The Chinese card game has many names; in its native country, it’s known as Dou Dizhu. While in English-speaking countries, it’s known as Fight The Landlord or simply as the Chinese card game. If you like strategic card games like Poker, you’ll be sure to enjoy this game.

Now while it might seem confusing at first, the Chinese card game is easier to play than you may first think. However, it’s challenging to master, so don’t be put off if you lose your first few games. Before we look at the rules, let’s briefly look at what the game is all about.

What is The Chinese Card Game?

This popular Chinese game does have a bit of a learning curve to it. It’s traditionally played with three people (although it can be played with four,) and the game has a rather unusual setup.

Because the game is played in teams, one player will be the landlord while the other two will be the farmers or peasants. But to add another element, when the game begins, each player can bid to become the landlord.

The game is played with each “team” playing cards trying to outscore each other. When your cards are dealt with, you should think carefully about whether becoming the landlord is the best option or not. We’ll talk more about this in the rules section below.

All cards are used in the Chinese card game, including the rarely seen Joker cards. The Joker cards are the most valuable in the game! The landlord will win if they can play all their cards first, whereas the farmer or peasants win if they manage to play all their cards first.

This is a straightforward idea of how the game is played, but we’ll need to take a more in-depth look to understand the rules thoroughly.

What You’ll Need To Play?

To play The Chinese card game, all you need is a pack of playing cards. These shouldn’t be overly difficult to find, but if you want some more flashy cards, you can find some great ones online. We particularly like these Bicycle Dragon Playing Cards.