Open-Face Chinese
A poker variant where players arrange 13 cards into three hands (top, middle, bottom) one at a time.
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What Is Open-Face Chinese?
In Open-Face Chinese Poker, players place each card face up as it's dealt, one card at a time, into a 3-card top row, 5-card middle row, and 5-card bottom row, with the middle and bottom hands required to be equal or stronger than the row above. Scoring is based on comparing each row against opponents' rows, with bonus points (royalties) awarded for strong hands. The game rewards careful planning since placed cards cannot be moved once set.
Examples
She fantasized about hitting Fantasyland by making a strong top row of queens or better in Open-Face Chinese.
He mis-set his hand, placing a pair in the middle row weaker than his bottom row, resulting in a fouled hand and automatic loss.
Strategy Tips
Plan several cards ahead before placing each one, since a misplaced card can foul your entire hand and forfeit the round. Prioritize keeping your rows in valid strength order (bottom strongest, top weakest) to avoid fouling. Study common royalty bonus thresholds so you know when it's worth pushing for a big top-row hand versus playing safely. Practice with the Pineapple variant, which deals three cards at a time and discards one, to build faster decision-making skills.