Also, fan tan. Also called parliament, sevens. Cards. 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.
Origin
1875-80; < Chinesefān tān literally, repeated divisions, or < cognate dial. forms
British Dictionary definitions for fan-tan
fan-tan
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
Word Origin
C19: from Chinese (Cantonese) fan t'an repeated divisions, from fan times + t'an division
Encyclopedia Article for fan-tan
bank gambling game of Chinese origin, dating back at least 2,000 years and introduced in the western United States in the second half of the 19th century by Chinese immigrant workers
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