Zhao Pengyou (找朋友)
Looking for Friends
This description is based on information from Jin Li.
- Introduction
- The Players and Cards
- The Deal, the Scores and Making Trumps
- Discarding and Choosing Partners
- The Play
- The Scoring
Introduction
Looking for Friends is a Chinese trick taking game for 6 to 12 or more players. It is an expanded version of the well known four player game of Hundred (Da Bai Fen). Looking for Friends is played with multiple packs and has several extra features: at any time there are two teams but the partnerships are variable and unknown at the start of the play (hence the name of the game), and there are extra opportunities to play several cards at once to a trick.
You might expect that such a large game would be slow and unwieldy, but in fact this is not so. It is one of the most successful games for 6 or more people, and is almost the only trick-taking game of this size that works well.
The Players and Cards
Looking for Friends is played with two or more identical standard packs shuffled together. 6 or 7 players use two packs, from 8 to 11 players use 3 packs, and 12 or more players use 4 packs. Sufficient red and black jokers are included so that all the cards can be distributed equally to the players, with a kitty of six cards left over.
The specific requirements are as follows:
| Players | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packs | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Red jokers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Black jokers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Cards per player | 17 | 14 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 17 |
| Total cards | 108 | 104 | 158 | 159 | 156 | 160 | 210 |
In each hand, all the cards of a particular suit and a particular rank are trumps (for example all hearts and all twos); the jokers, if in use, are trumps as well. The highest trumps are the red jokers (if any), then the black jokers (if any), then the cards which belong to both the trump rank and the trump suit, then the other cards of the trump rank (all ranking equally), and finally the other cards of the trump suit, ranking in the normal order: ace, king, queen, jack, ten, ... down to two.
The cards of the other suits rank in the normal way from ace high down to two (low), leaving out the cards of the trump rank.
When different players play equal ranking cards to the same trick, the general rule is that the first played wins. This rule applies to identical cards, and also among the equal cards of the trump rank (i.e. those which do not belong to the trump suit as well).
Example: suppose that eights and diamonds are trumps. Then the ranking of the trump suit from high to low is: red joker, black joker,8, [
8,
8,
8 - all equal],
Looking for Friends is a point trick game - the aim is for the players on your team to win tricks containing valuable cards. As is usual in Chinese games, the values of the cards are:
| Each king: | 10 points |
| Each ten: | 10 points |
| Each five: | 5 points |
| All other cards: | No value |
Thus the total number of card points is 200, 300 or 400 depending on the number of packs used.
The Deal, the Scores and Making Trumps
The deal and play of Looking for Friends are anticlockwise, and the dealing is done in the usual Chinese way. There is no dealer. The pack is placed face down in the centre of the table and each player in turn takes one card from the top of the pack and adds it to their hand without showing it to the other players. The taking of cards continues around the table until everyone has their full number of cards (as specified in the table above), and there are six face-down cards remaining in the centre of the table.
Trumps are made during the deal, but before explaining how this is done, it is necessary to say a little about the scoring. At any time, each player has a score which is the rank of a card from two (low) up to ace (high). In addition, each player is either active or passive. At the start of a new game, everyone's score begins as active two.
Only active players can make trumps. This is done by an active player placing face-up on the table a card from their hand whose rank is equal to their own current score. This can be done at any time during the deal by an active player who has a card matching their score. My understanding from Jin Li's description was that this could happen only once during the deal and that the choice of trumps was final.
However, Wei-Hwa Huang reports having played in a game where the first trump maker could be overbid by another active player exposing a pair of identical cards whose rank was equal to their score; the first trump maker must then return the exposed card to their hand. This in turn could be outbid by three identical cards, forcing the player who exposed the pair to take them back, and so on. For instance:
- Player A is at active 4, Player B at active 3, Player C at active 3.
- A declares trump by exposing 4.
- B overbids by exposing 3-3; A puts 4 back in his hand.
- C overbids by exposing 3-3-3; B returns 3-3 to hand.
- C is now the trump maker.
Note that you are not obliged to expose a card just because you can. You might occasionally wish to avoid exposing a card if you were very weak in that suit and did not want to make it trumps.
Although there is no actual dealer, someone has to begin by taking the first card, and there is a slight advantage in this, as the starter has the best chance of choosing trumps.
- At the beginning of a new game, the starter for the first deal is chosen at random: before the deal each player draws a card, and whoever gets the highest card will take the first card in the deal (after the drawn cards have been shuffled back into the pack).
- For subsequent deals, the starter is the player who made trumps in the previous deal, provided that that player is still active. If that player has become passive, the deal is started by the next player in anticlockwise order who is active.
Before the deal, the starter shuffles the cards and the player to the starter's left cuts the pack.
It is rare, but it can happen that no one exposes a card during the deal. If the last six cards are reached without anyone having made trumps, all the cards are shuffled together and there is a new deal, started by the same player as before. For the new deal all the players become active, but their scores remain on the same ranks (so for example a player who was passive seven becomes active seven).
Discarding and Choosing Partners
Six face down cards remain at the end of the deal. The player who made trumps picks up these cards without showing them to the other players and discards any six cards face down. These discarded cards are kept face down in front of the trump maker until the end of the play. Any valuable cards among them will then be given to the team that wins the last trick and will count double.
The trump maker now names cards which will eventually determine who plays for which team. The potential size of the teams and the number of cards called are as follows:
| Players | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum size of trump maker's team | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Minimum size of defending team | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Number of cards called by trump maker | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
The trump maker must call the number of cards indicated in the last row of the above table. The holders of the called cards will join the trump maker's team, and the other players will form the opposing team. The called cards must not be trumps; apart from this the trump maker is free to call any cards.
As there is more than one of each card in play, the trump maker must also specify which copy of the relevant card is being called. This is done by saying "first" or "second" or "third" etc., up to the number of packs being used. The partner will be whoever plays the first, second, third, etc. copy of that card which appears during the play of the hand.
Example: There are eight players and fives and spades are trumps. The trump maker might call the first ace of clubs, the first king of clubs and the third ace of diamonds. In that case the first player to play an ace of clubs, the first to play a king of clubs, and the third player to play an ace of diamonds will belong to the trump maker's team.
The holders of the called cards must not reveal in any way who they are, except through the play of the cards. At the beginning of the play no one knows who is in which partnership. Not even the holders of the called cards themselves can be sure of this, as they do not necessarily know whether they will manage to play their called card before or after the other copies of the same card.
Although the trump maker must always call the specified number of cards, it can happen that two of the called cards are played by the same person, or that one of the called cards is played by the trump maker. In this case the trump maker's team will be smaller than usual and the defenders' team will be larger.
- Examples:
- In a seven player game, the trump maker calls the first and second aces of hearts. If one player turns out to hold both heart aces the trump maker only will have only this one partner.
- In a six player game, the trump maker calls the first ace of spades and the first ace of clubs. The trump maker leads a spade which player A wins with the ace, becoming the first partner. The two aces of clubs are held by players A and B. Player B, having a lot of clubs, deliberately keeps back the ace and plays small ones, driving out A's ace first. Player A is now the trump maker's only partner.
The Play
Play is anticlockwise. The trump maker leads to the first trick, and thereafter the winner of each trick leads to the next. When the called cards are played, they are left face up in front of the people who played them, so that it is easy to see which players are on the trump maker's team (the trump maker is identified by having the six face-down discards).
When a player who is or may be a member of the opposing team takes a trick, any valuable cards which are in it (kings, tens and fives) are kept face up in front of the winner of the trick. In this way it is easy to keep count of whether the defenders have enough points to defeat the trump making side, and also to see which players you would prefer to have as friends.
All the remaining cards - that is, all the cards in the tricks won by the trump maker's team and all the worthless cards won by the other team - are thrown into a single face-down pile (well away from the trump maker's six discards). When a person who has previously won valuable cards plays one of the called cards and becomes a partner of the trump maker, the valuable cards are added to the face down heap, and the called card is placed in front of that person instead.
The actual rules of following suit and winning tricks are similar to the normal rules of trick taking, but with some extensions involving multiple tricks in which each player plays a group of cards rather than just one.
The player whose turn it is to lead can choose between four types of lead (subject to having the requisite cards), as follows:
- Any single card can be led.
- Any set of two or more identical cards can be led together.
- A sequence of equal sized, consecutive sets of identical cards can be led.
- A collection of top cards in a suit can, in certain circumstances, be led.
Single Card Lead
Any single card can be led. The other players in turn must each play a single card, if possible of the suit which was led. A player who has no card of the suit led may play any card. For this purpose all the cards of the trump number and suit and the jokers count as belonging to a single suit.
Example: If queens and diamonds are trumps, and a trump is led (for example the
If any trumps are played to the trick, it is won by the highest trump played. If no one plays a trump it is won by the highest card played of the suit led. Between equal cards, the first played beats the others.
Example: Queens and diamonds are trumps and the seven cards played to the trick are in order:
Leading a Set of Identical Cards
A player can lead two or more identical cards as a set. Note that it is not sufficient for the cards just to be equal in rank: if nines and clubs are trumps you can lead 9-9 but not 9-9.
The other players must each contribute the same number of cards to the trick, and as far as possible they must play cards of the suit led, again counting all the trumps as belonging to one suit. Moreover, if a pair of identical cards was led, the other players must if possible play a pair of identical cards of the same suit. Similarly when three or four identical cards are led, any other player who has a set (respectively) of three or four identical cards of that suit must play it.
A player who cannot follow with identical cards of the suit led must still play cards of the suit led as far as possible. A player who does not have enough of these must play any that they do have, and make up the number of cards required with any other cards they choose.
When identical cards are led the trick can only by won by a set of identical cards. The winner will be whoever plays the highest such set of the suit that was led, unless someone has no cards at all of the suit led and trumps with a set of identical trumps, in which case the trick is won by the highest set of identical trumps played.
If equal sets of identical cards are played by different players (such as two nines of spades and two nines of diamonds when nines and clubs are trumps), then the earliest played beats the others.
Example: nines and clubs are trump and a pair of jacks of hearts is led.
- If you hold
- If you hold
- If you hold
- If you hold
- If your only cards are
- If your only cards are
- If your only cards are
Leading a Sequence of Sets
If you are fortunate enough to hold two or more sets of identical cards of adjacent rank in the same suit, you can lead them together as a sequence of sets. The sets in the sequence must be equal in size. Jokers and cards of the trump rank cannot be included in a sequence of sets.
Examples: Fives and hearts are trumps.When a sequence of sets is led, the other players must play the same number of cards, and must play cards of the suit led as far as possible. Moreover, as far as possible they must follow suit with sets of the same size as the sets in the sequence that was led. Players are not obliged to follow with sequences of sets, even if they have them; any sets of the right size will do. However, the lead can only be beaten by a higher sequence of sets of the same size and length in the same suit or a sequence of sets of the same size and length in trumps.The following leads are valid:
The following leads are not valid:
A player who does not have sufficient sets of cards of the suit led can play any cards of the suit led. A player who runs out of cards of the suit led is free to play any cards - there is no obligation to play sets in this case.
The trick is won by the highest sequence of sets in trumps which is the same shape as the lead, or if no one plays such a sequence, by the highest sequence of sets in the suit led which is the same shape as the lead. Most often no one will be able to beat the lead and the led cards will win the trick.
Examples: Fives and hearts are trumps, and the lead isIf the lead was Q-Q-J-J-10-10 of spades and your spades were A, A, A, K, K, K, 4, 4 you must play two aces, two kings and two fours, which does not beat the lead. You cannot play your two triples, as when pairs are led you must follow with pairs. If your only spades were A, A, A, K, K, K you would have to play them, and they still would not beat the lead, as they would count as a pair of aces, a pair of kings and two odd cards.
- If your spades are A, Q, 10, 10, 7, 6 you must play the two tens and any other two spades (probably you will want to play the seven and six). You must play your pair of tens because pairs were led.
- If your spades are A, A, 10, 10, 9, 9 you can play any two of your pairs - for example if you are an enemy of the leader you probably want to play the aces and nines. There is no obligation to play your sequence.
- If your spades are A, A, A, A, 6, 4 (in a twelve player game) you must play all your spade aces (as two pairs), but they do not beat the lead as they are not in sequence.
- If your spades are K, K, Q, Q, 8, 7, 7 (in a twelve player game) you may play any two of your three pairs, and if you play K-K-Q-Q this will beat the lead.
- If you hold
- If you hold
- If you hold
Leading a Group of Top Cards
If you possess a collection of cards which are the highest outstanding cards of their suit, all the equal or higher cards having already been played, you can lead them all together, provided that your lead contains the same number of cards of each rank.
Examples: Threes and spades are trumps.
When top cards are led, the other players must follow with cards of the same suit as far as possible. Moreover, if the top cards are in sets (pairs, triples, etc.) the other players must follow suit with sets of the same size as far as possible. A player who does not have sufficient cards of the suit led can play any cards.
The leader will win the trick unless some other player, having no cards at all of the suit led, plays an equal number of trumps. If the lead is of single cards, any collection of an equal number of trumps will beat it, and if several players trump in this way, the one of them who played the highest single trump wins (or the first to play if there is a tie for highest trump).
If the lead is of top pairs, it can only be beaten by trumping it with an equal number of identical pairs of trumps, and if several players manage this, the one of them who plays the highest trump pair will win. Similarly a lead of triples can only be successfully trumped by triples, and so on.
If a lead of top cards happens also to be a sequence of sets, it counts as such, and can only be trumped by a sequence of sets of trumps.
Examples: Threes and spades are trumps.
- Player A leads
- Player A leads
The Scoring
At the end of the play, the defending team count the card points they have won in tricks, which is easy because the relevant cards are lying face up in front of them. In addition, if they won the last trick, the six cards discarded by the trump maker are exposed and the value of any discarded kings tens or fives is doubled and added to the total of defenders' points.
The defenders win if their card point total is at least 40 times the number of packs of cards being used; otherwise the trump makers win. Normally just one game point is won, but it is possible to win more than one point in the following ways:
- If the defenders' card point total is at least 80 times the number of packs in play, they get two game points.
- If the defenders' card point total is at least 100 times the number of packs in play, they win three game points (although the basic value of the cards in each pack is only 100 points, it is sometimes possible to take more than 100 per pack because the points in the trump maker's discard are doubled).
- If the trump makers win with fewer than the maximum number of players in their team, they get an extra game point for each player below the maximum.
- If the defenders take no card points at all, the trump makers score two game points, and if they do not have the maximum sized team they score an additional two game points for each team member short of the maximum.
- Players on the winning side who are already active remain active and their score increases by the number of points won.
- Players on the winning side who were passive become active. The first point won simply turns them from passive to active without changing their score; any further points are added to their score.
- All players on the losing side become passive, and their scores do not change.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of game: | active 2 | active 2 | active 2 | active 2 | active 2 | active 2 |
| B, D and E win 1 point: | passive 2 | active 3 | passive 2 | active 3 | active 3 | passive 2 |
| A, B and C win 1 point: | active 2 | active 4 | active 2 | passive 3 | passive 3 | passive 2 |
| C, D and F win 2 points: | passive 2 | passive 4 | active 4 | active 4 | passive 3 | active 3 |
The possible scores are the same as the ranks of the cards. After 10 comes jack, queen, king, ace: for example if a player on "active 10" wins a point, their score becomes "active jack". Ace is the highest possible score and when a player reaches or passes this score the game ends.
It can take quite a long time to arrive at ace, so for a shorter game you might agree in advance to play to a lower target, such as seven.
The following tables set out all the possible results of a hand:
6 or 7 players: 2 packs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders' card points: | zero | 5 to 75 | 80 to 155 | 160 to 195 | 200 or more |
| Trump maker has two friends: | trump makers win 2 | trump makers win 1 | defenders win 1 | defenders win 2 | defenders win 3 |
| Trump maker has one friend: | trump makers win 4 | trump makers win 2 | |||
| Trump maker plays alone: | trump maker wins 6 | trump maker wins 3 | |||
8 or 9 players: 3 packs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders' card points: | zero | 5 to 115 | 120 to 235 | 240 to 295 | 300 or more |
| Trump maker has three friends: | trump makers win 2 | trump makers win 1 | defenders win 1 | defenders win 2 | defenders win 3 |
| Trump maker has two friends: | trump makers win 4 | trump makers win 2 | |||
| Trump maker has one friend: | trump makers win 6 | trump makers win 3 | |||
| Trump maker plays alone: | trump maker wins 8 | trump maker wins 4 | |||
10 or 11 players: 3 packs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders' card points: | zero | 5 to 115 | 120 to 235 | 240 to 295 | 300 or more |
| Trump maker has four friends: | trump makers win 2 | trump makers win 1 | defenders win 1 | defenders win 2 | defenders win 3 |
| Trump maker has three friends: | trump makers win 4 | trump makers win 2 | |||
| Trump maker has two friends: | trump makers win 6 | trump makers win 3 | |||
| Trump maker has one friend: | trump makers win 8 | trump makers win 4 | |||
| Trump maker plays alone: | trump maker wins 10 | trump maker wins 5 | |||
12 players: 4 packs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders' card points: | zero | 5 to 155 | 160 to 315 | 320 to 395 | 400 or more |
| Trump maker has five friends: | trump makers win 2 | trump makers win 1 | defenders win 1 | defenders win 2 | defenders win 3 |
| Trump maker has four friends: | trump makers win 4 | trump makers win 2 | |||
| Trump maker has three friends: | trump makers win 6 | trump makers win 3 | |||
| Trump maker has two friends: | trump makers win 8 | trump makers win 4 | |||
| Trump maker has one friend: | trump makers win 10 | trump makers win 5 | |||
| Trump maker plays alone: | trump maker wins 12 | trump maker wins 6 | |||