Learn to Play the Card Game Fan Tan

Fan tan is a card game also known as card dominoes, sevens or parliament. The object of the game is to discard all the cards by placing them in a layout. According to the basic fan tan layout, it starts with 7 of each suit and grows towards the king in one direction backwards to the ace at the same time.

Fan tan can be played with between 3 and 6 players and it is suitable for at least 8 years old kids and adults. Fan tan uses the standard 52 card deck without any joker cards. Learning to play fan tan is very easy. Here you can find basic introduction to the game rules.

The game of fan tan begins with choosing the dealer for the first hand and by dividing even amounts of playing chips to all the players. The dealer deals the entire deck face down, beginning with the first player to his left and continuing clockwise. After the cards are dealt, the players have to create hands of their cards.

At the end of the cards dealing, all the players are counting the cards they were dealt. Players who have received less cards than the others have, put two chips in the pot, while players who have received more cards that the others have to put one chip into the pot.

The first card to played in fan tan has to be a 7 card of each suit. If the first player to the dealers left has one card of 7 or more, he puts one of the 7 card on the table. If he does not have any 7 cards, he will be penalized with one chip. The second player has to play either a 7 or another card of the same suit or number of the first player.

Each of the players on his turn plays one card from his hand against the cards played by the former player. Eventually the cards are creating a pattern:

• 6 6 6 6
• Spades Hearts Clubs Diamonds
• 7 7 7 7
• Spades Hearts Clubs Diamonds
• 8 8 8 8
• Spades Hearts Clubs Diamonds

The fan tan game ends with the first player who manages to get rid of all the cards in his hand. The winner gets to take the pot.