''Madiao'' (), also ''ma diao'', ''ma tiu'' or ''ma tiao'', is a late imperial Chinese

trick-taking A trick-taking game is a card or tile-based game in which play of a ''hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of that trick. The object of such g ...

gambling

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ...

, also known as the game of ''paper tiger''. The deck used was recorded by

Lu Rong Lu Rong (; 1436–1494) was a Chinese scholar. He is also known under the courtesy name Wenliang (文量) and the pseudonym Shizhai (式斋). He earned his ''jinshi ''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examin ...

in the 15th century and the rules later by Pan Zhiheng and

Feng Menglong Feng Menglong (1574–1646), courtesy names Youlong (), Gongyu (), Ziyou (), or Eryou (), was a Chinese historian, novelist, and poet of the late Ming Dynasty. He was born in Changzhou County, now part of Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province. Life Fe ...

during the early 17th century.Lo, Andrew (2004), "China's Passion for Pai: Playing Cards, Dominoes, and Mahjong". In: Mackenzie, C. and Finkel, I., (eds.), ''Asian Games: The Art of Contest''. New York: Asia Society, pp. 216-231. Korean poet Jang Hon (1759-1828) wrote that the game dates back to the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

(1271-1368). It continued to be popular during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

until around the mid-19th century. It is played with 40 cards and four players. In Chinese, ''mǎ'' (马) means "horse" and ''diao'' (吊) means "hanged" or "lifted". The name of the game comes from the fact that three players team against the banker, like a horse raising one shoe (banker), with the other three remaining hooves on the ground (three players).

Description

A set of ''madiao'' consists of 40 cards of four suits: * Cash or coins (纹, ''wen''): 11 cards, from 1 to 9, half cash, and zero cash. This suit is in reverse order with zero cash as the highest while 9 cash is the lowest. This is a feature found in many of the oldest known games including ''

ganjifa Ganjifa, Ganjapa or Gânjaphâ, is a card game and type of playing cards that are most associated with Persia and India. After Ganjifa cards fell out of use in Iran before the twentieth century, India became the last country to produce them. The f ...

'',

tarot The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, ...

ombre Ombre (, pronounced "omber") or l'Hombre is a fast-moving seventeenth-century trick-taking card game for three players and "the most successful card game ever invented." Its history began in Spain around the end of the 16th century as a four-pe ...

, maw, and ''

tổ tôm ''Tổ tôm'' or Tụ tam bài (聚三牌)is a draw-and-discard card game played in Vietnam, usually by men. The game is often played at festivals. It is derived from the Chinese game of Khanhoo. The game uses a type of Chinese money-suited pack ...

''. The half cash and zero cash did not exist in Lu Rong's account. *

Strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

of coins (索瘠, ''suǒ jí''): 9 cards, from 1 to 9 strings. * Myriads of strings (万 or 萬, ''wàn''): 9 cards, from 1 to 9 myriad. *Tens of myriads (十, ''shí''): 11 cards, from 20 myriad to 90 myriad, and of hundred myriad, thousand myriad, and myriad myriad. The latter two cards were dropped from the deck by the end of the 19th century. There is no card of 10 myriad as it would share the same name as its suit. Each card of myriads or tens (of myriads) along with the zero cash was illustrated with one of the 108 Stars of Destiny of the Chinese novel the ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is s ...

'' attributed to

Shi Nai'an Shi Nai'an (, ca. 1296–1372) was a Chinese writer from the Yuan and early Ming periods. ''Shuihu zhuan'' (''Water Margin''), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, is traditionally attributed to him. There are few re ...

. The characters depicted on these cards can vary depending on the region or manufacturer. Usually they play no role in games, however in Feng's version they do. In the suits of cash and strings, the pips were copied from banknotes such as the ''

jiaozi ''Jiaozi'' (; ; pinyin: jiǎozi) are Chinese dumplings commonly eaten in China and other parts of East Asia. ''Jiaozi'' are folded to resemble Chinese sycee and have great cultural significance attached to them within China. ''Jiaozi'' ar ...

'' and ''

jiaochao Jiaochao () is a Chinese word for banknote first used for the currency of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty and later by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. Jin dynasty The Jurchens swept control over northern China, conquering the Liao dynasty a ...

''. Unlike the other cards, the half cash displays a sprig of flowers. Ten cards contain red stamps mimicking banknote seals are known as red cards which carry bonuses: Myriad Myriad, Thousand Myriad, Hundred Myriad, 20 Myriad, 9 Myriad, 1 Myriad, 9 Strings, 1 String, Zero Cash, and 9 Cash.

Game

Rules of the game

Dealing

Seating and the banker is decided through drawing the highest card, or by dice. The banker decides what the stakes are for the hand (it should be an even number so it can be split and within the margins agreed by consensus). The player to the banker's left shuffles then passes the deck to the banker's right who becomes the dealer. The dealer cuts and reveals a card. If the card is a 4 or 8, he or she deals first to themselves. If it's a 3 or 7, the banker is dealt first. If it's a 2 or 6, the shuffler is dealt first. If it's a 1, 5, 9, Zero Cash, Half Cash, Hundred Myriad, Thousand Myriad, or Myriad Myriad, the banker's opposite gets dealt first. Each player is dealt 8 cards counter-clockwise, first as a batch of four cards then singles. The remaining eight cards form the stock which is flipped to reveal the bottom card.

Declarations

A player that has at least five cards from any suit can force a redeal. If a player has the four lowest cards of each suit (20 Myriad, 1 Myriad, 1 String, 9 Cash), he will automatically win 1 stake each from the other 3 players and cards are dealt again. The banker is chosen again by picking the high card. A player with any of the following melds automatically wins and will become the next banker. Everyone except the player holding the Hundred Myriad has to pay for the following: *Myriad Myriad, 9 Myriad, 9 Strings, Zero Cash: 4 stakes *Myriad Myriad, Hundred Myriad, 9 Myriad, 9 Strings, Zero Cash: 5 stakes *

Flush Flush may refer to: Places * Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States Architecture, construction and manufacturing * Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers * Flush deck, in naval architecture * Fl ...

: 4 stakes *Flush of Tens with the Hundred Myriad: 5 stakes *Eight reds: 6 stakes *Eight reds containing Hundred Myriad: 7 stakes *Myriad Myriad, 20 Myriad, 9 Myriad, 1 Myriad, 9 Strings, 1 String, Zero Cash, 9 Cash: 8 stakes

Play

The first person who was dealt leads. In a counter-clockwise rotation, each player then tries to take tricks; following suit is not required but only the highest card of the suit played wins. Players can also discard (slough) their card face down if they can't or won't win the trick (this is similar to

Tien Gow Tien Gow or Tin Kau () is the name of Chinese gambling games played with either a pair of dice or a set of 32 Chinese dominoes. In these games, Heaven is the top rank of the civil suit, while Nine is the top rank of the military suit. The civil s ...

Tam cúc TAM may refer to: Biology * Thioacetamide, an organosulfur compound * Tumor-associated macrophage, a class of immune cells * Transparent Anatomical Manikin, an educational model Technology * Tanque Argentino Mediano, the main battle tank of Arge ...

, Six Tigers,

Ganjifa Ganjifa, Ganjapa or Gânjaphâ, is a card game and type of playing cards that are most associated with Persia and India. After Ganjifa cards fell out of use in Iran before the twentieth century, India became the last country to produce them. The f ...

Kaiserspiel Kaiserspiel, also called Kaisern or Cheisärä, is a card game, usually for 4 or 6 players, that is played in parts of Switzerland using a variant of the standard Swiss playing cards with 40 or 48 cards. It is a descendant of Karnöffel, one of t ...

, and Brazilian

Truco Truco, a variant of Truc, is a trick-taking card game originally from Valencia and the Balearic Islands, popular in South America and Italy. It is usually played using a Spanish deck. Two people may play, or two teams of two or three playe ...

). Discarding face up is penalized with paying two stakes. Each player tries to win at least two tricks to avoid paying the banker. If the banker loses, then he'll have to pay the winners. Anyone who has not won one of the first seven tricks will automatically lose the last trick regardless of the strength of their final card. It is a strategy game requiring the cooperation of players against the banker. The Hundred Myriad is an important card to protect or capture as it figures in many bonuses.

Payment

After all eight tricks have been played, the revealed card from the stock is removed to expose the card under it. If this card is the highest card of its suit, the one who played the second highest has to pay the other three 1 stake each unless it was sloughed face down. A player who wins a trick with the Hundred Myriad and makes exactly two tricks get 1 stake from the other two players and 3 stakes from the banker. If the banker does this, he wins 3 stakes from each player and will remain the banker for the next hand. The following are payments between the banker and the other players: *Winning a trick with the highest card of a suit (if the first

upcard The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy), ...

of the stock is the highest, the second highest of the same suit takes its place): 1 stake (Only those that reached the minimum of two tricks are eligible to receive this bonus.) *Failing to reach the minimum with the Hundred Myriad: 1 stake (Consolation for simply being dealt the Hundred Myriad.) *Winning at least three tricks: 1 stake *Making minimum but losing the Hundred Myriad: 2 stakes *Winning with the Myriad Myriad, Thousand Myriad, and Hundred Myriad: 3 stakes *Winning with the Myriad Myriad, Thousand Myriad, Hundred Myriad, and Zero Cash: 4 stakes *Slam (winning all eight tricks): 8 stakes Player to the right becomes the next banker with special exceptions mentioned above. Play ends after everyone has had a chance to be the banker.

Evolution of the rules

During the Qing dynasty, the rules of the game became ever more complex with some variants having hundreds of rules. More bonuses could be melded and the discarded cards in the stock could be used. The

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

(1661-1722) banned the manufacturing and sale of cards in 1691. However, the game continued to remain popular and was played by government officials as well as members of the imperial family. During the late Ming dynasty, new card games often dropped the suit of tens but kept the Thousand Myriad for a total of 30 cards like

Khanhoo Khanhoo or kanhu is a non-partnership Chinese card game of the draw-and-discard structure. It was first recorded during the late Ming dynasty as a multi-trick taking game, a type of game that may be as old as '' T'ienkiu'' ("Heaven and Nines"), ...

. During the Qing dynasty, the popularity of three-suited games led to the printing of

stripped deck A stripped deck or short deck (US), short pack or shortened pack (UK), is a set of playing cards reduced in size from a full pack or deck by the removal of a certain card or cards. The removed cards are usually pip cards, but can also be court c ...

s. Some draw-and-discard games combined multiple decks of three-suited cards leading to the birth of

mahjong Mahjong or mah-jongg (English pronunciation: ) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players (with some three-play ...

in the mid-19th century.

References

Bibliography

*Lo, Andrew (2000)
"The Late Ming Game of Ma Diao"
''

The Playing-Card ''The Playing-Card'' is a quarterly publication, publishing scholarly articles covering all aspects of playing cards and of the games played with them, produced by the International Playing-Card Society. ''The Playing-Cards articles are mostly in ...

: Journal of the International Playing Card Society'' (XXIX, No. 3), pp. 115–136, The

International Playing-Card Society The International Playing-Card Society (IPCS) is a non-profit organisation for those interested in playing cards, their design, and their history. While many of its members are collectors of playing cards, they also include historians of playing car ...

. *Lo, Andrew (2003), "The 'Yezi Pu' (Manual of Leaves)", ''The Playing-Card'' (XXXI, No. 5), pp. 86-96, The International Playing-Card Society. *Lo, Andrew (2004), "China's Passion for Pai: Playing Cards, Dominoes, and Mahjong". In: Mackenzie, C. and Finkel, I., (eds.), ''Asian Games: The Art of Contest''. New York: Asia Society, pp. 216–231.

External links

Elliott Avedon Museum & Archive of Games
-

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madiao 17th-century card games Dedicated deck card games Chinese card games History of card decks Gambling games Plain-trick games Year of introduction unknown