Bài chòi

Bài chòi is a folk game of central Vietnam, recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. In Phố Hội the game is played at the An Hội bài chòi yard in the evening.

How a round goes

1. Buy a ticket while tickets are on sale at the start of the round. Each ticket holds three cards of the bài chòi deck.
2. The caller calls one card at a time, a few seconds apart.
3. A called card that is on your ticket gets marked. The first ticket with all three cards called is Tới (complete): it wins.
4. When several tickets complete at the same call, they share the pot.

The prize pot

• Most of the ticket money goes into the pot; the yard keeps a small share.
• When nobody wins, the pot rolls over to the next round (up to a cap).

Good to know

• The yard opens in the evening, usually from 19:00 to 22:00, and each round lasts a few minutes.
• There is a limit on how many tickets one person can buy per round and per evening.
• There is a caller at the yard every evening; you play alongside the other players in town.