Chinese Poker and Thirteen Cards: Rules and Scoring

Chinese Poker is a split-and-compare game with a scoring system instead of a pot. Get the division right and you collect from several opponents at once.

The split

Each player receives thirteen cards and arranges them into three hands: a three-card hand at the front, a five-card hand in the middle and a five-card hand at the back. The back hand must be the strongest, the middle next and the front weakest – a rule known as being 'in order'.

Hands are compared against each corresponding hand of the other players. Win two of three and you take the comparison; win all three and you score a sweep.

Scoring and bonuses

Scoring is usually one point per hand won, with a bonus for sweeping all three. Natural bonuses sit on top: certain hands in the front, middle or back pay extra units regardless of comparison. Common examples include a straight or better in the front hand, a full house in the middle and four of a kind in the back.

A mis-set or out-of-order hand is called a foul and usually forfeits the entire comparison – which is why accuracy matters more than ambition here.

Pineapple and Open Face variants

In Pineapple Chinese Poker you receive a thirteenth card after discarding one, which softens the luck of the initial deal. In Open Face Chinese Poker (OFC) you build your hands one card at a time in full view of your opponents, and the complexity explodes – the game becomes a strategic construction puzzle with a large skill ceiling.

OFC has its own fantasy-land bonus, where a qualifying back hand grants a round of holding all thirteen cards at once.

Frequently asked questions