Tips & Tricks

In this last lesson we share our best tips & tricks to help you become the best Chinese Poker player there is. Discover the secrets and start playing!

Regular Open Face Chinese tips

1. Observe your opponent

Keep a close eye on your opponent. This way you can calculate your odds. It also helps to know what your opponent is doing.

2. Calculate your odds

Estimate your own chances. Do a recount of the amount of cards that may help you to create your hand. How many of these cards are possibly placed in your opponents hand?

3. Fantasyland is the goal

The goal of Chinese Poker is of course to win. On top of that you can try to go to Fantasyland as much as possible. In a Normal Game you achieve this by placing Q–Q, K–K, A–A or Trips on top without creating a dead hand.

4. Don’t gamble unneccessary

Don’t gamble when your gamble won’t gain you a lot. Imagine you have a Pair in the middle, Two Pair on the bottom line and on top only A high. Don’t try to place Three of a Kind in the middle. You’ll have to get a Full House on the bottom in order to create a live hand. Trips in the middle will only get you 2 points and the odds of placing a Full House on the bottom is on the low side.

5. Don’t give up too quickly

Don’t give up a Flush draw. Start out with 3 cards of the same suit on the bottom. Don’t create a pair on the bottom in your first turn. Wait a little to see if the same suit shows up.

6. Wild cards in Fantasyland

With Wild Cards it is more interesting to take risks and go to Fantasyland. On the one hand you have more cards that can help you to create a live hand. On the other hand Fantasylands in combination with Wild Cards will provide more royalties.

7. More royalties are not always better

If you can stay in Fantasyland, it’s worth sacrificing a few royalty points. Sometimes you’ll find yourself in a situation where you have to choose for more royalty points or to stay in Fantasyland. For example: you can choose whether you want to place a Full House on the bottom and in the middle and on top A high for 18 royalty points. But with the same cards you can also place a Straight on the bottom, Trips 4–4–4 in the middle and Trips 3–3–3 on top. This last hand will only give you 15 royalty points. That’s 3 less than the first option, but on the other hand you can stay in Fantasyland. The last option is the most interesting in this case.

8. Don’t lose any royalty points

Imaginge you have placed a Four of a Kind on the bottom. In your penultimate turn you get the opportunity to place A–A on top, but you have no pair in the middle yet. Don’t risk losing your royalty points! You already have 10 points from your Four of a Kind that you will possibly lose.

9. A scoop is worth 6 points!

Scooping your opponent is worth a lot. When you can place a Full House on the middle and on the bottom but only have 10 high left to place on top, it’s better not to do that. Place a Full House on the bottom and see what other combinations you can make on the other two lines.

10. Think before you place your cards

Don’t immediately place your Flush when you can. For example: you have J–10–8–5 on the bottom of the same suit. In the middle you have a 6 from another suit. On top you’ve already put Q–Q. In your next turn you get 6–5–4 from different suits. It’s best for you to place the 6 in the middle to create a Pair. You could also put the 6 on the bottom to create a Flush, but you’ll have less chance to stay live.

Chinese Poker Progressive tips

1. Progressive and Fantasyland

Try to make it to Fantasyland more often, preferably with extra cards. In Progressive your Fantasylands are rewarded with extra cards the better your hand is. The more cards, the more options you will have to create better lines.

2. Take your time

Take your time to go through the different combinations. In a Fantasyland where you start with 16 or 17 cards it will be more difficult to find the best combination. When there are Wild Cards in game, it’s even more difficult. Think before you act and take your time. Always check the possibility to stay in Fantasyland.

3. Take risks

In OFC Progressive you can take the risk to get K–K or A–A on top. The 1 or 2 extra cards you’ll get in Fantasyland can create big advantages. Those advantages will help you to stay in Fantasyland and earn more points.

4. Progressive and Wild Cards

Combine OFC Progressive with Wild Cards. It’s not only a fun combination, you will go to Fantasyland more often with extra cards. Players that love a lot of action and love the Fantasyland aspect will definitely like this variation.

Chinese Poker Low tips

1. Low and Fantasyland

Try to go to Fantasyland, preferably with an extra card. You earn an extra card by placing the Nuts in the middle and K–K or better on top. In OFC 2-7 Low it’s easier to go to Fantasyland. On top of that it’s easier to stay alive with K–K or A–A on top because only your bottom line has to be better than the top line.

2. Start creating your Low hand in time

Start creating your Low hand in time. If you can draw towards the Nuts it will pay to take a risk and wait a turn. Generally however, it’s better to create your Low hand in time so that you don’t have to wait until the final turn to stay alive.

3. Trips

Trips on your top line, why not? A Three of a Kind on top is easier to achieve in OFC Low. A Straight or Flush on the bottom is enough. When you don’t get K–K or A–A immediately you can always try to get Trips. Hello royalty points and Fantasyland!