Tam Cúc
You and one, two or three computers. Lay face down, flip, then show a stronger set or hide yours.
Robin is the House and is choosing a set.
Order of cards and sets
From high to low: general, advisor, elephant, chariot, cannon, horse, soldier.
- 7將 general, TƯỚNG
- 6士 advisor, SĨ
- 5象 elephant, TƯỢNG
- 4車 chariot, XE
- 3砲 cannon, PHÁO
- 2馬 horse, MÃ
- 1卒 soldier, TỐT
Inside a rank, red beats black. A black elephant beats a red cannon.
Sets beat only sets of the same size: one card, a pair, three (general, advisor, elephant of one colour, or chariot, cannon, horse of one colour), four or five soldiers of one colour.
The corner chip shows the rank number and the character the card prints, over R for red or B for black. Barred cards cannot be called or win in the first round.
The first round of a hand allows nothing above the red elephant.
Bonus at this table: a low pair 4, a low three 6, black soldiers 8, red soldiers over black 16.
How to play
Pick one, two or three computers above the table, and the table remembers it. If you are the House, choose the cards of a set, press Call this, and the set goes down face down. Otherwise press as many cards as the House called and press Lay these: a real set you think is stronger, or spare cards. Your cards carry a chip with the rank number and a mark, R for red and B for black, because the cards themselves print no number.
When everybody has laid, the House's set turns over and each seat after it decides once. Show is open only when your laid set beats the best so far, and says why when it is off. Hide is always open. The best set keeps its own cards and leads the next round. At the count each seat compares its cards with par, and the last round of a hand can score kết or đè, extra points on the sheet. Pick a match above the table: standard, short, long, or a plain count with no kết or đè.
The same game with friends instead of the computers is at a table of its own, two to four seats and a link for each of the others.