Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Tien Gow, along with Pai Gow is one of the most popular games played with Chinese Dominoes. Tien Gow is a four-player trick-taking game in which each of the dominoes has a specific value when played either as singletons or in combinations against other dominoes.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
Tien Gow, along with Pai Gow is one of the most popular games played with Chinese Dominoes. Tien Gow is a four-player trick-taking game in which each of the dominoes has a specific value when played either as singletons or in combinations against other dominoes. The value of each set of tiles is based on the standard, idiosyncratic ranking of Chinese dominoes, an order that often does not correlate with the numerical value of the tile. Players unable to beat the high set during a trick must discard an equivalent amount of tiles face down. Points are awarded during the round, for special plays, and at the end, based on the number of tiles won by each player. Score multipliers may also apply, depending on the endgame conditions. Like Poker, it is typically played as a gambling game using chips.