Streak 0
Best -
Big Two

Big Two

Asia's favourite shedding game. Beat the last play with a stronger combination of the same size — singles, pairs, straights, full houses — and be first to empty your hand.

How to play

Thirteen cards each. Ranks run 3 up to ace and then 2, which is the highest card in the game; when two cards share a rank the suit decides, from diamonds up through clubs and hearts to spades.

Tap cards to select them and press Play. You may lead any valid combination: a single, a pair, a triple, or a five-card hand — straight, flush, full house, four of a kind plus one card, or straight flush. To answer, you must match the size and beat it. Among five-card hands the category comes first: a straight loses to a flush, which loses to a full house, then four of a kind, then a straight flush.

If you cannot or will not answer, press Pass. The table then clears and whoever played last leads a fresh combination of their choosing. You cannot pass on an open table — you have to lead something.

First player with an empty hand wins. Your score is your win streak.

Tips & strategy

Count your twos and think of them as keys rather than cards. A two cannot be beaten as a single, so each one you hold is a guaranteed chance to take back the lead exactly once. Spending one early to win a trivial trick throws away the only tool that reliably gets you out of trouble late, when your rival is down to two or three cards and every open play they get is a chance to finish.

Shape your hand before you need it. Thirteen cards will not leave your hand one at a time — if you plan to shed singles all game you will lose to anyone playing pairs and five-card hands. Look for the five-card hands you already almost hold and decide early which cards are committed to them, because a card promised to a straight cannot also be your spare single.

Leading is worth more than winning an exchange. Whoever plays last on a table gets to open the next one at whatever size suits their hand, and that choice is where games are decided. If your hand is full of pairs, keep opening pairs; if you hold one long straight and little else, get the table to five cards and keep it there. Passing on a play you could beat is often right when beating it would break a combination you need.

Watch the rival's count more than your own. At two cards left they need one pair or two singles to finish, so stop opening with weak singles they can beat and lead your strongest instead, or open at a size they cannot possibly hold. Denying them an open table is the whole endgame.