How to Play Tiến Lên

Vietnam's Big Two — shed your cards before anyone else.

Also known as Thirteen · Vietnamese Cards · Thirteen Cards

👥 2–4 players · Medium difficulty

Learn Tiến Lên, the Vietnamese Thirteen, for 2–4 players: the 3-to-2 card order, pairs, triples and sequences, what beats a 2 and how bombs rank. Work through five plays, then play in your browser.

What beats what

10♠10♦J♣J♥2♥

A pair of 10s is on the table. Your J♣ J♥ beats it: the same type and size with a higher top card. A lone 2♥ is the highest single in the deck and only a bomb can answer it — four of a kind, or three or more consecutive pairs.

Worked example
Situation	Result
10♠ 10♦ on the table	J♣ J♥ beats it: same size, higher top card
2♥ on the table	Only a bomb: four of a kind or three consecutive pairs
2♠ 2♣ on the table	Four consecutive pairs or better
5♠ 6♦ 7♣ 8♥ on the table	A four-card sequence with a higher top card, such as 6-7-8-9
Q-K-A-2	Not a sequence: a 2 never joins one

Ranks run 3 (lowest) to A then 2; suits break ties with spades lowest, then clubs, diamonds and hearts. Bombs rank three pairs, four of a kind, four pairs, five pairs, six pairs.

Practise this game in your browser

🎯 Objective

Shed every card in your hand first. The first player out wins the hand, but play goes on until only one player still holds cards, and that player alone scores the cards left. The lowest total after the agreed number of hands wins the match — 3 hands unless you change it at setup (1 to 10).

🃏 Tiến Lên Setup & Rules

2 to 4 players with one standard 52-card deck, 13 cards each. With fewer than four, the rest of the deck sits out.
Ranks run 3 (lowest) up to A, then 2 (highest). Suits break ties: spades lowest, then clubs, diamonds, hearts highest.
The lowest card in play — the 3♠ when it was dealt — leads the first hand of the match, and the opening combination must include it. Later hands are led by the winner of the last.

▶ How to Play Tiến Lên

COMBINATIONS: a single, a pair, a triple, four of a kind, a sequence of three or more consecutive ranks in any suits, or a double sequence of three or more consecutive pairs. Sequences never include a 2.
Lead anything when the table is open. Otherwise play the same type and size as the combination on the table with a higher top card, or pass. A pass sits you out until the trick clears.
BOMBS: four of a kind and double sequences are bombs. Any bomb beats a lone 2; four consecutive pairs or better beat a pair of 2s; five pairs or better beat three 2s. Among bombs, three pairs < four of a kind < four pairs < five pairs < six pairs; two bombs of the same kind and size compare by top card.
When everyone else has passed, the table clears and the last player to play leads again. When a player goes out, the others may still beat that last combination; once they have all passed, the next seat still holding cards leads.
The hand ends when only one player still holds cards. There are no poker hands — no flush, full house or straight flush — in the app.

🎬 Watch: How to Play Tiến Lên

Filmed under the name Thirteen, the English name for this game.

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📖 Detailed Guide

Setting up your table

From the game menu choose Tiến Lên, then pick 2–4 seats and fill the empty ones with AI players.
Set the hands in the match: 3 by default, from 1 to 10. The lowest total of cards left wins.
Everyone gets 13 cards from one standard deck. With fewer than four players, the rest of the deck sits out.
The lowest card in play — the 3♠ when it was dealt — leads the first hand, and the opening combination must include it. Later hands are led by the winner of the last.

Card order

Ranks run 3 as the lowest up to the Ace, then the 2 as the highest.
Suits break ties between cards of the same rank: spades lowest, then clubs, diamonds, hearts highest. So 7♥ beats 7♠, and 2♥ is the highest card in the deck.
A combination is ranked by its highest card, so the suit of the top card decides between two sequences of the same ranks.
Sequences never include a 2: Q-K-A is the highest run of three.

Your turn

Play a single, a pair, a triple, four of a kind, a sequence of three or more consecutive ranks in any suits, or a double sequence of three or more consecutive pairs.
When the table is open, lead anything. Otherwise play the same type and size as the combination on the table with a higher top card, or pass.
A pass sits you out until the trick clears — you cannot rejoin it even if you later wish you had played.
When everyone else has passed, the table clears and the last player to play leads again. When a player goes out, the others may still beat that last combination; once they have all passed, the next seat still holding cards leads.

Twos and bombs

A 2 is the highest single, and a pair or triple of 2s the highest of its kind — but 2s fall to bombs.
Four of a kind and double sequences are bombs. Any bomb beats a lone 2; a pair of 2s falls only to four consecutive pairs or better; three 2s only to five pairs or better.
A stronger bomb beats a weaker one: three pairs, then four of a kind, then four pairs, five pairs and six pairs. Two bombs of the same kind and size compare by top card.
Bombs beat nothing else — on an ordinary pair you still need a higher pair.

Scoring the match

The hand ends when only one player still holds cards. That player adds the number of cards left — one each, a 2 included; everyone who went out scores nothing.
A match is 3 hands by default. The lowest total wins, and a tie is shared.
Count your escape route before you start shedding — a hand with one unplayable low card can strand you at the end.
Keeping one high single in reserve gives you a way to seize the lead late in the hand.

📊 Tiến Lên Scoring

The hand ends when only one player still holds cards, and that player adds the number of cards left — one each, a 2 included; everyone who went out scores nothing. Lower is better. A match is 3 hands unless you change it at setup; the lowest total wins, and a tie is shared.

❓ Tiến Lên — Frequently Asked Questions

How many players do you need for Tiến Lên?

Tiến Lên is played with 2–4 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.

What is the highest card in Tiến Lên?

The 2♥. Ranks run 3 (lowest) to A then 2 (highest), and suits break ties with spades lowest, then clubs, diamonds and hearts.

What beats a 2 in Tiến Lên?

Only a bomb. Any bomb — four of a kind or three or more consecutive pairs — beats a lone 2; a pair of 2s falls to four consecutive pairs or better, and three 2s to five pairs or better.

Who leads first in Tiến Lên?

The player holding the lowest card in play — the 3♠ when it was dealt — and their opening combination must include it. Later hands are led by the winner of the last.

How is Tiến Lên scored in the app?

Play goes on until one player is left holding cards; that player scores 1 point per card left, a 2 included, and the others score 0. The lowest total after the agreed number of hands — 3 by default — wins the match.