How to Play Tổ Tôm Cards: Features and Standard Card Arrangement

[nguyenbich]

The rules and card arrangement of Tổ Tôm, a traditional Vietnamese card game, often raise questions for newcomers. Originating from China and later adapted in Vietnam, the game has undergone modifications to integrate with the Vietnamese culture. This article by m88 online sports betting reveals specific details on how to play Tổ Tôm accurately for players to reference.
Characteristics of Tổ Tôm Cards:
Tổ Tôm cards draw inspiration from the art and aesthetic style of the Land of the Rising Sun, featuring a design with delicate traditional Edo-era kimono-clad characters. The deck consists of 120 cards, including 18 cards with images of men, 4 representing women, and 4 depicting children.
Additionally, the cards illustrate rich scenes and objects such as peach blossoms, carp, and boats, all deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Each card holds significant meaning in its naming convention, with "Tam trụ" corresponding to three rows: Literature, Ten Thousand, and History. Furthermore, each card contains numbers from One to Nine, corresponding to 1 to 9, on the right side of the card.
Special cards have unique names like Lão (Old), Lang Thang (Vagabond), and Chi Chi. This aids players who are unfamiliar with Confucian characters, as each card is accompanied by an illustrative image.
How to Arrange Tổ Tôm Cards:
Before delving into how to play Tổ Tôm register at m88 it's essential to understand the card arrangement. The basic structure of the Tổ Tôm deck is organized horizontally or vertically, with some exceptions. Firstly, arranging 3 cards with the same number horizontally across the three suits (Literature, Ten Thousand, History) is called "phu bí." For example, Pair with Pair, up to Nine with Nine, within each suit.
Next, when arranging 3 or more cards with the same number vertically within a suit is called "phu dọc." Arrange from One History to Nine History, One Ten Thousand to Nine Ten Thousand, and One Literature to Nine Literature, similar to arranging cards in Western poker in a straight flush.
Basic Tổ Tôm Gameplay for Beginners:
Tổ Tôm is a traditional game played with either 5 or 4 participants. Typically, the 5-player version is more common, while the 4-player version involves dividing and discarding one card. Here are the basics for the 4-player version:
Each table for 4 players, known as "bí tứ," has specific rules. The deck is divided into 5 parts (similar to the 5-player version), with each player taking one part and the remaining part becoming the discard pile. In this version, the player who declares victory only needs to have 2 winning hands instead of 3, and there are no special winning hands like "ù thông" or "ỳ thiệp hồng." Instead, there are "ù kính nhị" and "ù thập nhị hồng."
Playing Tổ Tôm with 5 Participants:
In the 5-player Tổ Tôm, the deck is divided into 6 equal parts, each containing 20 cards. Each player takes one part, and the remaining cards are placed in the discard pile. After the cards are dealt, the dealer plays the first card by selecting one from m88 cash out pile and combining it with their hand.
Subsequently, players take turns playing in a round until there are only 5 cards left in the discard pile, and no one declares victory. The game then concludes, and multiple rounds may be combined into a single session, with the scores determined by the number of victories and their corresponding ratios.
Scoring Mechanism in Tổ Tôm:
In a solo winning hand, the scoring varies depending on the location, but a common scoring method includes:
Empty win (no distinct features): +1 point
Previous win (won the previous round): +1 point
Having "tôm" (a special combination): +1 point
"Bạch thủ" (winning with the white card): +1 point
"Xuyên 5 gian" (crossing five suits): +1 point
Having "lèo" (special arrangement): +2 points
"Thập điều" (ten features): +3 points
"Kính cụ" (special glass): +6 points
"Bạch định" (white certainty): +8 points
"Kính tứ cố" (four high features): +10 points
For a session win, a solo empty win with 2 hands is typically scored as 25 points, while a solo empty win with 4 hands is 50 points. The game concludes when a player's total score surpasses 24 or reaches 48, and the player with the highest score wins.
In Conclusion:
In general, understanding how to play Tổ Tôm involves a complex set of rules. If the description alone doesn't provide a clear understanding, it's advisable to combine reading with practical experience using the Tổ Tôm deck. Hopefully, the information provided in this article will enable players to participate more effectively and achieve significant victories.