Fan Tan is a shedding game for three to eight players using a standard deck of 52 french-suited playing cards. Alternative names are Domino, Card Dominoes, Spoof, Sevens, or Parliament. The name Fan Tan is mostly used in the USA, and its origins as the card game’s name are uncertain.
As usual in the shedding game family, you aim to be the first player to get rid of all their cards.
Set up the game by dealing the entire deck of cards face down to the players with all players holding euqal numbers of cards. The remaining cards become the draw pile.
The game starts with a player putting down any card from Ace to Seven. The next player must place a card of a neighboring rank but the same suit in the middle of the table. That way, you form sequences bit by bit.
But if you can’t match the suit, you are also allowed to start a new sequence by playing a card matching the rank of the card first played.
If a player cannot play a card, they must draw cards from the draw pile until they can play.
The round continues in this way until one player has no cards left in their hand and thus wins the round!
In the card game Fan Tan, there is no specific scoring system. The objective is to be the first player to get rid of all cards. Because of that and the straightforward rule set, the game is well-suited for parties of mixed ages.
If you enjoy shedding games, have a look at our Rummy Palace and Canasta Palace. For a fast-paced shedding game, feel free to give our Mau Mau a try (game available in multiple languages; website available only in German), it is similar to Crazy Eights.