Learn the Rules, Royalties, and Scoring
You can’t really master a game if you don’t know how it works. That seems obvious, but many players don’t take the time to learn how to count points in Open-Face Chinese Poker (OFC). If you play on an app, that’s fine—the app will count for you. But if you ever play live, for example at $5 per point, and your opponent scores 27 points, you need to know how much you owe.
It’s the same with royalties. You need to know how many points each hand is worth. How many points is a flush in the back line? What about if it’s in the middle? What if you place a set of jacks in the top line? If you don’t know the answer right away, take some time to learn before playing real money.
Don’t worry—it’s not that hard. There aren’t hundreds of numbers to learn. It’s always the same few hands that show up the most. Start by learning the straights and flushes. It’s okay if you don’t remember how much a set of aces in the top line is worth—you won’t see that configuration very often.
Make the Most of Your Fantasyland Hands
Knowing how to place your cards in OFC is the basis of playing well. But don’t forget: good card placement is also key when you’re in Fantasyland.
If you place a pair of queens or better in the top line (without fouling), you go to Fantasyland and receive 13 cards on your next hand. That’s a huge advantage. But you still have to place those 13 cards wisely.
For example: maybe you can build four of a kind (a “quads”) in the back line, which would send you back to Fantasyland. But maybe that quad isn’t the best way to score the most points. In some cases, breaking it up and putting a set (three of a kind) in the top line could give you both more points and a return to Fantasyland.
It depends on the situation. That’s why knowing the scoring system and royalty values is so important.
Balance Risk and Safety
We talked about risk in a previous article. Just like in any card game, the choices you make will decide if you win or lose. The further you go in a hand, the fewer cards are left to come, and sometimes you have to decide: take a risk, or play it safe?
It also depends on your style. If you’re a risk-taker, you might try for Fantasyland more often and place queens or better in the top line, even if your bottom lines aren’t solid yet. But if you’re a more cautious player, you might avoid risky moves and just try to score steady points.
Another factor is what your opponents are doing. For example, say one opponent is trying to build a flush in the back line, but when you look around, you realize most of the cards in that suit are already out. That means they’re almost sure to foul.
Now you have two options:
- Take a risk and go for a big hand, knowing that if you foul too, no one scores.
- Play safe and score some guaranteed points while they foul.
Final Thoughts
OFC is a smart and strategic game. Every choice matters—not just your own cards, but also what your opponents are doing. The key to winning is knowing how to adapt all the time.
