Gambling games
Although most GuPai games are traditionally played for money, there is a particular group of games that share several common features. I have placed them in a separate category, which I call “gambling games”.
First, these games involve a banker. The banker may be a casino representative, or the role may rotate among the players, depending on the game or the circumstances. In fact, most of the games in this category can be played either with a fixed banker or with a “sliding” (rotating) banker. The exception is Da Ling, where the banker does not participate in the calculations.
Second, luck plays a dominant role in these games. Player skill has relatively little influence on the outcome.
Third, all of them use the modulo ten rule. According to this rule, the total number of pips on a tile (or on several tiles, if combinations are used) is divided by ten, and only the remainder is counted. For example:
- The tile [6:5] counts as 1 point (11 modulo 10).
- The tiles [3:3][5:4] count as 5 points (15 modulo 10).
- The three-tile set [6:6][4:3][4:1] counts as 4 points (24 modulo 10).
Depending on the game, a result of zero may be treated either as the lowest value (zero) or as the highest value (ten). The first option is used in Pai Gow and Kol-ye-si; the second is used in Tau Ngau.
system. For the purposes of modulo ten calculation, they may count either as 6 or as 3. As mentioned earlier, these two tiles form the Supreme Pair, and are traditionally linked. Since one of them gives a remainder of 6 and the other 3 when divided by ten, they effectively function as semi-wild tiles and may take either value.
In Korea, however, the military pairs were organized differently, and the concept of the Supreme Pair did not exist. Therefore, there is no special link between [4:2] and [2:1] there. In Korean games, one of these tiles always counts as 6 and the other as 3.
The most famous game in this category is undoubtedly Pai Gow. It was thanks to the popularity of this game that I was able to purchase my own set of Chinese dominoes. Pai Gow is played even in American casinos, although most players at those tables are Chinese. It is also the only gambling game that uses the classical Chinese pairing hierarchy.
The remaining games have largely disappeared and survive mostly in written descriptions. Tau Ngau is the simplest: the player’s task is essentially not to make a mistake. Kol-ye-si gave the player a statistical advantage over the house, which may explain why it vanished. There is also Da Ling - probably the most complex game from the player’s perspective; it is the only one in which the color of the pips plays a role.
I am not personally a fan of gambling. However, as a gesture of gratitude to Pai Gow—for giving me the opportunity to acquire a GuPai set—and in order to present a complete picture of Chinese domino culture, I decided to include descriptions of these games as well.
Please be aware: gambling can be harmful to your finances.