Part I: Games & Gaming · Card Games — Asian Games

Fan Tan

Asian Card Games

A traditional Chinese gambling game in which the dealer places a random pile of small objects (traditionally coins, beans, or buttons) under a bowl. Players bet on what the remainder will be (0, 1, 2, or 3) after the objects are counted off in groups of four. The game is purely one of chance with no skill element.

In practice

Fan Tan was once extremely common in Chinese gambling houses and Macau casinos but has largely been replaced by faster modern games. Some modern casinos offer a card-based version. The house edge is approximately 1.25-3.75% depending on the paytable.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.