My Take | Guandan in, Texas Hold ’em out: how China’s hottest poker game ‘throwing eggs’ reveals changing attitudes
- Guandan, a card game that began as a regional pastime in Jiangsu province, has become exceptionally popular among Chinese bureaucrats
- While many Wall Street professionals enjoy Texas Hold ’em, the Chinese financial industry now prefers playing Guandan to network with local officials
A poker game called Guandan, which literally means “throwing eggs”, is becoming hot in China, gaining popularity among those who play it as a way to relax and socialise.
Few can explain how and why the game, played by four players in two teams using two decks of cards, has risen in just a decade from a mere regional pastime in coastal Jiangsu province to a nationwide hobby.
In any case, as new tournaments mushroom across the country, Guandan is on its way to becoming a truly national game.
One unusual thing about Guandan is that it has been fully embraced by Chinese bureaucrats. Central Hubei province, for example, in May hosted a two-day Guandan competition for government officials, attracting 174 players from 34 teams, according to the provincial sports authority.
Contestants from Hubei’s tobacco bureau and economic planning agency and the Wuhan railway administration won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, while the provincial water resources administration was the group champion.
As China tightens scrutiny of the lifestyles of its cadres, Guandan provides a politically correct way for civil servants to entertain without eliciting unwanted attention that comes when they throw lavish banquets or visit karaoke clubs, massage parlours and golf courses.
