Rules & How to Play
Dou Dizhu (“Fight the Landlord”) — our house variant, 3 players, 55-card deck with a Wild.
At a glance
- Players: exactly 3.
- Deck: 55 cards — standard 52, plus Black/White Joker, Colored Joker, and one Wild.
- Deal: 17 cards to each player, 4 cards set aside as the middle.
- Roles: one Landlord (solo) vs. two Tenants (a team).
- Goal: be the first to empty your hand.
- Stakes: each player starts with $100. The pot grows from antes and doubles with every bomb.
Card ranking
From lowest to highest:
3 < 4 < 5 < 6 < 7 < 8 < 9 < 10 < J < Q < K < A < 2 < Joker (BW) < Joker (Colored)
Suits do not matter for comparing. The 2 is the highest normal card — stronger than an Ace. Both jokers outrank the 2.
The Wild card is special. It has no value of its own; it can substitute for any one card inside a legal combo (e.g. stand in for a third King to make a triple). The Wild cannot be played alone.
Choosing the Landlord
Round 1: before the real deal, each player is assigned a priority draw card — the highest card picks first. That player may take the 4 middle cards (becoming Landlord) or pass to the next. If the first two pass, the third player must take.
Round 2+: the first option rotates one seat to the left of the previous Landlord. Same take/pass rule.
The Landlord adds the 4 middle cards to their hand (21 cards total vs. 17 each for the Tenants) and pays a 2× ante into the pot; Tenants each pay 1×.
Once the Landlord is chosen, the 4 middle cards are revealed to everyone. All 3 players must acknowledge they’ve seen them before play begins.
Valid combos
A play is a set of cards forming one of these shapes. The leader of a trick picks any legal combo; each follower must play the same type + size with a higher rank, or pass.
| Name | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 7♥ | Any one card (not the Wild alone). |
| Pair | Q♠ Q♦ | Two of the same rank. |
| Triple | 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ | Three of the same rank. |
| Triple (+ optional discard) | 5♠ 5♥ 5♦, or 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ + 9♣ | Three of a kind. You may optionally add one extra card as a discard (to shed a card you don't want). Only the triple's rank matters when beating — a triple+discard can beat a pure triple and vice versa. |
| Straight | 4-5-6-7-8, or 10-J-Q-K-A-2 | 5+ consecutive ranks; 2 may be the high card. Jokers never in a straight. |
| Consecutive pairs | 5♠5♥ 6♠6♥ 7♠7♥, or K-K A-A 2-2 | 3+ consecutive pairs; 2 may be the high pair. Jokers never in consecutive pairs. |
| Consecutive triples | 5♠5♥5♦ 6♠6♥6♦, or A-A-A 2-2-2 | 2+ consecutive triples; 2 may be the high triple. You may optionally add up to one discard per triple. Only the underlying run of triples matters when beating. Jokers never inside the triples themselves. |
| Bomb (4-of-a-kind) | 9♠9♥9♦9♣ | Beats anything non-bomb. Bombs beat each other by rank. |
| Rocket (double joker) | Joker(BW) + Joker(Col) | Strongest bomb. Beats every other combo, including 4-of-a-kind bombs. |
The Wild card can replace any single card in a combo. For example, a Wild plus two Kings forms a triple of Kings; a Wild plus a Joker forms a bomb. The Wild cannot be led on its own.
Trick flow
- The Landlord leads the first trick with any legal combo.
- Each following player must play the same type and size at a higher rank — or pass.
- Bombs and rockets can interrupt at any time, even when you “couldn’t” match the lead type.
- When two players pass in a row, the remaining player wins the trick and leads the next one. After winning a trick you must play — you can’t pass on your own lead.
- Play continues until someone empties their hand. That player wins the round.
Money & bombs
- Each round opens with an ante: Landlord pays $2, each Tenant pays $1 (totals $4 in the base pot).
- Every bomb or rocket played doubles the ante going forward: an extra $2 / $1 collection per bomb, then $4 / $2 for the second, and so on.
- If the Landlord wins, the Landlord takes the whole pot.
- If a Tenant wins, the Tenants split the pot evenly (the actual winner gets any rounding remainder).
- When the host closes the room, balances are reconciled into a short list of payments (e.g. “Bea pays Alice $15”).
Leaving & rejoining
- Rooms persist across browser sessions. You can close the tab mid-hand and come back — identity is by name (case-insensitive).
- The Home button in the top bar takes you back to this page. If a round is in progress, it asks to confirm. The round keeps running; you can rejoin with the same name and link.
- Bots (added via Play vs 2 Bots) never disconnect — they take their turns automatically after a short delay.
- Only the host can start a new round or close the room. Closing mid-round refunds the active pot evenly to everyone.
Strategy tips
- Count the 2s and jokers. They’re your endgame control — don’t spend them carelessly early.
- Lead your longest combo early. A 6-card straight sheds more than six 1-card leads ever will.
- Tenants: pass under your partner. If your partner leads, let them keep control unless you’re about to go out.
- Save bombs for pressure. Bombing early doubles the ante but gives away your biggest weapon. Bomb when an opponent is 1–2 cards from winning or when the lead is unwinnable otherwise.
- Watch the Wild. Pair it with a natural card so it actually gets played — if you leave only the Wild at the end, you can’t lead.