Tien Len (Thirteen) Rules

Tien Len (properly Tiến Lên, “go forward”) is often called the national card game of Vietnam, and Vietnamese communities have taken it around the world. In the United States it is often called Thirteen, after the 13 cards each player is dealt, and sometimes Killer or VC. It is a climbing game: players take turns to beat the last play with a higher card or combination, and the goal is to get rid of all your cards. The 2 is the highest card, and the only way to beat a 2 other than with a higher 2 is a bomb. This guide covers the Tien Len rules (the 13 card game), the plays, bombs, variations, tips and odds.

Tien Len Rules at a Glance

Card Order and Suits

Cards rank 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K A 2, so the 2 is the highest card. Rank always matters more than suit, but when two cards share a rank, the suit decides: spades ♠ (lowest), clubs ♣, diamonds ♦, hearts ♥ (highest). The 3♠ is the lowest card in the deck and the 2♥ the highest.

The Deal

Choose the first dealer at random; after that, the loser of each game deals the next. Deal 13 cards to each of four players. With two or three players, still deal 13 each and set the rest aside (by agreement, three players can take 17 each). Don’t deal the whole deck between two players, or each would know the other’s hand.

How to Play Tien Len

1. The first lead. In the first game, the player with the 3♠ starts, and must play it, alone or as part of a combination. In later games the winner of the last game leads anything.
2. Beat it or pass. Going around the table, each player either plays a higher combination of the same type and size, or passes. A pair can only be beaten by a higher pair, a three-card sequence only by a higher three-card sequence.
3. Once you pass, you are out of that round until someone leads a new combination, even if you could beat a later play.
4. Clearing the pile. When everyone else passes, the last play wins. The cards are set aside and that player leads anything they like.

The Plays

Between two plays of the same type, compare the highest card: 8 9 10♥ beats 8 9 10♦, because the ten of hearts beats the ten of diamonds. A sequence cannot wrap around from the 2 back to the 3, so A 2 3 is not a sequence.

Bombs: Beating the 2s

Normally only the same type of play can beat a play. The exceptions are bombs, which can beat 2s:

A bomb can be played even by a player who has already passed, and it can only be beaten by a higher bomb of the same kind. Bombs only work against 2s: you cannot bomb an ace. But if someone beats the ace with a 2, your bomb can now beat the 2.

Ending the Game

As players run out of cards they drop out, and if the player due to lead has no cards left, the lead passes on to the next player. The game ends when only one player still has cards. That player loses, and deals the next game.

Tien Len Variations

Tien Len has many local versions, so agree the rules before you start:

Tien Len vs Big Two and Pusoy Dos

Tien Len belongs to the same family as the Chinese game Big Two and its Filipino version, Pusoy Dos. In all three the 2 is the top card and you race to empty your hand, but the details differ, and only Tien Len has bombs made of consecutive pairs:

Tien Len Strategy Tips

• Get rid of low singles early. A lone 4 or 5 is hard to play later, when everyone is holding high cards.
• Don’t waste your 2s. A 2 wins almost any single round, so save it for when winning the lead lets you play out the rest of your hand.
• Keep bombs intact. Four of a kind or three consecutive pairs are worth more as a bomb than broken up into pairs.
• Count the 2s. There are four. Once they are gone, your aces are the top cards.
• Watch the player with few cards. If an opponent is down to one card, lead pairs or sequences rather than singles.

Tien Len Odds

Exact probabilities for a 13-card hand, each checked against 300,000 random hands:

• 2s: you get at least one 70% of the time; one 2 is the most common holding (44%), and none at all happens 30% of the time.
• All four 2s: 1 hand in 379, an instant win in VC rules.
• A bomb against a single 2: 11.6% of hands, about 1 in 9: four of a kind 3.4%, three or more consecutive pairs 8.4%.
• Four consecutive pairs, enough to beat a pair of 2s: 1.0%.

Consecutive pairs are counted from 3 up to ace, since groups differ on whether a 2 can be part of one.

Where Tien Len Comes From

Tien Len is a Vietnamese game, played wherever Vietnamese communities have settled. It spread to parts of the United States, probably as a result of the Vietnam War, where it took the names Thirteen, Killer and Viet Cong (VC); Thirteen is also the usual English name among Vietnamese Australians. Its relatives include the Chinese climbing games Big Two and Dou Dizhu.

More Climbing and Shedding Games

Try Pusoy Dos, the Filipino version of Big Two, or President, the party game where the winner takes the loser’s best cards. For another 13-card game, see Whist.

Tien Len: frequently asked questions