Scoring for Hakka Luk Fu Playing Cards
| Number of cards winning | Score by Number of Red cards score = number of cards winning + number of bonus reds | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 6 luk fu | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | - | - |
| 7 tid fu | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | - |
| 8 bad fu | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 9 giu fu | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 10 sip fu | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 11 sip yid fu | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 12 sip ngi fu | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 30# |
| 5 ung fu ha san | - | - | - | 6* | - | - | - | - | - |
| Special cases | # | All 8 reds possible therefore plus all 12 cards therefore double the score of 15 | |||||||
| * | Ung Fu Ha San means Five Tigers Descending the Mountain 1 Sip, 1 Gon, 1Sop, 1Ten, Leeten = 3 points includes 3 reds bonus hence 3+3=6 | ||||||||
There is only two special cases that are worthy of discussion here. The case when
(#) all twelve dealt cards are winning cards and all the red cards are present, and when
Since this case is rather rare, double points are awarded. This means that there are seven points for achieving the 12 cards, plus the total 8 bonus points for all the reds. This makes 15 and the score is doubled to 30.
(*) all the value 'one' cards become the winning cards.
The value 'one' cards are: 1 Sip, 1 Gon, 1 Sop, 1 Ten, plus the Leeten card. Ordinarily, this is credited with 3 points. But the three red bonus points are added to make 6 points. This combination has the special name Ung Fu Ha San, meaning Five Tigers Descending the Mountain. This is a truly unbeatable combination, since there are only four of every other card in the pack, while LeeTen is considered the extra value 'one' card only when the other four ones are present. The value of the card becomes unimportant since there are three reds within this select group. Its name accords it repect! Faced with this Five Tigers combination, you know you're no match for them!
Tsuk Mung - Why it pays not to play!
In all the rules so far we have found out that the player at North, who is doing Tsuk Mung ( 
) (literally holding the dream) gets given a card at the dealing stage of the game. When the game is over, North reveals the card that it has been holding. If it matches numerically to any of the winning cards, North gets points according to how many same value cards have won twice over; once each for the two losing players (the losing players have to deduct the value from their total). Eg. If North holds a value 7 card, and there is one value 7 card within the winning hand, then North gets 1 point from each losing player, totaling 2 points. However, if there were three value 7 cards which won, North acquires twice 3 points or 6 points.
Red Cards.
When North holds a red, only cards matching the value of those in the winning hand can have points are awarded. So if North (Tsuk Mung) has a red value nine card, and there are two nines in the winning hand, then he acquires two points. However, if he holds the red 8 Sip card, though this is red, he can only get points for any value 8 cards that match. If North held a red card and there are no numerical value matches, then the Tsuk Mng person will not get any points.
No cards match!
No worries! Nothing to lose!
Why it DOES NOT pay to play!
And what of the players? Out of the three active players (remember North is Tsuk Mung so sits it out serenely) only one can be the winner. The other two players must deduct the amount of winning points from their own totals. Now, if the Tsuk Mung has hold of a match to any of the winning cards, the two loosing players must deduct the appropriate sum from their own total too! No quibbles! Its the rule of the game! Play continues set after set, until all agree on when to stop. At the end of play, the winner is the winner with the most points. Isn' that nearly always the case???
I said Tsoh, but I lost the game...
Bad luck, you end losing double the points while the other loser does not have to fork out. This is called Bao Su (
), i.e. if you lost after saying Tsoh, then if the winner had eight winning cards three of which were red, and the Tsuk Mung held a card which matches numerically with one of the winning cards, then you are are liable to pay the winner the due 6 points, plus you have to pay for the other losing player to the winner - another 6 points,
and one point is due for the Tsuk Mung from you, and you have to pay the other losing player's point too, to the Tsuk mung - another 1 point, making a heavy loss of 14 points for you. Remember - only say Tsoh if you have a good chance of winning. For the other loser, he will have nothing to pay because you opened up your mouth and said Tsoh!
Money! Money! Money!
When cash is involved, it can be quite an exciting game. When you've all agreed on the unit currency you want to use, each point is equivalent to this unit of currency. Instead of deducting points from the loosing player's score, the player pays the winner the equivalent amount of money to points. Also if the Tsuk Mung player matches a card, the looseing players must pay the Tsuk Mung his due. The winner in this case does not have to pay anyone! Big wins could be achieved, and similarly, losses can be rather heart breaking too. Remember, if you ever become the person who sits it out as the Tsuk Mung, don't fret, you can't lose, in fact, you can only win!
I said Tsoh, but no-one won the game anyway...
It is possible for all the 12 cards having been played, to have no-one with the requires minimal number of 6 winning cards. In this case, the game is assume drawn, called Da Foh ( 
) (meaning played unto a draw), or null. No payments are due by any player, even though they have had cards which have been won during the drawn game. The cards are gathered and dealt by the same dealer of the drawn game, and a brand new game is played. The person who last said Tsoh, may or may not do so again, depending on his newly dealt hand.