Run Fast is a free online version of Paodekuai, the three-player Chinese shedding card game, playable in the browser against two computer opponents with no download and no account. It is the fastest game in its family and the deck is why: the four 2s and both jokers are taken out, leaving forty-eight cards and sixteen each, which divides exactly. With the two best "take the lead back" cards gone from the game, the ace is the top of the ladder and there is nothing to hoard — you cannot sit on a rocket waiting for the right moment because there is no rocket. Every deal opens the same way: whoever was dealt the 3 of spades leads, and their first play must contain it. That one constraint decides the whole opening, because a player holding the 3 inside a run leads the run and a player holding it bare leads a three. From there you shed combinations — singles, pairs, trios with or without a kicker, runs of five or more, consecutive pairs, planes — and each has to be beaten by the same shape, higher, or let go. Four of a kind is a bomb and beats anything. What makes the game tense is the scoring: the first player out takes every card still in the other two hands, doubled for each bomb played and doubled again for anyone who never got a play down at all. So a deal you cannot win is still a deal you can lose badly, and getting rid of cards matters even when the race is gone. Six levels of opponent run from a back lane game that sits on its cards to one that plays the endgame properly.
How to play Run Fast
- Three players get sixteen cards each from a forty-eight card deck. The four 2s and both jokers are removed, so the ace is the highest card in the game.
- Whoever was dealt the 3 of spades opens the deal, and their first play must contain that card. It is outlined in gold in your hand when it is yours to play.
- You can lead the 3 of spades on its own, or inside any legal shape that contains it — a pair of threes, a run starting at the three, and so on.
- After that, lead any shape you like. The others must play the same shape but higher, or pass. When both of them pass the trick is over and whoever played last leads again.
- The shapes are: a single; a pair; three of a kind, alone or with one spare card or a pair; a run of five or more consecutive cards; three or more consecutive pairs; and a plane, which is two or more consecutive trios with one spare card each.
- Runs only beat runs of the same length. A run of six does not beat a run of five — it is a different shape, not a bigger one.
- There is no ace-low run. With the 2s removed there is nothing to bridge from the ace down to the three, so 3-4-5-6-7 is the lowest run in the game.
- Four of a kind is a bomb and beats any ordinary shape. Only a higher bomb beats a bomb, and every bomb played doubles the score for the deal.
- The first player to empty their hand wins and scores every card still in the other two hands. Being caught with a fistful is the thing to avoid.
- If a player never got a single play down all deal, that is a shutout and doubles the score again.
- Tap cards to select them and press Play. Hint suggests the widest legal play rather than the cheapest, because shedding is worth more than saving here.
Tips
- Shed, do not save. There are no jokers and no 2s, so there is no card worth keeping for a grand finish — the ace is just an ace, and a hand full of high cards you never played is exactly what the winner scores.
- Lead your longest shape first. Runs and consecutive pairs get harder to place as the deal goes on and people run out of the cards that answer them.
- The 3 of spades opening is information, not just a rule. If an opponent opens with a long run from the three, they have just told you their low cards are gone; if they open with a bare three, they are probably holding a scattered hand.
- Take tricks when you are behind. Passing feels safe, but a trick you decline is a card you are still holding when somebody else goes out, and that card is a point for them.
- Count the other two hands, not just the leader. When either of them drops to one or two cards you have to take the lead whatever it costs.
- Do not spend a bomb to win a small trick. It doubles the score for the deal whoever wins, so blowing one and then losing hands the winner twice as much.
- Watch for the shutout. If you have not played a single card and somebody is about to go out, taking any trick at all halves what they score off you.
- A pair of low cards is usually better led early than kept. Late in a deal the only pairs still out are high ones, and yours will never get through.
FAQ
Is Run Fast free to play?
Yes. It runs in the browser with no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy. All six opponent levels are here and unlock as you win.
Why are there no jokers or 2s in the deck?
That is the standard Paodekuai deck. Forty-eight cards divides exactly into three hands of sixteen, and removing the two most powerful cards in the game is what makes it fast — there is nothing to hoard, so hands get played out rather than sat on. It also makes the ace genuinely the top of the ladder.
Why do I have to play the 3 of spades first?
It is the traditional opening rule and it decides who leads: whoever was dealt that one card opens the deal, and their first play has to contain it. It can go out on its own or inside any shape that includes it, such as a pair of threes or a run starting at the three.
How is this different from Fight the Landlord?
There is no landlord and no bidding — all three players are for themselves. The deck is smaller with no jokers and no 2s, hands are sixteen rather than seventeen, there is a forced opening card, and the scoring is completely different: the winner takes the cards left in both other hands, so how much you shed matters even in a deal you are going to lose.
How is the score worked out?
The first player out scores one point for every card still held by the other two. That total is doubled for each bomb played during the deal by anybody, and doubled again for each opponent who never got a single play down. So a quiet deal might be worth eight points and a bomb-heavy one sixty.
Why did my run of six not beat a run of five?
Because the length is part of the shape rather than its size. A run of five can only be beaten by a higher run of five. The same is true of consecutive pairs and planes — you have to match the number of groups exactly.
Is there any real money involved?
No. The points are a score for the deal and nothing else — there is nothing to bet, nothing to win and nothing to buy.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. A sixteen-card hand fans to fit the width of the screen with the ranks still readable, the two opponents sit either side of the table, and tapping a card selects it exactly like clicking.