Not to be confused by the Koi-Koi yaku of the same name
Ino-Shika-Chō - 猪鹿蝶 [いのしかちょう, lit. “boar-deer-butterfly”] is a luck-based gambling game played with hanafuda. One person acts as the banker, against which any number of players may bet.
Note that the name of this game may also refer to a fishing game similar to Roppyakken; for this reason, the gambling game is sometimes refered to as “Old Ino-Shika-Chō”. The name also refers to a yaku appearing in many fishing games.
¶ Gameplay
The game begins with the banker shuffling the deck and cutting it into 4 approximately equal packets, which are then placed face-down on the field. Each of the other players then takes their turn betting whatever sum of money they desire on any and all of the piles of cards that they wish. Once all participants have bet, the banker flips over each of the 4 piles, revealing their bottom cards.
Each player wins or loses their bet on a given pile at a rate dependent on which card is revealed:
- If the card revealed is a Bright, the dealer pays anyone who bet on that pile 4 times their wager.
- If the card revealed is any Animal except the
Boar, 
Deer, or 
Butterflies, the dealer pays out 2 times any money bet on that pile. - If the card revealed is a Ribbon, the dealer pays each bettor the same amount they bet on that pile.
- If the card revealed is a Chaff, the dealer collects any money bet on that pile.
- If the card revealed is the Boar, Deer, or Butterflies, the dealer wins all bets on all piles and collects all money bet!
Once all debts have been settled, the cards are shuffled and the next game may begin.
¶ Bibliography
- Kusaba, Jun. “In Search of Old Hanafuda Games.” Jun Kusaba’s Game Research Site, Jan.-Feb. 1995, https://sites.google.com/a/banjoyugi.net/kusabazyun/Home/reproductioned/history/kohanafuda.
- Shiono, Suehiko. Teikei Aru Hanzai No Chōsa. Shihōshō Chōsaka, 1921, National Diet Library, dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1878761. p. 88.