Tien Gow variants
There are several variants of Tien Gow. This page presents some of the simpler ones — Nau Tin Kau, Ancient Tiles, and Tien Gow for Two. More complex variants are described on separate pages, which are listed at the end.
Nau Tin Kau
Nau Tin Kau (扭天九) is a gambling game described by Culin. It requires no skill — only knowledge of suits and tile hierarchy. It may be considered a distant relative of Tien Gow, since it also involves trick-taking. However, players do not hold tiles in hand; instead, they draw them during play, which eliminates any element of strategy and skill.
The first player draws one tile from the deck and reveals it. The second player does the same. If the second player’s tile is of the same suit and ranks higher, he takes both tiles and leads to the next trick. Otherwise, the first player takes both tiles and continues leading.
At the end of the game, players count the red pips in their captured tiles. The player with fewer red pips pays the difference to the opponent.
Source: Culin’s description
“Ancient tiles” variant
There is mention of a 32-tile variant with no combinations at all, referred to as Ancient Tiles (古牌, gupai). The source is a Portuguese book about games played in Macau. However, the author may have misunderstood the terminology.
The words “ancient” (古) and “bone” (骨) are homophones in Chinese. It is quite possible that players were simply referring to Gu Pai (bone tiles), and the author interpreted this as “ancient tiles.” Since the same author made other errors elsewhere, the accuracy of this description is uncertain.
Nevertheless, it is plausible that a simplified version of Tien Gow existed using all 32 tiles but without special combinations.
Moving Mice
When only two players are present, they may play a variant called Moving Mice (老鼠恡家).
- This version uses the standard 32-tile set.
- Eight tiles are dealt to each player.
- The game is played according to normal Tien Gow trick-taking rules.
- When those tiles are exhausted, the remaining tiles are dealt and played in the same way.
- No point calculation is made — only tricks matter.
After two such initial rounds, each player takes eight tiles from the tricks they have won, starting with their earliest captured tricks, and play continues.
Eventually, one player will have fewer than eight tiles remaining in their trick pile. In that case:
- He takes all his remaining tiles.
- His opponent takes the same number.
- Play continues.
The player who eventually runs out of tricks loses.
This variant was described to me in a letter by Mr. Min FanXin (闵凡信), a Chinese domino enthusiast. I am not certain how widespread this version is, but it is worth mentioning.
Simple Tien Gow for Two
Tien Gow for two players can be simplified even further: : deal eight tiles to each player and replenish hands from the talon after each trick. In this format, all 32 tiles are played, resulting in 16 total tricks.
Other variants
Some Tien Gow variants require more detailed explanation and therefore have dedicated pages.
- Folk Tien Gow - a reduced-deck version often played by the older generation.
- Mo Hua Hua - a paper domino game that helps with understanding the rules of Folk Tien Gow better. Unlike most paper domino games, it can also be played with two physical domino sets.
- Bagchen - the most complex Tien Gow variant, played in Tibet with a double 64-tile set.
If you wish to explore Tien Gow more deeply, begin with Folk Tien Gow, and then Mo Hua Hua.
If you prefer to move directly to a more intricate system, consult the Bagchen page.
However, if standard Tien Gow rules are sufficient for you, you may skip these and instead read about the only trick-taking game that is not directly derived from Tien Gow - the Japanese game Deer Hunt.