Open Face Chinese poker is the most thrilling variant of online poker that stands apart from the big crowd. Once you start playing OFC poker, there is literally no going back because it’s thrilling to the core. It’s fast-paced and super fun with a lot of action and twists for everyone!
So, if you are looking to take part in something that’s constant fun and keeps you on your toes, welcome to the tables of Open Face Chinese poker.
OFC Poker Rules
OFC poker is a unique variant of online poker that unlike Texas Hold’em or Omaha poker doesn’t involve betting of any sorts but instead features a points system to determine the winner. It isn’t played with chips but even without it, Open Face Chinese actually features plenty of levels with an interesting structure that keeps you hooked till the very end.
Like all poker games, you play Open Face Chinese Poker with a standard deck of 52 cards with 2-3 players. You sit on a table with a fixed buy-in, play a set number of hands with your opponents after which the scores are tallied and the one with maximum score wins the game.
Now, let’s get down to the specifics of OFC poker rules.
Each player is dealt 14 cards from which players need to discard one and arrange the 13 cards in three horizontal rows- top, middle and bottom in a 5+5+3 format. All players shall receive points based on the hands made on each row after which the total score is tallied according to the strength of all hands. The player with the highest points wins the game.
- The top row consists of 3 cards
- The middle and the bottom row consists of 5 cards each
- A player receives points for each row
Preset OFC poker rules
- The bottom row has to be the strongest ranked hand of all
- The middle row needs to stronger than the top row
- The top row is supposed to be the weakest of all three rows.
These OFC poker rules are untenable and not following them will result in a dead hand and zero points. It could be in your best interest to know that drawing a dead hand is a reality because you don’t get to see all 13 cards at once in regular conditions! More on that later.
Scoring System in OFC poker
The scoring system in Open Face Chinese poker is dramatic, to say the least. Let’s break it down in simple words. The OFC poker rules follow the same hand rankings of all poker games.
When you play Open Face Chinese poker, all rows are compared against each other and scores are given out. According to OFC poker rules, each row is worth one point. In addition, you will also receive bonus points for making special hands in different rows.
- Scoop bonus- A player gets 6 points if he/she beats opponents in all three rows.
- If a player scores less in two out of three rows, he/she gets minus 1 point.
- If a player scores less in all three rows, he/she receives minus 6 points.
Royalty Bonus
This is the most thrilling part of the whole online game like poker. When you play Open Face Chinese poker, you also receive Royalty bonus points if you make big hands in all rows. All big hands carry different bonus points based on the rows on which you arrange them.
For instance, a four of a kind or quads on the bottom row scores 10 points and 20 points if set on the middle row. Likewise, a flush on the bottom row scores 4 points and 8 points on the middle row. Therefore, higher the strength of your hand, the higher you score. The Royalty points are added to the total score and the player with the maximum points becomes the winner.
Make Your Dream Score on Fantasy Land
Perhaps we underplayed this game before. Things actually get exciting when you play Open Pace Chinese poker and enter Fantasy Land! So, what does Fantasy Land really mean in OFC poker?
It’s actually as simple as ABC. Whenever you make Queens or better on the top row, you enter Fantasy Land. So, when the current round is complete, another round is dealt but with a twist. In this round, the player in the Fantasy Land gets a strong advantage. While all opponents are dealt the 14 cards in the regular manner i.e. 5+3+3, the player in Fantasy Land receives all 14 cards at once!
This means when you play Open Face Chinese poker and enter Fantasy Land, you have the competitive edge to form all your hands by looking at all your cards at once while the rest have to wait for the remaining cards. Moreover, if the player while in fantasy land manages to score trips on the top row or quads on the bottom row, he/she gets to stay in the fantasy land for the next round of game as well.
The fact is, when you play Open Face Chinese poker, there’s no limit to the number of fantasy lands you can enter if you meet the conditions of the game.
We know that’s too much information for those of you who have just been introduced to OFC poker. Therefore, it would be wise if you played a few games and figure out the rest yourself. To keep the fun incoming, we suggest you visit the online poker site, PokerBaazi and hit the tables of OFC poker on the app.
We say this because this poker site exclusively offers three amazing variants of OFC poker, Regular, Progressive and Ultimate. All three variants have their unique rules and game features that pushes players to explore different strategies and techniques and keeps the fun ongoing. You can play these games for different stakes depending on your bankroll.
This New Year, enter this whole new world of Fantasy Land with Open Face Chinese poker games and let the race begin.
