Open-Face Chinese Poker: Asia's 1st Favourite Card Game

There is something common to all forms of poker: to succeed in them, players need to develop specialized skills, gain knowledge of game-specific strategies, and, from time to time, a bit of luck doesn’t hurt either. Let’s be honest, though: traditional poker formats just don’t cut it for the most adventurous players after a while. Thankfully, a fresh twist on the classic card game is widely available these days: Open-Face Chinese Poker (OFC) and its variants.

The game’s popularity has exploded over the past decade, thanks to the thrilling addition of a unique new structure to the strategic depth of traditional poker. Whether you already know your way around this exciting poker variant or you are just curious to try it out, in this guide you will learn about OFC’s history, rules, and winning strategies.

A Brief History of Open-Face Chinese Poker

Open-Face Chinese Poker has evolved from the traditional Chinese Poker game, which was first played in early 20th-century Asia. Traditional Chinese Poker is also known as ’13-card poker’ and is a popular card game in the Asian region, especially China. The open-face variant is relatively new, though: it wasn’t until the current century that the game evolved into this distinct variant, which is now widely played around the world.

Open-Face Chinese Poker first gained wider popularity in the card-playing community around 2011, when high-stakes legends Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan played it during the breaks of televised poker tournaments. After its initial appearance, its fast game flow and distinctive scoring system quickly made the game a new favourite among both professionals and recreational players. Today, OFC is available on many online poker platforms, with dedicated apps and tournaments further popularizing it in the poker world.

The Cultural Impact of Open-Face Chinese Poker

This fairly new poker variant’s rise to popularity isn’t just a great illustration of how new games spread among members of the poker community; it is living proof that poker still continues to evolve to this day.

Unlike Texas Hold’em, the most popular poker variant of all, which is mostly known for incredible high-stakes games and tons of bluffing, OFC leans more towards the strategic side of the game, focusing on arranging cards instead of betting and thinking ahead instead of bluffing. This shift of focus has invited a new generation of players to the tables, who prefer novel intellectual challenges and lower financial risk compared to popular poker formats.

Unlike its predecessors, Open-Face Chinese poker is more of a social game than a highly competitive race for life-changing fortunes. Instead of fancy TV studios, OFC is usually played among small groups of friends in a more casual setting, and its not-too-steep learning curve makes it quite easy to play for less educated players as well.

As festivals always strive to renew their selections to attract more players, the WSOP International Circuit in Bratislava, Slovakia, took a chance to host an open-face Chinese poker game outside the event calendar. Sometimes, it is just the little change that adds variance to spice things up and make the festival more interesting. Now that little spice has been added, it’s OFC.

The Rules of Open-Face Chinese Poker

Open-Face Chinese Poker is a card game that can be played with 2 to 4 players using a standard 52-card deck. Players must arrange their cards into three separate hands (sometimes referred to as ‘rows’): two five-card hands in the middle and the back, and one three-card hand in the front. The goal is to construct the three hands in a way that they outrank the other players’ corresponding hands.

Each player is dealt 13 cards face-up on the table in the following manner: the first five cards are dealt together, and the remaining cards are dealt one by one, with the players placing each new card into one of their three hands.

The front hand must consist of precisely three cards, and must be the weakest of the three hands. The middle hand must consist of precisely five cards, and must be stronger than the front hand, but weaker than the back hand. The back hand must consist of precisely five cards, and must be the strongest of the three hands.

When all 13 cards are in their place, players compare their hands against their opponents’ corresponding hands. Hand rankings are the same as in traditional poker, with the back hand being the most important.

The basic scoring system is very straightforward: winning one hand earns 1 point. Winning all three hands is called a ‘scoop’ and earns 3 points.

If a player has not arranged his hands correctly (for example, the front hand is stronger than the middle hand), they commit a ‘foul’ and lose all points for that round.

Bonuses can also be awarded for special hands: extra payouts called ‘royalties’ for very strong hands like straights, flushes, and full houses; additional points called ‘scoop bonus’ for winning all three hands, and the right to receive all 13 cards at once in the next round, called fantasy land’ for making a pair of queens or better in the front with no foul.

Basic Strategies & Tips for Open-Face Chinese Poker

Similar to Texas Hold’em, the rules of OFC are fairly easy to learn, but players have to develop a very game-specific way of strategic thinking if they want to succeed against more advanced opponents.

Here are some essential tips to get you started:

The Back Hand Is King

The back hand is where players can accumulate most of their bonus points, so it is without doubt the most important of the three hands. Focus on building a strong back hand, even if it sometimes means sacrificing the strength of the front or middle hands.

Think in Risk-Reward Ratio

Open-Face Chinese is a game of calculated risks. Everyone wants to get the big bonuses, but if a player overcommits to a single hand, it can easily backfire, leading to a foul. Don’t avoid every risk, but always compare the risks with the potential rewards.

Keep an Eye on Your Opponents

Don’t just arrange your own cards; take advantage of the fact that all cards, including your opponent’s, are visible! If you carefully observe your opponents’ actions and adjust your strategy based on that information, you might be able to block their moves in future rounds.

Avoid Fouls At All Costs

This is very important: if you commit a foul, you are guaranteed to lose that round. Always double-check your hand arrangements to make sure they comply with the rules.

Advanced Tips & Tricks for Open-Face Chinese Poker

When you face more skilled opponents, you need to step up your game, too. Here are some advanced strategies to help you succeed:

Always Plan Ahead

When placing your cards, don’t just think of the present moment. Try thinking a couple of moves ahead by guessing what your opponents might do next.

Bluff Your Opponents

Even though players can see each other’s cards, there is still room for some psychological warfare in OFC. Try to misdirect your opponents regarding your hand strength.

Be Familiar with Bonus Hand Rankings

Learn the bonus hand rankings and their corresponding point values. If you know which hands can give you maximum value, you already have an edge over many players.

Understand the Importance of Position

Just like in all forms of poker, the playing order gives incredible power to players acting last. If you are in one of the later positions, you have. a huge advantage, because you see your opponents’ actions before making your decisions. Making informed choices leads to greater success.

Be Patient

If you are restless and rush to complete your hands, you will most certainly make a mistake, or, that is even worse, commit a foul. Take your time and think before you make your move!

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Open-Face Chinese Poker

Even experienced poker players can stumble when first learning Open-Face Chinese Poker. Here are the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them:

Fouling Your Hands

The biggest mistake you can make in OFC is misarranging your hands so that the front hand is stronger than the middle hand, or the middle hand is stronger than the back hand. Always double-check your hand hierarchy before finalizing your layout.

Overvaluing Bonus Hands

Even though a full house or flush in the back hand can earn you huge bonuses, chasing those extra points can easily lead to fouling or having weak middle or front hands. Pursuing bonus points is desirable only if it does not mess up the balanced card arrangement too much.

Ignoring Opponents’ Boards

Since cards are face-up, failing to monitor opponents’ developing hands is a huge mistake. If you notice that your opponent is obviously building a strong back hand, adjust your strategy in order to block their potential scoop.

Poor Card Distribution

Putting too many high cards in the front or middle can leave your back hand weak. Conversely, hoarding all your strong cards for the back may leave your front and middle vulnerable. Balance is always key.

Making Decisions Too Quickly

Patience might be one, if not the most important, psychological skill a poker player can have, and it is especially true for those who play OFC. Always keep future draws in mind, because placing cards in a rush might lead to regrettable mistakes. Every single card placement affects the entire board, so take your time and contemplate your move wisely.

How to Get Started with Open-Face Chinese Poker

Want to start playing OFC, but don’t know where to start? Here are some tips to help you get ahead of the competition in this unique poker format:

Learn the Basic Rules

Many players aren’t even familiar with the Chinese poker rules, so knowing exactly how the game is played can already give you an edge over them. If you are familiar with the Chinese poker scoring rules, you will be ahead of most of them already.

• Understand hand rankings (front: 3 cards, middle/back: 5 cards).
• Know the scoring system (1 point per winning hand, 3 for a scoop).
• Memorize common bonus hands (e.g., trips, straights, flushes).

Play Free Chinese Poker Online Versions

Before risking real money, you might want to try OFC out on a free platform. Luckily, the App Store and Google Play Store are full of free OFC apps.

Start with Low-Stakes Games

When you feel that you are ready to play with real money, start playing small stakes, for example, on CoinPoker . When you have built enough confidence there, you can safely move up to the next stake.

Take The Time to Study

Being disciplined about regular study sessions is what separates great players from those who are merely mediocre. There are many free and paid courses on card placement strategies for Chinese poker online for players of every skill level.

Review Your Sessions

Analyzing previous sessions can sometimes be even more valuable than just studying. Learning new strategies is crucial, but review sessions enable you to actually check whether you have correctly executed your strategy. Have you missed any opportunities to exploit your competition? Maybe overlooked an opponent’s weak front hand? There is hardly anything more valuable than learning from one’s own mistakes.

Join a Community

Discussing strategies and hands with other aspiring OFC players can be very valuable when starting out. Join forums like TwoPlusTwo or CardsChat to converse with people who share your interest in the game.

Open-Face Chinese Poker vs. Texas Hold’em

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)