Card Game: How to Play Big Two

One of our favourite to card game to play during Lunar New Year! Big two (also known as deuces, capsa, pusoy dos, dai di and other names) is a shedding-type card game of Cantonese origin. The game is popular in East Asia and Southeast Asia, especially throughout mainland China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Macau, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.

It is a fast-paced game, and it is fun to play between four players. In this card game, the 2s are the highest ranking card.

Setup

To play Big 2, you will need a standard deck of 52 cards and a scoring pad. Shuffle and deal out all of the cards to the four players. The scoring pad is used to keep track of the player's scores. 

For this game, the suit ranks is as followed: DIAMONDS ♦ < CLUBS ♣ < HEARTS ♥ < SPADES ♠. The highest value is 2 and the lowest value is 3: 2, A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3. 

Gameplay

The goal of the game is to be the player with the highest point after a certain amount of game rounds OR the player who reached the pre-determined goal points in the end. Each player would try to be the first to play all the cards on their hands to get points, because the players who still have cards on their hands will get penalty points.

Whoever holds the Three of Diamonds will go first, and the turn goes clockwise. The starting player will choose the way to start - single, pair, triplet or five-cards hand, then other players will have to follow that combination. 

Single         3♦ Lowest

Pair             4♥ 4♣ Low

Triplet         6♠ 6♣ 6♦ Medium-Low

Straight         6♠ 7♦ 8♠ 9♦ 10♣     Medium

Flush         2♠ 3♠ Q♠ 6♠ K♠     Medium

Full House J♦ J♥ J♣ 5♠ 5♥     Medium-High

Four of a Kind 7♥ 7♠ 7♦ 7♣ 8♠       High

Straight Flush 9♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♣ K♣ Highest

There are multiple five-card combinations that can be played during such a turn. In ascending order of value, they are: Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush. See all combinations here!

If three players consecutively can't do the specified combination, the last player can change the card combination. The game keeps on going until a player empties their hands.

Scoring

Big 2 is played across multiple rounds using a points-based system. The game ends when a predetermined score or time limit is reached, and the player with the lowest score emerges as the winner. This is a losing points game, where players cannot gain points, and a score of 0 represents a perfect win.

When a player successfully sheds all their cards, the remaining players incur a penalty of one point for each card left in their hands.

Additional penalties apply for holding many cards at the end of a round. If a player has 10 to 12 cards remaining, their penalty is doubled. If all 13 cards are still in hand, indicating they couldn’t shed even one card, they receive a triple penalty, amounting to 39 points.

Strategies

To elevate Big 2 gameplay, consider exploring advanced strategies. Since only one deck is used, card counting is a viable technique in Big 2. While it requires a sharp memory, you already know the cards in your hand, leaving 41 others to keep track of.

As the game unfolds, observe the cards your opponents play. By tracking these, you can form a clearer picture of the cards still in play. While this knowledge won’t guarantee a win, it can help you make smarter decisions about when to shed your cards or pass your turn.

Overall

Big 2 is a fast-paced game that can be played by people of all ages. The setup is simple with the gameplay is easy to learn. It is a good game to be played during parties, casual night game with family and friends.