Before we discuss the different strategies, let’s first recall how to place your cards and what the goal of Open Face Chinese Poker (OFC) is.
The goal of OFC is to build three valid poker hands by placing a total of 13 cards. These must be arranged in a specific order:
3 cards on top (Front)
5 cards in the middle (Middle)
5 cards on the bottom (Back)
It’s crucial to place the hands so that the bottom hand (back) must be stronger than the middle hand, which must itself beat the top (front) hand.
The Goal of the Game
Just like in No Limit Hold’em (NLHE), OFC can be played as a cash game or as a tournament. As in Hold’em, the goal in a tournament is to eliminate all other players. In a cash game, just like in NLHE, each player plays with their own money in each hand, and the stakes are determined by what each player brings to the table.
There are two ways to earn points in OFC:
Line comparison At the end of a hand, each player compares their three lines with those of their opponents. Let’s imagine three players: A, B, and C. A compares his back hand to Jenny’s, then the middle, then the top.
There are four possible outcomes:
A wins all three lines → he scoops her and wins 6 points
A wins two out of three → He wins 2 points
A wins one out of three → B wins 2 points
No one wins any line → draw, no points awarded
🔁 Scoring Order – 3-Player Game
The scoring is done in a specific order based on the dealer button:
The player to the left of the button starts (the one who acted first during the hand).
Then, scoring continues clockwise.
Example:
Button: Player C Order of action during the hand: Player A → Player B → Player C
Scoring order:
Player A scores against B, then against C
Player B scores against C
Royalties
After scoring the lines, each player adds bonus points (royalties) based on the strength of their hands. Below are the royalty charts for the middle and back hands:
Below is the royalty chart for the front hands:
When a hand is invalid (i.e., if the hand rankings are not in proper order), it is called a foul.
Note on Pineapple Poker (classic version)
In the classic Pineapple Poker format, there is no Fantasyland, but the scoring system remains the same. This version—less commonly played today—has the advantage of being more balanced and strategic. Its downside: it rarely delivers the kind of spectacular hands that are common in the Fantasyland version.
Tournament Format
In tournaments, the stakes increase with each level. The game continues until only one player remains.
