Big Two vs Poker

What is Big Two?

Big Two is a fast shedding game, and a very popular one across Asia. Its Filipino version is known as Pusoy Dos, and other regions have their own variants. You win by being the first player to play all of your cards.

• Four players, each dealt 13 cards from a standard 52-card deck
• On your turn you beat the last play with a higher combination of the same size, such as a pair, a straight or a flush, or you pass
• The 2♠ is the highest card in the deck
• The first player to empty their hand wins

Because its hand rankings are close to poker's, Big Two is easy for new players to pick up, and there is still plenty of strategy once you know the rules. The full rules are in How to Play Big Two.

What is poker?

Poker is a classic betting game. Players try to finish with the best five-card hand, or bluff their way to the pot without one.

• Popular versions include Texas Hold'em, Omaha and Five Card Draw
• You win the pot by holding the best hand or by making everyone else fold
• A table seats anywhere from 2 to 10 players
• People play in casinos, online, or at home with friends
• It is almost always played for money or chips

Poker is a game of skill and calculated risk, and a lot of it is psychology. Much of the game happens in the betting rather than in the cards.

Key differences

Both games use one standard deck and many of the same hands. Almost everything else about them is different.

The biggest difference is what you are trying to do with your hand. In Big Two every card you hold is a card you need to get rid of, so you plan the order you will play them in. In poker you only ever show five cards, and whether you show them at all depends on the betting.

Hands both games share

If you already play poker, you know most of Big Two's five-card hands. The ones Big Two uses rank in the same order as they do in poker, lowest first below.

1. 1 Straight Five consecutive ranks in mixed suits. 5♣ 6♦ 7♠ 8♥ 9♣
2. 2 Flush Five cards of one suit. 3♥ 7♥ 9♥ J♥ K♥
3. 3 Full house A triple plus a pair. In Big Two only the triple decides which full house is higher. 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ K♥
4. 4 Four of a kind Four cards of one rank plus any fifth card. Q♠ Q♥ Q♣ Q♦ 6♣
5. 5 Straight flush Five consecutive cards in one suit. The top hand in both games. 7♠ 8♠ 9♠ 10♠ J♠

How the hands are used is where the games split. In poker a hand is only compared at the showdown. In Big Two you play a five-card hand to beat the five-card hand on the table, and the next player has to beat yours or pass. Big Two also lets you play single cards, pairs and triples on their own. See Big Two card ranking for every comparison rule.

Card order and suits

In Big Two the 3 is the lowest rank and the 2 is the highest, above the ace. When two cards share a rank, the suit breaks the tie, from spades down through hearts and clubs to diamonds.

Poker ranks the ace highest, and depending on the game it can also count low, as in a 5-high straight. A 2 is usually the weakest card in poker, so this is the rule poker players most often trip over when they first sit down to Big Two.

Luck, skill and stakes

Big Two balances luck and skill. The deal matters, but good hand management and timing win more rounds over an evening. You get your edge by choosing which cards to spend early and which to keep for the finish. The Big Two strategy guide goes into that in detail.

Poker leans further towards skill. Bluffing and reading your opponents can win a pot with a weak hand, and over many hands the better players come out ahead. Betting is essential to the game, while in Big Two any gambling is optional and rare. Most people simply play for fun or keep score with points.

Which game suits you?

Neither game is better. They suit different tables, and plenty of people play both. If your group already knows poker hands, Big Two is an easy game to add.