Tichu
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- Tichu took much of its rules and mechanics from Zheng Fen. It is a partnership climbing card game, and the object of play is to rid yourself of your hand, preferably while scoring points in the process.
- Playing Tichu: Tichu is a Swiss card game I received and learned from a Swiss friend I met in Hong Kong during my internship project there. The game is very easy to learn, and according to the makers it is 'not to be explained':Tichu is not to be explained(If we h.
- Tichu can be a tricky game, full of difficult decisions. Every play depends strongly on context. Almost all of the above suggestions should in certain situations be completely ignored, but in providing a default framework, this page hopes to help you improve at least a little your Tichu.
- Tichu is a team game. One can only score big points when one understands ones partner. Usually Tichu is played up to 1000 points. The single games are quick.
Fata Morgana Spiele
Rules Translated by Chris Mellor and then edited by Aaron D. Fuegi (aarondf@bu.edu)
Originally typed by Dawn Thurbon
Originally distributed from The Rules Bank by Mike Siggins
Version 1
Tichu Nanjing (for four players)
The Cards
There are four suits (Jack, Sword, Pagoda, Star) of 13 cards each corresponding in value to Bridge cards ie. The highest card in each suit being the Ace and the lowest being the '2'. The '10's' lie between the '9' and the 'Jack'.
There are four special cards : Mah Jong, Dog, Phoenix and Dragon (see illustration in German rules) - which brings the total number of cards to 56.
The players play in two teams each of two players. Each player sits opposite his partner and they work together in acquiring points.
Preparation
The winner of the previous round shuffles and cuts the deck.
Instead of dealing out the cards, each player in turn takes a card from the top of the deck until the pile is exhausted and each player has 14 cards in his hand. Editor's note: We just deal the cards normally by first dealing 8 cards to each player and later giving each player 6 more (the reason for the two phases of dealing is below).
Now give one of your cards to each of the other three players. In effect, then, you will pass on 3 cards of your choice and receive 3 unknown ones in return.
The Game
The game is started by the player who has the Mah Jong card. He may lay down any one of the following combinations:
Example
- A single card - 4
- A pair (two cards of the same value) - 8,8
- A run of pairs of adjoining values - 9,9,10,10,J,J
- A triple (three cards of the same value) - 2,2,2
- A full house (triple and pair) - 5,5,5,9,9
- A row (also known as a straight or run) of at least five cards (the Ace can be used in a run but only as a high card such as 10JQKA - A2345 is not a legal play) - 4,5,6,7,8
The next player (to the right of the previous player) now has the following options:
Passing or Playing a similar combination but of a higher value
So, a single card can only be beaten by the playing of a single card (and this must be of a higher value); a run of 2 pairs by a run of 2 higher pairs, a row of 6 cards only by a higher row of 6 cards (3,4,5,6,7,8 is beaten by, at a minimum a row of 4,5,6,7,8,9), a full house by a higher full house (in a full house, only the value of the triple is taken into consideration). The only exception to this rule is the 'Bomb' - see later.
Play then proceeds to the next player on the right. If all four players pass consecutively, the player who laid the last (highest) card combination, takes the trick and starts play again - if he has no more cards in his hand, he retires from the game and play proceeds to his neighbour on the right (if he also has no cards, then play goes to the next person on the right etc.). It is legal for players to pass and then come back in again as long as some other player played in between.
The Special Cards
The 'Mah Jong' Card
Whoever has this card in his hand makes the first lead (but in doing so does not actually have to play the Mah Jong card although me may do so if he wishes).
The Mah Jong card has a value of 1 and so is the lowest card in the game. It can be used to form a row eg. 1,2,3,4,5
Whoever plays the Mah Jong (alone or as part of a row) card must call for a card - that is he must name a specific card value (eg an '8' or an 'A', but not a special card). The next player who has a card of the chosen value and can play it (in accordance with the rules of the game) must then play it (under certain circumstances it can also be used as a 'Bomb'.)
If a player does not have the card value asked for, or cannot play it, then he can play any suitable combination or pass.
This condition, imposed by the playing of the Mah Jong card, remains in force on all players for all plays until somebody carries it out. Once the card is played by any playr, the condition is no longer in effect on anybody.
The Dog
The 'Dog' has no trick value. It can only be played in your own turn when you have the lead and is played as a single card. It immediately gives the 'lead' to your partner. If your partner has already retired from the game, then the lead passes to the player on his right.
The Phoenix
The Phoenix is a very powerful card. It has a value of -25 points in the final point scoring.
It can be used as a joker in any card combination (but it cannot be used to create a Bomb - see later). However, in its role as a joker it can not be used as any of the other special cards (it can only be a 2-Ace).
It can be played as a single card. It then has a value of a half point above the last card played (eg if the Phoenix is played after an '8', then the value of the Phoenix is 8.5 and can only be beaten by a single card of value '9' or higher. The Phoenix will beat an 'A' but not the Dragon. If the Phoenix is played first it has a value of 1.5
The Dragon
The Dragon is the highest single card and counts 25 points.
It can only be played as a single card and it beats even an 'A' (Ace) or an 'A and a half' (A Phoenix played on an 'A').
It can only be beaten by a 'Bomb'.
If the Dragon wins the trick, the player playing it must give the entire trick away (including its own 25 points) to a player of the opposing team (he chooses which one). Despite this, the player who won the trick also wins the next lead.
A Bomb
Bombs are:
a row of at least 5 cards following on in sequence from each other, and all of the same suit (also known as a 'straight flush')
or - four cards of the same value (also known as a 'four of a kind').
A Bomb beats all other cards, be it a single card or a card combination. A higher Bomb beats a lower one so four 8's beats four 7's.
A 'row' Bomb beats a '4' Bomb and is in turn beaten by a higher or longer row Bomb. For example the following list of Bombs is ordered from lowest to highest Bomb:
- 4444
- 5555
- 45678 (all Green)
- 56789 (all Blue)
- 234567 (all Blue)
Bombs can be brought into play at any time - even when it is not your turn. However, you must give a player a chance to lead a card and Bombs can not be played on just the Dog card.
Points Reckoning Up
The game is played until three of the four players have played all of their cards. The final play of the third player to go out automatically wins and he collects this final trick (unless of course he played the Dragon).The one player remaining, who still has cards in his hand, gives:
- any remaining cards in his hand to the opposing team.
- all the tricks he has won to the winner of the round (the player who was the first to play all his cards).
Now count up the card points:
- The 'kings' and '10's' are worth 10 points each
- The '5's' are worth 5 points each
- The Dragon is worth 25 points
- The Phoenix costs you 25 points
Exception: However, if both players of one team have a double victory (one being the winner of the round and the other coming second), then that team scores 200 points and the other team 0. In this case, card points are not counted. In fact, once this occurs there is no reason for the remaining players to even finish playing the hand.
Calling Tichu
Before playing his first card, each player has the right to declare a small 'Tichu' If he then wins the round (finishes first), his team receives an extra 100 points - otherwise the team loses 100 points.
But remember:
The 100 Tichu points are given / taken away regardless of the ordinary or double victory points scored - they do not influence them in any way.
You can call a Tichu any time before playing your first card. You can therefore choose to pass for several full tricks and still call a Tichu later.
You can also call a Tichu before passing on cards at the beginning of the round - this serves to tell your partner to pass on to you his best card.
You can neither make any arrangements with your partner nor does it help you if your partner wins.
You can also call a 'large Tichu' before you have taken your ninth card (in the 'deal' section at the very beginning of the round). This has a value of 200 extra points.
It is entirely legal for more than one player (even on the same team) to call either type of Tichu. Obviously, however, only one of them can be right.
Winning the Game
When one team reaches 1000 points they are the winners. If both teams reach 1000 points in the same round, then the winning team is the one with the most points.
Notes and Rule Details (by Aaron)
1) None of the four special cards can be used in any type of Bomb.
2) In regard to the requirements of the Mah Jong card:
- It is legal to name a card of which you know that all 4 have already been played - doing so will put no burden on any player.
- Assume a '7' has been named as the player plays a row of 12345. If you have cards 5689 and the Phoenix (joker), you do NOT have to play on the trick. However, if you have 5678 and the Phoenix, you DO have to play on the trick by making the Phoenix a 4 or a 9, allowing you to play your 'natural' 7. You would also have to play if you had 7777.
- Since bombs can be played out of order, you can do some odd things. For example, let us say you have 2222 456789 and the player before you plays the Mah Jong alone and calls for a 7. Basically you must either play a single 7 (which would be bad as it would leave you with 5 fairly low single cards) or you can instead play a bomb of 2222. If this bomb wins the trick, you must then play a 7 but it is legal to play the 7 then as part of a combination so you would be able to play the row of 456789.
4) The order of play given above is counterclockwise - each player is followed by the player on his right. Feel free to play it in the more common American clockwise fashion where each player is followed by the player on his left.
Hints
Try to get rid of your bad cards (low single cards and pairs) as quickly as possible and be economical with your 'A's', 'Dragons' and 'Bombs'.
Whoever, after a good power play, remains sitting on a single '4' has not yet grasped the garlic. That is, don't leave yourself with low cards and no way to ever get the lead.
If your partner is playing a Tichu, help him unreservedly. When you are the Mah Jong player, do not demand any card that could deprive him of a 'Bomb' nor of a trick. Naming the card you passed to the player who plays after you is one way to make sure not to hurt your partner.
If an opponent declares a 'Tichu' then play against him, so that he finds it hard to get rid of his cards.
Version 2
Tichu Tientsin (for 6 players)
There are two teams of 3 players each.
The rules are the same as for the 4 player game with the following exceptions:
The 'large Tichu' must be declared before you take your seventh card (during the deal stage).
Each player only passes on 2 cards and only to his own 2 partners. He in turn receives a card from each of them.
The 'Dog' gives the 'lead' to the partner of your choice
When reckoning up:
the last player gives the remaining cards in his hand and all his tricks to the opposing team.
the player finishing fifth gives all the tricks he has won to the winner of the round.
there is now a triple victory where one team has lost all its cards and the 3 rivals still have cards in their hands. This is worth 300 points.
Version 3
Grandseigneur (for 5-12 players)
Tichu Rules
This was marketed by Hexagames as Karrierepoker.
The Game Cabinet - editor@gamecabinet.com - Ken Tidwell
What cards to pass is an important part of Tichu strategy. When deciding what to pass, there are several goals that should weigh on one's decision. These are:1)Enabling one of the two players in your partnership to be able to call Tichu with a strong chance of making it, if possible.
2)Eliminating hard to play cards (losers) from your hand, especially, low single cards.
3)Not passing the same card to a given opponent as your opponent passed them, setting them up with at least a double, and possibly turning a double into a bomb.
For goal number one, you should determine whether your hand is probably going to be strong enough to call Tichu. If it is, then you probably do not want to pass a winner (Ace, Dragon or Phoenix) to your partner. Instead, a good rule is to pass a relatively high single card, getting it out of your hand. This pass doesn't hurt your partner, and possibly gives them a high double or triple to use as a winner. If you need to pass your partner a lower single, it is justified in this case, as you are going to call Tichu. Your hope here is that your partner will help you out, and increase your chance to make a Tichu by passing you an Ace, Dragon, or Phoenix. However, if your hand is so overpowered that you could pass one of those winners to your partner and still have a very high chance of making Tichu, you should do it, in hopes that it helps them to go out 1-2 with you.
If your hand is not strong enough to call Tichu, then you will probably want to pass a winner to your partner, hoping to enable them to call.
For goal number two, you are passing two low single cards to your opponents in most cases. I should note that if you have a straight which has a couple extra duplicate cards in it, then those cards should be considered singles. For example, 8776554 should be considered and 87654 straight, and an extra 7 and 5 singles. The 7 and 5 would be good cards to pass to your opponents. In a case where you have only one or zero low singles, but you have a low pair, especially a very low pair like 2s or 3s, you should pass the low pair, one card to each opponent. One benefit of this is that it is not possible for you to have handed your opponents a 4 of a kind bomb.
Tichu
For goal number three, you should develop a passing scheme with your partner. An example could be 'pass odd, low, left'. This would indicate that one is trying to pass an odd card left and an even card right, or barring that, the lower card left and the higher card right. If both players on a team do this, it minimizes the chance that you will each pass one of your opponents the same card. For example, if I am passing a 2 and a 3, and my partner is passing a 2 and a 3, we each pass our 3s left (to different players), and our 2s right to different players, so each opponent gets a 2 and a 3 from us. Without this rule, there is a 50% chance that we would have just passes one opponent a pair of 2s, and the other a pair of 3s, which is far worse for us, as those cards take less time to get out of their hands, and might create a bomb.
If one is passing two odd cards or two even cards, they pass the lower one left and the higher one right. While this isn't perfect, it is a greatly reduced chance of passing a duplicate card. Obviously, any system will work, as long as you agree to it with your partner ahead of time.
A couple notes on passing certain cards:
If you have the phoenix, and you aren't going to call Tichu, you should almost certainly pass it to your partner unless it is critical for something like a long straight for you, like 345P789, where without the phoenix you are left with a number of singles. This is because there is a significant chance it will enable your partner to make a straight out of some singles or to extend a straight, and can be a huge help in their calling Tichu.
If you pass the dog to your partner, it had better be because you are going to call Tichu. If you pass the dog to your partner, you may have just wrecked their Tichu. If you don't call one yourself, it could end up costing you 100 points. Of course, if after receiving the pass, your hand is wrecked and you cant make it, don't call it and lose another 100 points, but if your hand is such that the Tichu would be shaky unless the pass is good for you, you probably shouldn't pass your partner the dog. Instead, you might pass them a winner, hope they call Tichu, and help them by playing the dog yourself.
I don't recommend passing the Dog to your opponents, unless there is a player on their team that is just calling Tichu almost every hand. In that case, they could be using a plan of having the other player always pass that player their best card, to enable Tichu. Here, you could give the dog to the constant Tichu caller. Another exception, of course, is if an opponent has called Grand Tichu, or for some reason called Tichu before the pass. Here, you would always want to pass the dog to that player, since it is the lowest loser of all, and they must waste a lead getting rid of it.
The 1 is a card that you probably have no need to pass. Definitely don't pass it to your opponents, and there is probably no need to give it to your partner. One except ion is if someone has called Grand Tichu. Here, if you have the 1, get it to the player before the Grand Tichu caller, and have them play it and wish for an Ace. This 'wastes' an ace from the Grand Tichu caller's hand.