Guandan Basics

Guandan is played by two teams of two, with your partner sitting opposite you. Two decks give each player 27 cards, and the aim is to empty your hand quickly; finishing first matters, but your partner’s finishing position also decides how far your team advances.

Level cards and heart wild cards

Single cards rank red joker, black joker, the current level rank, then ordinary A down to 2. Heart level cards are wild: in combinations they can stand in for any non-joker card, and played alone they remain level cards. Sequences use natural rank and cannot wrap through K-A-2. At level 2, suppose you hold 7♠, 7♣ and 2♥: you can declare the heart two as a seven to form three sevens. A selection can sometimes be read more than one way, so confirm the declaration before playing.

Beating a play

Ordinary plays must match shape and length, then compare the main rank; full houses compare their triple. Bombs beat ordinary plays, and among bombs the order is four jokers, bombs of six or more cards, straight flushes, five-card bombs, then four-card bombs; equal-sized bombs compare rank. If a player goes out and everyone else passes, that player’s partner leads the next trick, often called “borrowing the wind.” Before overtaking your partner, consider whether it costs your team the lead.

Advancing and tribute

The first finisher’s team advances three, two or one levels if the partner finishes second, third or last. If you finish first and your partner third, your team advances two. BluffKing matches start at level 2 and run up to 24 deals. A must actually be played: the team on A passes it by finishing first with the partner not last, which ends the match early; the regional three-failed-attempts reset to level 2 is not used. Before the next deal, last place gives first place its highest card (excluding heart level cards), and first place returns a non-level card ranked ten or lower; double tribute and cancellation are covered in the full rules.

Tips for your first match

• Read the automatic groups first, then adjust one combination yourself and check the declaration the hint shows. Hints use only your hand and public cards, never opponents’ cards.
• Each action allows 30 seconds; autoplay takes over a timed-out or disconnected seat, and the match pauses if everyone is offline.

Guandan records team levels and match results rather than settling a chip pot. Membership does not change rules or dealing; this game currently has no per-deal cryptographic verification material. See the fairness page.

Practise and keep reading

Game features and rules · Open the game lobby · Full rules and scoring

Which of the seven games should you play? · What to check when choosing a platform