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Hachi-hachi Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Hachi-hachi, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Capture toward 88

Lesson 1

Captured cards score Bright 20, Animal 10, Ribbon 5 and Plain 1, so the whole deck is worth 264 and the reference for three players is 88. At the end of a round, players below 88 pay their shortfall. If one player is short, that shortfall is split between the other two; if two are short, each pays the remaining player. If a combination ends the round early and all three are below 88, nothing moves.

Here your pine Plain takes the Crane, a 20-point Bright, and the plum Plain you flip from the deck matches the plum Plain in the field: 23 points in one turn. Taking the high cards first closes the gap to 88 quickly.

In a Big or Peak field the card-difference payment is doubled or quadrupled too, so favour Brights and Animals over single Plains in those rounds.

With two matches, take the better card

Lesson 2

Whether you play from your hand or flip from the deck, two matching field cards mean you choose which one to capture. One match is taken automatically and three matches take all four, so the choice only appears with exactly two. Your turn continues while you choose.

Here your paulownia has no match, so it goes into the field. The wisteria Plain flipped from the deck matches both the wisteria Animal (10) and the wisteria Ribbon (5). Taking the Animal adds 11 points to your captures.

Ribbons also build Seven Ribbons, so when you are close to it a Ribbon can be the better choice despite fewer points. Remember that the card you leave stays in the field for the next player.

Take the final combination card

Lesson 3

Scoring combinations come from captured cards: Five Brights 75, Four Brights 50, Seven Ribbons 50, Red Poem Ribbons 35, Blue Ribbons 35 and Boar-Deer-Butterfly 35. You collect the points from each of the other two players, multiplied by the field rate in Big or Peak rounds.

Here you already hold the Boar and the Deer, and the Butterfly lies in the field. Play your peony Plain to take it and complete Boar-Deer-Butterfly. When the last card of a combination is in the field, it is usually worth more than a higher single card.

If an opponent's progress chip shows one more card, take that card first to block the combination; a blocked combination disappears from their progress. Once a combination is complete you normally choose End here or Sage.

Check the round total before Sage

Lesson 4

When you complete a combination, choose End here or Sage. Ending collects the combination from both opponents and finishes the round. Sage passes the turn to the next player and the round goes on; only one player may use Sage once per round.

If you then complete another combination, you collect the combined total from both opponents. If someone else completes one first, you alone pay both shares of their combination and also split your earlier combination points between the other two. If nobody completes a combination before every hand is empty, the other two each pay you half of your earlier combination.

Play on when another combination of yours needs one card that is still likely in the field or deck. If an opponent's progress shows one more card, ending is safer.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

Play with friendsLearn how to play (3 min)

Last updated 2026-10-08 · Run by Qdan, Inc.