Mau Binh Rules: How to Play Vietnamese 13-Card Poker (Binh Xap Xam)

Mau Binh (Mậu Binh, also called Binh Xap Xam, Binh Cho Lon or 13-card poker) is one of Vietnam’s most popular card games, especially around Tet. It uses poker hand rankings, but instead of making one hand, each player splits 13 cards into three hands and compares each one against every opponent. This guide covers the setup, the three hands, scoring, special hands and how rare each poker hand actually is.

What is Mau Binh?

Mau Binh is played with a standard 52-card deck, normally by four players. Each player is dealt 13 cards and arranges (“binh”) them into three hands. When everyone is ready, the hands are revealed and compared; whoever wins more hands collects points from their opponents. It is closely related to the game known in English as Chinese poker.

Setup and deal

• Deck: 52 cards, no jokers.
• Players: four (13 × 4 = 52, so the whole deck is dealt).
• Deal: 13 cards each.

Setting the three hands

The 13 cards are split from top to bottom into:

• Front hand (chi đầu): 3 cards.
• Middle hand (chi giữa): 5 cards.
• Back hand (chi cuối): 5 cards.

The one fixed rule: the back hand must be at least as strong as the middle hand, and the middle hand at least as strong as the front hand. Strongest at the bottom, weakest at the top.

What is a fouled hand (binh lủng)?

If the order is broken, for example a middle hand that beats the back hand, the hand is fouled (binh lủng or binh sập). A fouled hand usually loses all three hands against every opponent, so check the order before you reveal.

Card order and hand rankings

Cards rank from high to low: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Mau Binh compares hand strength; some tables use suits to break exact ties.

Hands rank as in poker, strongest first:

• Straight flush (thùng phá sảnh), then four of a kind (tứ quý).
• Full house (cù lũ): three of a kind plus a pair.
• Flush (thùng): five cards of one suit.
• Straight (sảnh): five consecutive cards.
• Three of a kind (sám cô).
• Two pair (thú).
• One pair (đôi).
• High card (mậu thầu): no combination, ranked by its highest card.

The front hand has only 3 cards, so the best it can hold is three of a kind; flushes, straights and full houses are impossible there. For more on poker hand ranges, see poker ranges.

How rare each hand is

The counts below cover every possible 5-card hand from a 52-card deck (2,598,960 hands) and, for the front hand, every 3-card hand (22,100). They show which hands are rarer. In Mau Binh you choose 5 cards out of 13, so you will make strong hands far more often than these random-hand figures suggest.

The takeaway: almost 83% of random 3-card hands are high card and three of a kind is only 0.24%, so a pair in the front hand is already a decent front. In the middle and back hands, a pair is very common.

Comparing hands and scoring

Once everyone has set their cards, each player compares front against front, middle against middle and back against back with every opponent. Each hand won scores a point and each hand lost costs one, in whatever unit the table agreed. Winning all three hands against one opponent usually earns a bonus (often called sập hầm or a “scoop”), depending on house rules.

Bonus hands (chặt)

Some strong hands placed in the right row earn extra points, often called chặt: for example four of a kind or a straight flush in the back hand, or a full house in the middle hand. Which hands count and how much they pay varies from table to table, so agree on it before you start.

Instant wins (Mậu Binh / tới trắng)

Some 13-card deals are strong enough to win immediately without setting hands. Common ones:

• Dragon (sảnh rồng): 13 consecutive cards, 2 through A.
• Same colour (đồng màu): all 13 cards red or all black.
• Six pairs (lục phé bôn): six pairs plus a single card; some tables also accept five pairs plus three of a kind.
• Three flushes or three straights across the three hands.

Because the instant-win list and its payouts differ between groups, settle them before the first deal.

Tips for setting your cards

Mau Binh rewards planning: you have to balance the three hands rather than load all your strength into one. An average 13 cards set sensibly can still win two hands against most opponents. If you enjoy Vietnamese card games, see Tien Len rules and our overview of Vietnamese card games.

Play responsibly

Mau Binh mixes skill and luck. Played for money it is gambling and carries a real risk of loss. Play for entertainment, within a budget you can afford, and follow the law where you live. Gambling is for adults 18+ only; read more about gambling in Vietnam. Mau Binh itself is a home game rather than a casino-lobby game; if you want to try poker-style table games online, 20Bet runs a live casino with tables from studios such as Evolution, Pragmatic Play and Playtech.