1: Deal 13 cards each to four players from a regular 52-card deck, with no jokers.Deal and play go clockwise.
2: Cards rank 2 (highest), ace, king, queen, jack, 10 and on down to the 3 (lowest).High to low: 2 A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3.
3: Within a rank, suits rank hearts (highest), diamonds, clubs, spades (lowest).The 2 of hearts is the top card, the 3 of spades the bottom. The 8 of spades still beats the 7 of hearts.
4: First game: whoever holds the 3 of spades leads it, alone or in a combination.In later games the last winner leads, with any card or combination.
5: Each player in turn beats the last play or passes.To beat it, play the same kind of combination with the same number of cards, but higher.
6: The top card of each play decides which is higher: by rank first, then by suit.The 7 of hearts with the 7 of spades beats the 7 of diamonds with the 7 of clubs.
7: Pass, and you are out until the pile is cleared.You may pass even when you hold a card that would win.
8: When nobody beats a play, set the pile aside. Whoever made that play leads anything.Everyone who passed is back in for the new pile.
9: Out of cards, out of the game. The last player left holding cards loses.The loser deals the next game. If the player due to lead has no cards, the lead passes to the left.
1: Deal 13 cards each to four players from a regular 52-card deck, with no jokers.Deal and play go clockwise.
2: Cards rank 2 (highest), ace, king, queen, jack, 10 and on down to the 3 (lowest).High to low: 2 A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3.
3: Within a rank, suits rank hearts (highest), diamonds, clubs, spades (lowest).The 2 of hearts is the top card, the 3 of spades the bottom. The 8 of spades still beats the 7 of hearts.
4: First game: whoever holds the 3 of spades leads it, alone or in a combination.In later games the last winner leads, with any card or combination.
5: Each player in turn beats the last play or passes.To beat it, play the same kind of combination with the same number of cards, but higher.
6: The top card of each play decides which is higher: by rank first, then by suit.The 7 of hearts with the 7 of spades beats the 7 of diamonds with the 7 of clubs.
7: Pass, and you are out until the pile is cleared.You may pass even when you hold a card that would win.
8: When nobody beats a play, set the pile aside. Whoever made that play leads anything.Everyone who passed is back in for the new pile.
9: Out of cards, out of the game. The last player left holding cards loses.The loser deals the next game. If the player due to lead has no cards, the lead passes to the left.
Show all 35 rows (26 more)
What you can play: singles, pairs and runs 9
1: Single: any one card.The 3 of spades is the lowest single and the 2 of hearts the highest.
2: Pair: two cards of one rank.Two queens, or two 4s.
3: Triple: three cards of one rank.Three 5s.
4: Four of a kind: all four cards of one rank.Four 9s.
5: Run: three or more cards in rank order. The suits can be mixed.4-5-6, or 9-10-jack-queen-king.
6: A run never turns the corner from 2 to 3: ace-2-3 is not a run.Sources differ on a run that ends in a 2, such as king-ace-2. Many tables keep 2s out of runs: agree first.
7: Double run: three or more pairs in rank order.3-3-4-4-5-5, or 6-6-7-7-8-8-9-9.
8: A play is beaten only by the same kind of play with the same number of cards.A triple cannot beat a pair, and a five-card run cannot beat a four-card run.
9: Example: 8-9-10 topped by the 10 of diamonds beats 8-9-10 topped by the 10 of clubs.Only the highest card of each run is compared.
Bombs: what beats a 2 9
1: A single 2 beats every other single card. Normally only a higher 2 beats it.The 2s rank by suit like every other card: hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades.
2: Bomb: four of a kind beats a single 2.It beats no other single card. It cannot be played on an ace.
3: Bomb: a double run of three pairs beats a single 2.7-7-8-8-9-9 is one.
4: Bomb: a double run of four pairs beats a pair of 2s.5-5-6-6-7-7-8-8 is one. Some tables let four of a kind beat a pair of 2s as well.
5: Bomb: a double run of five pairs beats three 2s.8-8-9-9-10-10-J-J-Q-Q is one.
6: A bomb is beaten only by a higher bomb of the same kind.Four jacks beat four 6s.
7: A bomb may come even from a player who passed earlier.It is the one way back into a pile.
8: A bomb answers 2s only. Once played, it is the play the others must beat.If an ace is beaten by a 2, four of a kind can then take the 2.
9: House rule: a player dealt all four 2s wins the game at once.It comes from an American form of the game. Say before the deal whether it applies.
For 2, 3 or more players 8
1: Two players: deal 13 cards each. The other 26 stay face down and are not used.If the whole deck were dealt, each player could work out the other's hand.
2: No 3 of spades in play? Whoever holds the lowest card leads it.Compare ranks first, then suits: among the 3s, spades are lowest, then clubs.
3: Two players: when you pass, the other player clears the pile and leads again.The first to run out of cards wins the game.
4: Three players: deal 13 each and leave 13 out, or agree on 17 each.With 17 each, one card is left over. Some tables give it to the player who leads.
5: Five to eight players: shuffle two decks together.Deal 13 each, or deal out as many as go around equally.
6: Some tables deal two players 17 cards each.Agree on the hand size before the deal.
7: The loser of a game deals the next, and the winner leads it.The 3 of spades rule is for the first game only.
8: House rule, trading: before the first lead, two players may swap equal numbers of cards.Both must agree to the exact cards, or no trade happens.
How this list was compiled: Written for this site on 2026-10-09, in our own words. Thirteen is an English name for Tien Len, a traditional Vietnamese card game with no governing body and many local forms. Every row was checked on 2026-10-09 against the card game rules site Pagat: https://www.pagat.com/climbing/thirteen.html, and against English Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, Tien len: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti%E1%BA%BFn_l%C3%AAn. Both give four players with 13 cards each from a 52-card deck, cards ranking from the 2 down to the 3, suits ranking hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades, the 3 of spades led in the first game, plays of a single card, a pair, a triple, four of a kind, a run of three or more cards and a double run of three or more pairs, a play beaten only by a higher play of the same kind and size judged by its highest card, a pass that shuts a player out until the pile is cleared, the last unbeaten player leading again, the last player holding cards losing and dealing next, 13 cards each for two or three players with the rest set aside (or 17 each for three), and two decks for five to eight. Where they differ the sheets say so: Pagat's main rules let a run end in a 2 and Wikipedia's do not; Pagat has a double run of four pairs beat a pair of 2s, and Wikipedia adds four of a kind. That a bomb may be played by a player who has passed, why two players are dealt 13 cards and not 26, and 17 cards each for two players are as Pagat gives them; that a bomb becomes the play to beat and that the lead passes to the left when the leader is out of cards are as Wikipedia gives them. Four 2s winning outright and trading are rules of an American form that both sources describe, marked here as house rules. Both sources describe play for a stake; this page leaves stakes out. The two-player ruling on passing is worked out from the rule that an unbeaten play clears the pile. Licence: own work
How it works
Thirteen is an English name for Tien Len (tiến lên, "go forward"), considered the national card game of Vietnam. Four players get 13 cards each, the 2 is the highest card, and the last player holding cards loses.
Read the full guide
How to play the Thirteen card game: one pile
Say the leader plays the 5 of clubs. You may beat it with the 5 of hearts or any higher single card, or pass. Passing shuts you out until nobody can beat the last play. Its player then clears the pile and leads anything, such as a pair or a run.
How to play card game 13 with 2 players
Deal 13 cards each and leave the other 26 face down, out of the game. Whoever holds the lowest card starts with it. For 2, 3 or more players has the rest, and Bombs: what beats a 2 lists the only plays that break the same-kind rule.
A bomb can be played even after you have passed, so four of a kind is worth keeping while a 2 is still out.
Questions and answers
How do you play the Vietnamese card game 13?
Deal 13 cards each. The holder of the 3 of spades leads it, alone or in a combination. Each player in turn plays a higher combination of the same kind or passes. Whoever wins a pile leads the next. Last with cards loses.
How do you play 13, the card game, with two people?
Each player gets 13 cards and the other half of the deck is left out, so neither can work out the other's hand. When one player passes, the other clears the pile and leads again. First out of cards wins.
What is the highest card in Thirteen?
The 2 of hearts. Cards rank 2, ace, king and on down to the 3, and within a rank hearts beat diamonds, then clubs, then spades. The lowest card is the 3 of spades.
When can you play a 2 in Thirteen?
Whenever its kind of play is on the table: a single 2 on any single card, a pair of 2s on any pair. Tables differ on whether a 2 may end a run, and a run never carries on from 2 to 3.
What beats a 2 in the card game 13?
A higher 2, or a bomb. Four of a kind or three pairs in a row beat a single 2, four pairs in a row beat a pair of 2s, and five pairs in a row beat three 2s.