Ⅰ.Introduction

Two Against One is played with one set of playing cards, including spades♠,hearts♥, diamonds♦, clubs♣, and two jokers. There are 13 cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, one card each) in one suit, as well as 1 red joker and 1 black joker to make a total of 54-card deck.

At the start of a hand, the players take out 17 pre-distributed hands for each from the box, leaving 3 wild cards for the landlord.

After the Landlord is established in a hand, he shall show the three leftover wild cards to other players, and may take them back after all other players see them properly and have no doubt. Then the Landlord starts playing. Other players can only choose to discard cards or not according to the card combination and order rules. The game is over until one player has finished all his hand. If the Landlord finished his hand first, then the Landlord is the winner; if one of the two Farmers did, then the Farmer is the winner.

Ⅱ.Basic rules

1.Establishment of the Landlord

After all the three players get their hand, one of them bid points first and then two other players follow in counter-clockwise order. Each of the three players gets the right to bid points once in each hand. The next player shall only bid points higher than the last or choose not to bid.

The bidding process is ended after all the three players bid their points once, and the player bid the highest points is the Dealer. If a player bid 3 points during the process, then he is the Dealer.  

If all the three players choose not to bid points, then the deck will be reshuffled and a new round will begin.

2.Card Combinations:

(1)Single Card: One card. The rank of Single Cards is as followed (from low to high): 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, J, Q, K, A, 2, Black Joker, and Red Joker.

(2)Pair: Two cards with the same rank, except two Jokers.

(3)Three of a Kind: Three cards with the same rank.

(4)Three of a Kind plus a Single Card: Three of a Kind followed by a Single card. For example, 6668. When comparing combinations, the rank of the Three of a Kind counts. For example, 9993>8882.

(5)Three of a Kind plus a Pair: The same as above except the Three of a Kind is followed by a Pair. For example, 66688. When comparing combinations, the rank of the Three of a Kind counts.

(6)Straight: Five or more cards of sequential rank. For example, 8, 9, 10, J, Q. Straights can only be formed by five or more cards from “3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A”in sequential rank. The 2 and Joker cards cannot be included in a Straight. If a Straight is played, the following player must lay down the same number of cards.

(7)Pair Straight: At least three Pairs of sequential rank. For example, 55667788. Similar rules to Straights. The 2 and Joker cards cannot be included in a Pair Straight. If a Pair Straight is played, the following player must lay down the same number of cards.

(8)Airplane: At least two sets of Three of a Kinds of sequential rank. For example, JJJQQQ. Similar rules to Straights. The 2 and Joker cards cannot be included in an Airplane. Each Three of a Kind in an Airplane can be followed by a Single or a Pair; however, the card combinations following different Three of a Kinds in an Airplane shall be the same, that is, it is not allowed to have a Single follow one Three of a Kind while a Pair follow another in an Airplane.

(9) Four of a Kind plus Two Singles/Pairs: Four of a Kind followed by two Singles or two Pairs. For example, 666689 or JJJJ99QQ. When comparing combinations, the rank of the Four of a Kind counts. No comparison between Four of a Kind plus Two Singles and Four of a Kind plus Two Pairs.

(10)Bomb: Four cards with the same rank, or Four of a Kind. Bombs can beat any card combination except Rocket (Pair of Jokers). When comparing combinations, the rank of the Four of a Kind counts.

(11) Rocket: Pair of Jokers, which can beat any card combination in the Two Against One game.

3. Comparison between Card Combinations

(1) Rocket > Bomb > Other general combinations

(2) For general combinations, comparison can only be made between those of the same combination consisting of the same number of cards.

4. Playing

(1) The Landlord begins the round by playing a card combination. Every player has to discard in turn counterclockwise.

(2) If the combination last discarded is general (neither Rocket nor Bomb), then the next player can only discard a stronger combination consisting of the same number of cards, or Bomb.

(3) If the combination last discarded is a Bomb, then the next player can only discard a stronger Bomb.

(4) The next player can pass by tapping the desktop after the combination discarded by the last player, and give the turn to the next.

(5) When all other two players have passed, the last player begins again by playing any combination that meets the rules.

5. Reporting of Card Number

The remaining three or less cards in the hand of one player should be reported.

6. Score

(1)After a hand is over, scores will be calculated based on the playing results of the Landlord and Farmers as well as the points bid by the Landlord and number of Bombs he discarded throughout the hand. If all the three players did not bid points throughout the hand, then the hand is dead and all the three players will be scored 0. If the Landlord bid N points and discarded a total of M Bombs and won the game, he will be scored 2×N×2M points, and the two Farmers will be scored -N×2M points each. If the Landlord bid N points and discarded a total of M Bombs but one of the Farmers won the game, then the Landlord will be scored -2×N×2M points and the two Farmers will be scored N×2M points each.

Specific score calculations are shown in the table below. It only shows the calculations when the Landlord is the winner. If one of the Farmers won, then the Landlord will get the score of the opposite number of the winner.

Notes: (1) “Spring” and “Anti-Spring” are regarded as a Bomb. If the Landlord wins the game in the case that neither of the two Farmers is able to discard after the Landlord starts playing cards, then such situation is bided “Spring”. If one of the two Farmers win the game in the case that the two Farmers discard their cards after the Landlord starts playing cards but the Landlord is unable to discard again until the hand is over, then such situation is bided “Anti-Spring”. (2) Only the number of Bombs discarded will be calculated.

(2) Score for each round: At the end of each round, the total points of the three players from each team in all hands of the round will be added up to determine the ranking. The scores for the three teams will be figured out based on the ranking. See details in the table below.

7.The ranking is based on the cumulative number of points each team scored in each round. If each team has the same cumulative score for each round, then the ranking will be determined based on the smallest point in the cumulative score.

Ⅲ.Process

(1) At the start of a round, after the three players are seated and agree to start, the staff will place the box with pre-distributed cards in on the table. The three players take out their hand from the box in turn, then the first-bidding player starts to bid points.

(2) After a hand is over, the staff records the outcome and final score and, after unanimously approved by the three players, collect the card box for this hand and place a new one to start a new hand.

(3) After a round is over, the staff will calculate the total scores of the three teams met in the same table in this round. The players shall confirm by signature before leaving, waiting for the next round of competition.

(4) In each round of the competition, players shall not leave without any reason.

Ⅳ. Duplicate System

1.Three players of one team will meet six players of the other two at the same time, with seats staggered. In the same hand, players from the three teams meet in three tables. If players A1, A2 and A3 are teammates, the seats for players in the three tables are: A1, B1, C1; B2, C2, A2; and C3, A3, B3.

2.In the same hand of the same round, the hands are distributed in advance to ensure that the hands distributed to the same team in the same position of the three tables are the same, thereby eliminating the influence of different hands on the results. Investigating different approaches of different players on the same hand will reflect the diversification of the game and technical differences of players.

Ⅴ. Penalty Explanation

1. During the competition, all players shall strictly observe the relevant rules and obey referees’judgments. In the event of serious violations, the chief referee has the right to disqualify the player(s) involved.

2. If a player discarded when he has three or less cards in hand without reporting the number, he will be penalized to take back his discards and to pass in this turn.

3. A player is not allowed to take back the cards he discarded if there is no error in the card combination. If the player discarded wrong card combination, he will be penalized to take back his discards and to pass in this turn.

4. If a player declares or discards out of rotation, he will be penalized to take back his discards and to pass in this turn.