Tichu: A Thrilling Card Game Combining Bridge, Daihinmin, and Poker Elements

Tichu is a captivating card game played by two teams of two, with partners sitting opposite each other. Teams collaborate to score points and achieve victory. The game unfolds over multiple hands, with the winning team being the first to reach a predetermined point total.

The Tichu deck comprises 56 cards across four suits: Jade, Swords, Pagodas, and Stars. Each suit contains cards ranked 2 through 10, J, Q, K, and A. Four special cards add a unique twist: the Dragon, Phoenix, Hound, and Mah Jong.

Each player receives an initial hand of eight cards and can opt to call "Grand Tichu," a 200-point wager that they will be the first to empty their hand. After this initial call (or lack thereof), six more cards are dealt, and the "Grand Tichu" option closes. Players may also call "Tichu" (a 100-point bet that they will be the first to discard their cards) at any point before playing their first card. The key differences between Grand Tichu and Tichu lie in timing, card visibility, and point values.

Following the initial deal (14 cards per player), a card exchange occurs. Each player secretly passes one card to each opponent and one to their partner, receiving three cards in return.

The player holding the Mah Jong card initiates the first trick. They play a valid combination, and subsequent players can either pass or play a higher-ranking combination (with "Bombs" being the exception – details below). Higher-value cards beat lower-value cards, and this applies to combinations as well: a pair is beaten by a higher pair, a sequence of seven cards by a higher seven-card sequence, and so on. The player with the highest-ranking combination takes the trick and leads the next. A player who discards all their cards has "gone out." The round concludes when two teammates have gone out. If only one player remains with cards, they incur a penalty, transferring their hand to the opponents' trick pile and receiving the opponent's trick pile in return.

The game culminates when a team accumulates or surpasses the target point total set before the game's commencement.

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