Introduction to the Chinese card game Zheng Shang You 争上游

争上游 (zhēng shàng yóu) means “to strive to be advanced” or “to run high,” and its literal meaning is "to strive to go upstream." It is a fun and entertaining card game popular in Southern China played with poker cards.

The game may seem intimidating and complicated for beginners, but once you are familiar with the rule, it can be very addictive. The rule has some regional variations, and I will introduce the rule that my family adheres to.

• Cards needed: All cards, including both jokers.

• Number of players: Ideally 2-4; technically you can play with more players, but it will be less fun once the number of players exceeds 4.

• Goal: Get rid of all of the cards you have. The first person who gets rid of all their cards wins.

Preparation:

1) Shuffle the cards.

2) Evenly distribute cards into 3 or more stacks (even if there are only two players) to ensure nobody can guess other players' hands.

3) If there are more than 2 players, decide whether the sequence of this round should go clockwise or counterclockwise.

4) Organize your cards in order and discover the potential hands you have. We will introduce it later.

Rules:

1) Who should go first?

Whoever has the 3 of spades (or 黑桃3, literally the "Black Peach 3") gets to go first. If nobody has the 3 of spades when there are only two players, use any other 3 that you like instead. The person who has the 3 of spades doesn’t necessarily need to use it in the first round.

2) What are the smallest and biggest cards?

3s are the smallest number cards, while 2s are the biggest, and Jokers are even bigger than 2s. However, the two jokers are not equal. The colored one is bigger than the black and white one, and they cannot go as a pair.

It’s important to organize your card from the biggest to smallest, or from the smallest to the biggest before the game starts, so you can be aware of what kind of hands you have.

3) What are the hands?

You have multiple ways to get rid of your cards:

• Single: Any single card. Your opponent must use another bigger single card to beat you. For example, if you use a 4, then your opponent must use at least a 5 to beat you.

• Pair: Any two cards of the same number or letter, except two jokers; your opponent must use a bigger pair to beat you. For example, if you use double 6, then your opponent must use at least double 7 to beat you.

• Three plus one: Any three cards of the same number plus any single card; what determines the value of the cards is the value of the three cards, and the value of the single card doesn’t matter. Therefore, it's the best way to get rid of small single cards. Your opponent must use a bigger triple and not necessarily a bigger single card to beat you. For example, if you use triple 5 + 7, then your opponent must use at least triple 6 + any single card to beat you.

• Consecutive singles: 5 or more consecutive single cards. Your opponent must use the exact same number of consecutive single cards but bigger in general to beat you. For example, if you use 3 to 8 (6 cards), then your opponent must use at least 4 to 9 (6 cards) to beat you.

• Consecutive pairs: 3 or more consecutive pairs. Your opponent must use the exact same number of consecutive single cards but bigger in general to beat you. For example, if you use double 5, double 6, and double 7 (3 pairs), then the other person must use at least double 6, double 7, and double 8 (3 pairs) to beat you.

• Bomb: Any 4 cards of the same number work as a bomb, which can beat any hands mentioned before. Only a bigger bomb can beat bombs. For example, if you use four 8s, then your opponent must use at least four 9s to beat you.

Those are the basic hands in this game. You and your friend may alter the rules by adding other possible hands, such as "three plus a pair", or just "three of a kind."

When your opponent throws out a hand, you always have the choice of using a better hand to beat them or save it for later. When nobody is able or willing to beat you, then you get the right to start a new round and choose what type of hands everybody needs to get rid of. Choose the type of hands you have the most and discard as many cards as possible.

4) What happens if we already have a winner?

If there are more than 2 players, after the first person gets rid of all their cards and becomes the champion, the other players can keep playing to compete for the second (and third) places. The person next to the champion chooses the type of cards that everyone will be playing depending on the direction of this round.

5) Is bluffing or pretending allowed?

Sure, feel free to trick your opponents into thinking you have awesome or terrible hands that is a part of the strategy and fun of this game! But when you have less than 3 or 5 cards left, you must announce the number of your cards left to everybody instead of pretending that you have more or fewer cards.

6) Any tips for winning?

Winning in this game is a combination of strategies and luck. Your goal is to get rid of all your cards, but you might not want to get rid of all the bigger hands at the beginning of the game.

I would suggest you use your bigger hands to get the opportunity to decide which hands should everyone play, so you can use it to your advantage and get rid of the type of cards that you have the most.

You may also want to always check if you can get rid of your cards in consecutive singles or pairs, as they are the fastest way to get rid of cards, and it is uncommon for your opponent to have a hand that can beat you.

However, please remember that the rules are supposed to make the game fun, so feel free to slightly modify the rules, or invent some new rules to enrich the game.

I grew up playing this game with my parents and siblings a lot, and I have taught it to several American friends, and all of them enjoy this game very much. I hope this introduction can make you understand this game more, and feel free to leave me a question or comment :)

A YouTube video introducing the same game, with some variation: https://youtu.be/PzGBZhy0zvs