Best Chinese Gambling Games You Should Know

Hard to separate gambling from Asian culture. Walking into or opening an online casino, it would surprise no one if half of the games are of Asian roots, especially Chinese. The history of gambling in China dates back to the Xia dynasty. This cultural identity is believed to be embedded and passed down through generations of Chinese. The influence of Asian culture is apparent in modern gambling activities. Now, what Asian gambling games are still in vogue and the best? 

Baccarat

Unarguably one of the number top casino games, Baccarat's origin remains a mystery. It is often associated with a James Bond-like style of gambling. If you are a movie enthusiast, you must have seen him display his gambling skill on your screen several times. The James Bond character with Baccarat is down to Ian Fleming, the author of the movie series. It is claimed that he learnt to play the game after it became popular in England and made it a game that the titular character loved. 

Like where it originated, no one can put a specific timeline to when Baccarat started. Concerning where it began, many believe it was created by Felix Falguiere, who called the game baccara. Considering its similarities with the Chinese game Pai Gow, others thought it might have first appeared in ancient China. Regardless of origin, Baccarat is a well-loved gambling game in China and is always available at minimum deposit casinos.

How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is a game of prediction and comparison in which players bet on the closest hand to nine. You can bet on three hands; a player winning, the banker winning, or a tie. 

After the bets are made, and the cards are dealt, each player receives two cards and places their bets on any of the hands, getting closer to nine or just a tie. Whichever hands total or closest to nine wins. Cards 10, Queen, Jack and King have zero value, Cards 2-9 have a pip value, and an ace is worth one. Betting on bankers' hands rewards 95% of your initial stake.

Mahjong

Mahjong is regarded by many as one of the oldest Chinese gambling games to originate from China. In Old China, the game was called Maque, meaning 'sparrow.' Its modern history and evolution can be traced back to the 19th century, towards the end of the Qing dynasty. 

Combining strategy, skill and calculations is needed to win consistently in Mahjong. Played initially with no fixed rule, the game can be played with family and friends to build communal sentiment or by gambling whales underground for rewards.

How to Play Mahjong

The Mahjong games are tile-based, commonly played by four players using dominoes instead of cards. The tiles vary from 136 in number to 144 based on Chinese characters and symbols, divided into suits and honours. 

Every player is dealt 13 tiles. The 13 tiles received by each player from the dealer are hidden from other players. Then each turns their tiles up, makes a wall and pairs them into a set of three and four dominos. The game's goal is to complete a legal hand of 14 tiles after picking up a tile from the wall that can be used to achieve a winning hand. 

A player must announce "mahjong" after picking up a winning tile. If the tile doesn't score a win, the tile gets discarded. It can be picked by another player to complete a winning set. A player can only win by scoring a hand of 14 tiles and announcing "mahjong." A winning hand must consist of 4 melds and one eye.

Sic Bo

Like many Ancient Chinese gambling games, it is almost impossible to date when they started. However, Sic Bo appeared in ancient Chinese books as a game of relaxation for combat fighters when the art of Karate and Tai Quon Do were created. Also, dice have yet to be developed during this period. Objects used include bones, rocks, and shells. While the history, rules and gameplay point to a Chinese origin, the game has evolved and widely played in America and other parts of the world over the years with varying rules and regulations. 

Sic Bo is translated to "dice pair," even though the game is played with three dice. The game's goal is to bet on the outcome of a roll of three dice, including combinations of any two or three of the dice, single numbers, two of a kind or three of a kind.

How to Play Sic Bo

After placing a wager on your desired combinations, the dealer rolls the dice in a small plastic or glass dome. He then enters the result on the Sic Bo table, similar to a roulette table. If any of the rolled dice rolls a combination you put a wager on, you win the game. The game offers up to 50 bets for each player. Sic Bo is purely a luck-of-roll game.

Keno

Over 3,000 years ago, Keno was invented by Cheung Leung. The emperor of the Hans Dynasty created the game to generate funding instead of taxing the citizens. Legend has it that the money generated from the game helped fund the Great Wall of China. 

Keno was exported to different parts of the world at different periods, with each region adjusting to make the game more relatable. The Americans, for instance, replaced Chinese characters with more conventional Arabic symbols at minimum deposit casinos.

How to Play Keno

To play Keno, each player gets a card with numbers between 1-80, and the player is to pick 5 to 10 numbers. It is worth noting that the number of participants in Keno can vary. The selected numbers are then taken to a Keno Writer to place bets. 

The players then wait to see if the picked numbers can match the randomly 20 generated numbers. In general, you have three wagering options when playing Keno. They include; a straight ticket, a King ticket and a combination ticket. Unlike Mahjong, Keno is purely a game of luck.

Pai Gow

Pai Gow, like several Chinese games, managed to survive different civilizations. The earliest Pai Gow, known as Chinese dominoes, dates back to 960AD and resembles the complex version of dominoes. Roughly translated as "make nine", Pai Gow inspired the creation of Baccarat. Like Poker, the end game when playing Pai Gow is to create a winning hand. And similar to Poker, the dominoes are ranked in pairs based on Chinese mythology. 

The most popular modern variation of Pai Gow found in most casinos is Pai Gow Poker, created in 1985 by Sam Torosian. Though modernized, Chinese culture is preserved as Pai Gow continues to be a top game among Chinese and people from different regions of the world. It won’t be a surprise if Pai Gow is featured in any of the best-selling video games of the ongoing year.

How to Play Pai Gow

Between 2 and 8 people play Pai Gow with 32 tiles (dominoes). When you play Chinese Poker, the tiles are thoroughly shuffled and arranged into a stack of four with eight piles each before each round. The stack is called the woodpiles. After the tiles have been thoroughly mixed and the players are satisfied, they place their bets. 

Each player receives four tiles from the dealer and then creates two hands from the four tiles. One of these hands is called the front hand, while the other is the rear hand. Then the player's hands are compared with the dealer's hands. If the player's hands beat both of the dealer's hands, the player wins the bet and vice versa. But if a player has one hand that's the loser and the other winner, the player has a push or tie.

Fan Tan

The Chinese gambling game "Fan tan" has existed for thousands of years. The game is purely a game of chance and luck, similar to roulette. The game was popular during the late Qing dynasty but spread overseas in the second half of the 19th century when Canton Chinese migrated to other parts of the world. It's why the game is quite popular in places such as America and Canada. The game even got a place named after it in Canada, Fan Tan alley.

How to Play Fan Tan

A square is laid out at the centre of the playing table with marked sides 1, 2, 3 and 4. Each player places their bets on the table's edge with the marked numbers holding the bet. Then the dealer terminates the betting process by ringing the bell and emptying a double handful of small objects like buttons, coins and others onto the table.

The dealer covers the objects with a small metal bowl or "tan koi." These objects are usually numbered about 200. Depending on the game, he sets aside 60-100 items in a small cup. With the help of a wand (bamboo stick), the remaining objects are separated and arranged in a line of four. That goes on until only four or fewer are left, which becomes the winning number.

Other Chinese Gambling Games (Online)

There are many other Chinese gambling games you can check out! Some of them we included in the list below. Take a look: 

• Lucky Macau by Dragon Gaming;
• My Bookie by Real Time Gaming;
• Three Emperors by Reevo;
• Lucky Casino by KA Gaming;
• Lantern Festival by KA Gaming.

Conclusion

Where else to enjoy the best of Chinese casino games than where they originated from? Las Vegas built a reputation as a favourite gambler's spot for a long time. However, Macau has overtaken the city of light as the world's gambling capital. Macau is the place to be for the best Asian gambling games blended with the culture. 

Those in China or who can afford a trip would get value for their time and money playing the best gambling games in Macau. If you are from other parts of the world, try out any of these Asian casino games at a reputable online casino for a taste of Chinese history and culture.