Chinese Poker is a popular card game that has been gaining popularity among poker enthusiasts. It is also known as Pusoy or Russian Poker, and the game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. In this tutorial, we will be discussing how to play Chinese Poker.
To start the game, each player is dealt 13 cards face down. The players then arrange their cards into three different hands, known as the front hand, middle hand, and backhand. The front hand consists of three cards, while the middle and backhand consist of five.
The objective of the game is to have a better score than your opponents in each of the three hands. The scoring system works based on poker hand rankings, where pairs and flushes are worth points. However, unlike regular poker games such as Texas Hold’em or Omaha, there are no betting rounds involved in Chinese Poker.
Once all players have arranged their three hands, they will reveal them face up on the table. Each player’s hands will be compared to their opponents’ hands separately, with one point awarded for winning each hand.
If a player wins two out of three hands against an opponent – referred to as “scooping” – they receive an additional bonus point. If a player wins all three hands against an opponent – known as “sweeping” – they receive two additional bonus points.
If there is a tie in any of the three hands between two or more players, that particular hand is considered a push and no points are awarded for that hand. However, if two or more players tie in all three hands (a rare occurrence), then it’s considered a draw and everyone gets one point each.
Now that you know how to play Chinese Poker let’s go over some basic strategies:
1) Focus on your strongest hand: Since you’re only allowed to use your best five-card combination from each hand, it’s important to prioritize which hand you want to focus on. Typically, players will concentrate on their backhand since it’s worth the most points.
2) Balance your hands: While it’s important to have a strong backhand, don’t neglect your front and middle hand either. If your front hand is too weak, you won’t be able to win any points for it, and the same goes for your middle hand.
3) Pay attention to your opponents’ cards: Since all players reveal their hands face up at the end of each round, you can use this information to determine what cards are still in play. If you see that all four Aces have been played, for example, you know that no one can have an Ace in their hand anymore.
4) Keep track of the bonus points: Sweeping or scooping your opponents is crucial since these bonus points can make a big difference in the final score. However, don’t sacrifice a strong hand just to try and win these bonus points – it’s not worth it if you end up losing one or two hands as a result.
In conclusion, Chinese Poker is a fun and exciting game that requires both luck and strategy. With practice and experience, you can improve your skills and become a formidable opponent at the table.
So why not give it a try? You might just discover your new favorite poker game!
