).
5. The hand ends as soon as both players on one team are out.

Once you're down to 10 cards or fewer, you have to say how many you've got if someone asks.

7Climbing levels

The finishing order is what counts. The first player out wins the hand for their team. How far that team climbs depends on where the partner finished:

The losing team stays where they are. Next hand is played at the winners' new level.

Some groups, and some English rule books, give 4 levels for 1st and 2nd. Agree before you start.

8Tribute (进贡)

From the second hand on, before anyone plays, the losers pay a card to the winners.

• Single tribute (after a 1-3 or 1-4 win): the player who came last gives their highest card (not a wild) to whoever came first.
• Double tribute (after a 1-2 win): both losers pay their highest card. The higher card goes to 1st place, the other to 2nd.
• Return (还贡): each winner who got a card hands one back. It's usually a card of 10 or lower.
• Refusing tribute (抗贡): if the losers who'd have to pay hold both big jokers between them, nobody pays.
• Who starts: whoever paid the higher tribute card leads. With no tribute, the previous winner leads.

9Winning the game

• Once your team is on Ace, you have to win a hand at Ace to win the game.
• Most groups say a win at Ace must be 1-2 or 1-3. If your partner comes last, you stay on Ace and try again.
• Many groups also say a team that fails at Ace three times drops back to 2. Check house rules.

10A worked example

Level 2. You are You, partner is P, opponents are L (left) and R (right). Order: You → R → P → L.

1. You lead a pair
   4♠4♦
2. R plays a higher pair
   9♣9♥
3. P passes. No need to fight your partner's side when you could save cards.
4. L plays
   K♣K♠
5. You play a pair of level cards, which beat Kings and Aces at level 2
   2♠2♣
6. R, P and L pass. You win the round and lead anything. You lead a straight
   5♠6♦7♣8♥9♠
7. R bombs it with 4 Jacks
   J♠J♥J♣J♦
   P could beat that with a bigger bomb but chooses to save it. Everyone passes. R leads next.

That's the whole rhythm: same type higher, bomb, or pass, and keep track of what's gone.

11Beginner tips

• Plan your hand first. Sort 27 cards into groups: bombs, straights, tubes, plates, triples, pairs, singles. Fewer groups means fewer turns to get out.
• Get rid of junk early. Lead your weak singles and pairs while others are still holding big cards.
• Don't beat your partner unless it helps them, for example when they're stuck or low on cards.
• Help your partner get out. If they have one card left, lead a low single.
• Count the big stuff. At least track the jokers, the level cards and the two wilds.
• Bombs are for taking control, not for winning one round. Use one to grab the lead before you play a run that gets you out.
• Save the wilds. Turning 3 of a kind into a bomb, or filling a straight flush, is usually worth more than a single.

13Cheat sheet