What is Guandan
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Players | 4 (2v2) |
| Cards | 2 decks, 108 |
| Per hand | 27 cards |
| Origin | Huai’an, Jiangsu |
| Goal | Rank 2 → A |
Born in Huai’an
Guandan (掼蛋) took shape in the 1960s in Nanzha commune, Huai’an county, Jiangsu — hence its other name, “Huai’an Run Fast”. In 2024 the Jiangsu Guandan Association named Sun Zhaocheng its inventor.
Two stories behind the name
One says guanlan and guandan sound alike in the Huai’an dialect, and the name simply drifted. The other reads it literally: guan means to slam down, dan means bomb — a game fought with bombs.
Run Fast plus Eighty Points
The rules blend two local games, Run Fast (跑得快) and Eighty Points (八十分, also called Upgrade 升级): the race to empty your hand from the first, the win-and-promote structure from the second. After a Huai’an Guandan website launched in 2005 it reached Suqian, Nanjing and Yangzhou; today over 20 million people play in Jiangsu and Anhui alone.
Now a competitive sport
In January 2017 China’s General Administration of Sport issued unified competition rules; a trial competitive ruleset followed in late 2022. In 2023 Guandan appeared as a demonstration event at the 5th National Mind Sports Games.
Your partner is half the game
Even when you finish first, how far you climb depends on your partner: three ranks if they come second, two if third, only one if last. Holding a strong card to open a path for them is half the skill.
Promotion and the A gate
You start at rank 2 and climb with each win until you reach A. A must be won outright — and if your partner finishes last, the A does not count as cleared.
How to play
| Hand strength | |
|---|---|
| Royal bomb | 4 jokers |
| 6-card bomb | Six of a kind |
| Straight flush | 5 in suit |
| 4-card bomb | Four of a kind |
| Normal combos | see list |
Beat what is on the table
You must match the leader’s combo type and card count with a higher hand. If you cannot — or would rather save your cards — you pass. When the other three all pass, the last player to play leads again.
The combos
Single · Pair · Triple · Full house (triple + pair) · Straight (exactly 5 in a row, 10-J-Q-K-A high, A-2-3-4-5 low) · Pair run (exactly three consecutive pairs, AAKKQQ high, AA2233 low) · Triple run (exactly two consecutive triples, 777888). None of these can be extended.
Bombs break the rules
A bomb beats any normal combo regardless of type. More cards is stronger; on equal size the higher rank wins. Four jokers — the royal bomb — beats everything.
Rank card and the wild
The rank card is the strongest single below the jokers. Only its two HEARTS are wild — they substitute for anything but a joker, which is how bombs can reach ten cards.
End of a round
The round ends once two players empty their hands; your team’s two finishing places decide the payout and the promotion.
Rules vary by region
Local variants are common. In Huai’an the card returned in the tribute (进贡) phase can be anything; the Nanjing style requires a low card, 10 or below. The “three failed A rounds” rule — dropping the team back to rank 2 — is used in some places and ignored in others. This app follows the 2017 national ruleset.
Hand types & ranking
All four jokers — two big, two small. Nothing beats it. The wild card cannot stand in for a joker, and with two decks there are exactly four, so it appears at most once per round.
Eight of a kind. With wilds a bomb can reach nine or ten cards, and bigger is always stronger — but all of them still lose to the royal bomb.
Seven of a kind. Only an eight-card bomb tops it.
Six of a kind. From this size up, bombs outrank the straight flush.
Five in a row in one suit. A special bomb: above a five-card bomb, below a six-card bomb. 10-J-Q-K-A high, A-2-3-4-5 low.
Five of a kind. Loses to a straight flush, beats a four-card bomb.
Four of a kind. The smallest bomb, yet it still beats every normal combo.
Two consecutive triples (777888). Exactly six cards, never longer; compared by the lower group.
Three consecutive pairs (778899). Exactly six cards, AAKKQQ high and AA2233 low.
Five in a row, suits irrelevant, never longer than five. 10-J-Q-K-A high, A-2-3-4-5 low.
Triple plus pair, five cards. Only the triple counts when comparing, so the attached pair can be anything.
Three of a kind, matched only against other triples. Three jokers do not make one.
Two of a kind. Two big jokers is the strongest pair and two small jokers the next; one of each is not a pair.
One card. Order runs big joker > small joker > rank card > A > K … down to 2.
Two separate worlds
Combos split into normal hands and bombs. Normal hands only compete against the same type and the same card count; a bomb ignores type and beats any normal hand. You may not be able to top a straight with a straight — but one bomb ends the argument.
Bomb order
More cards always wins: a 5-card bomb beats a 4-card bomb, a 6-card beats a 5-card. At equal size the higher rank wins, so 8888 beats 5555.
Where the straight flush sits
A straight flush (five in a row in one suit, e.g. ♠5♠6♠7♠8♠9) is a special bomb: stronger than a 5-card bomb, weaker than a 6-card bomb. Same shape as a straight, but matching suits put it in a different league.
Jokers as a pair
Two big jokers are the strongest pair, two small jokers the next. Big and small are different ranks, so one of each is not a pair, and three jokers cannot make a triple. The only joker bomb is all four together.
The royal bomb
Four jokers (two big, two small) — nothing beats it. With only two decks there are exactly four jokers, so it appears at most once per round. Two exceptions worth knowing: the wild card cannot stand in for a joker, so it can never build a royal bomb; and even a nine- or ten-card bomb made with wilds still loses to it.
Rank card and the wild
The rank card is the strongest single below the jokers. Only its two hearts are wild (逢人配) — they stand in for anything except a joker.
Comparing within a type
Pairs, triples, full houses and straights only compete at equal card count. A full house is judged by its triple, a straight by its highest card, and the runs by their lowest group.
Regional rule styles
Guandan is played a little differently from place to place. These are the three styles the app supports — the 2017 national standard plus two regional variants.
| What differs | |
|---|---|
| Return card | 10 or lower only |
| Promotion | 1+2 → 3 ranks / 1+3 → 2 / 1+4 → 1 |
| Three failed A | Not used |
| End | Time and round limits |
The competition standard issued by the General Administration of Sport. This app defaults to it and most online ranked play follows it.
Bomb order follows the national rules. With wilds a bomb can reach nine or ten cards, all still below the royal bomb.
| What differs | |
|---|---|
| Return card | No limit — any card |
| Promotion | 1+2 → 3 ranks / 1+3 → 2 / 1+4 → 1 |
| Three failed A | Common — back to rank 2 |
| End | Until A is cleared |
The folk style of the birthplace. With no limit on the returned card you can hand back a big one to rescue your partner.
Bomb order is the same, though some tables refuse to recognise nine- and ten-card bombs.
| What differs | |
|---|---|
| Return card | Strictly 10 or lower |
| Promotion | No gain on 1+4 · demoted one rank if partner is last |
| Three failed A | Used |
| End | Until A is cleared |
The style settled around Nanjing, with the harshest promotion. Finishing first alone is not enough, so partner play matters most.
Bomb order is identical, but the tight promotion makes players hoard bombs to the end.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Guandan?
Exactly four, in two fixed partnerships sitting across from each other.
How many cards are used in Guandan?
Two standard 54-card decks — 108 cards including 4 jokers — dealt 27 to each player.
What is the level card in Guandan?
Each round is played at a rank (the level). Cards of that rank are wild-strong and jump above the Ace. Your team's level rises as you win rounds, from 2 up to Ace.
What beats a bomb in Guandan?
A larger bomb: more cards, then higher rank; a straight flush beats a four-of-a-kind bomb, and four jokers (the royal bomb) beat everything.