Big Three

A climbing game played with a standard 52 card deck primarily meant for three players, (though there is a four player variant). It is similar to "Fight the Landlord" (Dou Di Zhu) but with some noticeable differences - the biggest being that the 3 (not the 2) is the high card, but also in the number of cards in the pot and allowable plays. Because the runs are relatively limited (4 through K only) and because there are no "bombs" it is a bit more predictable in its gameplay than Dou Di Zhu.

Each round starts with dealing the cards (except for four of them) and an auction for the remaining cards. The winner of the auction then picks up the cards and plays against the other two opponents who are now in a temporary partnership.

The goal for each round is to shed your cards. The winning bidder needs to shed all his cards first before one of the opposing players sheds all of their cards. Allowable plays are singles, pairs, triplets, quads and runs of three+ cards and staircases of three+ sets (note that runs/staircases may only involve 4's through K's). There are no "bombs".

If the high bidder wins, then the other players pay him the amount of points bid, and if the high bidder loses, then the each of the other players are paid the amount of points bid. Online implementations of the game generally play for a predetermined number of rounds and the individual player with the most points at the end of the last round is considered the winner.