Thirteen (Tiến Lên) Variations and House Rules
Thirteen is learned at the family table, not from a rule book, so almost every household has its own small twists. The version on this site is the common Southern style, played across Vietnam and by Vietnamese families abroad. Four house rules can be changed in the Settings of our online game; the rest are described here so you know what to expect at someone else's table.
Bombs on 2s
In our game, with Bombs beat 2s turned on (the usual way):
- Four of a kind beats a single 2.
- A double run of three pairs (such as 7-7-8-8-9-9) beats a single 2.
- A double run of four pairs beats a pair of 2s, and a single 2 as well.
Turn it off and nothing beats a 2 except a higher 2, which makes 2s even more powerful and hands a little more predictable.
Other tables: many families let four of a kind beat a pair of 2s too, or let a bomb be dropped out of turn, even by a player who has already passed. Some let a four-pair double run beat four of a kind. Our game plays bombs in turn only, as described above.
Playing On for Places
The usual way is to play on after the first player goes out, so that every place from second to last is decided at the table. Choose End the hand at once in Settings for quicker hands: as soon as one player goes out, the hand stops and the others are placed by how many cards they still hold, fewest first. Players holding the same number share a place.
How Long a Game Lasts
Thirteen has no fixed game length. Families often just keep track of who wins the most over an evening. In our game you choose a single hand, 3, 5 (the usual) or 10 hands. If two players are tied for the lead after the last hand, one more hand is dealt, and so on until someone leads alone.
Scoring
| Setting | How it scores |
|---|---|
| Points by place (usual) | Last place scores 0 and each place above it one more: with four players 3, 2, 1, 0. |
| Count wins only | One point for each hand you win; second place counts for nothing. |
At many tables there is no scoring at all: the loser of each hand shuffles and deals the next one, which is its own small penalty. Others count the cards left in each loser's hand, or charge extra for being caught holding 2s at the end.
Who Leads Later Hands
In our game the 3♠ starts the first hand, and the winner of each hand leads the next one with anything. Some families play the 3♠ opening every hand; others let the loser of the last hand lead, to give them a chance to catch up.
Instant Wins
A well-known Southern rule lets a player win the hand on the spot, before any card is played, if they are dealt something extraordinary: all four 2s, a run of twelve from 3 to Ace, six pairs, or five pairs in a row. These are very rare, and our game does not use them, so every hand is played out.
Northern Rules
In the north of Vietnam a stricter cousin is played. A single must be beaten by a card of the same suit (or at least the same color), and the cards of a run must all be one suit. That makes plays much harder to beat and hands much longer. If you know the Southern game well, the Northern game is a good challenge to try at the table.
Two and Three Players
With fewer than four players, everyone still gets 13 cards and the rest are left out unseen. Because nobody knows which cards are missing, a card you think is safe may not be, and the 3♠ may not be in play at all. Our game then lets whoever holds the lowest card dealt start with it.
Related Games
Thirteen belongs to the big family of "climbing" games, where each play must beat the one before. Hong Kong's Big Two is a close relative with five-card poker hands. If you enjoy the race to empty your hand, try Idiot, or the classic family favorite Crazy Eights.