JL4 Filipino Card Games: Six Games and How Each One Wins
Filipino card games in a casino lobby come down to six: Pusoy Dos and Lucky 9 played with a deck, blackjack, baccarat and Pai Gow Poker against a dealer, and roulette on a wheel.
- JL4 Cards
- To play Pusoy Dos, deal 13 cards to each of four players.
- JL4 Lucky 9 Card Game
- To play Lucky 9, you get two cards and add them up.
- JL4 Online Baccarat
- Online baccarat is a bet on which of two hands finishes closer to 9: Player, Banker or Tie.
- JL4 Pai Gow Poker
- In Pai Gow Poker you get seven cards and set them into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand.
- JL4 Blackjack Dealer Rules
- Blackjack dealer rules are fixed: the dealer draws or stands by the rule printed on the table.
- JL4 Roulette Payout Chart by Bet Type
- Roulette payout is a fixed ratio per bet: straight up 35 to 1, split 17 to 1, street 11 to 1, corner 8 to 1, six line 5 to 1, column and dozen 2 to 1, and red or black, odd or even, high or low 1 to 1.
Filipino card games cover two very different families. Pusoy Dos and Lucky 9 are the games Filipino families play on a kitchen table, and blackjack, baccarat, Pai Gow Poker and roulette are the table games that fill a casino lobby. This page lines all six up side by side so you can see how each one decides a winner before you sit down.
Every rule below is the standard rule of the game. Where a table changes a detail, such as a commission or a limit, the table’s own info screen is the place to read it. Open that screen on the first round you play.
The six Filipino card games at a glance
Here is the comparison. Read across a row to see what the game is played with, who you play against and what counts as a win.
| Game | Cards | Players | What wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pusoy Dos | One 52-card deck, 13 cards each | 4 players | First player to play out all 13 cards |
| Lucky 9 | One deck, 2 or 3 cards per hand | You against the dealer | Last digit of your total beats the dealer’s |
| Blackjack | One or more decks | You against the dealer | A total closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over |
| Baccarat | Several decks in a shoe | Player hand against Banker hand | The hand closer to 9 |
| Pai Gow Poker | One deck plus a joker, 7 cards each | You against the banker | Both hands outrank the banker’s two hands |
| Roulette | No cards, a numbered wheel | You against the wheel | The number or group your chip covers |
Roulette uses no cards, yet it sits on the same shelf as the others in every casino lobby, so it earns a row.
Card games you play with family: Pusoy Dos and Lucky 9
When people search for card games in the Philippines, these two come first. Both are played at home with a plain deck, and both appear as casino versions you can search by name.
Pusoy Dos is a shedding game. Four players get 13 cards each, the holder of the 3 of clubs leads, and the aim is to get rid of every card. Our page on how to play Pusoy Dos walks through the deal, the suit order and the valid combinations in six numbered steps.
Lucky 9 is a counting game. Tens and face cards count zero, every other card counts its number, and only the last digit of the total matters. The Lucky 9 step-by-step rules cover the natural 9 and when you take a third card.
| Game | Deal | Quick rule |
|---|---|---|
| Pusoy Dos | 13 cards each | The 3 of clubs leads, the 2 is high |
| Lucky 9 | 2 cards, then an optional third | Only the last digit counts |
Card games against the dealer: blackjack, baccarat and Pai Gow Poker
These three are the casino staples. Each has a fixed set of card values and a fixed drawing rule, so the dealer never decides anything on a whim.
- Blackjack. Cards 2 to 10 count their number, faces count 10 and an ace counts 1 or 11. A pair can be split, and the dealer draws or stands by a rule printed on the table. The blackjack card values page has the full table.
- Baccarat. Cards count up to 9, and a total over 9 drops its tens digit. You bet on Player, Banker or Tie, and the third-card rules are fixed. Read how a round runs in our online baccarat rules page.
- Pai Gow Poker. You set seven cards into a five-card hand and a two-card hand. The five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand. The Pai Gow Poker hand-setting page shows how a win, a split and a loss are decided.
Roulette: the wheel next to the card tables
Roulette decides by a ball landing in a numbered pocket. A single-zero wheel has 37 pockets and a double-zero wheel has 38. Each bet type pays a fixed ratio, from 35 to 1 on a single number down to 1 to 1 on red or black.
The full chart sits on our roulette payout page, with the count of numbers each bet covers. Check which wheel your table uses before you place a chip.
| Wheel | Pockets | Top payout |
|---|---|---|
| Single zero | 37 | 35 to 1 |
| Double zero | 38 | 35 to 1 |
Card games and table games: how the lobby sorts them
The words “card games” and “table games” overlap in a casino lobby. Card games are anything built around a dealt hand. Table games add roulette and similar wheel and dice games.
At JL4 the left menu has a Cards tab and a Live Casino tab. The Cards tab is where you search by name for Pusoy Dos, Lucky 9 or Pai Gow. The Live Casino tab is for tables run by a live dealer, which our live dealer casino games page explains round by round.
| Where to look | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Cards tab | Card games, searched by the game’s name |
| Live Casino tab | Dealer tables for baccarat, blackjack and roulette |
| Table’s info screen | Limits, commission and side bets for that table |
Which of the six to start with
Choose by how much you want to decide each round. Pusoy Dos asks you to plan combinations. Baccarat asks you only to pick a side. Blackjack and Pai Gow Poker sit in the middle, with real choices on every hand.
- Want to count and move fast: start with Lucky 9.
- Want the table to do the work: start with baccarat.
- Want to make choices every hand: start with blackjack.
- Want to learn two-hand thinking: start with Pai Gow Poker.
- Want a plain chart of what each bet pays: start with roulette.
Whatever you pick, set the size of one bet before you play. The bankroll management meaning page explains how a fixed budget and a fixed bet size keep a session under control. You can also browse the wider JL4 games page for the slots and other shelves.
What to open before your first hand
Every table has its own information screen. It prints the table limits, the commission if the game has one, and the side bets on offer. Those numbers are the table’s, not ours, so we do not quote them.
- Open the game from the Cards tab or the Live Casino tab.
- Find the info, help or rules button on the table.
- Read the limits, any commission and the side bets.
- Set your bet unit below the table’s maximum and above its minimum.
- Play one round at the smallest bet to see how the screen shows results.
You must be 21 or older to play. Play only what you set aside for entertainment, and stop when the session budget is gone.
FAQ
What are the most played Filipino card games?
Pusoy Dos and Lucky 9 are the two Filipino favourites at home. Blackjack, baccarat and Pai Gow Poker are the card games Filipino players meet most at casino tables. Roulette is a wheel game, but it sits in the same table-game shelf.
Which of these card games is easiest to learn first?
Lucky 9 is quick because you only count the last digit of your total. Baccarat is just as easy to follow since the table draws the third cards for you. Pusoy Dos takes a few rounds because you learn the combinations as you play.
Do I play against other players or against the dealer?
Pusoy Dos is player against player: the first to empty their hand wins. Blackjack, baccarat, Lucky 9 and Pai Gow Poker are played against the dealer or the banker. Roulette is you against the wheel.
Where do I find card games in the JL4 lobby?
The JL4 lobby has a Cards tab in its left menu and a Live Casino tab for dealer tables. Search the Cards tab by the game's name, for example Lucky 9 or Pai Gow, and open the game's info screen to read its own rules.
Are the rules the same at every table?
The core of each game is the same: card values, hand rankings and the order of play. Details such as table limits, commission and side bets change from table to table. Open the info or help screen on the table you sit at and read those before your first bet.
How much of my bankroll should I put on one hand?
Pick a bet unit before you sit down and keep every wager to that one size. Our bankroll management meaning page shows how to set a session budget. Decide the budget first, then the unit.