How to play Da Lao Er: a visual guide

What is Da Lao Er?

Da Lao Er (大老二) is the Taiwanese name for Big Two, a climbing card game for four players. The name means "Big Old Two", after the 2, the strongest card in the game. You win by getting rid of all your cards first. Each turn you beat what's on the table with a single, a pair, a triple or a five-card poker hand, or you pass.

It uses one standard 52-card deck with no jokers. The whole deck is dealt, so everyone starts with 13 cards. Most of the game is timing. You spend weak cards while you can and keep something strong for the moment you need to take the lead back.

Card ranking

Ranks run from 3, the lowest, up through 10, J, Q, K and A to 2, the highest. When two cards share a rank the suit decides. Spades are highest, then hearts, clubs and diamonds.

How a round works

You either beat the current play with the same number of cards and a higher value, or you pass. A pass only skips that turn. If the trick comes back around to you, you can still play.

1. 01 Whoever holds the 3♣ leads first. The opening play has to include the 3♣, as a single, in a pair or triple, or inside a five-card hand. Nobody can pass on that first play. The 3♦ is the lowest card, but the 3♣ is the one that opens.
2. 02 Beat the table, or pass. Play the same shape at a higher value. Singles answer singles, pairs answer pairs and five-card hands answer five-card hands.
3. 03 Three passes in a row clear the table. Once the other three players have passed, the cards are swept away. Whoever played last leads the next trick with any legal play.
4. 04 The first player with no cards left wins. Everyone else counts the cards still in their hand.

The four plays

Every play is one of four shapes. Two cards of different ranks are not a pair, and there are no four-card plays.

Five-card hands

Five-card hands rank like poker hands, read from the bottom. A higher type beats any lower type, no matter which cards are in it. Here they are, lowest first.

1. 1 Straight Five consecutive ranks in mixed suits. Compared by the highest card, then that card's suit. A-2-3-4-5 is the highest straight and 2-3-4-5-6 the next. Runs can't continue past the 2, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight, and J-Q-K-A-2 is never a legal hand, even in one suit. 5♣ 6♦ 7♠ 8♥ 9♣
2. 2 Flush Five cards of one suit. Compared by suit first, so a spade flush beats every heart flush, then by the highest card. A private room can switch to highest card first as a house rule. 4♠ 6♠ 8♠ 10♠ Q♠
3. 3 Full house A triple plus a pair. Compared by the rank of the triple. The pair never matters. 9♠ 9♥ 9♣ 4♦ 4♠
4. 4 Four of a kind Four cards of one rank plus any fifth card. Compared by the rank of the four. Q♠ Q♥ Q♣ Q♦ 6♣
5. 5 Straight flush Five consecutive cards in one suit. Compared by the top card, then suit, in the same order as straights. No other hand beats it. 7♠ 8♠ 9♠ 10♠ J♠

Winning and scoring

The round ends the moment one player plays their last card. That player wins. Everyone else scores one point for each card left in their hand, so a low score is good. Some Taiwanese tables add penalties for 2s or for a big hand left at the end. Ours count every card the same.

The winner leads the next game and can open with any legal play. The 3♣ only has to start the first game. A private room can change this so the 3♣ opens every game.

Da Lao Er and Big Two

Our Da Lao Er tables play like Hong Kong Big Two with one change. The 3♣ opens the first game instead of the 3♦. The suit order, ♠ > ♥ > ♣ > ♦, and everything else on this page are the same in both. Taiwanese tables vary here, and some open with the 3♦ as Hong Kong does, so agree on it before the first deal. To see how the Philippines and Vietnam play, compare the regional variants.

Pusoy Dos, the Filipino version, also opens with the 3♣ but ranks diamonds highest. The Pusoy Dos guide covers it.