Learn how to play Chinese Poker

Chinese Poker is a unique poker variant where players arrange 13 cards into three separate hands without betting rounds or community cards. Chinese poker is typically played as a four-person game, though it can also be played with two or three. In Chinese poker, each player receives a 13-card hand from a standard 52-card deck. Unlike Texas Hold’em where players compete through betting and bluffing, Chinese Poker focuses purely on optimal hand arrangement and mathematical decision-making to maximize scoring against opponents.

This fascinating game has gained tremendous popularity in high-stakes poker circles and home games worldwide due to its perfect blend of skill and strategy. Two of the poker hands have five cards and one has three cards. The only rule is that the three-card hand has to be the worst hand, the middle five-card hand has to be better than the three-card hand, and the last five-card hand has to be better than or equal to the middle hand. The absence of betting rounds eliminates traditional poker elements like bluffing and pot odds, creating a pure test of hand-setting strategy and card arrangement skills.

This comprehensive guide will teach you everything needed to learn Chinese Poker, from basic rules and scoring systems to hand-setting strategies. You’ll learn about popular variants like Open Face Chinese Poker and the exciting Fantasyland bonus feature. Whether you’re looking to add variety to your poker repertoire or compete in specialized Chinese Poker games, understanding this game will enhance your overall poker skill and provide hours of strategic entertainment.

Chinese Poker Basic Rules

The “dealer” (which rotates clockwise from one player to the next after each hand) deals 13 cards to each player, starting with the player to his immediate left. Players receive all 13 cards simultaneously and must arrange them into three separate poker hands without seeing opponents’ cards. The game uses standard poker hand rankings with some modifications for the three-card front hand.

Each player must divide their 13 cards into a “back” hand of 5 cards, a “middle” hand of 5 cards and a “front” hand of 3 cards. Considered as poker hands, the back hand must be better than or equal to the middle hand, and the middle hand must be better than the front hand. This hierarchy rule is crucial – violating it results in a “fouled” hand that automatically loses to all opponents regardless of actual hand strength.

The back hand (bottom) uses standard five-card poker rankings from high card to royal flush. The middle hand follows identical five-card poker rankings and must be weaker than the back hand. The front hand (top) contains only three cards, so straights and flushes don’t count – only pairs, three-of-a-kind, and high card combinations are possible.

After all players set their hands, scoring begins by comparing each hand position against opponents. Players earn points for winning individual hand comparisons, with bonus points awarded for winning all three hands against an opponent (called a “scoop”). The most common scoring system is the 1-6-rule, where a player gets 3 extra points for a 3-0, called a “scoop”. Thus a 3-0 will give you 6 points, your opponent loses 6 points. With a 2-1 you get 1 point; the opponent loses 1 point.

Royalties provide additional scoring opportunities for premium hands in specific positions. Common royalty bonuses include full houses or better in the middle hand, trips or better in the front hand, and various straight/flush combinations. These bonuses reward players for making strong hands in difficult positions, adding extra strategic depth to hand-setting decisions.

Popular Chinese Poker Variations

Open Face Chinese Poker

Unlike standard Chinese poker where all thirteen cards are dealt at once, in open face Chinese each player is dealt five cards in the beginning and then one card at a time until thirteen card hands are made (8 deals after 5 cards are dealt). The cards are all set face up. This creates a dramatically different strategic experience where players must make placement decisions with incomplete information while observing opponents’ developing hands.

At the start, players get five cards to play in turn, playing each card top, middle, or bottom. The cards are arranged face-up on the table, hence “open-face” Chinese poker. Players take turns placing cards into their three hand positions, with each placement becoming permanent and unchangeable. This sequential decision-making process creates intense strategic pressure as players balance immediate needs with future drawing possibilities.

For a player’s hands to be valid, the back hand must be better than or equal to the middle hand, and the middle hand must be better than the front hand. If these conditions are not met the player’s hand is considered 'foul’ and does not score. The fouling risk becomes much higher in Open Face since players must place cards without knowing what’s coming next, making conservative placement strategies essential for consistent success.

The open information creates new strategic elements as players can see opponents’ developing hands and adjust their strategies accordingly. This visibility eliminates the pure arrangement focus of standard Chinese Poker, adding elements of hand reading and reactive strategy that make Open Face more similar to traditional poker variants.

Chinese Poker – Fantasyland

To enter Fantasyland, a player must have a qualifying hand of a pair of queens or better on top without fouling. When a player is in Fantasyland, they receive all 13 cards at once before the next round begins, giving them a significant advantage over their opponents. This bonus feature represents one of the most exciting aspects of Open Face Chinese Poker, creating high-reward opportunities for skilled hand arrangement.

If you make a qualifying hand with QxQx or better on top, then your next hand will be “in Fantasyland.” Fantasyland is treated as a bonus round of OFC. It’s common for the button not to move, and a player is not allowed to quit or get dealt out of the hand during Fantasyland. The Fantasyland advantage is enormous since the player can see all 13 cards before making any placement decisions, essentially returning to standard Chinese Poker rules for one hand.

Staying in Fantasyland happens when players make at least Quads on the bottom row, a full house in the middle hand, or three of a kind on the top row, while already in Fantasyland. This staying-in-Fantasyland rule can create extended periods of advantage for lucky players, making the pursuit of Fantasyland qualification a central strategic goal in Open Face play.

The risk-reward calculation for Fantasyland qualification often dominates Open Face strategy. One of the best moves you can make to optimize for Fantasyland is putting queens on the top row. That way if you get a single other queen, then you have the pair of queens, and you only need kings or better on the middle row to prevent a foul. Players frequently sacrifice short-term scoring opportunities to chase Fantasyland qualification, making this feature a game-changing strategic element.

Chinese Poker Scoring System

Scoring Basics

Chinese Poker scoring operates on a head-to-head comparison system where each player’s three hands are compared against every other player’s corresponding hands. Each hand position (front, middle, back) is evaluated independently, creating multiple scoring opportunities per game. The player with the stronger hand in each position wins points from opponents with weaker hands in that same position.

The most common scoring system is the 1-6 method, where winning two out of three hands earns one point while winning all three hands (called a “scoop”) earns six points total. This system creates significant incentives for aggressive play since scooping provides exponentially higher rewards than winning individual hands. Understanding these scoring dynamics is crucial for optimal hand-setting strategy.

Scoring occurs after all players have set their hands and revealed them simultaneously. Players compare their front hands against all opponents’ front hands, middle hands against middle hands, and back hands against back hands. The cumulative point totals determine overall winners and losers for each game.

Standard 1-6 Scoring System

Each player scores their hand against every other player individually, and then each player totals up all of the scoring for the round.

Basic Point Awards

Result	Points Won	Points Lost	Example
Win 2 of 3 hands	+1	-1	Win front and middle, lose back
Win all 3 hands (Scoop)	+6	-6	Win front, middle, and back
Lose 2 of 3 hands	-1	+1	Lose front and middle, win back
Lose all 3 hands	-6	+6	Lose front, middle, and back
Win 1, Lose 1, Tie 1	0	0	Mixed results with one tie

Head-to-Head Scoring Example (without Royalties)

Head-to-Head Comparison Example

Four-Player Game Scoring Example

Fouling Penalties

A fouled hand occurs when players violate the strength hierarchy requirement where back must beat middle and middle must beat front. Fouled hands automatically lose all comparisons regardless of actual hand strength, typically resulting in maximum point penalties. The fouling player loses points as if they were scooped by every opponent.

Fouled Hand Example

Fouling Problem & Penalty

Valid Correction

Royalty Bonus Integration

Royalty bonuses are added to basic scoring totals, creating additional point-earning opportunities beyond head-to-head comparisons. These bonuses are typically awarded regardless of whether the royalty hand wins its position comparison, though some house rules require the royalty hand to win for bonus points.

Player A Hand with Royalties

Scoring Breakdown vs Player B

Royalty Calculation Methods

Common Disputes and Resolutions

Chinese Poker Royalties Bonuses

What Are Royalties?

Royalties are bonus points awarded for making premium hands in specific positions in Chinese Poker. These bonuses reward players for achieving difficult hand combinations and add extra strategic depth to hand-setting decisions. Royalty bonuses are awarded in addition to regular scoring and can significantly impact overall profitability.

The difficulty of making strong hands in restricted positions justifies these bonus rewards. For example, making trips in the front hand (with only three cards) is much harder than making trips in the back hand, so it receives a substantial royalty bonus. Different poker rooms and home games may use varying royalty scales, but the general principles remain consistent.

Standard Royalties Table

Front Hand (3 Cards) Royalties

Middle Hand (5 Cards) Royalties

Back Hand (5 Cards) Royalties

Advanced Royalties Systems

Progressive Front Hand System:

Some games use progressive scaling where higher trips receive exponentially more points:

Strategic Implications of Royalties

The pursuit of royalties often comes at the risk of fouling your hand.

Risk vs Reward Analysis

Chinese Poker Basic Strategy

Successful Chinese Poker strategy begins with understanding hand strength distributions and optimal arrangement principles. The back hand should contain your strongest five-card combination, as this position faces the least restrictions and can accommodate premium hands like full houses, flushes, and straights. Conservative back hand setting provides a solid foundation that allows more flexibility in middle and front hand arrangements.

Middle hand strategy requires careful balance between strength and constraint management. This position must be weaker than the back hand but stronger than the front, creating a narrow window of playable combinations. Medium-strength hands like two pair, trips, and weak straights often work well in the middle, but players must ensure sufficient strength gap between positions to avoid fouling.

Front hand optimization focuses on maximizing three-card hand strength within the constraint hierarchy. High pairs represent premium front hands, while ace-high or king-high combinations provide solid foundations when pairs aren’t available. The front hand’s limited combination possibilities make every rank crucial, and players should prioritize this position when holding borderline hands that could play in multiple spots.

Royalty bonus optimization adds another strategic layer to hand arrangement decisions. Players must evaluate whether pursuing bonus points justifies weakening overall hand strength or increasing fouling risk. Premium royalty opportunities often merit aggressive pursuit, while marginal bonus hands typically aren’t worth the sacrifice in basic scoring potential.

Fouling prevention represents the most critical strategic element in Chinese Poker. The back hand must always be stronger than the middle hand, and the middle hand must be stronger than the front hand. A single fouled hand loses automatically to all opponents regardless of actual hand strength, making conservative arrangement often more profitable than aggressive optimization.

Open Face Chinese Poker Strategy

Open Face strategy centers on balancing immediate placement needs with future card possibilities and Fantasyland qualification chances. The cards are face up on the table and there are simply no bets to call or raise. This also means, there are no bluffs and you don’t need to study your opponents, their facial expressions and gestures. You see what’s on the table. This complete information creates a pure strategic environment focused on mathematical optimization and probability calculations.

Early placement decisions carry enormous weight since they constrain all future options. Players must evaluate their starting five cards for potential hand types, Fantasyland possibilities, and fouling risks before making initial placements. Conservative early placement often proves superior to aggressive arrangements that create unnecessary constraints.

The visible opponent hands add reactive strategic elements as players can see developing threats and adjust accordingly. Strong opponent front hands might discourage Fantasyland pursuit, while weak opponent holdings could justify more aggressive arrangements. Reading opponent hand development becomes crucial for optimal placement decisions.

Fantasyland pursuit often dominates Open Face strategy due to the enormous advantage it provides. Players frequently accept short-term scoring disadvantages to maintain Fantasyland qualification possibilities, making this bonus feature central to strategic planning.

Fantasyland Strategy

A player may enter Fantasyland when they have made a pair of Queens or better in the front hand without fouling. Entering Fantasyland means that on the next hand, they receive all 13 cards at once. The Fantasyland advantage is so significant that aggressive qualification pursuit often justifies considerable short-term sacrifice, making this the primary strategic goal in Open Face play.

Staying in Fantasyland requires different strategic considerations since players need specific premium hands to maintain the advantage. The bonus requirements typically involve making quads in the back, a full house in the middle or trips in the front, creating pressure to pursue these difficult combinations even when other arrangements might score better against current opponents.

Fantasyland hand-setting reverts to standard Chinese Poker principles since players can see all 13 cards simultaneously. However, the knowledge that other players are playing Open Face (and potentially drawing to strong hands) might justify more aggressive royalty pursuit than in standard Chinese Poker situations.

Hands Required to Stay in Fantasyland

Once in Fantasyland, players must achieve specific premium hands to remain in Fantasyland for the next round. These requirements are significantly more difficult than the initial Queens or better qualification, reflecting the enormous advantage of receiving all 13 cards at once. To remain in Fantasyland, a player only needs to one qualifying hand, whether it be in the front, middle or back.

Chinese Poker Position-based Strategy

Button position in Chinese Poker provides significant advantages since this player acts last in each placement round and can observe all opponents’ decisions before making their own. This information advantage allows for more optimal placement decisions and better reactive strategy based on opponents’ developing hands.

Early position players must make placement decisions with minimal information about opponents’ intentions, requiring more conservative strategies and careful constraint management. These players cannot react to opponents’ choices and must rely on fundamental hand-setting principles rather than situation-specific optimizations.

Middle positions offer moderate information advantages while still requiring action before late-position players. These spots allow for some reactive adjustments based on early position actions while maintaining flexibility for late-position responses. Position-specific strategy adjustments become more pronounced in Open Face variants where placement decisions occur sequentially.

The information gap between positions creates significant skill advantages for experienced players who can maximize their late-position benefits while minimizing early-position disadvantages. Understanding position-specific optimal strategies becomes crucial for consistent success in Chinese Poker variants.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Chinese Poker eliminates betting rounds, community cards, and bluffing entirely, focusing instead on optimal hand arrangement strategy. Players receive 13 private cards and must arrange them into three hands following strength hierarchy rules, with scoring based on head-to-head hand comparisons rather than winning a central pot through betting action.

How do you avoid fouling in Chinese Poker?

To avoid fouling, ensure your back hand is stronger than your middle hand, and your middle hand is stronger than your front hand. Conservative arrangement strategies work best – place your strongest five-card combination in the back, medium-strength hands in the middle, and high pairs or strong high-card holdings in the front position.

What is the best possible hand in Chinese Poker?

The theoretical best hand would be a royal flush in the back, four-of-a-kind in the middle, and trip aces in the front, though this combination is virtually impossible. More realistically, strong hands feature full houses or better in the back, trips or straights in the middle, and high pairs in the front position.

How does scoring work in Chinese Poker?

The most common scoring system awards one point for winning 2-out-of-3 hands against an opponent, with three bonus points for winning all three hands (scooping). Additional royalty bonuses are awarded for premium hands like full houses in the middle or trips in the front, creating multiple scoring opportunities beyond basic hand comparisons.

What is Fantasyland in Open Face Chinese Poker?

To enter Fantasyland, a player must have a qualifying hand of a pair of queens or better in the front without fouling. When a player is in Fantasyland, they receive all 13 cards at once before the next round begins, giving them a significant advantage over their opponents. This bonus round provides enormous strategic advantages since the player can see all cards before making placement decisions.

Can you play Chinese Poker with two players?

Yes, Chinese Poker works well with two, three, or four players, though four-player games are most common. Two-player Chinese Poker creates intense head-to-head competition with direct scoring comparisons, while three-player games offer moderate complexity. The scoring systems adjust slightly for different player counts but maintain the same basic structure.

What are royalty bonuses in Chinese Poker?

Royalty bonuses are additional points awarded for making premium hands in specific positions. Common royalties include bonuses for full houses or better in the middle hand, trips or better in the front hand, and various straight/flush combinations. These bonuses reward skilled hand arrangement and provide extra scoring opportunities beyond basic hand comparisons.

Is there betting in Chinese Poker?

No, Chinese Poker contains no betting rounds, raises, or calls. The game focuses entirely on hand arrangement strategy, with scoring determined by comparing finished hands against opponents. This elimination of betting creates a pure strategic environment without bluffing, pot odds, or traditional poker betting considerations.

How long does a Chinese Poker hand take?

Standard Chinese Poker hands typically take 2-5 minutes as players arrange their 13 cards simultaneously. Open Face Chinese Poker takes longer, up to 10-15 minutes per hand, since players place cards sequentially and must consider each placement decision carefully. The pace varies significantly based on player experience and decision-making speed.

What makes a strong front hand in Chinese Poker?

The strongest possible front hands are trip aces, followed by other trips, then high pairs starting with kings and queens. Since only three cards are available and straights/flushes don’t count, pair strength and high card values become crucial. Even ace-high can be competitive when opponents also lack pairs in the front position.