TJ’s Guide to Big Two

Viet Way Rules

The Vietnamese way of playing Big Two is quite different from the Chinese way. The Viet way has a different suit ranking system and a different combo system. One unique thing about Viet way is that some combos can be used to defeat certain single cards and pairs. Read on to find out more.

There are a few speical rules in Viet way that some people follow. If one player has all the twos, then the person automatically wins. The same goes for if a person has a “dragon,” or a straight from two to ace in his/her hand. Some people follow these rules while others don’t. It depends on who you are playing against.

Suit Rankings
Ways to put down cards
–Singles
–Pairs
–Triples
Combos
–Straights
–Chops
–Four of a Kind
–Double Chops

Suit Rankings
The ranking of the suits in Viet way is different than Chinese way. Now spades are the lowest, followed by clubs, diamonds and the hearts which rank the highest. So basically the red cards rank higher than the black cards. This means that the smallest card in Viet way is the spade 3 and the largest card is the 2 of hearts.

Ways to put down cards
The non combo ways to put down cards in Viet way are basically the same as Chinese way, except the rules change due to the different suit ranking system. Also the four of a kind is something more special and is discussed in the combos section to Viet way. For those who don’t want to go back to the Chinese way rules, I’ve put the descriptions on this page too, with modifications for Viet Way.

Singles
The player picks a card from his hand and puts it out. This is called a single (obviously). The single cards are ranked by their number by their suits. A player can beat another single by using a card with a higher numerical value or if the card has the same number as the card that the player is trying to beat but has a higher suit. Remember from the Rules page that 3 is the smallest and 2 is the largest card. For those who still don’t understand, I’ll give you an example: The 7 of hearts beats the 7 of clubs which beats the 5 of hearts. Singles can only be beaten by other singles, except for 2s which can be beaten by a certain combo. This means the 2 of hearts is not invincible and players should consider a bit before putting a 2 out.

Pairs
Pairs are a pair of cards that have the same numerical value. For example, a diamond 4 with a club 4 is a pair. Pairs are ranked by the highest card in the pair. This means a pair with a spade as one of its cards beats the other pair with the same numerical value. An example of this would be a pair made of heart and spade 5 would beat the other pair of 5 with clubs and diamonds. Of course, pairs of a larger numerical value beat pairs with a smaller value regardless of suit. Like singles, only pairs can be used to beat other pairs except for pairs of 2s which also can be beaten by a certain combo. Trust me, you don’t want that to happen to you.

Triples
Triples, aka three of a kind, is basically three cards with the same numerical value. Three 3s or three 8s are examples of triples. Triples are ranked only by their numbers, since there is only one triple for one number. Oh yeah, only triples can beat other triples.

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Combos
A combo in Viet way Big Two is not necessarily a combination of five cards. A combo in this style of Big Two can range between three to thirteen cards. Most of the combos are not connected with other types of combos. However, certain combos can be used to beat some singles and pairs, as you will see if you keep reading.

Straights
A straight in Viet way is a combo made of cards that are in consecutive numerical order. Straight flushes do not have higher values than other straights in Viet way. They are the same. Unlike Chinese way, a straight in Viet way can range from three cards all the way up to thirteen cards. For example, 3, 4, 5, 6, is a straight, so is 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A. The value of a straight is determined by its last card. The last card in 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 is the 7. Note that the last card is not necessarily the highest card in the straight. So 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 can beat 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 even though the latter had a 2, which has very high value. Some people do rank the straight by its highest card.

Only straights can be used to beat straights in Viet way, and the straight used to beat another straight has to have the same amount of cards as the straight it is trying to beat. This means that only three card straights can beat three card straights, only four card straights can beat four card straights and so on.

The ace and 2 rule also applies to Viet way straights. The rule is that an ace and a 2 cannot be in the same straight with a face card (J, Q, or K). For example, A, 2, 3, 4, 5 is a valid straight, but K, A, 2, 3, 4 is not. This only applies if the A and the 2 are in the same straight. In some variations, ace and 2 can’t be in the same straight no matter what. Some variations also don’t allow a two to be any kind of straights.

Straights are a lot more powerful and important in Viet way than in Chinese Way. Many people I know think the straights are cheap because 1: a player can easily get rid of otherwise useless cards and 2: sometimes a person can get rid of most or all of their cards in one turn for an easy victory. Remember, straights that end with the ace of hearts are unbeatable. These straights are very useful if you happen to come across them.

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Chops
Here is the mystery combo I’ve been talking about in the previous page (Viet rules) that can be used to stop the high valued 2s in their tracks. These combos are called chops and can be used to “chop” a single 2 or played out as standalone combos. Regular chops are made up three consecutive pairs. For example, a pair of 3, a pair of 4 and a pair of 5 together make a chop. The value of the chop is determined by its last card. For example, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7’s value is determined by the largest 7, while A, A, 2, 2, 3, 3’s value is determined by the largest 3, not the 2. The rule that no aces and 2s can be in the same combo also apply to chops. So something like K, K, A, A, 2, 2 is not a valid chop. In some variations, 2 is not allowed to be used in a chop and also some people play that only the person who goes immediately after the person who puts out a 2 can use a chop.

A chop can be used to defeat any single 2 or another smaller chop. A player who puts out a 2 that gets chopped owes his or her biggest card to the player who chopped the 2. The person who got chopped has to give his/her highest card to the person who chopped him/her next game in exchange for a card that is chosen by the “chopper”, if the style of the next game is Vietnamese.

If a chop is defeated by another chop, its previous effects are negated (this means if the defeated chop chopped another chop or a two, the people who might owe this chop’s owner cards don’t have to give him/her anything anymore) and the player who put out the beaten chop owes the player who chopped him/her his/her the two highest cards he/she has in the next game in exchange for two cards that are chosen by the “chopper”, if the game happens to be Viet style.

Chops are rare in a four player game but players should still be wary when they are considering using their 2s, since getting chopped could mean losing the highest card in the following game.

Four of a Kind
Four of a kind in Viet way is also a chop. Note that this four of a kind is just four cards with the same number, not the five card combo with the extra card. Four of kind chops have higher values than the three pair/regular chops. This means that four 3s can be used to beat Q, Q, K, K, A, A with one ace being the ace of hearts. This means that four aces is the largest effective chop there is since a player can’t chop 2s if he/she already has all four of them. Some people don’t accept four of a kind as chops.

Double Chops
Double chops are four consecutive pairs that can be used to defeat a pair of 2s. Victims that put out the pair of 2s owes the “chopper” the two highest cards in the next game, like a chop being defeated by another chop. If a double chop is defeated by another double chop, then the person who got chopped owes the chopper his/her three highest cards in the next game. The value of a double chop is determined by its last card, just like regular chops. There are no triple chops so triple 2s are still quite safe.

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