Chinese Ten♠

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A red-point capture game

Chinese Ten, Jiǎn Hóng Diǎn, belongs to an East Asian family of table-capture games, with related forms in Thailand and Indonesia. Pagat’s player-contributed account separates the main game from Taiwanese changes. We choose the main 2-player profile: only red cards score. The special black ten in the CardRulesPlus summary is not added.

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Deal and layout

Use one 52-card pack without jokers. Choose dealer by lot; dealer shuffles and opponent cuts. Deal 12 each, expose another 4 on the table, and leave 24 as face-down stock. For an unambiguous turn order we agree clockwise play: nondealer starts and deal alternates. Each keeps captured cards in a separate face-down pile. Suits never restrict captures.

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Two actions per turn

First play one card from hand. A counts 1; A–9 capture exactly one exposed card when the sum is 10. For example, 2 takes 8, A takes 9, and 5 takes 5. Cards 10,J,Q,K capture just one equal rank. Choose one if several qualify. You cannot sum several table cards. Make an available capture and put the pair into your winnings; otherwise leave the played card on the table.

Then expose the top stock card and resolve its capture by the same rules against the changed layout. It does not enter your hand. Only then does the opponent play. You cannot replace this second action with a draw for a later turn.

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Initial triples and four-of-a-kind

If the initial 4 contain three K, three Q, three J, three 10 or three 5, the fourth of that rank captures all three together. If the initial layout is four equal cards from that list, dealer immediately captures them and play starts with an empty table. These are special exceptions to single-card capture, not a general rule for arbitrary triples. Normally hands, stock and layout empty together; leftovers are not awarded to the last capturer.

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Red points and result

With 2 players, red 2–8 score face value, red 9,10,J,Q,K score 10 each, and red A score 20. Every black card, including A and 10, scores 0. Pack total is 210, with tie base 105. Deal result is your points minus 105; opponents’ results are opposites. Above 105 wins, exactly 105 ties. You may stop after one deal; our agreed series totals these results over 6 deals, highest wins and ties remain. This length is a chosen agreement, not a regional requirement.

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Two consecutive captures

Layout is 2♥,6♣,J♦,9♠. Play 8♣: 8+2=10, so capture 8♣ and 2♥. Flip stock 4♦: now 4+6=10, capturing 4♦ and 6♣. J♦ and 9♠ remain. The turn wins red 2♥ and 4♦, worth 2+4=6 points; J♦ is not captured yet.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

Common questions