Go-Stop

Go-Stop 고스톱 is the most popular hanafuda game in South Korea. It’s commonly played with hwatu 화투 ▶ flower fight, the Korean variant of hanafuda. The goal is to capture cards to create yaku 役 ▶ set.

Go-Stop is similar to—but a little more complicated than—Koi-Koi, with many variations and house rules, including optional jokers and very complex scoring. This page presents the most basic version, with variations at the end.

Cards

Hanafuda § Cards

This game uses a 48-card hanafuda deck.

If you’re using a Junior Hanafuda deck, be sure to set aside its extra cards.

Setup

Shuffle the deck and deal cards to each player and to the field according to the following table.

Place the remaining deck adjacent to the field.

If all four cards of a single month are dealt into the field, shuffle and start over.

If all four cards of a single month are dealt into a player’s hand, they instantly win the round, scoring 5 points!

If three cards of a single month are dealt into the field, stack them atop each other.

Choose a player to begin.

Gameplay

Goal

The goal of Go-Stop is to match and capture cards from your hand with cards in the field to form one or more yaku.

Your Turn

When your turn begins, there are three options to consider, but you may only perform one of these actions per turn.

• Match: Place a card from your hand on top of a card from the same month in the field.
• Bomb: Place three cards from your hand onto the fourth card from that month in the field.
• Surrender: Place a card from your hand into the field that does not match a card from the same month.

If you bomb the field, you will have fewer cards in your hand for the remainder of the round. After depleting your hand, you may only play the following portion of your turn.

Next, draw a card from the deck into the field.

If it matches one card in the field, place it on top of that card.

If it matches two cards in the field, place it onto one of them.

If it matches three cards in the field, place it on top of all three.

If it matches a pair created in the field, place it on top of that pair.

If it matches none of the cards in the field, it remains in the field.

Then, capture any pairs you created or months you completed. Do not capture any stack of three cards.

Your captured cards are displayed face-up in front of you, away from the field. It’s best to organize them by rank (Hikari, Tane, Tanzaku, Kasu) rather than by month.

After playing from your hand and playing from the deck, your turn is over. Now it’s the next player’s turn.

Continue until a player forms a yaku.

Ending

When a player forms a yaku, they may choose to continue (“go!”) or end the round (“stop!”). Continuing the round awards 1 point to whoever later ends the round.

A player may want to continue the round for the chance to form another yaku. However, choosing to continue is a risk. Only the player who ends the round scores any points.

Scoring

The player who ends the round after forming a yaku scores points.

If the round ends without either player ending after forming a yaku, 0 points are scored for the round.

Yaku

Hikari
			Gokō All five Hikari		15
			Shikō Any four Hikari		4
			Sankō Any three Hikari, excluding Rainman		3
			Sankō (Rain) Any three Hikari, including Rainman		2
Special
			5 Birds Warbler, Cuckoo, Geese		5
			Akatan 3 Poetry Tanzaku		3
			Aotan 3 Blue Tanzaku		3
			Kusatan 3 Plain Tanzaku, excluding November Tanzaku		3
Tane
			Any 5 Tane		1
			With another Tane		+1
Tanzaku
			Any 5 Tanzaku		1
			With another Tanzaku		+1
Kasu
			Any 10 Kasu		1
			With another Kasu		+1

If your cards qualify for multiple yaku, you score points for each of those yaku.

Bonus

Every time a round is continued, 1 point is added to the bonus.

Series

Games are best played in a series of 3, 6, or 12 rounds. The player with the highest total score at the end of the series wins!

If the players have identical scores, rejoice in the shared victory!

Strategy

Without the common two-card yaku found in Koi-Koi, yaku in Go-Stop are harder to obtain. Rounds might more frequently end with an “Any”-type yaku. As with any yaku-based game, consider which you’re able to form to end the round and score points.

Variations

For a more casual approach to Go-Stop, the player who forms a yaku first wins!

Many more complex rules—including house rules—may exist:

• The November Kasu and shaded December Kasu may be worth 2 Kasu each.
• The Bridge and Sake may take the role of either Tane or Kasu cards.
• Joker cards may be introduced for a variety of purposes and alterations to gameplay.
• Players may or may not be required to disclose three or four cards in a month or jokers in their hands at the beginning of the round.
• Point multipliers may exist for disclosing cards at the beginning of a round, capturing a certain amount of cards, or bombing the field.
• A minimum point value may be required to end the game.
• Scoring may be done in a way where losing players “pay” the winning player, subtracting points from their score, adding to the winner’s score.
• Cards and points may be stolen under certain conditions like bombing the field, capturing a month, or clearing the field.
• There may be penalties for losing players under some conditions like the winner capturing certain yaku.

In general, these variations add complexity to a degree that players may not remember during gameplay. But if you’re looking to add complexity to Go-Stop, you may try any of these ideas in your game!

Related

See also

• Hanafuda
• Junior Hanafuda
• Junior

Purchase