A Uniquely Chinese Card Game to Add to Family Game Nights

Most of us are finding ourselves with a lot more time at home right now. If you’re like me and getting a little sick of binge-watching Netflix you might consider gathering the family for a round of cards. One of the best things about my time in China has been the games I have learned here. My love of Mahjong is well documented but carrying around a set of tiles is less than convenient so I was thrilled when a friend introduced me to a card game called Dou Dizhu (斗地主). The polite English translation is “Struggle Against the Landlord” but there are more common monikers not fit for a family publication.

It’s a three-person game and rounds happen fairly quickly so it’s ideal for a lazy afternoon or during a case of the “I’m bored”. As with most games, there are slight variations but here is how I learned to play.

The Objective: One player is the landlord. The other two players are the tenants and play as a team. If the landlord gets rid of all of their cards first they win. If either of the tenants gets rid of their cards before the landlord then both of the tenants win.

Note that in this game, the value of cards does not follow the traditional ranking. In Dou Dizhu, a colored Joker > black & white Joker > 2 > Ace (A) > King (K) > Queen (Q) > Jack (J) > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 3. A red card will beat a black card of the same value.

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READ: A Few Chinese Tabletop Games to Learn Over Break (or Lockdown)

Images: Canva