OFC History
Ofc Poker App
Discover the origins of Chinese and Open Face Chinese Poker, its ancestor 'Pai Gow', its online growth and boom in Asia.
A turn-based game in online poker, OFCP players are dealt five cards each which they must assign, FACE-UP and in full view of other players, in order to help form three separate hands: a Front Hand (with 3 cards), a Middle Hand (formed of. OPEN FACE CHINESE POKER RULES AND SCORING Open Face Chinese Poker is a variant of 'regular' Chinese Poker. In regular Chinese Poker, each player is dealt 13 cards 'in the hole'. They then set the cards in three rows of poker hands. Welcome to the official site dedicated to Open Face Chinese Poker. You'll find here everything you need to know about OFC, the latest trend in poker! You can learn the Rules of all OFC variations (Pineapple, Progressive, Deuce-to-Seven, and Turbo), and go deeper in your Strategies by reading the columns of my own 'No Mercy OFC Little Guide'. There are many variations of Open Face Chinese Poker, and here we will list the more popular and fun forms. Pineapple Open Face Chinese Poker. In Pineapple OFC, everything remains the same except two changes: – On the draw, players are given three cards each, place two on their board, and discard the third face down.
OFC Complete Guide
Learn all you need to know about Open Face Chinese Poker (OFC), its rules and different variants, and how it took the poker industry by storm.
OFC Strategies
Find out how to improve your game skills with these 10 simple Open Face Chinese Poker Strategies and become the best !
Join the Best Open Face Chinese Poker Games !
Join the Open Face Chinese Poker Craze !
Ofc Poker
Invented sometime around 2011, Open-face Chinese poker (OFC) is a turn-based card game, which has become increasingly popular in the poker community. Even though its rules vastly differ from other variants of Poker, OFC definitely has found its fanbase, especially among high-stakes gamblers.
In this game mixing luck and skill, no bets are involved. In OFC Poker, points are made based on combination of cards. In its most popular format, the Pineapple OFC, where 2 to 3 players compete against one another, you are given several cards at the same time. Each turn, you need to combine your cards and place them in 3 rows.
The rules are quite simple: your bottom hand must be at least as good as the middle hand, and your middle hand must be at least as good as the top hand. They are divided as the following : 5 at the bottom, 5 in the middle, and 3 at the top.
Pineapple Open Face Chinese Poker Rules
We’ll teach you how to play open face chinese poker in no time ! First, Pineapple Open Face Chinese, also called OFC/p, can be played by 2 or 3 players. Then, this is how an OFC game is played:
- During the course of the hand, players will arrange their hole cards on the layout in rows to make 3 poker hands, arranged in order of ascending rank. These hands are called the top, middle, and bottom:
- Top hand: A 3-card poker hand, which can only rank as a high card, a pair, or three of a kind.
- Middle hand: A standard 5-card poker hand. It must rank higher than the top hand.
- Bottom hand: A standard 5-card poker hand. It must rank the highest of the 3 hands.
- Any hand breaking these rules will be considered a fouled hand, and the game will be lost.
- For the first turn, each player is dealt 5 face-down hole cards. Clockwise from the dealer, players in turn set the positions of these 5 cards on the table, face-up. Once placed and confirmed, these cards become visible to all players and cannot be moved anymore.
- For the remaining turns, each player is dealt 3 cards at once, and must place 2 of the cards into available positions on the table while discarding the third one.
- Once all players have completed their layouts of 13 cards, hands are then compared and scored.
OFC Pineapple Scoring System
Players’ top, middle and bottom rows are compared, with each row having a value of 1 point. For example, if a player wins 2 of 3 rows, they will obtain 1 point (1+1-1). From there, additional points (open face chinese poker royalties) are awarded depending on the combination made.
The royalty chart below shows the point values per poker hand made. Typical royalties can be +4 for a back row flush, or +7 for a front row pair of Queens.
Bottom Row Royalties 2 Straight | Middle Row Royalties 2 Three of a Kind |
Top Row Royalties (66+) 1 66 | 10 222 |
Open Face Chinese Pineapple Poker with Fantasyland
In many online and live OFC games, Fantasyland is an essential ‘bonus’ component to the game. You qualify to “Fantasyland” if you successfully place QQ or better on the top row.
Once a player is in Fantasyland, he is dealt all his cards at once (plus some additionnal ones, making it 14, 15 or 16 depending on the gaming platform). This gives time to the player to think of the best combinations while remaining hidden from the other players. Meanwhile, other OFC players play a normal hand.
To remain in Fantasyland, rules change a bit. Now, you will need Quads or better in the bottom row, a Full House or better in the middle, or Trips in the top row.
Discover our selection of the Best OFC Websites
Tired of playing the same old games of poker? Desiring for a fresh change? Few interesting rules and strategies to fiddle with? We have a new, exciting variant for you to tweak your brains and win some decent money with your skills while you are at it. Enter Open Face Chinese poker, the new kid in the block!
Open Face Chinese poker, commonly known as OFC is a variant of poker, however, it has features that are quite unique and outstanding and differ a lot from the popular variants that you are used to such as Hold’em and Omaha poker. So, without wasting a moment further, let’s get right on it, we have lots to discover.
Open Face Chinese Poker Gameplay
Open Face Chinese poker is an extremely fun variant of poker that calls for non-stop action. Unlike the regular variants where a maximum of 8-9 players can play the game, OFC poker rules do not allow more than 3 players in one game. Also, you might be surprised to know, OFC poker doesn’t involve chips too! It is a strictly points-based game just like hearts or rummy.
When you play Open Face Chinese Poker, all players are required to form three poker hands in three different rows- top, middle and bottom. However, there are specific OFC poker rules that you must follow while arranging your hands.
The bottom pair and the middle pair contain 5 cards each while the top pair includes only 3 cards. All in all, an OFC hand includes 13 cards. However, players receive 14 cards out of which they discard one and keep the remaining cards to complete their 13 card hand.
OFC Poker Hand Rules
- The bottom hand must be the strongest of all
- The middle hand must be better than the top hand
This order of hand formation has to be followed when you play Open Face Chinese poker or else your hand is declared a dead hand. To add to that, you earn zero points besides the money you lose of course! Indeed, like all other skill games, you can play poker for real money too and for various stakes!
Now, let’s dig a little deeper. Remember, not all cards are dealt at once! All players are dealt 5 cards face up at first. Each player uses their cards to form their hands. According to OFC poker rules, once a player sets their hands, the positions can’t be changed. Next, 3 cards are dealt face down out of which players must keep 2 and discard one. This goes on until five rounds in totality and all rows are filled by the players. Next, all points are calculated by comparing hands of all players, Like all other games of poker, there will be a small blind, big blind and a dealer.
Points System in OFC poker rules
When you play Open Face Chinese poker, all players get scored one point for every row. However, you get a Scoop bonus worth 6 points if one player beats the other in all three rows. In another scenario, if one player beats another in 2 out of 3 rows, he/she will get 1 point.
In the 3rd scenario, if you lose 2 out of 3 rows, you get minus 1 point. On the contrary, when you happen to lose in all 3 rows, you end up getting minus 6 points. An interesting feature in OFC poker that tweaks your adrenaline is that you receive a royalty bonus for scoring big hands in different rows.
Join the big league- Fantasy Land!
This is where things get really exciting. When you play OFC poker, you get to enter Fantasy Land if you make a pair of Qs or better in the top row without committing foul. The perks of being in fantasy land is that in the next round, you receive all 14 cards at once and you have the free hand to choose your best 13 card hand. So, your opponent loses the edge because he/she has to stick to the regular rules. Players can stay in Fantasy land if they hit quads or better in the bottom row hand or trips in the top row.
So, how about trying this thrilling variant of poker today? Even though there aren’t too many poker apps hosting this variant in India, we managed to find one for you.
PokerBaazi is Hosting OFC Poker Games for Money
PokerBaazi, an Indian poker site is hosting online poker games of OFC poker for real money. In fact, you can explore and enjoy three exclusive formats of Open Face Chinese poker on the poker site- regular ultimate and progressive. Players can switch between variants and enjoy them for micro, low, mid and high stakes according to their expertise in the card game.
So, what’s keeping you away? Hit the tables and get going already!