OBJECTIVE OF BIG TWO: Get rid of all your cards first.
Each two remaining in hand scores 5 points. A player left with 11 or 12 cards when the play ends scores double points. If you still have all 13 cards then your score for that hand will be multiplied by three. Hong Kong Big Two. Ivan Ip describes a version of Big Two that he says is standard in Hong Kong (though other variants certainly exist. Big two is sometimes confused with tien len (a.k.a. Thirteen); the two games differ primarily in that big two involves poker hands, while tien len does not. Poker hands from highest to lowest 1. Royal flush A, K, Q, J, 10, all the same suit. Two pair Two different pairs. Pair Two cards of the same rank.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-4 players, 5-8 players with a second deck
NUMBER OF CARDS: 52-card deck (or two, depending on number of players)
RANK OF CARDS: 2 (high), A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3
RANK OF SUITS: Spades (high), Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds
TYPE OF GAME: Shedding
AUDIENCE: Adult
INTRODUCTION TO BIG TWO
Big Two (Choh Dai Di) is an Asian card game in which the central goal is being the first player to get rid of all your cards in hand. A hand has 13 cards. As the name suggests, twos are the highest ranking card in Big Two. So, the highest card in the whole game is the 2 of Spades.
THE DEAL
The dealer is chosen by a cut deck. Cut the deck, the value of the card on the bottom of the cut (or the top deck) determines who will be the dealer (ace=1). Count the players in a counterclockwise fashion until reaching the rank of the card, that player will be the dealer.
Big Two Poker Hands Signals
Each player receives 13 cards each. After shuffling, the dealer starts to their left and moves clockwise. This is the direction in which the deal itself passes.
The player with the 3 of Diamonds starts the play and receives the leftover cards not dealt to the other players. If a player does not have the 3 of Diamonds, the player with the next lowest card starts the play and receives the remaining cards.
THE PLAY
The player with the lowest card in hand starts the first round. They must use their low card to lead the round. Cards may be played in the following ways:
- Single cards
- Pairs
- Triplets/Trips/Three of a Kind
- Poker Hands (five card hands and their rankings)
A 5th card may be played with a Four of a Kind to make a legitimate poker hand.
Players must beat the lead or the previous hand played by playing a hand of the same type that ranks higher.
For example, if the round is lead with a three of a kind with three 3s (3-3-3), the next player must beat it with a higher ranking three of a kind, like 5-5-5.
Single cards may be beaten by higher ranking cards or equal value cards from higher-ranking suits.
Players may choose to pass if they wish or cannot play. Once all player’s have passed, the last player to make a legal move leads (starts) the next round. The next round may begin with whatever kind of play that player wishes.
Big Two Poker Hands Game
Scoring
Big Two Poker Hands Play
Once a player has played all their cards, the hand has finished. The winning player receives 1 point for each card left in other player’s hands, and X^2 points for each two in hand. For example, if a player goes out with four 2s in hand, the winner receives 16 points off their hand.
Play continues until one player reaches the goal point value, for example, 50 points.
REFERENCES:
http://onlyagame.typepad.com/only_a_game/2008/04/big-two-rules.html
http://www.pokersource.com/games/big-2.asp
http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Big-Two