The way to play Phỏm has never lost its appeal among bettors. In this article, Vaobo88 will share with you some tips for playing Phỏm profitably, whether you are playing Phỏm for rewards online or in real life, both are very effective.
What is Phỏm? Understanding the popular gambling game
Phỏm, also known as Tá lả, is one of the popular games in Vietnam. Playing Phỏm is very unique, requiring players to know how to calculate diverse strategies and have a good memory.
The number of players in a game usually ranges from 2 to 4 people. Currently, playing Phỏm online is also very interesting and loved by many.
Origin of Phỏm (Tá lả)
This is a game that originated from the North and has a long history. It is said that the scholars of the past who loved playing Tổ Tôm transformed it into a new card game, which is the Phỏm card game today. While the scholars from Bắc Ninh were still discussing the rules of the game, a servant from Ba Vì overheard them. This person brought it back and spread it widely throughout Kinh Bắc at that time. Initially, people in the North called it Tá lả. Later, when it spread to the South, it was called Phỏm. To this day, top online casinos also include Phỏm in their online card game systems.
Terminology in the Phỏm card game
Basic Phỏm terminology that you need to memorize:
- Phỏm: Refers to 3 or more cards of the same suit or number.
- Trash cards: Cards that do not form any Phỏm, left over.
- Stock: The number of remaining cards placed in the middle of the playing table.
- Ù: All 9 cards in hand form a Phỏm. (See more explanation about Ù khan)
- Móm/ Cháy: No Phỏm at all.
- Eat the last card: Taking the last card of the next player before you.
- Compensate: Anyone who is eaten last must compensate the person who ate it.
- Send: While everyone has laid down their cards, trash cards can combine with another person’s Phỏm, then that card can be sent.
- Rebirth: When laying down cards, if someone eats, the card changes position, and you are allowed to play one more turn – rebirth.
Detailed guide on how to play Phỏm
Essentially, playing Phỏm involves arranging the dealt cards into sets of matching numbers or consecutive numbers. The valuable Phỏm sets usually consist of a sequence of numbers from smallest to largest, in the order A>2>3>4>5>6>7>8>9>10>J>Q>K. Unlike some other games like Liêng or Tiến lên, the Ace here is the card with the smallest point value.
However, when calculating the final score, the player with the most Phỏm and the least points is the winner. The ideal number of players when playing Phỏm is 4. If there are fewer players, the number of leftover cards and turns may be affected, making it less appealing. A Phỏm is counted as 3 or more cards with the same number or suit. For example: 3 sixes (6 of diamonds, 6 of clubs, 6 of hearts) or 3 consecutive cards like: J – Q – K.
Before entering the Phỏm game
Each player will be dealt 9 cards. The dealer will receive 10 cards. The remaining cards are placed in the middle of the table, forming the stock.
How to arrange Phỏm
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As mentioned above, with 9 or 10 cards in hand, players start to rearrange the available sets in the following forms:
- Same number: For example: 3 cards of 5
- Or a sequence of the same suit: For example: 2-3-4 of hearts
If there are no available sets, arrange the cards that can form a set. Then, wait for the missing card to appear.
Entering a Phỏm Game
The player with 10 cards will play first, discarding 1 card.
The next player has the right to take that card if it matches the cards they have to form a Set.
If a set cannot be formed, the second player draws 1 card from the deck.
After taking a card/drawing a card, the player must discard 1 card.
The round repeats until all players have taken their turns.
The common number of rounds currently is about 3 rounds in a game.
Ending a Phỏm Game Round
According to common convention, the game ends when:
- One player at the table wins, arranging all the cards in hand into 3 sets.
- After 3 – 4 rounds of drawing and discarding, if no one wins, the remaining cards will be counted to determine the winner and loser.
- The player with the least points at the table will be the winner.
Detailed Phỏm Game Rules
Called Northern Phỏm because it originated from the north. However, the rules of playing Phỏm are generally applied to Phỏm games.
Everyone will play in turn according to the Phỏm playing method as above.
Phỏm points will be calculated based on the value of each card according to the order of the cards.
Specifically, the face cards J – Q – K are counted as 11 – 12 – 13 points.
In 4-player Phỏm with 9 cards, the player with the least points is closer to victory.
The player with the least points next will be ranked accordingly.
In the case of a Phỏm game with 2 players having equal points, the player who goes out first will be the winner.
A player who cannot form any sets is called “móm” and is the loser.
Guide to Playing Phỏm on the Computer
Playing Phỏm on the computer is no different from playing offline.
However, there are some things to note as follows:
- If a player has entered the Phỏm table but exits, they will lose the initial registration points.
- If the host exits the game, the host’s rights will be passed to the next player in turn.
- The system stipulates that each turn has 30 seconds. Players can choose actions including: “Take a card” or “Draw a card”. After that, think and then discard 1 card.
- After the time limit, the system will automatically draw a card and discard the card with the highest value.
- In the last turn, if the player does not choose the action “Lay down a set” within the 30s time limit, the system will automatically draw a card, discard the highest card, and consider that player as “móm”.
With a short time and no way to reverse the situation, the game’s appeal is very high.
Anyone who likes convenience can play anywhere, just go online to download the Phỏm game to their phone.
You can play anywhere without worrying about finding enough players.
But if you prefer to play on a computer screen for a bigger view, just play directly on the web.
Most gaming portals have Phỏm games to satisfy the passion of our Vietnamese people.
Notes on Playing Phỏm
“` In Phỏm, players need to pay special attention to the following 3 cases:
- When player A plays a card and the next player chooses to ‘eat’, player A will be compensated with an additional draw.
- If player A allows the next player to ‘eat’ all 3 cards to win, player A must pay the total lost bets for the entire table.
- If player A plays a card for the next player to eat and win, causing the game to end early before all turns are played, player A must also pay the bets for the entire table.
The way to play 9-card Phỏm is different from regular Phỏm, many players are still confusing these two types of cards.
Conclusion
With the detailed guide on how to play Phỏm above, hopefully, newcomers are ready to join the Phỏm table. Besides Phỏm, Vaobo88 also provides quite a few guides on game rules as well as effective playing tips for other games such as: How to play Liêng, how to play Bửu,… that everyone can explore further. The most important thing is to achieve a glorious victory!