How to Play Sâm Lốc
The rules of Sâm, the 10-card Vietnamese climbing game: the deal, the combinations, declaring Sâm and who pays whom
What is Sâm Lốc?
Sâm Lốc, usually just called Sâm (sometimes written Xâm), is a climbing card game from northern Vietnam and a close cousin of Tiến Lên. Each player gets 10 cards, and the first to play them all wins the hand.
Two things make Sâm its own game. Suits never matter: a 7♥ does not beat a 7♠, so ties stop a play cold. And before anyone plays, a confident player can declare Sâm, a promise to play out every card without anyone beating them, for a big reward or a big penalty.
At bs.fyi you play at a table of four, against three bots or with friends. The rules on this page are the ones the game uses.
Sâm Lốc at a glance
The whole game on one card:
- Players
- 4 at bs.fyi (the game is played by 2 to 5)
- Cards
- 52-card deck, 10 cards each
- Card order
- 3 low … K, A, 2 high. Suits do not count
- Combinations
- Single, pair, triple, four of a kind, straight of 3 to 10 cards
- Straights
- A-2-3 is the lowest, Q-K-A the highest; no K-A-2
- Beats a 2
- Four of a kind (one 2 at a time)
- Goal
- Empty your hand first; everyone else pays for what they hold
- Sâm
- Declare before play to win 20 from each player, or pay 20 to each if beaten
Card Rankings
Rank Order (Lowest to Highest)
3 is the lowest card and 2 is the highest. Suits never decide anything: two cards of the same rank are equal, and an equal play cannot beat.
Combinations
You can play any of these. To beat a play you need the same kind of combination, with the same number of cards, ranked higher.
Single
One card. A higher rank beats a lower one; the same rank in another suit does not.
Pair
Two cards of the same rank. A pair of 2s is the top pair.
Triple (sám)
Three cards of the same rank.
Straight (sảnh)
Three to ten cards in a row, any suits. The ace can sit at the bottom (A-2-3) or the top (Q-K-A), but a straight cannot run round the corner, so K-A-2 is not allowed. A straight only beats a straight of the same length that ends lower.
Four of a kind (tứ quý)
Chops a 2Four cards of the same rank. It beats a single 2, and a higher four of a kind beats a lower one. It cannot beat a pair of 2s.
How to Play Sâm Lốc
Deal
Everyone gets 10 cards. The rest of the deck is not used. If your hand is one of the instant wins below, you win at once.
Declare Sâm or not
Before any card is played, each player in turn says whether they declare Sâm. The first player to declare it leads; after that nobody else can.
Lead
With no Sâm, the player holding the lowest card (a 3) leads. The lead can be any combination.
Beat or pass
Going round the table, each player beats the last play with a higher combination of the same kind and size, or passes. Once you pass, you are out until the trick ends.
Win the trick
When everyone else has passed, the player who made the last play starts a new trick with anything they like.
Last card (báo một)
When the next player has one card left, any single you play must be your highest card. You can still play a pair, triple or straight instead.
Go out
The first player to empty their hand wins, and the hand ends at once. Everyone else pays for the cards they still hold.
Declaring Sâm
Declaring Sâm (báo Sâm) means: I will play every card in my hand and nobody will beat any of my plays. You decide after looking at your 10 cards and before the first play.
If you declare, you lead. The other players can only try to beat you; if anyone beats any one of your plays, even with a four of a kind on your 2, the Sâm is broken and the hand ends there.
A Sâm that works: every other player pays you 20. A broken Sâm (đền Sâm): you pay 20 to every other player, 60 at a table of four.
Your last play does not need to be safe, because once it is down you are out. So a Sâm hand is a set of unbeatable plays (a pair of 2s, the highest straight of its length, a four of a kind) plus one more play of anything.
Scoring: who pays whom
| Each card left in a loser's hand | 1 to the winner |
| Cóng: a loser who never played a card | 15 instead of their card count |
| Thối 2: each 2 left in a loser's hand | +5 |
| Each four of a kind left in a loser's hand | +10 |
| Your single 2 is chopped by a four of a kind | 15 to the chopper, straight away |
| Your four of a kind is chopped by a higher one | 10, plus whatever it had just won |
| Sâm comes off | 20 from each player |
| Sâm is broken | 20 to each player |
| Instant win | 20 from each player |
Payments are in stakes; at bs.fyi they are points on your record. The game ends when the first player goes out, so there is only one winner (on a broken Sâm, everyone except the declarer comes out ahead).
Instant wins (tới trắng)
Some deals win before a card is played. If two players hold one, the stronger kind wins:
- Dragon (sảnh rồng): All ten cards in one straight
- Four 2s: All four 2s
- One colour: All ten cards red, or all ten black
- Three triples: Three sets of three of a kind
- Five pairs: The ten cards make five pairs (a four of a kind counts as two)
House rules and variations
Sâm is played many ways, and Vietnamese guides disagree on the details. At bs.fyi: straights run from A-2-3 to Q-K-A (some tables allow no 2 in a straight at all); a player who passes sits out the rest of the trick; and the last-card rule is enforced rather than punished with a payment.
Some tables say you may not go out on a 2, or make the player who goes out with a 2 pay. We do not use that rule. Penalty amounts also vary from table to table; ours are listed above.
Tips
- •Count the 2s and the fours. Only a four of a kind can stop a 2. Once you have seen three cards of a rank, nobody can have that four of a kind.
- •Don't get caught holding 2s. Each 2 left in your hand costs 5 more. Spend them to win the lead before someone goes out.
- •Play your low singles early. Low cards are the hardest to get rid of later, and a player down to one card forces everyone to play their highest single.
- •Declare Sâm only when you can count it. Look for plays nobody can beat: a pair of 2s, the top straight of its length, a high four of a kind. Everything but your last play must be safe.
- •Watch out for cóng. Never playing a card costs 15. If someone is racing out, get rid of something while you can.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sâm Lốc?
Sâm Lốc, or just Sâm, is a Vietnamese climbing card game. Each player gets 10 cards and tries to empty their hand first by beating the last play with a higher combination of the same kind. Suits do not count.
How is Sâm different from Tiến Lên?
Sâm deals 10 cards instead of 13, ignores suits, has no runs of pairs, lets the ace start a straight (A-2-3), and adds the Sâm declaration. The game also ends as soon as one player goes out.
What does declaring Sâm mean?
It is a promise, made before play, that you will play out all your cards without anyone beating you. Succeed and each player pays you 20; get beaten once and you pay each player 20.
What beats a 2 in Sâm?
A four of a kind beats a single 2, and the player whose 2 was beaten pays 15 straight away. Nothing beats a pair of 2s.
What is thối 2?
Being left with 2s in your hand when someone else goes out. Each one costs an extra 5 on top of your card count.
What is cóng?
Losing without having played a single card. A player who is cóng pays 15 instead of paying for their cards.
Can I play Sâm Lốc online for free?
Yes. bs.fyi has free Sâm Lốc in your browser against bots at three difficulty levels, with no download and no account needed.
Ready to Play?
You know the rules. Deal a hand of Sâm Lốc against the bots and see if you can call Sâm.