How to Play Online Chinese Poker

Chinese Poker Rules

Each player is dealt 13 cards. The object is to arrange them into 2 hands of 5 cards and one of 3 cards, beating the hands made by the other players. The 3 hands consist of a "back" hand of 5 cards, a "middle" hand of 5 cards and a "front" hand of 3 cards. The back hand must beat the middle hand, and the middle hand must beat the front hand. Otherwise, the player pays a penalty to each opponent. Only 3 hand types are possible for the front hand: 3-of-a-Kind, pair, and high card. Straights and flushes typically don't count (see Clean Sweeps below.)

Click on each card to select it from your total of 13, and to make it part of your front, middle, or back hand.

EXAMPLE:

Say you're dealt the following cards:

You could arrange them like this:
Front hand	Middle hand	Back hand

The back hand, a straight flush, beats the middle hand, 4-of-a-Kind, which beats the front hand, 3-of-a-Kind.

The game stakes are quoted in dollars per unit. Once the hands are played, each player compares his 3 hands against those of each of the other players. So in a 4-player game, each player makes 3 separate comparisons, one against each other player.

You win 1 unit for each corresponding hand of another player that you beat and lose 1 for each hand that beats you. When the hands match, you neither win nor lose. Here's an example.