How to Play Zheng Shangyou
Description
A Chinese climbing game where combinations beat combinations. Singles, pairs, triples, straights — play higher or pass. First out wins, last out loses.
Objective
Be first to empty your hand by beating whatever's played before you with a stronger combination of the same size.
Setup
Three to six players, using a 54-card deck (standard deck plus two Jokers).
Deal the whole deck out — it's fine if hands come out slightly uneven.
Twos rank highest, above Aces; the Jokers rank higher still, red above black.
Rules
Whoever holds the 3 of Spades leads first, playing a single card, a pair, a run, or another valid combination.
Each player in turn must beat the last play with a higher combination of the same type and size, or pass.
Once everyone else has passed, the last player to play leads a fresh round with any combination they like.
Finishing order matters — after the first hand, the last-place finisher has to hand their best cards to the winner, who returns lower cards in exchange, before the next hand starts.
Winning
The first player to empty their hand each round finishes highest that round; the rest are ranked by the order they run out.
Play continues across multiple hands — whoever finishes on top most often wins the match.