Niu Niu (牛牛 / Bull Bull) — Official Rules for Land-Based Casinos (Extended Version)
Niu Niu (牛牛) is a bank card game widely played in offline casinos across Asia (including Macau and other gaming zones). The game is based on comparing 5-card combinations between the player and the dealer and uses a strictly mathematical system to calculate the strength of a hand.
Basic Rules of the Game
A standard 52-card deck (without jokers) is used.
Participants in the game include:
the dealer (bank)
players at the table
Each participant is dealt 5 cards
Each player plays only against the dealer
The goal is to assemble a stronger combination than the dealer’s
Card Values
A = 1
2–9 = face value
10, J, Q, K = 10 points
Mechanics of Forming “Niu”
The combination is formed by dividing the 5 cards into two parts.
Step 1 — Finding a trio
The player selects any 3 cards out of 5 whose sum is a multiple of 10:
(c1+c2+c3)≡0(mod10)(c_1 + c_2 + c_3) \equiv 0 \pmod{10}(c1+c2+c3)≡0 (mod 10)
If such a combination exists, the hand is considered valid.
Step 2 — The remaining 2 cards
The sum of the remaining cards determines the strength of the hand:
(c4+c5) mod 10(c_4 + c_5) \bmod 10(c4+c5)mod10
Hand Value Summary
0 → Niu 0 (no combination)
1–9 → Niu 1–9
10 → Niu Niu (Bull Bull, the highest standard hand)
Hand Rankings (offline casinos)
Basic Hands:
Niu 0
Niu 1–9
Niu Niu (10)
Special combinations (vary by casino):
Five Small Bull
Four of a Kind (Bomb)
Straight Flush
Five Face Cards
Hand Rankings
Ranking order (typical for offline casinos):
Five Small Bulls
Straight Flush
Four of a Kind
Five Face Cards
Niu Niu (10)
Niu 9 → Niu 1
Niu 0
TIE (key section)
Is there a tie in Niu Niu?
In classic offline casinos, there is formally no separate “tie” outcome as a betting result, but tie situations are indeed possible during the hand comparison phase.
It is important to distinguish between:
❌ “tie as a game outcome” — not recorded
✔️ “Equal combinations” — occurs and is handled by the rules
When a tie occurs
A tie is possible in the following cases:
identical Niu levels (e.g., Niu 6 vs. Niu 6)
identical special combinations
identical final hand rank after calculation
How the casino handles tied hands
In offline Niu Niu, a strict tie-break system is applied:
Step 1 — comparison of the 5-card structure
If players have the same Niu:
cards are compared in descending order
the highest card determines the winner
Step 2 — sequential comparison
If the highest cards are equal:
the second, third, and so on are compared
Step 3 — suits (a rare final level)
Some casinos may use an internal suit ranking:
spades > hearts > diamonds > clubs (or another local order)
Why “ties” as payouts are almost nonexistent
Key principle of offline casinos:
👉 the system must always determine a winner
Therefore:
even in the case of a mathematical tie (Niu)
an additional comparison of cards is applied
the result always leads to a victory for one side
What This Means for the Player
The player never receives a “draw payout” as a separate outcome
A bet always either wins or loses
A tie is only an intermediate step in the calculation
Important to Understand
In players’ colloquial usage, the term “draw” means:
“identical Niu before applying the tie-break”
But in the official logic of the game:
👉 a tie is not the final outcome
Payouts
SituationPayout
Beat the dealer
1:1
Niu Niu (10)
1:1 or 2:1
Special combinations
3:1 – 6:1
Key Features of the Game
A purely mathematical system (mod 10)
5 cards per player
There is always a comparison system with the dealer
Ties are resolved through a strict tie-break
“Tie” does not exist as a betting outcome
The casino’s advantage is built into the payout structure and comparison rules
Conclusion
Niu Niu in offline casinos is a strictly regulated card game where:
hand strength is calculated using the Mod 10 system
combinations are ranked from 0 to 10
rare hands offer higher payouts
in the event of a tie, a card comparison system is always applied
as a result, the game does not have a “tie” outcome