Dou Di Zhu - Game Play

Game Play

A shuffled pack of 54 cards is dealt to three players. Each player is dealt 17 cards each, with the last three leftover "kitty" cards detained on the playing desk, face down.

All players first review and appraise their own cards without showing their cards to the other players. Then, players take turns to bid for the Landlord position by telling the other players the risk stake they are willing to accept.

There are three kinds of risk stakes, 1, 2, and 3, with 1 being the lowest and 3 being the highest. Generally, the more confident a player is in the strength of one's cards, the higher the risk stakes one is willing to bid. In most of the online game rooms, the first bidder is chosen randomly by the system. In reality, players usually make up their own rules as to who gets to bid first.

A player may accept the prior player's bid by passing their turn to bid or one may try to outbid the prior player as long as the prior player did not bet 3 as the risk stake. In other words, 1 can be outbid by 2 or 3; 2 can only be outbid by 3; and 3 cannot be outbid.

The highest bidder takes the Landlord position; and the remaining players enter the Farmer team competing against the Landlord. The three leftover wild cards are then revealed to all players before dealt to the Landlord.

The Landlord wins if he or she has no cards left. The Farmer team wins if either of the Farmers have no cards left.