how to play card game 'tichu'

 

https://tichu.be/

Tichu is a card game. It's similar to poker, and another similar game would be UNO (or One Card

It's played with four people in teams of two. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins, and the game continues until there's only one player left :)

The exciting part of this card game is the betting system - if you're confident you can go out first, you can call either 'Grand Tichu' (worth 200 points) or 'Small Tichu' (worth 100 points). 

If you succeed in going out first, your team gets those points. But if you fail after making the call, your team loses the same amount of points.

Also, if both players from the same team finish 1st and 2nd, that team gets a bonus of 100 points.

Tichu Game Rules Summary:

Basic Rules:

• 4 players in 2 teams
• First player to play all cards wins

Scoring System:

• Grand Tichu Declaration: +200 points if successful, -200 points if failed
• Small Tichu Declaration: +100 points if successful, -100 points if failed
• One-Two Finish: +100 points if teammates finish 1st and 2nd

Key Point: A high-risk, high-reward game where you can declare Tichu for big points when confident, but lose big if you fail.

"I played consecutive pairs 3344

"I played 3344, but my opponent played a higher combination QQKK and took the trick from me."

my team played a straight of 6 cards.

My opponent countered with a J-high 6-card straight

Tichu Card Playing Method Summary:

Basic Principle: You must play a higher combination of the same type as the previous player's cards  

Card Combinations (Hand Rankings):

• Single: 1 card (Sparrow(1),2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A,Phonix,Dragon)
• Pair: 2 cards of the same number (22,33,44,55,66,77,88,99 ... AA)
• Triple: 3 cards of the same number ( 222,333,444,555,666...AAA)
• Full House: Pair + Triple (22333,22444,33555,44999,QQAAA,QQ333...etc)
• Straight: 5 or more consecutive cards (23456,34567,45678,56789...etc)
• Consecutive Pairs: Connected pairs of consecutive numbers (minimum 4 cards 3344,334455,33445566,991010JJQQ... etc)



Bombs include a 5-card straight flush of the same suit

• Bomb: 4 cards of the same number OR 5+ card straight flush (2222,3333,same color straight-23456,34567,45678910~...)

 and a 4-of-a-kind. You can play these bombs anytime you want, even when it's your opponent's turn. If your opponent can't counter with a higher bomb, you take control of the turn

Special Cards in Tichu:

Dog :

• Passes the turn immediately to your teammate
• However, if your teammate has already finished the game, it skips to the next person after your immediate opponent (depending on the situation and positions, this could be yourself or the other teammate)

Sparrow :

• Valued as 1 (lowest card)
• The player with this card starts the game
• Can make a "wish" - calling for a specific card number that other players must play if they have it

Phoenix :

• Wild card that can be any value you choose
• Worth 1.5 times the highest card in the trick it's played in
• Cannot be used in bombs
• Worth -25 points when counted

Dragon :

• Highest single card (beats everything in singles)
• Winner must give all cards from that trick to an opponent
• Worth 25 points when counted

Game Flow:

• The lead player's cards determine what combination can be played in that trick - if a single is played, only singles can be played in that trick; if a 7-card straight is played, only 7-card straights can be played 
• Trick ends when 3 players pass consecutively

Key Point: A climbing game where you can only play higher combinations of the same type

1. Give Dragon/Phoenix to your partner. This lets your partner know the opponents don't have these powerful cards, enabling safer play.

2. When you have a strong hand, prioritize optimizing your own combinations rather than giving high cards to your partner. But be careful - if you give low cards to your partner without calling Tichu, they might not be happy with you.

3.When you have a bomb, don't reveal it until your opponents are down to just a few cards. Let them burn through all their high cards thinking they're safe, then drop your bomb to break their momentum. With only low cards left in their hands, they'll struggle to finish the game.

4.You can call Small Tichu at any point before playing your first card. This means you can pass repeatedly, waiting until you're sure you can win, then declare Small Tichu and go for it.

5.Support your teammate when they call Tichu by helping them go out first. For instance, if an opponent plays a single K, you can counter with your A, then lead with a low single to make opponents waste their high cards while letting your teammate dump low cards. When your Tichu-calling teammate uses the Dog to give you the lead, the implicit rule is to simply play one single card. I've noticed this unwritten etiquette from playing online