Vietnamese Gambling Games to Try: Cards, Dice, and More

1. Bầu Cua Tôm Cá

Bầu Cua Tôm Cá, which translates to Gourd Crab Fish Tiger, is a Vietnamese version of the classic dice game Hoo Hey How. Like the original Chinese game, this Vietnamese dice game uses three dice.

Players bet on the outcome of the dice, and each dice has six symbols instead of numbers. The symbols in Bầu Cua Tôm Cá are:

• • Fish
  • Prawn
  • Crab
  • Rooster
  • Gourd
  • Stag or tiger

The payouts in Bầu Cua Tôm Cá are simple: bettors receive a 1x multiple for each symbol that matches their prediction. For instance, if you bet on the crab and there are two crab symbols, you receive 2x your stake amount.

Bầu Cua Tôm Cá is often played to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year. You can try a variation of this game called Roll the Dice at BetOnline. It was developed by Qora Games and offers an RTP of 92%.

2. Cát Tê

Another popular game from Vietnam is Cát Tê. This Vietnamese card game is best played with three to six players.

Cát Tê, which translates to “six cards,” uses a 52-card deck and, as the name suggests, each player starts the round with six cards. The goal of the game is to create tricks; however, unlike trick games such as spades, you only want specific tricks in Cát Tê.

The winner in Cát Tê is the player who makes the last trick of the round. Alternatively, you can also win the game by creating the first four tricks of the round.

There are also two hands that instantly win in Cát Tê:

• • Four-of-a-kind
  • 6-card flush

Cát Tê only allows for one round of betting per hand. The person who wins the round, i.e., the player who creates the last trick, collects the entire pot.

3. Tiến Lên

Next up is Tiến Lên, a shedding-style card game that is often considered Vietnam’s national card game. It can be played with up to eight players and uses a standard 52-card deck. However, for games of five or more players, two decks are often combined to create a 104-card deck.

For Tiến Lên, the cards three through Ace are ranked as usual. However, a two is the highest-ranking card in the game. Also, the suit of each card matters, with hearts being the highest ranking and spades the lowest.

All 52 cards from the deck are dealt to start the game. Then, the person with the lowest card, typically the three of spades, will start.

Play rotates counterclockwise with each person adding cards to the central pile. You can only lay down cards that:

• • Matches what the previous player laid down
  • Has a higher rank than what the previous player put down

For instance, let’s say the player ahead of you plays a pair of fours. You must also play a pair but beat the previous pair’s rank. This can be with a higher-ranking set of pairs or higher-ranked suits.

Play continues until all but one player is out of cards. The last player with cards is the loser, and they pay the other players a fixed stake. They also become the dealer in the next round.

4. Tam Cúc

Another popular Vietnamese casino game is Tam Cúc. This game is especially popular in Northern Vietnam and is played as part of ceremonies, festivals, and New Year celebrations.

Unlike other Vietnamese card games on this list, Tam Cúc does not use a traditional 52-card deck. Instead, it is played with a Chinese deck with 27 to 32 cards. Red cards are ranked higher than black ones, and the cards, from highest to lowest, include:

• • General
  • Major
  • Elephant
  • Cart
  • Cannon
  • Horse
  • Soldier

Combinations in Tam Cúc include pairs, three-card combos, four sons, and five sons. Three-card combos must consist of either a General, Major, and Elephant or a Cart, Cannon, and Horse of the same color. For Four or Five Sons, you need four or five soldier cards of the same color.

Each round, players lay down up to three cards face down. The first player, or house, decides how many cads to put down that round. The cards are then revealed, with the highest hand winning the pot and the cards of the losing hands.

5. Xóc Đĩa

Rounding out my list of Vietnamese gambling games is Xóc Đĩa. This unique game is played with colored tokens, and players attempt to predict the color each token will be.

Some versions of Xóc Đĩa use three colors, red, gray, and black, while others only use two, red and white. The dealer places four tokens into a bowl or plate. Then, they shake the tokens for a set amount of time.

Your goal as a player is to bet on the colors each token will be showing when the dealer is done shaking the plate. It is similar in some ways to real-money roulette, except there is no wheel.

In some versions, you must predict the exact outcome, such as two grey and two red. In others, you simply bet on the number of reds that appear, such as three reds. At some tables, you can also make side bets such as an even or odd number of reds.