Open Face Chinese Poker Pineapple Rules

Open Face Chinese Poker Pineapple Rules

This page is based on information from Dave Holdsworth.
Open face Chinese is largely based on planning and making the right decisions. Each player is initially dealt 13 cards from the deck (five at the beginning and then eight one by one), which they arrange into three hands (on a 3-5-5 pattern), from strongest to weakest hand. Pineapple OFC is a derivative of standard open-face Chinese poker with Fantasyland, the rules for which.
Variations
Pineapple OFCP
IntroductionDespite its name, this variant of Chinese Poker, sometimes known as Open Hand Chinese Poker or just as OFCP, originated in Russia and Finland in the early 21st century. It was introduced to the poker tournament circuit by Russian players in the Aviation Club, Paris in early 2012 and has since become generally popular, and the side-game of choice for professional poker players in the US and Europe. 
Players and CardsThe game can be played by 2, 3 or 4 players, each playing for themselves. A standard 52-card deck is used. Deal and play are clockwise. Before playing it is necessary to agree on a stake per point.
Arrangement of CardsThe objective of the game is for each player to develop over the course of a deal their best 'back' hand of 5 cards, 'middle' hand of 5 cards and 'front' hand of 3 cards from a total of 13 cards. Initially the player has 5 cards to distribute among the hands. Then further cards are drawn one at a time, and the player has to decide where to place each card before seeing what will come next. 'Open face' in the name of the game refers to the fact that during the game all hands are visible to all players. 
For a player's hands to be valid, the back hand must be better than or equal to the middle hand, and the middle hand must be better than the front hand. If these conditions are not met the player's hand is considered 'foul' and does not score. Note that in Open Face Chinese Poker (unlike standard Chinese Poker), a player may easily get into a situation where a foul is unavoidable, if the last few cards are not what the player hoped for.
The standard poker ranking is used - so the hand types from high to low are: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pairs, one pair, high card (see the page on ranking of poker hands). There are no wild cards.
 Since the front hand has only 3 cards, only three hand types are possible: three of a kind; one pair; high card. There is no value in having a front hand with three consecutive cards or three cards of the same suit: 'straights' or 'flushes' in the front hand do not count.
Deal and PlayOne player is designated dealer and deals 5 cards to each player, one at a time face down. The player to dealer's left now sets his or her 5 cards, placing them face up on the table, assigning each card to the front, middle or back hand. The other players do the same, in turn, ending with the dealer.
 Once all players have set their first 5 cards, play continues clockwise, starting with the player on the dealer's left. Each player in turn draws the top card of the stock, exposes it, and adds it to one of his or her three hands. Once played, cards cannot be moved from one hand to another, and when a hand has its full complement of cards (5 in the back or middle, 3 in the front), no more can be added. When everyone has 13 cards, the hands are compared and scored.
The deal moves to the left after each hand. 
ScoringEach pair of players compares corresponding hands. So with three players there are three pairs of hands to be compared and scored: A against B, A against C and B against C. With four players there are six pairs: A against B, A against C, A against D, B against C, C against D, C against D.
For each pair of players, scores are calculated as follows.
For each of the three hands, back, middle and front, the player with the better hand scores one point.
If the same player wins all three hands, that player scores an extra bonus of 3 points. 
 Points are also awarded for royalties: making certain hand values in the different hand positions, which are then added to the score. Unlike standard Chinese Poker, royalties are usually counted for both players being compared.
The player who has fewer points pays the difference between the scores to the player who has more.
 A player who has a foul hand scores nothing for any hand, but instead pays 6 points for the foul plus points for any royalties the opponent may have. If both players being compared have foul hands then neither scores.
The standard scoring system is as follows:
Points for Winning hands, foul and sweep
Each hand won: 1 point
 Bonus for winning all three hands (sweep): 3 points
 Opponent's Foul: 6 points

 (Note: There are two common methods for scoring normal Chinese Poker
point per hand plus 3 points for a sweep, called 1-6 scoring because a player wins 1 point (2-1) for winning two out of three hands and 6 points (3+3) for winning all three
point per hand plus 1 point for winning the majority of hands, called 2-4 scoring. because a player wins 2 points (2-1+1) for winning two out of three hands and 4 points (3+1) for winning all three.
OFCP is normally played with 1-6 scoring as shown above.)
Points for Royalties 
Back Hand:  Straight = 2 points Flush = 4 points Full House = 6 points Four of A Kind = 10 points Straight Flush = 15 points Royal Flush = 25 pointsMiddle Hand (double the bonus for back hand):  Straight = 4 points Flush = 8 points Full House = 12 points Four of a Kind = 20 points Straight Flush = 30 points Royal Flush = 50 pointsFront Hand  Pair of Sixes (6, 6) = 1 point Pair of Sevens (7, 7) = 2 points Pair of Eights (8, 8) = 3 points Pair of Nines (9, 9) = 4 points Pair of Tens (10, 10) = 5 points Pair of Jacks (J, J) = 6 points Pair of Queens (Q, Q) = 7 points Pair of Kings (K, K) = 8 points Pair of Aces (A, A) = 9 points 3 of a Kind = 20 pointsVariationsOFCP is evolving and many minor variations in scoring can be seen, even in the casino game.
Scoring VariationsSome play with different scoring for 3 of a kind in the Front hand:
of a Kind Twos (2, 2, 2) = 10 points
of a Kind Threes (3, 3, 3) = 11 points
of a Kind Fours (4, 4, 4) = 12 points
of a Kind Fives (5, 5, 5) = 13 points
of a Kind Sixes (6, 6, 6) = 14 points
of a Kind Sevens (7, 7, 7) = 15 points
of a Kind Eights (8, 8, 8) = 16 points
of a Kind Nines (9, 9, 9) = 17 points
of a Kind Tens (10, 10, 10) = 18 points
of a Kind Jacks (J, J, J) = 19 points
of a Kind Queens (Q, Q, Q) = 20 points
of a Kind Kings (K, K, K) = 21 points
of a Kind Aces (A, A, A) = 22 points
Some play that Trips in the Middle = 2 points

 Some play that Trips in the Middle = 2 points and Trips in the Back = 1 point
Some play:
Back Hand:  Four of A Kind = 8 points
 Straight Flush = 10 points
 Royal Flush = 20 points
Middle Hand: double the bonus for back hand.
Some play:
Back Hand: Straight = 4 points
 Straight Flush = 15 points
 Royal Flush = 25 points
Middle Hand:treble the bonus for back hand, and
Trips in the Middle = 2 points
Some play that only the winning hand of the pair being compared counts when adding up royalties.
Some play using 2-4 scoring instead of 1-6 scoring
Table StakesIn tournament play and when played in a casino, it may be required to play table stakes, which means that the player is liable only for those chips which he has in front of him.
 When playing table stakes the payoff must be conducted in strict sequence. First the hand of player to dealer's left is compared with those of the other players in clockwise order, ending with the dealer, then the next player 's hand is compared with those of the remaining players, and so on. So for example if there are four players West, North, East and South and South has dealt, then the hands are compared in the following order: W vs N, W vs E, W vs S, N vs E, N vs S, E vs S.
Since you cannot lose more than the amount you have on the table, it is reasonable to have a rule that you also cannot win more than this amount. Therefore, if at any point in the payoff a player has won as much as he or she had on the table at the start of that deal, the player's win is capped at this amount. The opponent pays enough so that the player has won in total an amount equal to their stake at the start of that deal, and from that point onward the player's hand is 'complete'. The player cannot win or lose any further chips (even if without the cap he or she would have subsequently lost chips to another player) and the comparison moves on to the other pairs of players. 
FantasylandFantasyland is a very popular variant which awards a special bonus for setting a Pair of Queens or higher in the Front hand. On the subsequent hand the player is said to be in Fantasyland, and is dealt all 13 cards at the beginning of the deal. The player sets his hand face down before play begins. The hands are scored as normal when the other players finish setting their hands.
The dealer button does not move for the Fantasyland hand. Normal play resumes after the hand.
Some play that if a player in Fantasyland sets at least four of a kind in the back, full house in the middle or trips in front he can stay in Fantasyland for another hand.
Some play that a player must announce if he is staying in Fantasyland when he sets his hand.
 Some play that a player in Fantasyland sets his hand face down in the normal course of play rather than before any other players set their hands.
Final Cards Face DownSome play the final 3 cards face down to speed up the four-handed game.
Pineapple OFCPPineapple is a relatively recent variant for two or three players, which is played in some Las Vegas casinos.
 Players are dealt 5 cards to start and set them as usual. After that they take 3 cards on each turn, setting two of the cards and discarding one card face down. 
 In Pineapple OFCP, some play the Fantasyland variant with 14 cards dealt at the start of the hand and 1 discarded. In Progressive Pineapple a player with a hand better than QQ in front is dealt more cards: 15 cards for KK, 16 cards for AA and 17 cards for triplets. The player keeps 13 cards, discarding the remainder before setting the hands. A player in Fantasyland who sets a front hand of QQ or better will be dealt a 14-card Fantasyland hand next time, even if the front hand was better than QQ.
Pineapple 2-7 OFCPIn this variant, the aim is to set strong hands front and back and a low hand in the middle. For the middle hand, 2-7 ranking is used: straights and flushes count and ace is always high, so that the lowest hand is 7-5-4-3-2 in mixed suits. In order not to foul the hand, your back hand must be higher than your front hand and your middle hand cannot be stringer than 10 high. Blackjack apprenticeship scam. Royalties for the middle hand are:
9 high – 1 point,
8 high – 2 points,
7 high – 4 points,
75432 – 8 points.
KK or better in the top row or 75432 in the middle row results in a 14-card Fantasyland. Both KK or better in the top row and 75432 in the middle row at the same time results in a 15-card Fantasyland (15 cards dealt at once and two discarded). A Fantasyland player who makes a set in front or quads or better in the back hand is rewarded with another 14-card Fanstasyland hand. 
Websites and Online GamesOpen Face Chinese Poker Pineapple Rules Card Game Open Face Chinese Poker and Pineapple OFCP can be played online at flopturnriver, either between 2-4 live players or as a 2-player (heads up) game against a bot. 
There are many information sites and blogs appearing. Strategy discussions can be found at www.openfaceodds.com and on www.twoplustwo.com. 
'Am I making the right move?' This is what I ask myself before I take each and every turn in Pineapple OFC. According to my score on the rating system (that I helped create), the answer is: not every time. I only get about 70 percent of tough situations correct, and have an average error of .5 points / tricky spot. This means I probably give my opponent a free point every couple of hands. With that kind of error rate, how could I even be expect to win? Well, luckily, my opponents are making even more errors than me.
The truth is we are all making a lot of mistakes in this fairly new game and unexplored game. That's great for the fast learners, but could cost you a pretty penny if you are a late-bloomer or haven't yet put in the effort to learn advanced OFC strategy. Let me show you four of the biggest mistakes I see players just like you make in this game time and time again:
Not Gambling for FantasyLand Enough
Sometimes the fear and embarrassment of fouling convinces you to play it safe in spots where it is clearly 'game on.' You have to remember, it's not whether you hit 50 percent of the time or more, it's whether you make more points on average or not. Most Fantasyland gambles only need 25 percent to be worth it, so stop waiting for the golden opportunity and just go.
In this spot, gambling for Fantasyland is 2.6 points better on average than playing it safe. And it doesn't particularly even matter that our opponent will foul a significant amount of the time because our hand is just plainly better on average if we make the gamble. If you aren't making 'risky' plays in Pineapple Open Face, you are making a mistake.
Completely Senseless Gambles
Just because you can improve doesn't mean you should. I see this problem a lot when someone has set a rather ambitious flush draw or straight draw in the middle, but hasn't developed their back at all. It's especially true when you hit your trips card in the middle with just one, or even two pair, in the back. Texas holdem poker odds calculator. This is quite often a bad time to gamble.
In this situation, putting the ace up front forces you into a runner-runner situation, where you have to make a full house on the bottom and two pair or better in the middle. That is a dream my friend, and it's a mistake of over seven points! Do not take a good hand and throw it away simply for a chance at 'the big time.'
Bailing Too Early
If you are mid-game and thinking about breaking a three-flush for a single pair in the back, you better need a really good reason. A reason like, half your flush cards are dead, you can get to Fantasyland a lot easier if you pair the back, or you will scoop your opponent a lot even with such a weak hand. Most of the time, it's just correct to wait it out for the flush, or bail on the next street. After all, there will be six more opportunities to hit something that helps you out, just be patient.
In this hand, it can be sometimes tempting to just play it safe and put the ten in the back, especially if there are more dead diamonds. But that is just way too safe, even with 3-4 additional dead diamonds! The correct play in this exact spot is actually to gamble for Fantasyland with the queen up front and ten in the middle (because of the three of diamonds…think about it). If you are playing it 'super safe' you are making a mistake of over four points, yikes.

 (Note: There are two common methods for scoring normal Chinese Poker
 1 point per hand plus 3 points for a sweep, called 1-6 scoring because a player wins 1 point (2-1) for winning two out of three hands and 6 points (3+3) for winning all three
1 point per hand plus 1 point for winning the majority of hands, called 2-4 scoring. because a player wins 2 points (2-1+1) for winning two out of three hands and 4 points (3+1) for winning all three.
OFCP is normally played with 1-6 scoring as shown above.)
Points for Royalties 
Back Hand:  Straight = 2 points Flush = 4 points Full House = 6 points Four of A Kind = 10 points Straight Flush = 15 points Royal Flush = 25 pointsMiddle Hand (double the bonus for back hand):  Straight = 4 points Flush = 8 points Full House = 12 points Four of a Kind = 20 points Straight Flush = 30 points Royal Flush = 50 pointsFront Hand  Pair of Sixes (6, 6) = 1 point Pair of Sevens (7, 7) = 2 points Pair of Eights (8, 8) = 3 points Pair of Nines (9, 9) = 4 points Pair of Tens (10, 10) = 5 points Pair of Jacks (J, J) = 6 points Pair of Queens (Q, Q) = 7 points Pair of Kings (K, K) = 8 points Pair of Aces (A, A) = 9 points 3 of a Kind = 20 pointsVariationsOFCP is evolving and many minor variations in scoring can be seen, even in the casino game.
Scoring VariationsSome play with different scoring for 3 of a kind in the Front hand:
 3 of a Kind Twos (2, 2, 2) = 10 points
 3 of a Kind Threes (3, 3, 3) = 11 points
 3 of a Kind Fours (4, 4, 4) = 12 points
 3 of a Kind Fives (5, 5, 5) = 13 points
 3 of a Kind Sixes (6, 6, 6) = 14 points
 3 of a Kind Sevens (7, 7, 7) = 15 points
 3 of a Kind Eights (8, 8, 8) = 16 points
 3 of a Kind Nines (9, 9, 9) = 17 points
 3 of a Kind Tens (10, 10, 10) = 18 points
 3 of a Kind Jacks (J, J, J) = 19 points
 3 of a Kind Queens (Q, Q, Q) = 20 points
 3 of a Kind Kings (K, K, K) = 21 points
 3 of a Kind Aces (A, A, A) = 22 points
Some play that Trips in the Middle = 2 points
 Some play that Trips in the Middle = 2 points and Trips in the Back = 1 point
Some play:
Back Hand:  Four of A Kind = 8 points
 Straight Flush = 10 points
 Royal Flush = 20 points
Middle Hand: double the bonus for back hand.
Some play:
Back Hand: Straight = 4 points
 Straight Flush = 15 points
 Royal Flush = 25 points
Middle Hand:treble the bonus for back hand, and
Trips in the Middle = 2 points
Some play that only the winning hand of the pair being compared counts when adding up royalties.
Some play using 2-4 scoring instead of 1-6 scoring
Table StakesIn tournament play and when played in a casino, it may be required to play table stakes, which means that the player is liable only for those chips which he has in front of him.
 When playing table stakes the payoff must be conducted in strict sequence. First the hand of player to dealer's left is compared with those of the other players in clockwise order, ending with the dealer, then the next player 's hand is compared with those of the remaining players, and so on. So for example if there are four players West, North, East and South and South has dealt, then the hands are compared in the following order: W vs N, W vs E, W vs S, N vs E, N vs S, E vs S.
Since you cannot lose more than the amount you have on the table, it is reasonable to have a rule that you also cannot win more than this amount. Therefore, if at any point in the payoff a player has won as much as he or she had on the table at the start of that deal, the player's win is capped at this amount. The opponent pays enough so that the player has won in total an amount equal to their stake at the start of that deal, and from that point onward the player's hand is 'complete'. The player cannot win or lose any further chips (even if without the cap he or she would have subsequently lost chips to another player) and the comparison moves on to the other pairs of players. 
FantasylandFantasyland is a very popular variant which awards a special bonus for setting a Pair of Queens or higher in the Front hand. On the subsequent hand the player is said to be in Fantasyland, and is dealt all 13 cards at the beginning of the deal. The player sets his hand face down before play begins. The hands are scored as normal when the other players finish setting their hands.
The dealer button does not move for the Fantasyland hand. Normal play resumes after the hand.
Some play that if a player in Fantasyland sets at least four of a kind in the back, full house in the middle or trips in front he can stay in Fantasyland for another hand.
Some play that a player must announce if he is staying in Fantasyland when he sets his hand.
 Some play that a player in Fantasyland sets his hand face down in the normal course of play rather than before any other players set their hands.
Final Cards Face DownSome play the final 3 cards face down to speed up the four-handed game.
Pineapple OFCPPineapple is a relatively recent variant for two or three players, which is played in some Las Vegas casinos.
 Players are dealt 5 cards to start and set them as usual. After that they take 3 cards on each turn, setting two of the cards and discarding one card face down. 
 In Pineapple OFCP, some play the Fantasyland variant with 14 cards dealt at the start of the hand and 1 discarded. In Progressive Pineapple a player with a hand better than QQ in front is dealt more cards: 15 cards for KK, 16 cards for AA and 17 cards for triplets. The player keeps 13 cards, discarding the remainder before setting the hands. A player in Fantasyland who sets a front hand of QQ or better will be dealt a 14-card Fantasyland hand next time, even if the front hand was better than QQ.
Pineapple 2-7 OFCPIn this variant, the aim is to set strong hands front and back and a low hand in the middle. For the middle hand, 2-7 ranking is used: straights and flushes count and ace is always high, so that the lowest hand is 7-5-4-3-2 in mixed suits. In order not to foul the hand, your back hand must be higher than your front hand and your middle hand cannot be stringer than 10 high. Blackjack apprenticeship scam. Royalties for the middle hand are:
9 high – 1 point,
8 high – 2 points,
7 high – 4 points,
75432 – 8 points.
KK or better in the top row or 75432 in the middle row results in a 14-card Fantasyland. Both KK or better in the top row and 75432 in the middle row at the same time results in a 15-card Fantasyland (15 cards dealt at once and two discarded). A Fantasyland player who makes a set in front or quads or better in the back hand is rewarded with another 14-card Fanstasyland hand. 
Websites and Online GamesOpen Face Chinese Poker Pineapple Rules Card Game Open Face Chinese Poker and Pineapple OFCP can be played online at flopturnriver, either between 2-4 live players or as a 2-player (heads up) game against a bot. 
There are many information sites and blogs appearing. Strategy discussions can be found at www.openfaceodds.com and on www.twoplustwo.com. 
'Am I making the right move?' This is what I ask myself before I take each and every turn in Pineapple OFC. According to my score on the rating system (that I helped create), the answer is: not every time. I only get about 70 percent of tough situations correct, and have an average error of .5 points / tricky spot. This means I probably give my opponent a free point every couple of hands. With that kind of error rate, how could I even be expect to win? Well, luckily, my opponents are making even more errors than me.
The truth is we are all making a lot of mistakes in this fairly new game and unexplored game. That's great for the fast learners, but could cost you a pretty penny if you are a late-bloomer or haven't yet put in the effort to learn advanced OFC strategy. Let me show you four of the biggest mistakes I see players just like you make in this game time and time again:
Not Gambling for FantasyLand Enough
Sometimes the fear and embarrassment of fouling convinces you to play it safe in spots where it is clearly 'game on.' You have to remember, it's not whether you hit 50 percent of the time or more, it's whether you make more points on average or not. Most Fantasyland gambles only need 25 percent to be worth it, so stop waiting for the golden opportunity and just go.
In this spot, gambling for Fantasyland is 2.6 points better on average than playing it safe. And it doesn't particularly even matter that our opponent will foul a significant amount of the time because our hand is just plainly better on average if we make the gamble. If you aren't making 'risky' plays in Pineapple Open Face, you are making a mistake.
Completely Senseless Gambles
Just because you can improve doesn't mean you should. I see this problem a lot when someone has set a rather ambitious flush draw or straight draw in the middle, but hasn't developed their back at all. It's especially true when you hit your trips card in the middle with just one, or even two pair, in the back. Texas holdem poker odds calculator. This is quite often a bad time to gamble.
In this situation, putting the ace up front forces you into a runner-runner situation, where you have to make a full house on the bottom and two pair or better in the middle. That is a dream my friend, and it's a mistake of over seven points! Do not take a good hand and throw it away simply for a chance at 'the big time.'
Bailing Too Early
If you are mid-game and thinking about breaking a three-flush for a single pair in the back, you better need a really good reason. A reason like, half your flush cards are dead, you can get to Fantasyland a lot easier if you pair the back, or you will scoop your opponent a lot even with such a weak hand. Most of the time, it's just correct to wait it out for the flush, or bail on the next street. After all, there will be six more opportunities to hit something that helps you out, just be patient.
In this hand, it can be sometimes tempting to just play it safe and put the ten in the back, especially if there are more dead diamonds. But that is just way too safe, even with 3-4 additional dead diamonds! The correct play in this exact spot is actually to gamble for Fantasyland with the queen up front and ten in the middle (because of the three of diamonds…think about it). If you are playing it 'super safe' you are making a mistake of over four points, yikes.
A bird in the hand…Don't sacrifice a great card for the back to take a big risk in the front.
Now there are plenty of times to gamble in this game, but I have found that most of the time you are presented a made hand, you should take that before risking it all for Fantasyland or the like. This problem usually arises when you get three great cards for your hand and still have to throw one (or as I like to call it, 'rich people problems.') Generally speaking, you should build the bottom/middle in this situation and throw your 'gamble' card. The main reason this holds true so often is because you are throwing away an out, thus reducing your chances, plus you will have another opportunity to hit that Fantasyland card on the next draw anyways. So think about those future opportunities before throwing a perfectly good hand away.
In this situation, we have to decide whether to take Fantasyland now or take quads now… #richpeopleproblems. We don't even have to set ourselves all-in and Fantasyland is worth approximately 14.5 points (7 for queens and around 7.5 for the added value of being in Fantasyland next hand), while quads is only worth ten points. Seems like a no brainer right? Well, actually, since we have five outs to hit Fantasyland on the next draw (45%), its 4.7 points better to play quads!!! Am I blowing your mind yet?
Open Face Chinese Poker Pineapple Rules 34If any of this helped you or if I was able to help you solve one leak in your game, please let me know by tweeting at @ofcstrategy. I truly hope I was able to give some quick pointers and valuable insight into errors that I see players making all the time. To see where you stand and how many errors you're making on a regular basis, check out openfacesolutions.com and sign up for a free trial to use our tactics trainer, simulator, and the only Open Face Chinese ranking system on the web. ♠
Play Open Face Chinese PokerDerric 'SixPeppers' Haynie is the author of Quantum Poker and creator of OpenFaceSolutions.com and OpenFaceStrategy.com. Check out those sites for more articles, solutions, tactics, news and information on Pineapple Open Face Chinese Poker.