harris
harris 
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May 12th, 2026 at 10:37:16 PM permalink
I've come across a lot of variation in the game Niu Niu which I would like to document.

Here are my sources for the game, all of which diverge from each other.

Ha Tien Vegas provides a short description but says you automatically lose if you cannot make a hand with 0, I feel like this might not be true, this is the least detailed source which I trust the least.

TCSJohnHuxley's "Niu-Niu Xtreme" seems to have a fold mechanic, making it pretty different from the others. I don't know if this is played anywhere.

The other sources I have are more normal:
QueenCo, Hoiana, Xamat, Solaire, and City of Dreams

First let's talk about hands ranked above Niu Niu
5 Pictures (Ultimate Niu Niu), 4 of a Kind, and above all 5 Small Niu Niu (unsure what this means) rank above Niu Niu in QueenCo
Ultimate Niu Niu and Hoiana Niu Niu (4 of a Kind) rank above Niu Niu in Hoiana
Xamat doesn't seem to have a higher hand
Solaire has an Ultimate Niu Niu above Niu Niu
City of Dreams seems to just have 4 of a Kind above Niu Niu (no mention of Ultimate Niu Niu)

Next we can discuss the commission on the Equal Bet:
QueenCo: 5% commission on Niu 7 - Niu 9 wins
Xamat: 1:2 payment on winning Niu 5
Hoiana, Solaire, and City of Dreams: 1:2 payment on winning Niu 6 (2.25% house edge)

For the Double bet:
Everywhere does 5% commission on wins 2+:1, except for Xamat who does 1:2 on winning Niu 5

For the Super bet:
Everywhere does 5% commission on wins 2+:1, except for Xamat who does 5:2 on winning Niu 5

Just thought I should document this for ludology purposes =)
Does anyone know of other rulesets?
harris
harris 
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May 13th, 2026 at 10:43:28 AM permalink
Actually a better question for this forum would have been "has anyone ever played or even seen Niu-Niu in real life?"

I am guessing that this game is more obscure for Westerners than even Pai Gow Tiles at this point in time.

I understand that Niu Niu might not be very interesting to this forum because there is no strategy involved... with the exception of the aforementioned Niu-Niu Xtreme which I believe was invented within this decade

Right now I feel like I'm at a point where I am close to having learned about every casino game that currently exists on Earth - with the exception of non-house banked games like Poker. I hope I can encyclopedically document them all, with all their variations and side bets, for future generations. I think ludologists in the future will be interested in how politics, culture, and laws shaped the historical evolution of table games.

Today the plurality of table games are poker-based but I think the plurality will be more baccarat-oriented by the next decade, I have my own explanations (the economic rise of both East Asia and Macau being the main one) but I am interested in hearing other perspectives, even if they disagree with me :D
Hunterhill
Hunterhill
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harris
May 13th, 2026 at 11:39:29 AM permalink
I have seen and played niu niu in Cambodia
Happy days are here again
harris
harris 
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Joined: Jun 30, 2025
May 13th, 2026 at 11:41:10 AM permalink
Awesome 🤩
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