Chinese poker - history, rules, strategies. Open Chinese poker, game rules Rules for playing pineapple at the poker house

The game of Chinese poker begins with a face-to-face distribution of 5 cards to all players. After that, the players in the first position lay them out at their discretion in three boxes. Behind him, the rest of the players lay out their cards in turn.

Game progress

The cards are distributed face up in three rows (boxes). In the lower and middle boxes, five cards are laid out, in the upper - three. Combinations of five cards are called "Back" (bottom row) and "Middle" (middle), of three - "Front". Cards can be arranged in rows in any order. However, once a player has placed a card on one of the rows, it can no longer be moved to another row.

The player on the button deals five hole cards to everyone (the "starter"). After the first five cards are laid out, there are eight more cards in front, which are laid out one at a time. At the end of the hand, the button is passed to the players in a clockwise direction.

The next step is to reveal all the cards and compare all the received combinations. At this stage, you need to show the highest combination in at least two rows. One of the prerequisites is to observe the seniority of the rows (from top to bottom from the lowest to the highest combination). The top combination should always be lower than the middle one, and the middle one should always be lower than the bottom one. However, it is worth noting that the equality of combinations between rows is permissible.

Scoring procedure

Important difference Chinese poker from Hold'em And Omaha- no rounds of bidding, so points ("kush") are used to determine the winnings. The cost of one point and the order of accrual of "Royalty" (an additional system for accruing bonuses for the strongest combinations) is determined by the players themselves and discussed in advance (for example, $5 per point).

The most common scoring system is the "Western" system. For a victory in two of the three rows, the player is given one point. If he wins "Scoop" (in all three combinations), he wins a total of 6 points.

If the combination conditions are not met, the hand is considered dead and does not receive points. The dead hand player must pay 6 points to his opponents and pay their bonuses, if any (dead hand bonuses do not count). If all players have collected "dead" hands, then their total points remain the same. In the event that both players have bonuses, the winner gets the difference in these bonuses. For the losing participant, the difference in bonuses is deducted from the amount. If the players have the same combinations, then their bonuses are reset to zero. In this case, the side card - Kicker - decides.

Chinese poker also has a bonus system ("Royalty"), in which points are awarded for the highest combinations (Straight Flush, Royal Flush or Four of a Kind) in certain rows. The calculation system works the same way if the player has a Full House in the middle box (in the "Middle") or a Set in the top box (in the "Front"). Let's give an example: if in the "Back" the player has collected four triples, and the second player - four fours, the player with the highest four of a kind takes the "Royalties".

Rules for calculating "Royalty" points in Chinese Poker:

Lower box ("Back")
Street: +2; Flush: +4; Full House: +6; Four of a kind: +8; Straight Flush: +10; Royal Flush: +15
Middle box ("Middle")
Set: +2; Street: +4; Flash: +8; Full House: +12; Four of a kind: +16; Straight Flush: +20; Royal Flush: +30
Top box ("Front")
Points are given for the 66 (+1) pair, and 1 point is awarded for each subsequent pair, up to the AA (+9) pair.
In a similar way, points are awarded for the “Set” combination: 222 (+10) to AAA (+22).

There is also an "American" scoring system in Chinese poker, in which the following bonuses are awarded on the bottom box:
Four of a kind: +10; Straight Flush: +15, Royal Flush: +25. The same scheme works on the middle box, only the points are multiplied by two.

Table of points in Chinese poker

Line	Combination	Points by the rules
		American	Russian
bottom line	Straight	2
	Flash	4
	Full house	6
	Kare	10	8
	straight flush	15	10
	Royal flush	25	15
middle line	Set	2
	Straight	4
	Flash	8
	Full house	12
	Kare	20	16
	straight flush	30	20
	Royal flush	50	30
top line	66	1
	77	2
	88	3
	99	4
	TT	5
	JJ	6
	QQ	7
	KK	8
	AA	9
	222	10
	333	11
	444	12
	555	13
	666	14
	777	15
	888	16
	999	17
	TTT	18
	JJJ	19
	QQQ	20
	KKK	21
	AAA	22

Fantasy in Chinese poker

Fantasy works when a player collects a combination of "Pair of Queens" or higher in the top row. In this case, at the next distribution, the participant is dealt not five cards, but 13 cards at once. At the same time, his opponents continue to play by the usual rules. If "Fantasy" is played on the table, the button does not move.

If the player, after decomposing the Fantasy, fulfills the following conditions, he will receive the Fantasy again:

Lower box ("Back")
Kare or older
Middle box ("Middle")
Full House or older
Top box ("Front")
Set or older

Attention!

• no more than one repetition of "Fantasy" in a row is allowed
• in "Pineapple" in the case of a repeated Fantasy on the middle box, the rule applies only to the combination of the OLDER combination of the Full House combination

One of the important rules is also the principle of the "Timeout":
If the player has exhausted his time, all moves in the current hand are made for him automatically, in order from the highest to the youngest box. In this situation, the hand does not automatically become "dead", so sometimes this player can even win.
If, during the “Timeout” of one of the players, other participants have collected “Fantasy”, the game continues until all available “Fantasy” have been played. Only then the party is considered completed. In other cases, the game ends immediately after the hand in which the player went to "Timeout".

Subspecies of Chinese poker

Pineapple (“Pineapple”)

In "Pineapple" the number of players should be no more than three. Here the player, starting from the second move, receives three cards (hidden from opponents). The game becomes much more dynamic. He uses two cards to make a combination, and discards the third. It turns out that only two of your cards are known to your opponents, and you only have to guess the discarded cards, based on the laid out cards of all players.
The game is played in five moves: 5+2+2+2+2.
In the case of "Fantasy", the player is given 14 cards, and he must use only 13, discard the remaining card.

Turbo (“Turbo”)

With Turbo, the second and third moves are made with four cards. The game takes place in three moves: 5 + 4 + 4, which gives it more excitement.

Good luck and win at the tables!

Despite the name of Chinese poker, the game did not first appear in Asia at all. Experts believe that the birthplace of "Pineapple" (the second name of the game) is the Scandinavian countries. Another interesting fact is that earlier Chinese poker was called Russian (in some establishments this tradition is still preserved). Let's look at what makes Pineapple rules so attractive for beginners and experienced Omaha or Hold'em players and how to play Chinese poker online and offline.

general description

Not every beginner will decide to play this variety for money - pineapple is considered one of the most tactically complex types of card games. If you decide to start, try playing Chinese poker for free in online rooms, otherwise you will lose your entire bankroll, even breaking a big jackpot at the tables in Hold'em or Omaha.

Be sure to study the rules and work out strategies beforehand, players without real combat experience will easily get lost and not get the desired win.

Experts love this type of poker due to the fact that a really experienced player is more likely to win. If in related types of games the advantage is easily gained by the one who has a strong hand, then in Chinese poker everything is somewhat different. Fortune also plays a role in Pineapple, but poker math and strategic thinking are much more important. If you master some game strategy, it will be much easier to win online games of Chinese poker even with a relatively weak hand.

Card Dealing Order

Three players can be at the table at the same time. It is believed that this is the optimal amount to maintain the necessary dynamics of the game and keep it unpredictable.

In front of the players on the table are lined (or in the online version - marked) fields. Each is divided into thirteen boxes. Boxes are arranged in three rows.

The top row consists of 3 cells and is called the front. There are five boxes in the middle and bottom - they are called, respectively, middle and back. Only one card can be in one cell. Players sequentially lay out cards in the boxes during the game.

Upon completion of the next round of trading, several scenarios are possible, which we will discuss later.

The rules of Chinese poker, unlike some similar offshoots of poker, provide for the order in which the hand is dealt first, and only after that the first street of the game. First, each player receives five cards in his hand (face down). He must distribute them into cells. In this scenario, there are no strict restrictions and rules - the player can do anything. The main thing is that in the future the location of the cards can no longer be changed.

Then there are four more game stages. Each player receives a trio of cards, of which only a couple can be put into the box, and the rest must be discarded into the pool. The principle of card arrangement is the same as in the previous game stage. At the end of all rounds, the boxes must be completely filled with cards (one for each cell).

There are no auctions between distribution streets. For Chinese poker, the street designation is somewhat isolated - it is used only to conditionally distinguish between the stages of the distribution of cards. Each of these stages is different in that the player receives cards and must distribute them among the boxes.

How are winning combinations made?

If you have ever played Chinese poker in free or paid rooms, you have noticed that players, even without strict rules, try to place cards according to a certain method in the boxes. The fact is that every poker player tries to put his cards on the table in such a way that the most powerful combination is potentially formed. That is, in the early stages of the game, you must create a situation for yourself that provides for the largest number of outs. This is where poker math comes in handy.

For each combination you make, you get points according to a special table. The great news is the fact that the combinations themselves in Chinese poker are identical to the usual majority of Hold'em players.

Much of the success depends on the starting street of the game. It is at this stage that the player lays out as many as five cards on the box. That is, this is already a huge chance to beat the competition by correctly positioning the preparatory cards. Immediately after receiving the starting cards, the player must create in his head the possible outcomes of the next rounds.

Therefore, with only five cards in hand, the player must consider:

• What combinations can be added from the cards that he has in his hand.
• What is the probability of adding this or that combination in the following distributions.
• Competently calculate not only the chances of making a combination, but also the ratio of the risk of not adding up a good combination and the number of points that can be obtained for more likely, but less valuable combinations in terms of points.

But there is one interesting detail in the rules of Chinese poker: combinations must be laid out on the playing field in a certain order. The weakest combination should be at the top, and the strongest combination at the bottom (considering the number of cards in a row, this looks quite logical). If this principle is violated, then a strong combination is considered "dead" (in principle, like any other, at the top of which there is a stronger hand).

Let's say the correct position of the hands is the following:

• Front - a pair of kings with any kicker
• Middle - a flush of any suit.
• Back - full house or four of a kind with any cards.

A fair alignment is considered in which there are combinations in only a few rows. The main thing is that the back is older than the middle, and the middle, in turn, is older than the front. There are situations when not all cards in a row are taken into account in a combination - this is also normal. If several combinations are collected in a row, the player chooses the one that is stacked according to the Chinese poker seniority rule and will bring more points at the end of the game.

For example, if a full house was located on the middle, and a straight was on the back, then both combinations are considered dead, and only the front will participate in the draw. It is this unusual feature of the rules of Chinese poker that causes Hold'em fans and even experts in poker mathematics to lose to less experienced players who are used to playing Pineapple.

It is especially difficult to follow this rule at the last stage of the hand. Experts believe that with time and constant practice, this problem goes away. A poker player develops a “trained eye”, which allows them not only to monitor the correctness of their calculations, but also analytical thinking, which allows them to calculate outs by looking at the cards of opponents at the table. By the way, counting outs in the last stages of distribution in Chinese poker is relatively simple - already after the first street there are already 15 open cards at the table.

How to count points and determine the winner

According to the rules of Chinese poker, the player who has the most points after the final count wins the game.

The scoring system in different poker rooms can be based on either the Russian method or the American one. However, the main goal remains the same - to score more points and surpass rivals.

The scoring algorithm depends on the number of players sitting at the table:

• 2 players. Poker players compare their calculation and they are awarded points for each individual line. The weakest combination at the table does not receive any points at all, regardless of the distribution in the table. The opponent of the player with a weak combination receives points according to the table. Lines are compared only equivalent.
• 3 players. In this case, all equivalent lines are matched in turn with the same lines of the opponent. The points are then summed up for each line, forming the total score for the display. Let's say. If against player A player B got 20 points (weak hand got nothing), and against player C he got 30 players (he was stronger here too). In total, player B will have 50 points along this line, and players A and C will have 0 points.

When the scoring stage has passed, the player with the most points takes the pot and a new game begins.

fantasy game

According to the rules of Chinese poker, you can use Fantasy. This is a certain condition that the poker players themselves set before the distribution. Usually it allows the player who fulfills the free conditions agreed before the deal to gain an advantage.

If both players choose not to use Fantasy, it is not used. Most often, this rule is still used in online poker rooms with Chinese poker.

Suppose the players have agreed to introduce a new rule - fantasy - a poker player who has collected a pair of aces at the front starts the next game immediately with all the cards in his hand. Then opponents play according to the usual rules.

Results

The rules of Chinese poker are very interesting for those players who want to train their knowledge of poker mathematics. Outs counting, the ability to analyze and act correctly - this is what a poker player likes. The advantage of Chinese poker is that it can be played both online and at a live table for those who do not like to bluff - every action of the player takes place openly, so it is almost impossible to lie about the strength of the hand. The main thing is to keep an eye on your opponents, count outs quickly and learn the theory of probability in poker well.

The task of the game is to make three poker hands out of your 13 cards, that is, arrange them in three boxes (two of them consist of five cards, one of three) in such a way as to beat the corresponding hands / boxes of your opponents.

New Chinese Poker can be played by up to four people, each playing for himself. A regular deck of 52 cards is used.
Before the start of the game, you need to agree on a limit, that is, the cost of one point. It could be $1, $10, $100, etc.
The cards are dealt by the player on the button. Players take turns sitting on the button.
Each player is first dealt 5 cards face down, face down.

After all participants have been dealt 5 pocket cards, the player in the first position openly distributes his 5 cards into boxes - lower (5), middle (5) and upper (3).
x | x | X
x | x | x | x | X
x | x | x | x | X

At the same time, cards can be placed in the boxes in any order (all 5 in the bottom or middle; 3 in the top and 1 in the bottom or middle, etc. - in any way). Once you put a card in one of the boxes, you can no longer move it to others.
Next, all players take turns distributing their 5 cards into boxes. At the same time, everyone sees each other's cards.
Then the button (it remains the same until the end of the hand) deals the sixth pocket card to everyone, and everything is repeated again - the players take turns, starting from the first position, choose a suitable box for it.
The procedure is repeated until each of the players has 13 cards laid out in boxes - this is a complete hand in Chinese poker.
After that, the players compare their hands and count the points (also called jackpots).

The first condition of the game is that the strength of the combinations increases from top to bottom, that is, the bottom box > middle > top. Otherwise, your hand is automatically faked and loses.
If the combinations in your boxes are the same in strength (say, it turned out to be a straight in both the lower and middle boxes) - the hand is NOT rigged, everything is in order.
The generally accepted basic rules are described above, but in terms of scoring, discrepancies are possible. The current standard has not yet been cast in marble.
We present the basic system from PokerStars, as well as some popular alternatives.

Victory(“winning the match”) (combinations in two of your boxes are older than the opponent’s, in one box - younger) - 1 point
Alternative option- 2 points.
Scoop(combinations in all three of your boxes are older than the opponent's) - 6 points.
The penalty for non-compliance with the condition of seniority of combinations in the boxes "lower>middle>upper" - 6 points for each opponent (if the hands of all the players in the hand were suddenly falsified, no one pays anything to anyone).

Bonuses (royalties) for combinations:

In addition to points for winning and stinginess, all players are also given bonuses (royalties) for the collected combinations, regardless of the results of the distribution. It is not uncommon for bonuses to win more points than for “winning the match” (that is, for simple boxing seniority).
If a player's hand is rigged, they will NOT receive royalties for combinations. However, he still has to pay royalties to his opponents (that is, he pays both a 6-point penalty and royalties to each of his opponents).

Royalties for the lower box (back hand, the combination must be the highest among the three boxes)
Street: +2
Flush: +4
Fullhouse: +6
Four of a kind: +10
Straight Flush: +15
Royal Flush: +25

Street: +2
Flush: +4
Fullhouse: +6
Four of a kind: +8
Straight Flush: +10
Royal Flush: +15

Royalties for the middle box (middle hand, the combination must be lower than in the lower one) - twice as expensive as in the lower one:
Street: +4
Flush: +8
Fullhouse: +12
Four of a kind: +20
Straight Flush: +30
Royal Flush: +50

Alternative option:
Everything is the same, only there is also a bonus for the set:
Set: +2

Alternative option (the rarest combinations are slightly cheaper):
Street: +4
Flush: +8
Fullhouse: +12
Kare: +16
Straight Flush: +20
Royal Flush: +30

Royalty for the top box (front hand, the combination must be the smallest among the three boxes):
66 +1
77 +2
88 +3
99 +4
TT+5
JJ +6
QQ+7
KK+8
AA+9
222 +10
333 +11
444 +12
555 +13
666 +14
777 +15
888 +16
999 +17
TTT+18
JJJ+19
QQQ+20
KKK+21
AAA+22

Royalty calculation:
If both players in the hand have bonuses for combinations, then mutual deductions occur: another one is deducted from the larger bonus.

Example.
Player A has combinations in all three boxes that are higher than those of his opponent (that is, stingy) - for this he receives 6 points.
At the same time, player A collected four of a kind in the lower box, for which he is entitled to 10 points.
Player B, in turn, made a flush in the lower box, for which he is entitled to 4 points.
In total, player B must pay player A 12 points.
What to do if the players got the same combinations on similar boxes?
Here the kicker is used, that is, the rest of the cards on the same box. Say, if player A has 3-3-6 on the first box, and player B has 3-3-2, then this is not a draw, player A's combination is higher due to the kicker - six.
If the players' combinations in similar boxes are absolutely identical, then this is a draw, no one owes anything to anyone.

The Fantasyland Rule by Jason Mercier and Sean Deeb

There is also the so-called fantasy land rule (also called “traveling to Narnia” or “wonderland without brakes”), which gives the game a more wild character and, of course, increases the variance: it was not included in the PokerStars manual, but Mercier and company practically did not play without it.
The essence of fantasyland is as follows:
If on the upper box the player has a combination of a pair of queens or higher, then in the next hand he is given 13 cards at once (as in ordinary Chinese poker), while his opponents play according to the standard system of the new Chinese: 5 pocket cards, then one for each in turn.
If in the next hand the same player on one of the boxes receives royalties of more than ten points (that is, he collects at least a set on the upper box, or a full house on the middle box, or four of a kind on the lower one) - in the next hand he is again given 13 cards, again fantasyland. Theoretically, a lucky player may not leave Wonderland at all.

Finnish Double of Spades Bonus

Finnish players also have a special deuce of spades bonus in any hand. She doubles the royalties for the combination in the box in which she is, regardless of whether the box is won or lost.
Let's say if you hit a bottom flush of spades, including a deuce of spades, you'll get twice as much royalty for your flush - 8 points.
The opposite example: your opponent in the lower box has a full house, and you have only a pair, and there is also a deuce of spades. In this case, you will have to pay your opponent double the full house bonus (12 points).

Calculation of results

Perhaps the most time-consuming part of the new Chinese poker, especially for beginners, is the calculations. After each hand, all players count the points in the "each against each" format (regardless of whether they play with two, three or four players).
For example, if there are four players, then the player needs to compare his hand with the three hands of the other players and make three independent calculations of who has how many points (jackpots) - that is, three separate balances are obtained against each of the opponents.
Usually, all this is carefully recorded, and cash settlements occur after the end of the entire gaming session (in the case of a cash game).
In the case of tournament play, points correspond to a certain number of game chips, and chips are settled after each individual hand. On PCA levels for 30 minutes - that is, every half an hour the cost of a game point (jackpot) increases.

Most of the varieties of poker are similar to each other. There is betting, several rounds, collecting combinations and the main goal is to take the pot for yourself either with the help of the strongest combination, or any other methods. It is probably due to this similarity that species that stand out strongly attract a lot of attention. Just like Chinese poker. You can also come across the names "Open Chinese Poker". There is also Pineapple, which is played according to almost the same rules with one seemingly small difference that radically changes the approach of players to their strategy.

Features and start of the game

The feature of Chinese poker is that it is played openly and without stakes. This allows you to focus solely on your cards and use the knowledge of what your opponent has for the sole purpose of understanding what may come to you in the next moment.

In Chinese poker, you need to collect combinations in the same way, but this time there will be three of them. Moreover, each of them is not independent, but more on that later.

Pineapple poker game can take place, maximum four. This is due to the fact that each player uses as many as 13 cards.

Initially, each closed form is given five. Then, in order, the players lay them out in accordance with the established rules.

There are three rows ("boxes") in Chinese poker. The bottom two can have five, the top can only have three.

Distribution Development

Your main task in Chinese poker is to place the cards in the boxes so that the combinations are ranked from top to bottom in order of seniority. Violation of this order makes your hand "dead" and deprives you of the opportunity to even fight for the victory. It is also important to remember the fact that you are free to place the cards you receive in any order, but, if the card is already assigned to a specific slot, it cannot be changed.

The sequence of moves is determined by the button. The player sitting in this position deals cards. The one sitting to his left makes the first move, and so on clockwise. Cards are issued and laid out face up.

After receiving the starting five cards, up to the required thirteen, there are eight more. Players receive them one at a time.

At first glance, it may seem that the order does not play a big role, since everything happens in the open, but an analysis of the cards received by your opponents can tell you what to expect or, conversely, not to wait for you.

There is also a closed Chinese poker, according to the rules of which players immediately receive all 13 cards. They are laid out and opened in order to compare the strength of the hands.

Victory Conditions

Regardless of the variety of Chinese poker, the winner is determined by 13 open cards spread over three boxes.

The first rule is to follow the rule of rows. The weakest combination should be at the top, the strongest at the bottom. If the rule is violated, then the hand of such a player is declared "dead", and he cannot continue to participate in the distribution.

As you understand, there are no problems with this in closed poker, since you have all the cards at once. Here it is important to think about how to spread them out in order to defeat rivals.

Remember that equality of rows is possible

Since there is no bidding in Chinese poker, the players compete for something else - for points, which are awarded only after the boxes are compared.

The flexibility of this variation is that often the players themselves determine in advance how points will be awarded in the game, and what they will receive for each of them.

Initially, it is determined how much is one point worth. Then, how many of them the players will receive for this or that alignment on the basis of the distribution.

The minimum task is to get stronger combinations on at least two rows out of three. In this case, according to the "Western" scoring system, the player receives one point. If he won on all boxes (“Scoop”), he gets as many as six points.

But the main points are awarded for bonuses - for collection of especially strong combinations for each of the boxes (they are also called "Royalties").

As we have already said, for a "dead hand" the player does not receive anything. Moreover, the player with such a hand "pays" six points to each of the opponents and "pays" their bonuses.

If several players have bonuses, then not everyone gets points for them. Only the winner gets the difference in values. The loser has the difference deducted.

Separately, it is worth knowing the rules for calculating bonus points.

On the top box ("front") for a pair of sixes, the player gets one point. And one more for each pair higher, up to nine for a pair of aces.

A set of deuces is worth 10 points, and 22 points for three aces.

On the average (“middle”), the player will receive 2 for a set, 4 for a straight, 8 for a flush, 12 for a full house, 16 for four of a kind, 20 for a straight flush and 30 for a royal flush;

On the bottom ("back"), a straight will give 2, a flush - 4, a full house - 6, four of a kind - 8, a straight flush - 10, a royal flush - 15.

This is just one example of scoring.

You can find others (for example, the American system) or compose one yourself.

Fantasy

A very important element inherent in open Chinese poker. The fantasy kicks in if the player manages to hit a pair of queens or better on the top box. In this case, even if he lost, on the next hand he receives cards not according to the standard rules, but all 13 at once, which gives him an undeniable advantage.

If this time he manages to get a set full house four of a kind or better (in the corresponding boxes), then he will again have a fantasy. But she cannot work more than twice in a row.

"A pineapple"

The last thing you need to know about Chinese poker is its very famous variant with the unusual name "Pineapple".

According to the rules of this type, the player receives cards in five moves. First starting five, and then three. But, from each three, he can use only two, he must discard one. Due to the larger number of cards, Pineapple can only be played by three players.

But due to the fact that opponents see only two laid out cards, and can only guess what was discarded, the game becomes more dynamic and interesting.

If someone gets a fantasy in Pineapple, then his advantage is even more serious - he gets 14 cards, and he can discard one, at his discretion.

conclusions

Chinese poker is a very different kind of poker. And this is its main advantage. There are no bets here, and you actually collect combinations, and not just get cards. In this game you can concentrate entirely on your own game with a single goal - to get the maximum combinations on all three boxes.