How to Play Thai Bar Games Without Losing Too Much Money

I thought bar games were harmless and free fun until I realized that Thai women are almost invincible, and I quickly regretted promising Sherry and Cartoon a drink after each round they won.

Most tourists lose more than cash during their first trip. They lose confidence.

With all my nights spent in Bangkok and Pattaya, I learned every trick in the book from the Champions League-level bar girls.

Connect Four Winning Strategies

Starting with Connect Four, Thais call it Connect Four, too. If you do not know it, it looks simple. Choose a colour and then drop your tokens into a six-row, seven-column grid. The goal is to be the first to form a line of four.

Your estimated winning chance as a newbie is 1%. Here are three reasons why you will lose. You have never played it or have not played it for 30 years. Ploy played it every day of her life. You play it slightly drunk; she plays it sober because most lady drinks are just water. She knows the scientifically proven winning strategies. You are distracted by her smile.

Here are some golden Connect Four rules. Whoever goes first has a slight edge. Starting in the centre column gives you the most possible winning paths. If you are second and Ploy opens in the middle, place your checker on the bottom row of another column.

Never stack on top of the two threats at once. Set up lines so Ploy can only block one. Watch out for the seven-shape trick. Use forcing moves, plays that make Ploy block you, to prepare your real winning line. Always block Ploy’s threes before they reach four, but do not forget to keep attacking.

Tip: Do not play Connect Four without any preparation, and do not play for drinks. You will always lose, and you will lose money.

Jenga Winning Chance

Jenga is a wooden tower constructed of 54 blocks. You remove one and place it on top, and then it is her turn. The game is over when the tower falls.

How can anyone have an advantage? Well, I estimate your winning chance at around 25%. Why? Because Thai bar staff know how to distract you through visual distractions, flirting, tickling, and even a little kick against the table, which is very common. You will realize very quickly how competitive Thai women are.

Tip: If you want to win, stay focused and do not touch the table. Place your glass or bottle carefully.

Thai Bar Pool Facts

Most bars in Thailand have a pool table. The common discipline is eight-ball: seven solid-coloured balls, seven striped balls, one white ball, and the black ball.

When the first solid-coloured ball falls into a pocket, this player is on the solid-colour team. If it is striped, the player is on the striped team. The goal is to clear the table of your balls and then pocket the eight ball, but you need to call the winning pocket.

If you miss, it is Ploy’s turn. If you think you know pool, your chance of winning is 10%. Why? Here are some Thai bar pool facts. Pool is, along with Connect Four, the game that Thai women are best at.

Usually, you will do the break shot, so focus. Do not embarrass yourself. As soon as you are on the road to victory, the staff will take notice and try to break your rhythm and focus. Another drink, another flirt, another joke, or a little kiss.

If that does not work, Ploy positions herself in your focus area where you are aiming, and then she distracts you. Play it more often and get better at it, but never play drunk. You risk damaging the table, and that will cost you far more than the drinks and the embarrassment.

Thai Bar High Low Rules

This first local game, a dice game, is less about skill and all about luck. Your chance of winning is 50%. At first, it does not make sense, and then it becomes so addictive that you do not want to stop.

Here are the Thai bar High Low rules. You and Ploy each have one of these dice shakers, with five dice numbered from one to six. The only important numbers are one and six. One is good; six is bad.

The goal is to clear your shaker, but you can only take the ones out. Then both players shake their shakers and put them on the table. Look inside. If you have one or more ones, great. Take these out and put them aside on the table.

If you have one or more sixes, and Ploy does not have a six, then she gets my six. My shaker is emptier than before; her shaker is fuller than before. Understand?

If you have more sixes than Ploy, like three against two, then give her one. If you both get the same amount of sixes, nothing changes. The player with the empty shaker wins.

Sounds fun, right? Yes, absolutely. That is the problem. It is so fast, entertaining, and addictive. Be very careful with your bets. One drink for every three rounds Ploy wins. That is easily five drinks in 10 minutes because it is so fast. Tip: Let the girl teach you High Low for a couple of rounds before you start promising her a drink for every round she wins.

Jackpot Rules

Here is the other dice game that I only saw in Thai bars. Jackpot. I believe it is called Shut the Box in the rest of the world. It is played with a wooden box with small wooden pieces that can be opened.

Initially, they read one through nine. When all are turned over, they read “jackpot”, and that is the goal of the game.

The Jackpot rules vary from place to place, but the most common rules are these. Both players share two dice. On each roll, you can only shut one wooden piece. So, if you have five and four, you can choose whether you shut the five, the four, or the combined number, the nine.

For example, if you roll one and six, you can shut one, six, or seven. In some bars, you need to shut every tile in one winning streak to win the game.

This game is also not about strategy and all about luck. It usually draws a crowd. I have never seen another game with so much shouting. It is about as fast-paced as High Low and is even played in go-go bars like Ela Angels and Pas El Camero.

You can imagine how distracted you will be and how high the bill will be playing with drinks. Tip: Play slowly. This will delay the time until the next drink.