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What is Chinese poker?

Chinese poker is a distinct kind of poker whose gameplay is very different from other poker variations like Hold'em, Omaha, or Stud. However, you should be able to succeed at this thrilling twist on the game as long as you are familiar with the standard poker hand rankings.

To put it briefly, players are dealt 13 starting cards for poker and are required to divide them into three separate hands: two with five cards each, and one with three cards. When it comes to how other players have structured their holdings, players try to make the best/highest-ranked holdings for each hand.

The ultimate objective of this game is to compare hands. The player with the better hand combination wins. This game is different from standard Poker. This variation also has a lot of bonus points or royalties, and even the player who comes in second gets monetary compensation.

How To Play Chinese Poker?

The objective of Chinese Poker is to arrange your 13 cards into three poker hands: two five-card hands (top and middle) and one three-card hand (bottom) that beat the corresponding hands of the other players.

Gameplay Chinese Poker:

Compare Hands: After arranging the cards, players compare their hands with those of their opponents. Each hand is compared individually against the corresponding hand of each opponent. A player wins a point for each hand that is stronger than the corresponding hand of each opponent.

Hand Rankings: The bottom hand must be the weakest, followed by the middle hand, and then the top hand, which must be the strongest.

Setup: Each player is dealt 13 cards face down. Players then arrange their cards into three hands: a three-card hand (bottom), a five-card hand (middle), and a five-card hand (top).

Scoring: Points are typically awarded based on the number of hands won. Some common scoring systems include:

Reveal and Score: After all players have arranged their hands, they reveal them, and points are awarded based on hand strength and fouls.

Fouling: If a player sets their hands incorrectly (e.g., making a stronger hand in the bottom than the middle), they "foul" and lose to all other players.

Winning all three hands (scooping) awards extra points.

1 point for each hand won (total of 3 points per round).

Next Round: The cards are reshuffled, and a new round begins. The game continues until a predetermined number of rounds or until a player reaches a specified score.

Example:

Let's say there are three players: X, Y, and Z.

X, Y and Z each receive 13 cards. They arrange their cards into bottom, middle, and top hands. After arranging their cards, they reveal them simultaneously.

X’s bottom hand: 4♠ 6♠ 8♠

X’s middle hand: K♥ K♠ Q♦ Q♠ J♣

X’s top hand: A♣ A♦ 10♦ 9♣ 2♠

Y’s bottom hand: 7♠ 9♠ 10♠

Y’s middle hand: A♥ A♠ 7♦ 7♣ 6♣

Y’s top hand: K♣ K♦ Q♠ Q♣ J♠

Z’s bottom hand: 2♦ 4♦ 6♦

Z’s middle hand: 9♠ 9♦ 8♣ 8♦ 3♠

Z’s top hand: A♠ 10♣ 9♠ 8♦ 7♣

In this example, X wins against Y bottom and middle hands but loses to Y’s top hand. Against Z, X wins all three hands. Y wins against X’s top hand but loses to her bottom and middle hands. He wins against Charlie's middle hand but loses to his top and bottom hands. Z wins against X’s top hand but loses to her bottom and middle hands. He wins against Y’s middle hand but loses to his top and bottom hands.

Points are then awarded based on the number of hands won, and the next round begins. The game continues until a predetermined endpoint is reached.

Important Terms In Chinese Poker

Surrendering

Surrendering is the Chinese poker version of folding player cards for or forfeiting a game. If a player surrenders their hand, they have to pay an amount as a penalty to the other players, which is higher than the amount lost when losing 2 hands to a player but less than the amount lost when losing all 3 hands to a player.

Scoop or Home Run

This term comes up in the Taiwanese variant of Chinese Poker. In a game where players lose all their 3 hands to a certain player, they are known to be scooped. If a player scoops all 3 of their opponents, that player is known to hit a home run.

Royalties

Royalties are bonuses awarded to players who set their three hands so that all 3 hands are very strong. The players should announce their royalties before revealing their cards to every other player at the Chinese poker table. The most common hands to receive these royalties are-

  • Straight Flush
  • Four of a Kind
  • Full house in the middle hand or better
  • Three of a Kind in the front hand.

A subset of royalties is awarded to players who have exceptionally good cards. These royalties are called Naturals and are awarded to these players when they announce them, and they do not have to set their hands. These are:

  • Three Straights
  • Three Flushes
  • Six Pairs in all three hands combined
  • Four Three of a Kind in all three hands combined
  • Three Straight flushes
  • All 13 cards are unique, and none are repeated
  • All Cards in one color
  • No face cards in either of the hands
  • All face cards

Players compete with royalties as well. The player with the strongest Natural hand combinations wins and takes the bonus money. If 2 players have straights and flushes, the backhands are compared. If they are the same, then the middle hands are compared. If the middle hands are identical, the front hands are compared, determining the winner. Multiple players who have six pairs and are competing with each other for the bonus money are judged by the highest six pairs.

The player with the highest six pairs is the winner; no bonus money is given if both players tie. The point structure of these Chinese poker royalties is as follows:

Front Hand Middle Hand Back Hand
Hand Points Hand Points Hand Points
Three of a Kind 3 Full House 1 Four of a Kind 2
    Four of a Kind 3 Straight Flush 3
    Straight Flush 4    

The point structure for the Natural royalties is:

Hand Criteria Points
Clean Dragon All 13 cards should be unique, none should be repeated. In the Clean Dragon, all these cards should be of the same suit. 108
Dragon All 13 cards should be unique, none should be repeated. 36
12 Royalties or All Broadways All 13 cards should only consist of face cards and Aces. 32
Three Straight Flushes All three hand combinations should form straight flushes. 24
Three quads A total of 3 Four of a Kinds should be formed with one extra card. 20
All Lows or highs All 13 cards should consist of cards with the rank or either 8 and below or 8 and higher. 12
Full-Colored All 13 cards should be of the same color, either black or red. 10
Four Triples A total of 4 Three of a Kinds should be formed with one extra card. 8
Six and a Half Pairs A total of 6 pairs should be formed with one extra card. 6
Three Straights All three hands should form the straight hand combination. 4
Three Flushes All three hands should form the flush hand combination. 3
No Broadway Cards There should be no face cards in the either of the hands of the player. 3

Scoring

Chinese Poker has a specific scoring standard. They use something called 'Unit, 'which carries a liquidated value on which all the participants agree before gameplay. The simple pen-and-paper method tracks the scores; no other formalities like paying up after each session are mandated. Each participant gathers and acquires the unit from each player they had a face-off with, and the same continues for the front, middle, and backhands distinctly.

Let's assume an order for backhands. 

  • Each participant has the number of units they will be losing or securing for this hand next to their name, which is further comprehended by an explanation of how these numbers were determined in the section below. 
  • Player 1 (highest-ranked backhand): + 3 units• Player 2: + 1 unit• Player 3: - 1 unit• Player 4 (lowest-ranked backhand of the four players): - 3 units, Suppose a person wins a variable mixture of different hands (front, middle, or back) during that round of competition. 

In that case. In that case, there might be scoring for additional ' 'bonus' 'units granted (determined beforehand), which may vary in different versions. Also, one must know the two standard game ways to give you a bonus. 

  • One is the 1-6 Method, which says that if a winning player can secure a bonus, then it shall be assigned to him at the cost of other players. 
  • The second method is the 2-4 Method, wherein the overall bonus unit is given to the one who wins the majority of the hands. Scoring in Chinese poker is not a tough task. 

The simplest way to maintain score, especially with numerous players, is to keep track of everyone's scores independently. Keep track of wins and losses, with the participant sitting just to the left of the dealer. Keep on comparing it with the rest of the players.

Hand Combination Ranking In Chinese Poker

There are different hand combination rankings for the front hand and, the middle, and the backhands. This is because the front hand has only 3 cards, whereas the middle and back hands have 5 cards each. The hand combinations hierarchy for the middle and the backhands-

Royal Flush-

This is the highest-hand combination in Chinese Poker. This hand combination consists of the Ace (A), the King (K), the Queen (Q), the Jack (J) and the card with the rank of 10 (10). All these cards are of the same suit.

Straight Flush-

This is the second-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. This hand consists of 5 cards in numerical order. All these cards are of the same suit.

4 of a Kind-

This is the third-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. This hand consists of 5 cards, out of which 4 cards are of the same rank. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

Full House-

This is the fourth-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. It consists of five cards, three of which are of the same rank, forming a three-of-a-kind, and the other two are of the same rank, forming a pair. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

Flush-

This is the fifth-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. This hand consists of 5 cards of the same suit.

Straight-

This is the sixth-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. This hand consists of 5 cards in numerical order. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

3 of a Kind-

This is the seventh-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. This hand consists of 5 cards, out of which three cards are of the same rank. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

Two Pair-

This is the eighth-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. It consists of five cards, two pairs of which are formed, leaving one card as an extra. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

One Pair-

This is the ninth-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. It consists of five cards, two of which are of the same rank. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

High Card-

This is the lowest-ranking hand combination in Chinese Poker. This hand consists of no significant hand combination but a high card. This card may be anything, but it needs to be the highest-ranking card. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

The hand combination hierarchy for the front hand is as follows:

Three of a kind-

This is the seventh-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. This hand consists of 5 cards, out of which three cards are of the same rank. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

One Pair-

This is the ninth-highest hand combination in Chinese Poker. It consists of five cards, two of which are of the same rank. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

High Card-

This is the lowest-ranking hand combination in Chinese poker. This hand consists of no significant hand combination but a high card. This card may be anything but it needs to be the highest-ranking card. The suit does not matter in this hand combination.

Variations In Chinese Poker

Like every other card game, Chinese poker has a lot of variations. These variations are invented in different places, adapting to the needs and wants of their people. Some of the most famous variations of Chinese Poker are:

  • Open Face Chinese Poker- This variation of Chinese Poker was invented in Finland. In this variation of Chinese Poker, instead of the dealer dealing all 13 cards simultaneously to all the players, five cards are dealt simultaneously, followed by the remaining 8, dealt one by one. The players are supposed to arrange their cards face up in the beginning. This arrangement cannot be changed again.
  • Low in the middle- In this variation of Chinese Poker, the players are supposed to play the middle hand as a deuce to seven soft hands.

Chinese Poker Strategy and Tips

  1. Be assured that you don't foul: Fouling (or 'm's-setting,')' is a costly error that may lose you a game and build up quickly, particularly in the basic form of Chinese Poker. Ensure your cards are in the appropriate positions and you don't make any mistakes
  2. Notice the Rival's moves: Seeing the surrounding cards on the table might assist you in finding out which cards are available in the deck and how likely you'll acquire the specific card you ought to complete your hand. Pay heed to the cards that have been eliminated so that you can better calculate potential outs and chances.
  3. Do Not Intermingle the Front Hand and Discard Pile: For every round, the front hand still accounts for 33% of the overall points you'll let (win or lose). Keeping focused on organizing your cards the finest all-around, especially in your front hand, can help you transform your failing sessions into victorious ones.
  4. Play the Tiny Stakes: Play lesser stakes than you would think you'd feel at ease with because of the unpredictability and swings associated with Chinese Poker, particularly when royalties are factored in. Remember that Chinese Poker is a highly risky and unpredictable game that should not be played with big stakes or cash you cannot afford.

Consider any notable rival patterns while formulating your overall approach: Because you can view your Rival's cards and numerous rounds of drawing and establishing, this advice is more applicable to Open-Face and Pineapple. If you observe any risk-taking opponents, this is an excellent illustration of what you should consider while establishing your hand.

FAQ's

How do you play Chinese poker?

  • Chinese poker is played by arranging 13 cards into three separate hands: a front hand with three cards, a middle hand with five cards, and a back hand with five cards. Players compare hands and earn points based on their hand rankings.

What is Chinese poker called?

  • Chinese poker is also commonly referred to as "Open Face Chinese (OFC) Poker.

What are 13 unique cards in Chinese poker?

  • In Chinese poker, "13 unique cards" refers to a hand where all 13 cards are of different ranks, meaning there are no pairs, three of a kind, or four of a kind in the hand.

What is the difference between Chinese poker and Texas Hold'em?

  • The main difference between Chinese poker and Texas Hold'em is the hand structure and gameplay. In Chinese poker, players create three separate hands, while in Texas Hold'em, players form one hand using community cards and their hole cards.

What is the highest straight in Chinese poker?

  • The highest straight in Chinese poker is a 13-card straight from Ace to King, also known as a "royal straight" or "wheel."

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