Learn how to play Chinese Poker

Chinese Poker is a poker variant in which players arrange 13 cards into three separate hands. Unlike Texas Hold’em and many other poker games, traditional Chinese Poker has no betting rounds or community cards. Instead, players compete by setting their cards into three hands and comparing each hand with the corresponding hands of their opponents.

Traditional Chinese Poker is most commonly played with up to four players. Each player receives 13 cards and divides them into a five-card back hand, five-card middle hand, and three-card front hand.

The back hand must be at least as strong as the middle hand, and the middle hand must be stronger than the front hand according to the applicable hand-ranking rules. Setting the hands in the wrong order is known as fouling.

This guide explains how to play Chinese Poker, how scoring works, how Open Face Chinese Poker differs from the traditional game, and how features such as royalties and Fantasyland work.

Chinese Poker Basic Rules

Traditional Chinese Poker uses a standard 52-card deck and is commonly played with two to four players.

Each player receives 13 cards and arranges them into three separate hands:

• Back hand: Five cards and the strongest of the three hands.
• Middle hand: Five cards and no stronger than the back hand.
• Front hand: Three cards and the weakest of the three hands.

The back and middle hands use standard five-card poker rankings.

The front contains only three cards, so its relevant categories are Three of a Kind, One Pair, and High Card. Straights and Flushes do not count as special hands in the front.

Once players have arranged their cards, the hands are revealed and scored against each opponent individually.

A player’s front is compared with the opponent’s front, middle with middle, and back with back.

The exact scoring system should be agreed upon before play begins because Chinese Poker is played with several different scoring methods.

Fouling a Chinese Poker Hand

A player fouls or mis-sets a hand by arranging the three hands in an invalid order.

For example:

This hand is fouled because the pair of aces in front is stronger than the pair of nines in the middle.

A valid arrangement using the same cards could be:

The exact scoring penalty for fouling depends on the scoring rules being used.

Popular Chinese Poker Variations

Traditional Chinese Poker deals all 13 cards at once. Open Face Chinese Poker changes the dealing procedure by requiring players to place cards progressively while their opponents can see the developing hands.

Open Face Chinese Poker

Open Face Chinese Poker, commonly abbreviated OFC, uses the same three-hand structure as traditional Chinese Poker but changes how the cards are dealt and placed.

In a common OFC format, each player begins with five cards. Those cards are placed face up among the front, middle, and back hands.

Additional cards are then dealt on subsequent turns and placed face up. Once a card has been placed, it normally cannot be moved to another hand.

The completed arrangement must still follow the normal Chinese Poker hierarchy:

• Back must be at least as strong as middle.
• Middle must be stronger than front.

If the final arrangement does not satisfy those requirements, the hand is fouled.

Because cards are exposed as they are placed, players can see which cards are already in play and how their opponents’ hands are developing.

Rules for the number of cards dealt on later streets vary by OFC format. In traditional OFC, players commonly receive one card at a time after the initial five. In Pineapple OFC, players typically receive three cards on each subsequent turn, place two, and discard one.

Players should therefore establish the OFC format before play begins.

Fantasyland

Fantasyland is a bonus feature commonly used in Open Face Chinese Poker.

Under common OFC rules, a player qualifies for Fantasyland by completing a valid hand with a pair of queens or better in the front.

Instead of setting cards progressively on the following hand, the qualifying player receives their Fantasyland cards together and can arrange the complete hand with knowledge of all of those cards.

The exact number of cards received and the rules governing Fantasyland depend on the OFC variant. Traditional OFC commonly uses a 13-card Fantasyland hand, while Pineapple OFC commonly uses more cards and requires the player to discard before setting the final 13.

Fantasyland rules should therefore be established before play.

Staying in Fantasyland

Many OFC rulesets allow a player already in Fantasyland to qualify for Fantasyland again by making a sufficiently strong hand.

A common requirement is at least one of the following:

• Three of a Kind in front.
• Full House or better in the middle.
• Four of a Kind or better in the back.

These requirements are common rather than universal. Fantasyland qualification and requalification rules can differ between games.

Chinese Poker Scoring System

Chinese Poker scoring is based on head-to-head comparisons.

Each player’s three hands are compared separately with the corresponding three hands of every opponent.

One commonly used method is the 1-6 scoring system.

Under this system:

• Winning two hands and losing one produces a net score of +1.
• Losing two hands and winning one produces a net score of -1.
• Winning all three hands, known as a scoop, produces +6.
• Losing all three hands produces -6.

The six-point scoop can be understood as three points for winning all three individual hands plus a three-point scoop bonus.

Other Chinese Poker scoring systems exist, so players should agree on scoring before beginning.

Head-to-Head Scoring Example

Consider these two hands:

The comparison is:

Player A wins two of the three hands.

Using 1-6 scoring, Player A receives +1 and Player B receives -1.

Four-Player Scoring

In a multiplayer game, each player’s hand is normally scored separately against every opponent.

For example:

This head-to-head system means a player can perform differently against each opponent during the same deal.

Fouling Penalties

A fouled hand normally loses against an opponent’s valid hand.

Under a 1-6 scoring system in which a foul is treated as being scooped, that would ordinarily mean a six-point loss to each opponent with a valid hand before considering any additional royalty or foul rules used by the game.

However, foul penalties can vary between Chinese Poker and OFC rulesets.

Chinese Poker Royalties

Royalties are bonus points awarded for making specified premium hands.

Royalties are especially associated with Open Face Chinese Poker, although bonus-hand systems can also be incorporated into traditional Chinese Poker games.

There is no single universal royalty table. The hands that qualify and the number of points awarded depend on the rules being used.

For that reason, players should establish the royalty schedule before beginning play.

Common OFC Royalty Structure

One commonly used OFC royalty structure awards bonuses beginning with a pair of sixes in front, a Straight in the middle, and a Straight in the back.

An example schedule is:

Front Hand Royalties

Middle Hand Royalties

Back Hand Royalties

This is an example of a commonly used OFC royalty schedule rather than a universal Chinese Poker rule. Different games and poker apps may use different values.

The scoring method for royalties can also vary, including how royalties interact with fouled hands and opposing royalties.

Chinese Poker Basic Strategy

Chinese Poker strategy revolves around distributing the strength of 13 cards across three hands while maintaining a valid arrangement.

Simply placing the strongest possible five-card combination in the back is not always optimal. Doing so can unnecessarily weaken the middle and front hands.

Instead, players should consider the strength of all three hands together and how the available cards can produce the strongest overall arrangement.

Balance All Three Hands

The objective is to score against corresponding hands, not simply to make the strongest possible back hand.

For example, breaking up a particularly strong back hand can sometimes improve the middle or front enough to increase the player’s overall scoring potential.

Every arrangement therefore involves tradeoffs between strengthening one position and weakening another.

Protect Against Fouling

The back must remain at least as strong as the middle, while the middle must outrank the front.

In traditional Chinese Poker, players know all 13 cards before setting their hands, so an accidental foul can generally be avoided with careful checking.

In OFC, fouling becomes a much larger strategic risk because players commit cards before knowing which cards they will receive later.

Consider Scoring Before Setting

The scoring system can affect the optimal arrangement.

A game that awards only basic hand points creates different incentives from one that also awards substantial royalties.

Likewise, a large scoop bonus can make winning all three positions especially valuable.

Players should therefore understand the scoring and royalty rules before deciding how aggressively to distribute their cards.

Open Face Chinese Poker Strategy

OFC adds incomplete information to the hand-setting problem.

Players must place cards before seeing all the cards they will eventually receive, and placements normally cannot be changed.

Three factors become particularly important:

• Foul risk: Aggressive placements can create stronger potential hands but make it harder to complete a legal arrangement.
• Live cards: Because cards are exposed, players can see which ranks and suits remain available.
• Fantasyland: Qualifying for Fantasyland can affect how aggressively players build their front hand.

Opponent boards are also relevant. Seeing which cards opponents have already received changes the remaining deck and therefore the probability of completing particular pairs, Straights, Flushes, and other hands.

Fantasyland Strategy

Fantasyland creates an additional tradeoff between immediate scoring and future value.

A player who is close to making queens or better in front may choose placements that preserve the possibility of qualifying. However, aggressively pursuing Fantasyland can also increase the chance of fouling or weaken the middle and back hands.

The correct decision therefore depends on the cards already exposed, the player’s current arrangement, the scoring system, and the cards needed to complete a valid hand.

Once in Fantasyland, receiving the cards together greatly reduces the uncertainty involved in setting the hand. The player can evaluate the complete group of cards before choosing the final arrangement.

Position in Open Face Chinese Poker

Position matters in OFC because players place cards sequentially and can see cards that opponents have already placed.

Acting later can provide additional information about which cards have been removed from the deck and how opponents’ hands are developing.

Position is much less relevant to traditional Chinese Poker hand setting because players receive all 13 cards before arranging them rather than making a sequence of visible placement decisions.

Chinese Poker FAQ

What is the main difference between Chinese Poker and Texas Hold’em?

Chinese Poker does not normally use community cards or betting rounds.

Instead, players receive 13 cards and arrange them into a five-card back hand, five-card middle hand, and three-card front hand. Those hands are then compared with the corresponding hands of each opponent.

Texas Hold’em uses two private hole cards, five community cards, and multiple betting rounds.

How do you avoid fouling in Chinese Poker?

Make sure the back hand is at least as strong as the middle hand and the middle hand is stronger than the front hand.

In traditional Chinese Poker, all 13 cards are available before the player sets the hand, making it possible to verify the arrangement before revealing it.

OFC is more difficult because cards are placed progressively and normally cannot be moved after placement.

What is the best possible front hand in Chinese Poker?

Three aces are the strongest possible three-card front hand under standard Chinese Poker rankings.

Trips beat a pair, and a pair beats a High Card hand.

Straights and Flushes do not form separate hand categories in the three-card front hand.

How does scoring work in Chinese Poker?

Scoring rules vary.

Under the common 1-6 system, beating an opponent in two of the three hands produces a net score of +1, while winning all three produces +6.

Players can also use royalties or other bonus systems, so the complete scoring rules should be agreed upon before play.

What is a scoop in Chinese Poker?

A scoop occurs when one player beats an opponent in the front, middle, and back hands.

Under 1-6 scoring, a scoop is worth +6 to the winner and -6 to the losing player.

What is Fantasyland in Open Face Chinese Poker?

Fantasyland is a bonus feature used in OFC.

Under common rules, completing a valid hand with a pair of queens or better in front qualifies a player for Fantasyland on the following hand.

The Fantasyland player receives their cards together rather than placing them progressively, providing much more information when arranging the hand.

Exact Fantasyland rules vary according to the OFC format.

Can you play Chinese Poker with two players?

Yes. Chinese Poker can be played heads-up as well as with three or four players.

Four players is the maximum for traditional Chinese Poker when each player receives 13 cards from a standard 52-card deck.

What are royalties in Chinese Poker?

Royalties are bonus points awarded for specified premium hands.

They are particularly common in Open Face Chinese Poker. The qualifying hands and point values are determined by the rules of the particular game rather than by one universal royalty schedule.

Is there betting in Chinese Poker?

Traditional Chinese Poker and Open Face Chinese Poker do not normally use poker-style betting rounds with checks, bets, calls, and raises.

Instead, players agree on a point value or stakes and settle the score produced by comparing their completed hands.

What is the difference between Chinese Poker and Open Face Chinese Poker?

In traditional Chinese Poker, players receive all 13 cards before arranging their three hands.

In Open Face Chinese Poker, players receive cards progressively and place them face up. Placements normally become permanent, so players must build their hands without knowing all the cards they will eventually receive.

What is Pineapple Open Face Chinese Poker?

Pineapple OFC is a popular Open Face Chinese Poker format.

Players typically begin with five cards. On subsequent turns they receive three cards, place two of them into their hands, and discard the third.

The exact dealing procedure, Fantasyland rules, and royalties can vary by ruleset.