Sichuan Cards

3 players · You against two AIs · One deal

1. 1

   Objective

   • All three players compete separately. End the deal when only one player still holds cards. The largest scoring pile wins; tied leaders draw.
2. 2

   Setup

   • Use four copies of each of the 21 domino identities, 84 cards total. Exclude the eight Listen–Use and God of Wealth extras. Deal 28 cards each and choose the first leader randomly. Blue-fleuron marks do not affect rank.
   • If a starting hand contains both Nail (1–2) and Two Red (2–4), move all cards of both kinds directly to that player’s scoring pile. Holding just one kind grants no bonus.
3. 3

   Playing a turn

   • The first play of a round is the lead. Lead one to four cards of exactly the same domino pattern, or a Tian Jiu, Di Ba, Ren Qi or He Wu combination described below. Each other player who still has cards acts once in order, then the round ends.
   • To beat the current highest play, your cards must belong to the same family, contain the same number of cards, and rank higher. If you can beat it, you must play. Otherwise pass without discarding any cards.
   • Ordinary domino patterns belong to four families below. Compare ranks only within the same family: “>” means the left is higher and “=” means equal. Different families cannot beat each other.
   • Main long family: Heaven > Earth > Man > Harmony > Long Three > Plum Blossom > Bench.
   • Yao family: Cat > High Foot > Four–Six > Axe.
   • Black family: Black Nine > Straight Eight = Crooked Eight > Black Seven > Black Five.
   • Red family: Red Nine > Red Seven > Red Five > Ding Ding = Two Red.
   • Equal rank does not mean an identical pattern. Straight Eight and Crooked Eight tie, but cannot form a pair together. Ordinary pairs, triples and four-card groups must have exactly the same pattern.
   • A special combination contains at least one Heaven, Earth, Man or Harmony and at least one matching total: Heaven with nine pips, Earth with eight, Man with seven, Harmony with five. Equal card counts are required. Heaven–Nine > Earth–Eight > Man–Seven > Harmony–Five. Red and black matching totals may mix.
4. 4

   Scoring and ending

   • At the end of a round, the winner adds only their own winning play to their scoring pile. Other played cards leave the deal. The winner leads again. If their hand is empty, the next player clockwise still holding cards leads.
   • Each scoring-pile card is worth one point, including starting Nail/Two Red bonuses. Settle when only one player has cards. That player’s unplayed cards do not score.