Open Face Chinese Poker – How To Have Fun With This Game
6 minutes
Last Updated: August 7, 2024
Open Face Chinese poker is a highly addictive game. I fell in love with it the first time I played it with my friends. It has many exciting variants, such as regular Chinese or Pineapple.
That said, probably the most popular is OFC poker, which is quite different from basic poker rules, so we will cover everything you need to know on this page.
Even if you have never played poker before, you can easily learn this game because it is quite different from other games. You will not be at a big disadvantage against more experienced players from other formats.
Chinese Poker Rules
As I mentioned before, this game is played in an entirely different way, and you surely want to learn the OFC poker rules before jumping on the tables.
You should be aware that this game can be played by two, three, or four players with a standard 52-card deck. (In the case of Pineapple poker, there could be just two or three players)
You do not need chips, and there is no betting, as you are used to seeing in other poker formats. The whole thing is based on points, and all you have to do before starting the game is agree on the value of the point, which will determine how much you will win or lose.
A few Chinese poker facts:
- OFC poker could be played with two, three, or four players
- Each of the players gets 13 cards and has to arrange it in the best possible way
- The player has to make three different hands applying some strict rules that cannot be broken
- The top hand has 3 cards, and the combination should be the least strong hand from all three lines. (The best hand you can make here is trips. Straight, flush, or other combos do not count)
- The middle hand has 5 cards, and you have to make a hand that is stronger than the top line but weaker than the bottom.
- The bottom hand has 5 cards and has to be the strongest hand of all three.
If you do not follow this rule, your fault the hand, and you lose at once without getting any points. Therefore, you need to think in advance and carefully consider your decisions not to make that mistake.
Open Face Chinese Poker Gameplay
Step #1.
The first thing you need to do before starting the game is to agree on the point value. Let us say you decide that each point is worth $5, so you just multiply your points after the game, and you will have a net result of how much you won or lost.
Therefore, if you gain 8 points, you will get $40 as profit from that hand and will begin the next hand from scratch. As I mentioned before, there is no betting or raising in OFC poker, so your point count will determine everything.
Step #2.
The game starts when you draw the Button, and you continue further, like in any other poker game like Texas Hold'em, by moving the Button one spot to the left of every hand.
Step #3.
When you start playing, you are dealt your first 5 cards, and you have to set all of them in any way you like, be it all in one line or adding cards in all three lines of your hand.
This is just a reminder that you have to follow the previously mentioned rule of making your strongest poker hand on the bottom line, second strongest in the middle, and weakest on the top line.
Step #4.
After each player positions the first five cards, everyone draws 1 additional card in turn and puts it in any of his three hands. You continue doing that until you finish filling all three hands and using those 13 cards.
Step #5.
When all cards are set, you have to compare your hands with other players. To count the score, you compare your Top hand to another player’s Top hand, Middle hand vs. Middle hand, and Bottom hand vs. Bottom hand of each of your opponents.
Step #6.
Then you start counting the points. As I mentioned before, you compare all your poker hands separately, and for winning a hand, you get 1 point. If you win all 3 of your hands or your opponent's faults, it is called “SCOOP,” and you get 3 additional points, making it 6 in total.
However, if you win two hands and lose one, it nets to just 1 point. Taking the same math, you can end up with a negative balance as well, so if you lose all 3 hands, you will lose 6 points, and if you lose two and win one, you will net a loss of 1 point.
Step #7.
In addition, you can get extra points, called “Royalties,” for making big hands. The point value for every hand is given in the following tables, so you can easily see how many points you can get for making a particular hand in each of the rows.
Bottom Hand | Middle Hand | |
---|---|---|
Trips | 0 points | 2 points |
Straight | 2 points | 4 points |
Flush | 4 points | 8 points |
Full House | 6 points | 12 points |
Four of a Kind | 10 points | 20 points |
Straight Flush | 15 points | 30 points |
Royal Flush | 25 points | 50 points |
Pair | Trips | |
---|---|---|
2s | – | 10 points |
3s | – | 11 points |
4s | – | 12 points |
5s | – | 13 points |
6s | 1 points | 14 points |
7s | 2 points | 15 points |
8s | 3 points | 16 points |
9s | 4 points | 17 points |
Ts | 5 points | 18 points |
Js | 6 points | 19 points |
Qs | 7 points | 20 points |
Ks | 8 points | 21 points |
As | 9 points | 22 points |
Step #8.
The last and probably the most fun thing that you need to learn is “Fantasy Land”.
This is the name of the bonus that you get after making QQx or better on your top line without faulting it. If you can make it, then on the following hand, you will be in a fantasyland and be dealt all your hands at once. It gives you a huge advantage over your opponents, and if that is not enough, your opponent has to play the hand in a regular way before seeing any of your hands, making his life very tough in this spot.
Step #9.
To stay in fantasyland, you need to make trips on your top line, full house or better in the middle one, or quads or better on the bottom hand.
Step #10.
When you finish Fantasyland, you just compare all hands against your opponent in a regular way and count the points. Just a quick note about fantasy land, if you get this bonus next hand is mandatory for your opponents, and they can’t quit until you finish it.
It goes for everyone. When any player is in fantasy land, no one can exit the game until the next hand is played out.
OFC poker Math
Like in all formats of poker, math plays a huge part in making the right decisions, and open-face Chinese poker is no exception. However, I can give you some good news here. It is quite easy to learn.
If you want some tips about poker math for other games, I highly recommend reading my article about poker odds or using an odds calculator to improve your game even further.
OFC Pineapple Poker
Everything starts line in a regular game, but instead of drawing just 1 card after placing 5 initial cards, from the second round, you draw 3 cards and have to put two of those in play and discard one face down without showing it to anyone.
Another huge difference occurs in a fantasyland. When you reach it, you get 14 cards instead of 13 like in a regular OFC poker game. It could look like a small thing, but it is not. It gives you an even bigger edge, and you can choose which hand to discard while still using the rest of the 13.
This considerably speeds up the action and makes it even more fun. Therefore, it is my favorite open-face Chinese poker format, and I enjoy it as often as I can.
Chinese Poker Online
Therefore, you can make some nice cash while having serious fun, and that is always nice. For the same reasons, I believe you will always see new recreational players coming to these games, making it worth learning the rules and at least trying them out and you can find some games on the best online poker sites.