What you need for the game
- 112 circus cards: full deck of 56 Titsu cards
- rule booklet
The cards, with their four suits:
- Jade
- Swords
- Pagodas
- Stars
Object of the game
The game is played in pairs of two partners with the players of each team sitting opposite each other. During the game, the partners try to help each other score points and gain the lead. When learning what is being played, it is important to understand the strategy of cooperation between players, as partner support is key to success. The game is played in multiple games with the goal of being the first team to accumulate a total of 1000 points. In ticu canons, points are earned by combining cards and exploiting the game’s special cards, adding depth and complexity to the moves.
Start of the game
Before the game starts, players choose a starting player, who shuffles the cards for the first hand and offers the shuffled deck to the player to his left, who can cut the deck. In subsequent hands, the winner of the previous hand shuffles the deck and offers it to be cut.
The player then places the deck face down in the middle of the table. The Chinese do not deal the cards, but take them. The dealer starts by taking the top card. Then everyone takes turns, clockwise, one card at a time, until the deck is exhausted and each player has a 14-card fan in his hand.
As in most card games, players keep their cards secret from each other, including their partners.
Players then push 3 cards, 1 to each other player.
They push the cards face down. Once a player has pushed 3 cards, he can take the pushed cards by adding them to his hand.
Game
The player holding the Mah Jong starts by showing (playing face up on the table) any of the following card combinations from his hand:
- a single card
- a pair of cards of equal value
- a sequence of pairs of adjacent values
- a trio of cards of equal value
- a full house (trio + pair)
- a sequence of a length of at least 5
The next player (on the right – the Chinese play on the right, like the Swiss and the Hopi) now has a choice: pass or play a similar higher-value combination.
Thus, a single card can only be beaten by a higher ranking single card, a sequence of two pairs only by a sequence of two higher pairs, a sequence of eight cards only by a higher sequence of exactly eight cards, a full house only by a higher full house (full houses count the value of the three of a kind).
Exception: bombs (see below).
The game continues to the right. Once 3 players have passed in turn, the player who played the last (highest) combination collects the trick and leads a new combination. If that player has no cards left, he is “out” and the right to lead passes to his right-hand neighbour (passing to the right if he is also out).
The special cards
Mah Jong
Mah Jong is an interesting paper of mixed reputation, with the following properties:
- the owner starts the hand (but does not need to start the Ma Jong).
- Mach Yong is 1 and therefore the lowest card in the deck. As one, it can be included in an appropriate sequence (e.g. 1,2,3,4,5).
- when a player plays Mah Jong, he is allowed to wish for a specific position (e.g. an 8 or an Ace, but not a special card). The next player who has a card of the desired rank and can legally play it must play it (possibly in a bomb! or rarely in a sequence). The player who does not or cannot play a card of the desired rank may play any legal card or pass.
The wish remains in effect until someone grants it.
Hound
The faithful hound has no power to do tricks. It can only be played with its opening as a single card and transfers the right of opening to the player’s partner. If the player’s partner has already come out, the lead passes to the partner’s right.
Phoenix
The ever-changing Phoenix is Titsu’s strongest card. However, they are minus 25 points. It can be played:
- as a joker – it can take the place of any regular card in a combination, but cannot be used to create a bomb!
- as a single card. Its value is half a level higher than the card after which it is played. If an eight is the highest card currently being played, the Phoenix counts as an 8.5 and can be beaten by a nine or higher. The Phoenix can beat an ace, but not the Dragon. If he is in the lead, the Phoenix counts as 1.5.
Dragon
Dragon is the highest individual card and is worth 25 points.
When individual cards have been played, it is higher, even than an ace or “ace and a half” (the phoenix over an ace), and can only be beaten by a bomb. However: it cannot be part of a sequence.
If the noble dragon wins a trick, he gives the trick (including his own 25 points) to the opponent of the holder’s choice.
Bomb
- a sequence of at least five consecutive cards of the same colour
- or all four cards of the same value
Bombs can be played at any time, even out of turn, to get a trick. They win everything, whether it’s a single card or a combination. A higher bomb will beat a lower bomb, so a bomb can be played on top of a bomb.
The ranking of the bombs is determined by (1) the number of cards and (2) the ranking of the cards. A player may lead a bomb even when leading a new trick.
End of round
The round ends immediately when only one player is left with cards in his hand.
Then the last player (the last player with cards) hands the cards remaining in his hand to his opponents and the winning tricks to the winner (the player who came out of the hand first). The round is then scored.
Scoring a round
Players turn their tricks and score:
- +10 points for every ten
- 5 points for every five
- 10 points for each king
- 25 points for Dragon
- 25 points for Phoenix
Therefore, there are 100 points for the whole hand, which are split between the two teams.
If, however, both players of a team achieve a double win (being first and second to run out of cards), the round ends immediately, the count is skipped and that team scores 200 points.
The Tichus
Titsu is a way for players to score even more points, but with risk.
Little Titsu
Each player may, until he plays his first card in a hand, call “little Titsu”. If he then wins the round (by coming out first), his team gets 100 extra points. If he does not come out first in the hand, his team loses 100 points.
Titsu’s call is an individual matter. The partners cannot discuss it or arrange it in advance. Once invited, of course, his partner can play to help him during the card game, but they still cannot discuss strategy as they play.
And, the tikantis himself must come out first. If his partner comes out first, the team loses 100 points! Also, the 100 points for Titsu are scored independently and in addition to the normal scoring of the game. Also, a player may call “Titsu” long before the player plays his first card. A call before cards are opened can be useful as a request to partner to open his best card.
Grand Titsu
Of course, where there is a little Titsu, there must be a big Titsu. A particularly brave or desperate player may, before taking his ninth card from the deck at the beginning of the hand, call out “big tichu”. If he then comes out first in the hand, his team wins 200 extra points. If not, his team loses 200 points, as in the rules for his younger brother.
End of the game
In Titsu, the game ends when a team accumulates a total of 1000 points. According to tichu rules, each game contributes to the overall team score. Each player and each team must know exactly what is being played in order to calculate points correctly and avoid mistakes.
When the batch ends
A hand ends when all four players have played all their cards. The points are then calculated according to the rules of the game.
Winning conditions
The winning team is the one that accumulates 1000 points first. In tichu canons, it is determined that the correct distribution of special cards (e.g. Dragon, Phoenix) and strategic cooperation are critical to victory. Therefore, how each player manages points and cards affects the outcome.
Result of each batch
At the end of each game, points are recorded according to the tichu rules. Each team scores points based on the cards left in the opponents’ hands and the special cards used. The tichu rules also include the distribution of points for “Big Tichu” and “Little Tichu”, which can significantly affect the overall score.
Knowing how tichu is played and the importance of cooperation, each team must aim to manage their moves correctly, following the rules of tichu to ensure victory.
In the event of a tie, play continues until one team has 1000 or more points at the end of a round and there is no tie.