fan-tan

American  

[fan-tan] / ˈfænˌtæn /

noun

1. Also called sevens.  Also called parliament.  Cards. Also fan tan a game in which the players play their sevens and other cards forming sequences in the same suits as their sevens, the winner being the player who first runs out of cards.

2. a Chinese gambling game in which a pile of coins, counters, or objects is placed under a bowl and bets are made on what the remainder will be after they have been counted off in fours.

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fan-tan British  

noun

1. a Chinese gambling game in which a random number of counters are placed under a bowl and wagers laid on how many will remain after they have been divided by four

2. a card game played in sequence, the winner being the first to use up all his or her cards

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Etymology

Origin of fan-tan

First recorded in 1875–80; from Chinese fān tān literally “repeated divisions”

Example Sentences

They played fan tan and other games: Chinese and Europeans, both men and women.

From Lord John in New York by Williamson, A. M. (Alice Muriel)

Chow Lam, several years ago, was a broken-down fan tan player.

From The Valley of the Moon by London, Jack

His disaster had come in the form of a fight over a game of fan tan in the Chinese quarter at Redwood City.

From The Valley of the Moon by London, Jack