Home A card game for 3-4 players, ages 8 and above
INTRODUCTION
From the heart of the Orient, comes Gang of Four™ – a fun and exciting
card game that conveys all the mystery, intrigue and power of ancient China.
Descended from Choh Dai Di, the most infamous of back street Hong Kong gambling
games, Gang of Four is the most popular card game to emerge from Asia in
decades. Conceived in China during the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution, Gang
of Four embodies a never-ending struggle for power – where the weak perish and
the strong dominate. Good players, like good politicians, must show cunning,
flexibility and ruthlessness. Filled with an endless variety of strategies and
tactics, Gang of Four is fun, entertaining and full of surprises, yet is simple
to learn and play.
OBJECT
OF THE GAME
The object of the game is to dispose of all the cards in your hand before
any of your fellow players get rid of theirs. After one player has no more
cards, the hand is finished and points are assessed by counting the number of
cards in the remaining players’ hands. Play continues until one or more
players reaches a total of 100 points and the game is over. The player with the
lowest total number of points is the winner.
CONTENTS
● 64
card deck
● 1 rules booklet
● 2
rule summary cards (combinations/colors and key rule points)
● 1
score pad
● 1
on-line access card
The
deck is composed of 64 cards as follows:
● Sixty
cards ranked 1-10 (two of each in the three colors, Green, Yellow and Red)
● One
multi-colored 1
● Two
Phoenix (one Green, one Yellow)
● One
Red Dragon
LEARNING
THE GAME FOR NEW PLAYERS
When you are first learning the game, or when introducing Gang of Four to new
players, place the two summary cards on the table to help familiarize yourselves
with the allowable combinations and ranking of cards.
Likewise,
we suggest you visit our web site at : www.gangoffour.com
to play an on-line tutorial and browse through our tips and strategy section to
improve your game. You can even play against other players (using the enclosed
Days of Wonder Web Card) in an online version of the game.
PLAYING
THE GAME:
FOUR
PLAYERS
Deal the entire deck to the four players (16 cards per person). It is
recommended that you sort your hand by rank (1-10, Phoenix, Dragon) and color
(green, yellow, red) within each rank before starting to play.
At
the beginning of play, the player with the multi-colored 1 starts by playing a
combination of one to five cards, which must include the multi-colored one.
(This is only true for the first hand of the game. In succeeding hands the
winner of the previous hand always plays first.)
Each
player then in turn, plays a combination of cards made of the same number of
cards as the opening combination in a higher rank, or passes.
The
allowable combinations of cards played in Gang of Four are:
● SINGLE
CARDS (Yellow 3; or Red Dragon)
● PAIRS
(Red
1, Red 1; or Green Phoenix, Yellow Phoenix)
● THREE
OF A KIND (Green 2, Yellow 2, Red 2; or Yellow 4, Red 4, Red 4)
● FIVE
CARD COMBINATIONS (straights,
flushes, full houses, and straight flushes)
◆ Straight
(5
cards in sequential order – such as 1,2,3,4,5, except a Phoenix or Dragon –
of any color combination)
◆ Flush
(cards
of any rank – except a Phoenix or Dragon – all of the same color)
◆ Full
House (a pair, plus three of a kind)
◆ Straight
Flush (5 cards in sequential order – except a Phoenix or Dragon – all of
the same color)
● FOUR
OF A KIND (Green 10, Green 10, Yellow 10, Red 10) – the Gang of Four
A
combination is of a higher rank if:
● The
numerical value of the cards played is higher (Red
10 > Red 8);
● Or
the numerical value is equal, but the color value is higher (Red
3 > Yellow 3 > Green 3);
● Or
it is a five card combination of a stronger type
(Straight Flush > Full House > Flush > Straight)
● Or
it is a Gang of Four, which is always wild, and beats any ranked card or
combination of any cards at any time.
Only
a higher ranking Gang of Four, or a Gang of Five, Six or Seven (the seven 1s)
can be played on a Gang of Four.
A
card cannot be played on exactly the same card (same rank and color), or a
combination played on exactly the same combination (a Green and Yellow 2 on a
Green and Yellow 2).
A
player may choose to pass, even if he has cards that could be played. All play
is optional, making the timing and withholding of cards strategically important.
This
cycle of play continues until all players have passed. The played cards are then
set aside and the winner of the cycle (i.e. the last player to have played a
combination on top of the others) then opens a new cycle by playing a new
combination of cards of his choice.
The
process repeats itself until a player lays down his last card. Play immediately
stops and the remaining cards of the other players are then counted. Points are
assessed based on the number of cards remaining in each player’s hand. If a
player is left holding a large number of cards additional penalties are given
according to the Scoring Table.
1
— 7 cards – one point per card
8 — 10 cards – double the points per card (2x)
11 — 13 cards – triple the points per card (3x)
14 — 15 cards – quadruple the points per card (4x)
16 cards –
quintuple the points per card (80 points)
For
example: if Player One is left holding 5 cards his score would be 5 (1x5). If
Player Two were holding 9 cards his score would be 18 (2x9). If Player Three
were holding 15 cards, his score would be 60 (4x15).
Use
the Score Pad to record the number of points for each hand. You’ll also find a
copy of the Scoring Table at the bottom of the score pad. As you can see, the
key to success in Gang of Four is to avoid big penalties, while at the same
time, trying to catch your opponents with a large number of cards.
Once
the scores are recorded, the cards are shuffled and new hands dealt and played
until a player reaches 100 points. At that time, the player with the lowest
score is designated as the winner.
See
the Details of Play section for additional important rules.
PLAYING
THE GAME
THREE PLAYERS
To
play with three players, deal 16 cards to each player, plus a separate set of
cards to be set aside as a “dummy” hand that does not get played. Once each
hand is over, shuffle the dummy hand back into the deck and re-deal. At the
beginning of the game, if none of the players holds the multi-colored 1, the
player to the right of the dealer plays first.
All
other rules remain the same as in the four players game, although strategies may
differ because not all cards will be in play.
DETAILS
OF PLAY
Exchange of cards — The strong get stronger, the weak weaker
At
the beginning of each hand (except the first one) and before the new hand is
begun, the loser of the previous hand (player stuck with the most cards) must
give the highest card in his hand to the winner (player who was first to dispose
of all his cards). After receiving this card, the winner then gives any card of
his choice back to the loser. The exchanged cards are both shown to everyone.
In the case of a tie for most cards left, the player with the highest total score in the game is required to give up his best card. If both players have the same score, then the player closest to the winner in a counter-clockwise circle is chosen.
Last
card
When a player is down to his last remaining card, he must declare “Last
Card!”. If a player fails to do so, he is not allowed to win; that is, the
hand continues among the other players until an alternate winner is decided. The
player who failed to declare his last card adds one point to his score total for
that hand.
If
a player goes out by playing a combination other than a single card (i.e. a pair
or a flush), no “Last Card” declaration is required. However, another player
can always ask any other player how many cards they have remaining.
Also,
the player sitting immediately before the “Last Card” player must play
his highest-ranking single card first, if single cards are being played.
Likewise, that player must open new cycles in the hand with combinations
other than single cards (i.e. pair, three of a kind, etc…) if he can do so.
This is to ensure that an attempt is made to block the player who has declared
“Last Card” from winning the hand. These rules do not apply to the other
players unless the player immediately after them also declares a “Last
Card!”
Order
of play
Unlike most western card games, the direction of play in Gang of Four changes
after each hand. The play of the hand is counter-clockwise (to the right) in the
opening hand, then alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise for each
successive hand as indicated on the score pad. This insures that no player is
forced to consistently play after the strongest (or weakest) player.
Dragon
The Dragon is the highest-ranking single card of the game, and can only be
played as a single card, not as part of a combination of multiple cards (such as
a straight or flush).
Phoenix
The two Phoenix cards are the second highest-ranking single cards after the
Dragon, with the Yellow Phoenix ranking higher than the Green Phoenix. These
cards can be played together as the highest-ranking pair or as a pair within a
full house, but not in any other five-card combinations such as a straight,
flush, or straight flush.
Multi-colored
1
The multi-colored 1 is the highest-ranking of all 1s and can be played on top of
any other 1. Because the card includes all colors, a player can declare this
card to be whatever color he chooses when played as part of a flush.
CHINESE
STYLE OF PLAY
Choosing a dealer
In China, it is tradition that the eldest player is designated to deal the first
hand. After the first hand, the winner of the previous hand always deals the
next one.
Dealing
the cards
The dealer shuffles the deck and the player to the dealer’s right cuts. The
dealer then cuts again to look at a card to determine which player the deal will
begin with. Counting himself as number one, and proceeding counter-clockwise
around the table, the dealer counts until he reaches the number on the card. He
then begins to deal with that person.
Knock/Pass
To prevent the game from dragging, it is important to remember to pass (or
“knock”) if you decline to play, since the player to your right must wait
for your response before he can play. In China, the game is fast and furious,
making “knocking” key.
Discard
Pile
Unlike in Western games, discarded cards are not picked up. No one wins and
keeps discarded cards or tricks; the object of the game is to dump the hand as
fast as possible. Therefore, all cards played are left face up in a pile in the
middle of the table. Obviously, no touching or peeking of the discards on the
table is allowed!
APPENDIX
I
CARD COMBINATIONS
5 card combinations
Single
3
Pair
3 3
3 of a Kind
4 4 4
Straight
2 3 4 5 6
Flush
2 7 5 8 9
Full House
2 2 6 6 6
Straight Flush
3 4 5 6 7
Gang Of Four
7 7 7 7
Gang Of Five
7 7 7 7 7
Gang Of Six
7 7 7 7 7 7
APPENDIX
II
CARD RANK ORDER
Cards are ranked by number, color and combinations.
APPENDIX
III
KEY RULES
APPENDIX
IV
GANG OF FOUR ONLINE
If you love to play Gang of Four, but sometimes find yourself without playing
partners, you can join other players in Gang of Four Online. Enclosed in your
game box is a Days of Wonder Web Card that includes your personal access
code to sign up for online play. To use it, simply visit www.gangoffour.com
and click on the New Player Signup button on the home page. Then just follow the
instructions to learn how to play online. The gangoffour.com website is filled
with Gang of Four information: online tutorials; tips and strategy hints: more
on the game’s history; and a Gang of Four forum where you can keep up with the
latest game information, rules variations, and more.
You
can also learn about other Days of Wonder games or visit us at www.daysofwonder.com
CREDITS:
Game design by Lee F. Yih
Graphic Design and Illustrations by Cyrille
Daujean & Franck Achard
© 2002 Days of Wonder, Inc. 221 Caledonia Street
Sausalito, CA 94965
www.daysofwonder.com
Days of Wonder, Gang of Four and the Gang of Four logo are trademarks of Days of
Wonder, Inc. All Rights Reserved. U.S. Patent No. 5106100
This site is created and maintained by: Carl-Gustaf Samuelsson