This is a resource dedicated to Chinese dominoes GuPai also known in Korea as GolPae. You may find here reference to most of the currently known games played with GuPai with all the necessary additional information structured in a way so it is easy to learn how to play the games.
The games are divided into six categories: connecting, trick-taking, gambling, solitaire, collecting, and fishing. Accordingly, the articles are split into six modules, most of which have a theoretical part and all have several game descriptions. You can read in order, like a book (as it is intended), jumping on hyperlinks between texts will then be unnecessary. But you can read in any order, just keep in mind that you may need to read other articles to understand the one you’re reading. The article on the composition of the deck and customs is a must-read.
Original Ukrainian version can be found here: https://navpil.wordpress.com/gupai/
Introduction
This is optional reading, but if you want to know my motivation to write about Chinese dominoes, why I find them fascinating and why are they disappearing you are welcome to read this article: Why Chinese Dominoes
Module 1: Dragon
Familiarize yourself with the Chinese Dominoes deck and learn some connecting games, which are the most similar to the Western domino games. The article about Chinese domino deck is a must read.
- Chinese Domino deck composition and traditions
- Generic connecting game rules (Jie Long, Ce Deng and Kko-li-but-i-gi)
- Rules of a Ding Niu – Bull Fighting, special connecting game with a reduced deck
Module 2: Heaven
Description of one of the most popular folk games – Heaven-Nine (or TienGow), which is a trick-tacking game and is somewhat similar to Contract Bridge. Certainly read about the tiles and pairs hierarchy, since pairs are an often used concept in other GuPai games, not only in trick-taking ones.
- GuPai symbolism
- Tiles and pairs hierarchy
- Rules: Trick-taking game Tien Gow , Heaven-Nine
- Rules: TienGow variants (Folk Tien Gow, Nau Tin Kau, Ancient Tiles, Bagchen)
Module 3: Gambling
Even though previous games are also often played for money, the next games have several things in common and have much stronger emphasis on luck. The most famous game on the list is definitely Pai Gow, which is still played in casinos. If you are not very interested in gambling, you can skip it. The only dimension to Chinese dominoes added in this section is the modulus ten calculation for the value of a group. A similar calculation will occur in some future games.
- Gambling games – general information, modulo 10 rule
- Rules: Pai Gow – also includes a simple family variant
- Rules: Tau Ngau – with two variants of settlement
- Rules: Kol Ye Si
- Rules: Da Ling, Playing Zeroes
Module 4: Fish
Fishing games are almost unknown in the West, but very popular in the East. Although their mechanics are unusual at first glance, they are not difficult to master. Since all the following games required more research than the previous ones, you can read about where I got my information about the GuPai. At least to know who is Culin, who described about half of the games in this and the following modules.
- Sources – optional reading about where I got the information about the games
- Fishing games – introduction
- Rules: Tiu-U, Catching Fish
- Rules: Shi Wu Hu, Fifteen Lakes, includes adaptation for 2 domino decks
- Rules: Tsung Shap – Disputing for Tens, with a four-tiles-in-hand variang
Module 5: Solitude
Description of solitaire games that you can play yourself. They are divided into two types – more complex games with triplets and simpler games with pairs. The triplets themselves are described in a separate article.
- Description of classical triplets
- Solitaire games – general information
- Rules: Clearing the Rows – several related games including Guo Wu Guan and O-Koan
- Rules: Zen, includes basic Xiang Shi Fu game and four rules variations
- Rules: Eight trigrams
- Rules: Games with pairs, includes Open the Pagoda, Turtle, Memory and Two Rows
Module 6: Collect
Collecting games are also known in the West, for instance Canasta or Rummy. In China, Mahjong is one of these games. All games in this section use different combinations, most of which have been used in previous games. That’s why this module is the last.
- Collecting games – general information
- Rules: Kap Shap – 2 variants and some suggestions for a rule change
- Rules: Ho-Hpai – rules suggestion and analysis of both Ho-Hpai and Tok games
- Rules: Jjak-mat-chu-gi with suggestions of a rules change
- Rules: Small Mahjong
Addendum
I have gathered descriptions of several games which can be played with Western domino or playing cards influenced by GuPai.
This is an optional reading: Adaptations for Western Dominoes and Cards
Chinese Dominoes GuPai 