What Daifugo is
Daifugo (大富豪, romanised Daifugō), also called Daihinmin, is a Japanese card game in which players aim to empty their hands first. Combinations, timing and passing all matter.
Rules differ between groups and regions. The following describes this site’s rules, rather than claiming that every detail matches a particular organisation’s tournament rules.
Card strength
The deck is 53 cards: a standard 52 plus one Joker. Strength runs:
3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → J → Q → K → A → 2 → Joker
- 3 is the weakest card and 2 the strongest ordinary card; the Joker beats even a 2
- Suits carry no strength. The ♠K and the ♦K are exactly equal
How a deal plays
Dealing and the first lead
Deal all 53 cards out as evenly as they go — an uneven split is simply left uneven. In the first deal, whoever holds the three of diamonds leads. From the second deal onwards, the previous Daihinmin leads. Head-to-head online games deal differently; see “How it works on this site” below.
Playing
The player leading may put down any of these:
- A single card
- A set — two, three or four cards of the same rank
- A sequence (階段 kaidan) — three or more consecutive ranks in one suit, e.g. ♠5♠6♠7
The Joker stands in for any card. In a sequence it fills a gap or extends one end, counted on whichever side favours the player (the top normally, the bottom during a revolution). It never runs past the 2 or below the 3, so ♠A♠2 plus the Joker is the sequence ♠K♠A♠2.
Everyone after must match the shape and the count and beat it: a pair answers a pair, a three-card run answers a three-card run. If you cannot — or would rather not — you pass.
Clearing the field
When everyone but the last player to put cards down has passed, the field clears. The played cards are swept away and the last player to play leads again, in any shape they like.
Going out and the class system
Players drop out in the order they empty their hands; whoever is left holding cards finishes last. Positions become titles:
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| 1st | Daifugo 大富豪 — Grand Millionaire |
| 2nd | Fugo 富豪 — Millionaire |
| Middle | Heimin 平民 — Commoner |
| Second last | Hinmin 貧民 — Pauper |
| Last | Daihinmin 大貧民 — Grand Pauper |
The card exchange
From the second deal onwards, cards change hands before play begins:
- The Daihinmin hands their two strongest cards to the Daifugo — no choice about which
- The Daifugo gives back any two cards they like
- The Hinmin gives their strongest card to the Fugo, who returns any one card
The exchange carries the previous deal’s placements into the next hand and changes the choices available to each player.
Rules used on this site
Daifugo rules vary between regions and groups. These are the conventions used here.
Eight stop
A legal single 8, or a set made only of 8s (a Joker may fill in), clears the field and lets its player lead again. It must satisfy the current format, count, strength and suit lock. An 8 inside a sequence does not clear the field. Finishing on an eight stop is a foul.
Revolution
A four-card set reverses ordinary rank strength: 3 becomes strongest and 2 weakest. The Joker remains stronger than ordinary cards. Another revolution (COUNTER) restores the previous order. As a common local rule, this site also lets a sequence of five or more cards start a revolution.
Suit lock
Matching the previous play’s suit composition activates a lock until the field clears. For example, ♥9 on ♥7 locks singles to hearts. For multi-card plays, match the full suit composition rather than requiring every card to be one suit. The Joker can stand in for a missing locked suit, so a lone Joker may still follow a locked single.
Spade three
The three of spades can beat a lone Joker. It clears the field, and the player who put down the three of spades leads next. This exception does not apply to a Joker used as part of a combination.
Foul finish
Emptying your hand with any of these is a foul finish and sends you to the bottom: a play containing the Joker, a play containing a 2 (a 3 during a revolution), an eight stop with a single 8 or a set of 8s, or the spade three against a lone Joker. An 8 inside a sequence is not a foul. If several players foul, the one who fouled first takes the lower place.
Miyako-ochi and ranks
As soon as anyone other than the previous Daifugo finishes first without a foul, the previous Daifugo discards their hand face down and drops straight to last place (Daihinmin). A four-player table has Daifugo, Fugo, Hinmin and Daihinmin, with no Heimin. A single head-to-head game carries no rank or exchange into another deal.
How it works on this site
- Single player — a four-handed table, you against three AI, played over several deals with the full class system and card exchange
- Online battle — head to head over one deal: shed your hand first and take the rating. Splitting all 53 cards between two players would reveal the other hand, so the full deck is shuffled, 13 cards go to each player and the remaining 27 stay face down, unseen by both. If the three of diamonds is face down, whoever holds the weakest card dealt leads. Every rule above applies, eight stop included
Frequently asked questions
Are Daifugo and Daihinmin different games?
They are the same game under two names — which one you hear depends on the region.
What is an eight stop?
A legal single 8, or a set made only of 8s, clears the field and lets its player lead again. The play must still meet the format, strength and suit-lock requirements; an 8 inside a sequence does not clear the field. Finishing on an eight stop is a foul.
What does a revolution do?
Playing four of a kind inverts card strength: 3 becomes the strongest ordinary card and 2 the weakest. The Joker stays on top. A sequence of five or more also triggers one.
What is a foul finish?
Emptying your hand with a play containing the Joker, a play containing a 2 (a 3 during a revolution), an eight stop or a spade three is a foul finish and sends you to the bottom. If several players foul, the one who fouled first takes the lower place.
How many players does it take?
This site offers four-player AI tables and single head-to-head online games. Head to head, each player gets 13 cards from the full 53-card deck and the other 27 stay face down, so neither player can work out the other’s hand. Player counts and rules in other groups may differ.
Try it against the AI Try it in the interactive lessons Read the tutorial