Chinese poker is one of the varieties of a card game that has earned fame as one of its most interesting and unusual variations. The main distinguishing features are the absence of trading circles and a significantly larger number of cards on hand during the process.
In addition, the rules of the OKP require collecting three winning combinations (two five- and one three-card) instead of one.
History of Chinese Poker
The birthplace of this game, oddly enough, is Scandinavia. Moreover, earlier Chinese poker was called Russian, until entertainment with a similar name appeared in the casino.
This variety of the game gained wide popularity in the 90s, when it entered the official program of the World Series of Poker. Today, she is one of the favorite casinos in Las Vegas and is actively promoted in Russia and surrounding countries by Sergey Rybachenko.
Despite the simple rules, some professional players find this type of poker difficult because of the dominant role of the luck factor in determining the winner. Thanks to this, beginners often break the jackpot, bypassing the most experienced rivals.
"A pineapple"
Chinese poker also has several variations, one of which bears the funny name "Pineapple". The game received it from a form of hold'em with two pocket cards instead of three.
The main driving factors in the "Pineapple" is luck and speed. However, instead of the standard eight rounds, only four are played due to the characteristics of Chinese poker.
Initially, this game had only a closed variety that did not find popularity, because of which there was open Chinese poker, which positively influenced the duration of the process and stirred up a wave of interest in certain circles.
Game Summary
Due to the dynamism and excitement, “Pineapple” is a very relevant card game, which is rapidly gaining popularity among novice poker players.
At the beginning of the round, the standard five cards are dealt face-up, after which everyone receives three more cards face down. Of these, the participant must choose two in hand. The third card is discarded closed, due to which the game time is reduced to four rounds, as mentioned above.
Chinese poker rules
OKP is a card game with incomplete information, in which up to four people can take part. The deck is used standard (52 cards, without a joker). Purpose of the game: to collect a hand with three maximum combinations of 13 cards received by the participant throughout the game.
They are divided as follows:
- The eldest consists of five cards; it must be the strongest among the collected combinations.
- Medium - the same number of cards, the name corresponds to the hierarchical level.
- The youngest - 3 cards, the weakest in comparison with the previous ones.
The resulting combinations are laid out one below the other in ascending order (low, medium, high).
There are no familiar trading circles in this type of poker , they are replaced by a system of points and bonuses (royalties), calculated at the end. When playing for money, each of them has its own value in dollar currency.
Combination seniority is standard. After completing their compilation, they are compared with each other, on the basis of which the winner is identified.
Pineapple Rules
Chinese poker "Pineapple" has rules similar to playing a game in OKP. The task is still to collect hands from 13 cards - 3 combinations working on the same principle as described above.
If, when compiling the received series (combinations), the seniority of one of them is violated, the player is considered to be a loser, and his hand is “dead”.
At the beginning of each round, participants (of which there can be no more than three) receive five cards face up, and another three cards face down each subsequent deal. Two of them going to the hand are selected from them, the last one is discarded without opening.
Then everything happens, as in OKP, with the exception of one nuance - fantasy.
Nice bonus
This rule was not previously mandatory, but today it complements the games online and offline. Chinese poker also welcomes this bonus, but it has some differences in Pineapple.
The right to fantasy is obtained by the player who has gathered his hand with a pair of queens (or cards of higher value) in the lower row. In this case, in the next distribution, the participant receives immediately 14 cards face down, which serve him as a regular hand.
This gives a significant advantage. But in order to maintain this bonus, a player is required to fulfill one of the following conditions - to collect combinations not lower than: a square in the senior row, a full house on average, or a set in the younger. After collecting the finished hand, the 14th card is discarded.
An additional card slightly increases not only the chances of winning, but also increases the possibility of meeting the conditions under which the player can use the bonus again.
Scoring
At the end of the distribution, points are scored (after comparing the hands of the players with each other). Each combination is verified in pairs (the oldest with the oldest, etc.). "Dead" hands, respectively, get 0 points.
The task of the game is not only in drawing up the strongest hand, but also in obtaining the maximum number of “royalties”, without violating the order of seniority in the lines. After laying the cards, poker players compare their combinations in turn in all three rows. For each line won, the player also receives two additional points. Thus, for winning in all three combinations, the participant receives six points.
There are two types of scoring:
- Classic - used in Chinese poker (its rules are described in the paragraph above).
- American - used to play "Pineapple" and the adoption of the convention "American" in other varieties of OKP.
The rules of the latter method are somewhat different in that only one point is awarded for the winning combination (and is taken away from the opponent, respectively). However, a fully winning hand immediately gives six points. Bonuses are calculated in the same way as in classical Chinese poker, with a single nuance: their number for certain combinations increases.
Learning to play OKP is not so difficult, but in case of problems Chinese pineapple software programs found on the network can help, albeit in small numbers.