Tiến Lên (Southern Vietnamese Rules)
Gameplay Features & Rules
- Standard 52-card deck, 13 cards dealt each, clockwise.
- Goal: players discard all cards first by playing stronger cards/combinations.
- Starting player: holds the 3 of Spades (3♠), or next smallest spade if absent.
- Subsequent rounds start with previous round’s winner leading any valid combination.
- Card rank low to high: 3 < 4 < 5 < 6 < 7 < 8 < 9 < 10 < J < Q < K < A < 2.
- Suit rank low to high: Spades ♠ < Clubs ♣ < Diamonds ♦ < Hearts ♥.
- Played combos: single, pair, triple, sequence (3+ consecutive ranks, no 2s), double sequence (3+ consecutive pairs, no 2s), bomb (four of a kind or double sequence that beats other combinations including 2s).
- Plays must match combination type and count unless overridden by bomb.
- Players may pass but cannot play again until a new trick starts.
- When all others pass, last player to play leads new trick.
- No backtracking on previous moves.
Optional Gambling Rules
Toggle to enable. Players start with 50,000d virtual currency. Direct payments (no pot):
- Last place pays first place 10,000d.
- Third place pays second place 5,000d.
- Leftover 2s penalty (1,000d black 2, 2,000d red 2 to second place).
- 'Chop' bonuses paid for beating 2s by bombs.
- "Perfectly beaten" penalty: player who never played cards pays 5,000d to winner; multiplied by 5 if player passed despite being able to play.
- Instant win hands end round; each other player owes winner 4,000d.
Instant win hands:
- Four 2s
- 12-card straight (3 to Ace)
- Six pairs
- Some variants include five consecutive pairs or three consecutive triples.