Open Face Chinese Poker

HomeBreadcrumb arrow separatorHow to play pokerBreadcrumb arrow separatorOpen Face Chinese Poker

Open Face Chinese Poker – Progressive (Pineapple OH)

Pineapple Open Face Chinese Poker is a kind of Chinese poker in which players are dealt three face down cards in all game rounds except the first and need to discard one of the cards. The remaining two cards are used to complete a combination, they are open to opponents, the third one is discarded undisclosed. You can also play Progressive OFC or Progressive OFC OH where you can get more cards for Fantasy Land!

Progressive OFC OH is now available on all Windows/Mac/Android/IOS devices. All Players must update their apps, before they can start playing Pineapple OH.

Learn & Play – Open Face Chinese Poker

Open Face Chinese Poker – Progressive (Pineapple OH) – in OFC Pineapple OH a match lasts only 1 hand. Compared to the regular OFC Pineapple Progressive, in which the number of hands in a match equals the number of players (2 or 3). In both variations, fantasy extends a match at least by one hand.

Game

Game in Open Face Chinese Poker – Pineapple consists of several hands played on one table.
Once a game starts, no more player can join it.

The number of hands in a game equals to the number of players participating in the game (in the case of Pineapple OH ? a match lasts only 1 hand), i.e. the dealer’s button completes a full circle. However, depending on the following conditions the number of hands can be smaller or bigger that the number of participants:

  •  If all players, except for one, have lost the entire amount of their chips, the remaining hands are not played, and the game ends.
  •  If one of the players gets Fantasy Land, there is one additional hand played. At that there can be any number of Fantasy rounds in one game.
    Hand play
    Players one by one receives cards divided into 5 streets:
  •  1st street – 5 cards are dealt
  • Each player must lay out all 5 cards in the boxes.

Players can see other players’ cards as the game is open. They can also see the course of layout during the 1st street.

Once a player finishes laying out his cards, he clicks Ready button. But before clicking the button, he can shift any of his cards.

  • 2nd street – 3 cards are dealt

Beginning from the 2nd street and till the moment when each player lays out all 13 cards in the boxes, the players receive 3 cards face down to take 2 of them and lay out in the boxes. The remaining card is discarded with Discard button. When the card is discarded, the rest 2 are opened.

  •  3rd street – 3 cards are dealt.
  •  4th street – 3 cards are dealt.
  • 5th street – 3 cards are dealt.
    Boxes
    Players must lay out their cards into 3 boxes:

front – the upper box of 3 cards (the weakest hand)

Possible cards combinations are: three of a kind, one pair, high card as long as stronger combinations are formed with no less than 4 cards;

middle – the middle box of 5 cards (medium strength hand);

back – the lower box of 5 cards (the strongest hand).

The rule of the boxes: The cards combination in the lower box (back hand) must be stronger than or equal to the cards combination in the middle box (middle hand) and the cards combination in the middle box must be stronger than or equal to the cards combination in the upper box (front hand). In other words, cards combinations in the boxes must be laid out in ascending order: from the weakest in the upper box to the strongest in the lower box. Combinations can be equal. If these conditions are not satisfied, the hand is considered as a dead hand, and no units are changed.
Progressive OFC Pineapple and Progressive OFC OH
The excitement of Fantasy-land increases in this engaging variant of Open Face Chinese Progressive Pineapple where a player can receive up to 17 Fantasy Land Cards if you get 222+ in your top hand.

While the general rules remain the same, the main difference between Progressive Pineapple and ‘regular’ OFC Pineapple is that the players receive more cards when they’re in Fantasy Land, if they advance with a higher top card combination. The strength of the player’s top hand determines what they might get i.e. starting from the regular 14 cards up to a huge 17 Fantasy Land cards!

This way players can aim to get higher hands on top and receiving more Fantasy Land cards thereby enabling them collect even more points.

Open Face Chinese Progressive Pineapple & and Progressive Open Face Chinese OH Rules

The Open Face Chinese Progressive Pineapple follows most of the same rules as the regular Pineapple OFC, with a few exceptions when players get into Fantasy Land. Unlike in Pineapple OFC where a player is always dealt 14 cards when they’re in Fantasy Land, in Progressive Pineapple, they can potentially get up to 17 cards!

Basic game play in Progressive Pineapple doesn’t change – each player is dealt five cards in the first turn and then three cards each in all consecutive turns, using just two in their hand and discarding one card face-down.
Fantasy Land
The key difference between the regular Pineapple OFC and Progressive Pineapple is by how many cards the player receives after getting into Fantasy Land. The amount is determined by the strength of the player’s top hand. The lowest-possible hand to get a player into Fantasy Land, QQ gives them 14 cards, while higher combinations give more.

Here’s the list of hands and the amount of cards the player receives:

QQ = 14 cards

KK = 15 cards

AA = 16 cards

222+ = 17 cards

Should the player stay in Fantasy Land in Progressive Pineapple, they will get 14 cards for their consecutive Fantasy Land hand despite of their top hand combination.

Action Timeout

Players participating in a hand have equal period of time to lay out their cards in all boxes. When the first street starts, the countdown begins. Thus, in the second street players have less time by the amount of time spent during the first street etc..

  • If players run out of time, their cards will be laid out automatically (by the system) in accordance to the following rules:
  •  Cards are laid out as they are dealt, first in the lower box, then in the middle and upper boxes;
  •  Beginning from the second street first 2 dealt cards are laid out, and the third card is discarded.
    Basic rules of scoring
    Units are scored in the end of every hand. Players’ hands are compared by pairs, and then units are charged. In pairs corresponding combinations are compared: back hand with back hand, middle hand with middle hand, front hand with front hand.

In case 2 players have equal combinations in one of the hands (draw situation), for example, 2 players have equal Flash combinations in the lower box, non of the players gets units.

Methods of scoring

  • 2-4 scoring

Players get 1 unit for every hand they win, and 1 additional unit if they win 2 out of 3 or all 3 hands.

In case of draw of one of the hands (ex., if 2 players have equal Flash combinations in the back hand) none of the players gets units. But if a player wins 2 remaining hands, he gets 3 units – one per every won hand + one additional unit (2 + 1).

  • 1-6 scoring

Players get 1 unit for every hand they win, and additional 3 units if they win all 3 hands.

Dead hand

There is such a term as ‘Dead hand’:if combinations were laid out by strength not in the correct order in the boxes (ex, back hand is weaker than any of the other hands or middle hand is weaker than the front hand), such hands are declared ‘dead hands’. In this case all combinations of this player are considered losing to the combinations of the rest players. The player doesn’t get bonuses and even pays bonuses to every opponent and a fine:

  • 6 units (1-6 scoring).
  • 4 units (2-4 scoring).

If 2 or more players have ‘dead hands’, these players get 0 units each when compared by pairs.

Royalties

Players can also get royalties – bonuses given to players for making up particular combinations. Royalties are given apart from units given for winning, independently of the results of a hand. Royalties are optional. Royalties can be given in accordance with Russian or American rules.

Below is the table showing the difference (in bold) between Russian and American rules:

Hand
Combination
 
American rules
Hand: Back
Backa straight
a flush
a full house
four of a kind10
straight flush15
royal flush25
Hand: Middle
Middlethree of a kind
a straight
a flush
a full house
four of a kind20
straight flush30
royal flush50
Hand: Front
Front661
772
883
994
TT5
JJ6
QQ7
KK8
AA9
22210
33311
44412
55513
66614
77715
88816
99917
TTT18
JJJ19
QQQ20
KKK21
AAA22
Payouts

For every table there is the cost of 1 unit defined, for example, 1 cent per 1 unit. In the end of a game the settlement begins.

Players get their units summarized. The units are compared by pairs, and payments are determined.

The comparison begins with the player sitting to the left from the dealer, then proceeds to the player sitting second from the dealer, then to the player sitting third etc.. After that players’ modified stacks are compared.

There can also be situation when a player loses his entire stack amount to another player, and can not pay to other players.

All-in

If in the end of a hand one player collects the entire amount of other players’ chips, then:

  • This hand will be the final hand of the game;
  • Rake is taken in this hand.

How to Play FAQ

Here are a few open-face Chinese poker strategies you can use to play this game: 1. It is important that you understand that the key strategy is not to foul your hand in open-face Chinese poker. 2. Remember to pay attention to Open Face Chinese Up-Cards. This game is more than just concentrating on just your own cards. 3. Don’t ever give up on your front hand in open-face Chinese poker. 4. Try to keep your stakes small.
OFC or OFCP is commonly known as Open Face Chinese poker is another variant of Chinese poker where players receive five cards to start and then they go one card at a time until all the players reach 13 card hands.
13 unique cards in Chinese poker means three straights, three flushes and six pairs, i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A which are also known as Dragon
OFC pineapple or Pineapple OFC is another version of Open Face Chinese Poker where players make hands that are twice as big in half the rounds.

Others