# Guandan — Hands & Ranking

> Source: https://guandanrule.org/hands/ · Guandan (掼蛋) two-deck ladder card game.
> The fourteen shapes below are listed strongest first. The first seven are **bombs** — they override any normal combo on the table. The last seven are **normal combos** that can only be answered by the same shape with a higher value.

## The 14 hands, strongest first

| # | Type | Kind | Example | Notes |
|---|------|------|---------|-------|
| 1 | All four jokers | bomb | Big Joker Big Joker Small Joker Small Joker | All four jokers — two big, two small. Nothing beats it. The wild card cannot stand in for a joker, and with two decks there are exactly four, so it appears at most once per round. |
| 2 | Eight of a kind | bomb | 9S 9H 9D 9C 9S 9H 9D 9C | Eight of a kind. With wilds a bomb can reach nine or ten cards, and bigger is always stronger — but all of them still lose to the royal bomb. |
| 3 | Seven of a kind | bomb | 7S 7H 7D 7C 7S 7H 7D | Seven of a kind. Only an eight-card bomb tops it. |
| 4 | Six of a kind | bomb | KS KH KD KC KS KH | Six of a kind. From this size up, bombs outrank the straight flush. |
| 5 | Five in a row, one suit | bomb | 5S 6S 7S 8S 9S | Five in a row in one suit. A special bomb: above a five-card bomb, below a six-card bomb. 10-J-Q-K-A high, A-2-3-4-5 low. |
| 6 | Five of a kind | bomb | JS JH JD JC JS | Five of a kind. Loses to a straight flush, beats a four-card bomb. |
| 7 | Four of a kind | bomb | 8S 8H 8D 8C | Four of a kind. The smallest bomb, yet it still beats every normal combo. |
| 8 | Two consecutive triples | normal | 7S 7H 7D 8S 8H 8D | Two consecutive triples (777888). Exactly six cards, never longer; compared by the lower group. |
| 9 | Three consecutive pairs | normal | 7S 7H 8D 8C 9S 9H | Three consecutive pairs (778899). Exactly six cards, AAKKQQ high and AA2233 low. |
| 10 | Five in a row | normal | 4S 5H 6D 7C 8S | Five in a row, suits irrelevant, never longer than five. 10-J-Q-K-A high, A-2-3-4-5 low. |
| 11 | Triple plus a pair | normal | QS QH QD 3S 3H | Triple plus pair, five cards. Only the triple counts when comparing, so the attached pair can be anything. |
| 12 | Three of a kind | normal | 10S 10H 10D | Three of a kind, matched only against other triples. Three jokers do not make one. |
| 13 | Two of a kind | normal | 6S 6H | Two of a kind. Two big jokers is the strongest pair and two small jokers the next; one of each is not a pair. |
| 14 | One card | normal | AS | One card. Order runs big joker > small joker > rank card > A > K … down to 2. |

## Rulesets (National · Huai’an · Nanjing)

The bomb order and combo hierarchy are **identical** in all three rulesets. They differ only at the edges — whether nine- and ten-card bombs count, the returned card, and how promotion works.

### National (2017 standard)

The competition standard issued by the General Administration of Sport, and what most online ranked play follows. Bombs are legal all the way to ten cards with wilds — bigger always wins, and every one still loses to the four-joker royal bomb.

- **Returned card:** 10 or lower only
- **Promotion:** 1+2 → 3 ranks · 1+3 → 2 · 1+4 → 1
- **Bomb ceiling:** Nine- and ten-card bombs fully recognised
- **Round end:** Time and round limits

Ranking note:
- On *Eight of a kind* (#2): Legal up to ten cards with wilds — bigger is always stronger, all still under the royal bomb.

### Huai’an (original)

The folk style of Guandan’s birthplace. The order of bombs is the same, but some tables refuse to recognise nine- and ten-card bombs, so the practical ceiling is often eight. With no limit on the returned card, a big card can be handed back to rescue a partner.

- **Returned card:** No limit — any card
- **Promotion:** 1+2 → 3 ranks · 1+3 → 2 · 1+4 → 1
- **Bomb ceiling:** Some tables cap bombs at eight cards
- **Round end:** Until A is cleared

Ranking note:
- On *Eight of a kind* (#2): ⚠ Some Huai’an tables refuse nine- and ten-card bombs — the cap is often eight. Agree before the deal.

### Nanjing (strict)

The style settled around Nanjing, with the harshest promotion of the three. The bomb order is identical, but finishing first alone earns nothing, so players hoard their bombs to the very end and partner play decides the game.

- **Returned card:** Strictly 10 or lower
- **Promotion:** No gain on 1+4 · demoted one rank if partner is last
- **Bomb ceiling:** Nine- and ten-card bombs recognised
- **Round end:** Until A is cleared

Ranking note:
- On *Four of a kind* (#7): Strict promotion makes Nanjing players hoard four-card bombs to the very last trick.

## FAQ

**What is the strongest hand in Guandan?** The four-joker royal bomb (two big + two small jokers). Nothing beats it.

**Do bombs beat every normal combo?** Yes — all seven bomb shapes override the table and beat any normal combo.

**What beats a straight flush?** Any bomb of six cards or more (a straight flush sits above a five-card bomb, below a six-card bomb).

**How many cards can a bomb have?** Four up to ten, since the wild rank card extends it. Bigger is always stronger.

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License: facts free to reuse with attribution to guandanrule.org. Last built for the 2026 ruleset overview.