How to Play Thirteen (Tien Len): Rules
Thirteen — Tien Len in Vietnamese — is a card game for 2–4 players where the goal is simple: be the first to get rid of all 13 of your cards. Here's everything you need to play.
- 📱 Any phone
- 🎲 Free to play
- ⬇️ No download
No download. Hosting takes a free account; joining just takes the room code.
The goal and the deal
Use a standard 52-card deck, with 2 to 4 players. Everyone is dealt 13 cards. With fewer than four players the leftover cards simply stay out of the game. The first player to play all their cards wins; the others keep playing for the remaining places.
Card order
The 2 is the highest card in Thirteen, and 3 is the lowest. Rank always counts first; suit only breaks ties between equal ranks.
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K A 2 Ranks, lowest to highest
♠ spades < ♣ clubs < ♦ diamonds < ♥ hearts Suits, lowest to highest
So 3♠ is the lowest card in the deck, 2♥ is the highest, and 4♠ beats 3♥.
What you can play
| Combination | What it is |
|---|---|
| Single | Any one card. |
| Pair | Two cards of the same rank. |
| Triple | Three cards of the same rank. |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of the same rank. |
| Straight | Three or more cards of consecutive ranks, any suits (like 6-7-8 or 9-10-J-Q-K). No 2s, and no wrapping around. |
| Consecutive pairs | Three or more pairs of consecutive ranks (like 5-5-6-6-7-7). No 2s. |
Anything else isn't a legal play — for example two consecutive pairs, or a full house.
Beating a play
To beat what's on the table, play the same type with the same number of cards and a higher top card. Compare the highest card of each play: higher rank wins, and if the ranks match, the higher suit wins.
- A single 2 beats a single ace.
- A pair of 7♠ 7♥ beats a pair of 7♣ 7♦, because the ♥ is the highest card in the pair.
- A straight is beaten by a higher straight of the same length. A 3-4-5 can't be beaten by a 4-5-6-7.
- A pair never beats a single, and an ordinary pair never beats a pair of 2s.
Bombs and chops
Bombs are the exception: they can beat 2s, which nothing else can, and some other bombs.
| Bomb | Chops |
|---|---|
| Four of a kind | A single 2, a pair of 2s, or three consecutive pairs. |
| Three consecutive pairs | A single 2. |
| Four or more consecutive pairs | A single 2, a pair of 2s, any four of a kind, or any shorter run of pairs. |
- A higher bomb of the same kind beats a lower one: four 9s beat four 5s, and a longer run of pairs beats a shorter one.
- Bombs only chop 2s and other bombs. You can't use four of a kind to beat an ace, but you can lead one like any other combination.
- Only a higher triple of 2s beats a triple of 2s. No bomb can.
Taking turns
- The first lead. The player holding the lowest card dealt starts: the 3♠ in a four-player game. They can lead any legal combination.
- Play or pass. In turn, each player either beats the play on the table or passes.
- A pass locks you out. Once you pass you're out of that trick, even if someone plays again after you.
- The trick ends when everyone else has passed. The last player to play takes it and leads the next trick with any combination. (If they went out with that play, the next player in turn order leads.)
- The leader can't pass. Starting a trick means playing something.
Winning
The first player to play their last card wins. Everyone else keeps playing to settle the remaining places until only one player still holds cards. There's no scoring and no instant wins — just the race to empty your hand.
House rules in this app
Tien Len has regional variations, so here's exactly what you get on So Bored Games:
- Require the start card (on by default). The very first play of the game has to include the lowest card dealt — the 3♠ with four players — as a single or as part of any legal combination.
- Table size. The host picks 2, 3 or 4 players.
- Not used: 2s in straights, instant wins, bombs made of two pairs, and point scoring.
Frequently asked questions
- Who goes first in Thirteen?
- Whoever holds the lowest card dealt: the 3 of spades when four people play. With two or three players that card may not be dealt, so the lowest card that was dealt decides.
- What beats a 2 in Tien Len?
- A higher 2 beats a 2 (hearts are the highest suit). A bomb also beats it: four of a kind, or three or more consecutive pairs. A pair of 2s needs four of a kind or four or more consecutive pairs.
- Can a straight include a 2?
- No. 2s are the highest cards but they can't be part of a straight or a run of consecutive pairs, and runs don't wrap around, so the highest straight ends with an ace.
- What happens when you pass?
- You're out of that trick: you can't play again until the next one starts, even if someone plays after you. The trick ends when everyone else has passed, and the last player to play leads the next one.
- Do I need an account?
- Players don't — just enter the room code. Hosts create a free account to start a game.