Sheng Ji (Tractor)

Full rules

1. Overview
2. Basic terms
3. Point cards
4. Levels and trumps
5. Setup
6. Playing a hand
7. End of a hand and scoring
8. Winning the game
9. Tips for beginners
10. Variants

Overview

Sheng Ji ("level up") is a Chinese trick-taking game for two teams of two, played with two decks and four jokers. In each hand one team are the declarers and the other the opponents. The opponents try to capture point cards (5s, 10s and Kings) in tricks; the declarers try to stop them. Depending on how many points the opponents take, one of the teams moves up one or more levels. Both teams start at level 2; the first team to climb past the Ace wins. This version, with pairs and "tractors", is also simply called Tractor.

• Players: 4, in two fixed teams of two. Partners sit opposite each other.
• You need: two standard 52-card decks with four jokers – two red (big) jokers and two black (small) jokers, 108 cards in all. You also need paper and pencil to note each team's level.

Basic terms

• Trick: each player plays cards to the middle, one after the other; whoever played the best wins them all. The winner of a trick leads (plays first to) the next one.
• Following suit: playing cards of the same suit as the lead.
• Trumps: a special group of cards that beat all others (see below).
• Pair: two identical cards – the same rank and suit, one from each deck, e.g. 9♥ 9♥. Two jokers of the same colour are also a pair. 9♥ 9♦ is not a pair.
• Tractor: two or more pairs of consecutive rank in the same suit, e.g. 9♥ 9♥ 10♥ 10♥.

Point cards

Only three ranks count, 200 points in all:

Levels and trumps

Each team has a level: 2, 3, 4 … 10, J, Q, K, A. Both start at 2. The declarers' level is the trump rank for the hand – if they are on 7, all 7s are trumps.

The trump suit is chosen during the deal (see below). Then the trumps are, from highest to lowest:

1. the two red jokers,
2. the two black jokers,
3. the two cards of the trump rank in the trump suit (e.g. 7♥ if hearts are trumps),
4. the other six cards of the trump rank (7♠ 7♦ 7♣ – all equal),
5. the rest of the trump suit: A K Q J 10 9 8 6 5 4 3 2 (the 7s are missing – they are higher up).

The other three suits rank A K Q … 2, also without the trump rank. When two identical cards are played to the same trick, the first one played is higher.

In every suit the trump rank is simply skipped, so 6♥ 6♥ 8♥ 8♥ is a tractor when 7s are trump rank. At the top, the ranks continue in the order above: a pair of trump-suit Aces, then a pair of identical trump-rank cards of another suit (e.g. 7♣ 7♣), then the pair of trump-suit trump-rank cards, then black jokers, then red jokers – any two neighbours form a tractor.

Setup

1. Shuffle: in the first hand, choose someone at random to shuffle and draw the first card.
2. Drawing: place the pack face down. Going anticlockwise (to the right), each player takes one card at a time until everyone has 25 cards. The last 8 cards stay face down on the table – the kitty ("bottom cards").
3. Declaring trumps: while drawing, any player who draws a card of the trump rank may expose it (lay it face up in front of them). Its suit becomes the trump suit. Later in the draw: - a single exposed card can be overruled by exposing a pair of identical trump-rank cards – that pair's suit becomes trumps. You may not overrule your own single card, but you may overrule your partner's. - a pair can be overruled only by a pair of identical jokers: then there is no trump suit – only the jokers are trumps, and the trump rank is not special this hand. Exposed cards still belong to your hand. After the last card, pause briefly: anyone may still declare.
4. No declaration: if nobody declares, turn up the 8 kitty cards one by one. The first trump-rank card found fixes the trump suit; if there is none, the suit of the highest card turned up is trumps. The cards go back face down.
5. Who is starter: in the first hand, the player who made trumps becomes the starter, and their team are the declarers (so in the first hand the trump rank is 2 for everyone). If nobody declared, agree before you start who the starter is, e.g. the player who drew first.
6. The kitty: the starter picks up the 8 kitty cards and then discards 8 cards face down in their place. These stay hidden until the end.

Playing a hand

The starter leads to the first trick. Play goes anticlockwise. You may lead:

• a single card,
• a pair,
• a tractor (two or more consecutive pairs),
• top cards: several cards of one suit at once – singles, pairs and tractors mixed – but only if no other player could beat any part of them. If someone can, you must take the lead back and play just the part that can be beaten; for every card taken back, 10 points go to the other side (the opponents gain 10 if a declarer made the mistake, or lose 10 if they did).

Following

Trumps count as one suit of their own for following.

• Single card led: play a card of the same suit if you can. If you can't, play anything – a trump if you want to win.
• Pair led: play a pair of that suit if you have one; otherwise two cards of that suit; if you run out, fill up with any cards.
• Tractor or top cards led: play the same number of cards, following suit with as many pairs as you can (they don't have to be consecutive); then single cards of the suit; then anything.

Who wins the trick

• Single: the highest trump, or if no trumps were played, the highest card of the suit led.
• Pair: the highest pair of the suit led – unless a player who has none of that suit plays a pair of trumps; then the highest trump pair wins. Unpaired cards never win.
• Tractor: only an equally long tractor of the suit led can win – or, from a player who has none of that suit, an equally long tractor of trumps.
• Top cards: the leader wins unless a player who has none of that suit plays all trumps with the same pattern (as many pairs, as long tractors); then the highest such trumps win.

The opponents place the point cards of every trick they win face up in front of them, so everyone can see their score. Tricks the declarers win go face down to one side.

Example: Hearts are trumps and the trump rank is 7. Anna leads 9♠ 9♠. Ben has only one spade: he plays it plus the 3♣. Carla has no spades and plays 4♥ 4♥ – a trump pair. Dan has no spade pair and plays J♠ Q♠. Carla wins with the only trump pair, and her team scores nothing because there are no point cards.

End of a hand and scoring

After the 25th trick, if the opponents won the last trick, they turn over the starter's 8 discarded cards and add the points in them – doubled if the last trick was a single card, and multiplied by twice the number of cards led if it was a pair, tractor or top cards (e.g. × 4 for a pair).

Then look up the opponents' points:

Next starter: if the declarers stay declarers, the old starter's partner is the new starter. If the opponents take over, the player to the old starter's right (the next player in turn) becomes starter. The new trump rank is always the new declarers' level.

Example: Anna and Carla are declarers at level 5, Ben and Dan at 3. Ben and Dan take 65 points in tricks and also win the last trick – a pair – with a K and a 5 in the kitty: 15 × 4 = 60 more. That makes 125: Ben and Dan become declarers and go up from 3 to 4. Anna was starter, so Ben (on her right) is the new starter, and 4s are the new trump rank.

Winning the game

The first team whose level goes past the Ace wins.

Tips for beginners

• Count trumps: there are 36 in a normal hand (4 jokers, 8 trump-rank cards, 24 of the trump suit). Knowing how many are left tells you when your Aces are safe.
• As starter, discard point cards into the kitty only if you're sure your team will win the last trick.
• Pairs and tractors are strong: the others often have to break up their own pairs to follow.
• Feed your partner points: when your partner is sure to win a trick, throw in your 10s and Kings.
• Declare trumps early if you hold many cards of one suit – but a pair is much safer than a single.

Variants

• Must-play levels: some groups agree that certain levels (e.g. K and A) can't be skipped: a team that would jump past one stops on it.
• Tractors across missing ranks: some allow a tractor to skip a rank whose cards have all been played.
• Six players: two teams of three, sitting alternately. Everyone draws 17 cards and the kitty has 6.
• Three decks: with 162 cards, everyone draws 39, the kitty has 6; the opponents need 120 points to take over.
• Zhao Pengyou (Finding Friends): for 5 or more players – the starter names a card, and whoever plays it becomes their secret partner.