Fan Tan

Fan Tan is a live game from Evolution and one of the oldest gambling games still played anywhere – an Asian bead game that predates most of what sits alongside it in the live casino.

How It Works

The mechanic is beautifully plain. A random number of beads is separated out, then repeatedly divided into orderly lines of four. What matters is the remainder at the end – one, two, three or four beads – and that is what you bet on.

The dealing itself is the show: the beads are counted out in fours by hand, and the round narrows towards its conclusion as the pile shrinks. There is no wheel, no cards and no dice, and it holds attention better than any of them.

Two Levels Of Betting

Evolution offers two game views. The default view carries a simple set of bets and is the right place to start. The advanced view opens up a much richer array of positions – combinations, groupings and the traditional Fan Tan bet types that give the game its depth.

This is a smart piece of design for a game most Western players will not know. You can bet on the remainder and nothing else for as long as you like, and the complexity is there when you want it rather than in your way from the start.

Who It Is For

Fan Tan suits players who want something genuinely different from the roulette-and-blackjack standard, and anyone drawn to a game with real history behind it. It is also unusually calm to watch.

Players who want speed should look elsewhere – counting beads into fours takes as long as it takes, and that unhurried rhythm is the game's character rather than a flaw.

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