Paohuzi is the Hunan character-card game, played here three-handed against Lin and Shu. The deck has no suits: eighty cards showing the numbers one to ten in two scripts, four copies each. You draw one and throw one away every turn, building runs and triplets in front of you, and you may take an opponent’s discard to finish a set. The twist that makes it its own game is that four sets is not enough — they have to be worth enough hu points, so the cheap set that finishes your hand may be the one that traps you.
How to play Paohuzi
- You sit against Lin and Shu with eleven cards. The deck has no suits: the numbers one to ten, written in two scripts, four copies of each.
- On your turn you draw one card, then discard one. Tap three cards and press Lay set to put a run or a triplet down in front of you.
- A run is three consecutive numbers in the same script — the two scripts never mix. A triplet is three copies of the same card, and a fourth copy makes a four.
- Sets are worth hu points: a run 1, a claimed set 2, a triplet you built yourself 3, and four of a kind 5.
- When somebody discards a card you can use, you are offered it. Any set you finish that way is worth one point less than building it in hand.
- You go out by having four sets down and no cards left — but only if those sets are worth at least the target shown at the top of the table.
Tips
- Do not lay a run just because you can. Three runs and a fourth set can only reach eight points at absolute best, so on the higher tables an early cheap set quietly ends your hand before it starts — the Lay set button locks when that happens.
- Hold a pair over a near-run. A pair can become a triplet worth three, and it can also claim a discard for two, so it has two ways to pay; two cards waiting on a run have one way, and it pays one.
- Only the player about to take their turn may claim a discard for a run. Anybody holding a pair can claim it for a set, so the card you throw is more dangerous when opponents have sets down and short hands.
- Watch the wall count. It reshuffles at most three times, and when it stops the hand is dead — points in your hand are worth nothing if nobody goes out.
- Discard from the script your opponents are not collecting. Their laid sets tell you which script they are working in, and a run they cannot use is a card you can spend safely.
FAQ
Is Paohuzi free to play?
Yes. Paohuzi is completely free to play online with no download, no account, and no in-game purchases.
Does Paohuzi work on mobile?
Yes, it works on touch devices as well as desktop with mouse and keyboard.
Why can I not go out when I have four sets?
Because four sets is only half the rule. Your sets also have to be worth the table’s hu-point target, and four runs are worth only four points. This is what separates Paohuzi from ordinary rummy: the hand that finishes fastest and the hand that finishes legally are often not the same hand.
What are the two kinds of writing on the cards?
Every number appears in two scripts — the everyday form and the formal, anti-forgery form used on Chinese cheques. They act like two suits: a run has to stay inside one script, though a triplet is three copies of the same card and so is always one script anyway.
How is Paohuzi different from Gin Rummy?
Both are draw-and-discard set-building games, but Paohuzi scores the sets rather than the leftovers, will not let you go out on cheap sets at all, and lets any player claim a discard to complete a triplet. There is no knocking and no deadwood.