A complete hand of Chinese Poker, walked through turn by turn
You already know the rules, the scoring and the strategy. Let's see it all come together in a single hand, commented decision by decision. This is the video for watching how a player thinks, not just what they place. (You can rebuild every step in the OFC Board Studio with the card editor.)
The deal: 5 opening cards
I'm dealt: A A J 7 6.
I apply the placement rule:
- A and A → top. What luck! I already have a pair of aces up top, so Fantasyland is practically in the bag if I keep the hand legal. High cards up top: textbook.
- J and 7 → back. They're diamonds: my back row commits to a flush draw (suited → back).
- 6 → middle. A low card with no plan of its own: it kicks off my middle row, safely below whatever the back becomes.
Board: Top A A · Middle 6 · Back J 7.
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Already signed up on this device? Content unlocks automatically.Turn 2 — I get 8 5 2 (place 2, discard 1)
- 8 → back (third diamond, the flush draw grows). Back: J 8 7.
- 5 → middle (another low card under control: if it pairs, no danger to the back). Middle: 6 5.
- Discard 2: helps nothing. Gone without regret.
Turn 3 — I get 9 5 2
- 5 → middle (pairs my five!). Middle: 6 5 5.
- 2 → back (fourth diamond — the flush is looking very alive). Back: J 8 7 2.
- Discard 9: fits no plan.
Here you can already see the hand taking shape: aces up top, a pair growing in the middle, flush draw nearly done at the back. And all of it legal.
Turn 4 — I get T 4 3
- 4 → back: completes the diamond flush! Back locked: J 8 7 4 2.
- T → middle: a high card that opens the door to a second pair. Middle: 6 5 5 T.
- Discard 3.
Turn 5 (last) — I get K Q T
I have two slots left (the third up top and the fifth in the middle).
- T → middle: pairs the ten and closes the middle as two pair, tens and fives (T T 5 5 6).
- K → top: completes the top row with my pair of aces and the best possible kicker (A A K).
- Discard Q.
The result
Final board:
- Top: A A K → pair of aces → royalty +9 and... Fantasyland! (AA is QQ+).
- Middle: T T 5 5 6 → two pair → solid, and safely under the back.
- Back: J 8 7 4 2 → flush → royalty +4.
I check legality: flush (back) ≥ two pair (middle) ≥ pair (top). Legal hand. I add up 13 in royalties, win rows... and next hand I enter Fantasyland.
What you watched me think
- I placed the highs up top from minute one, chasing Fantasyland.
- I committed the back to the flush (suited → back) and kept it alive by counting diamonds.
- I built the middle with low cards under control, and paired them as they arrived — the classic two pair shape of OFC.
- I discarded whatever didn't fit every turn, without hesitation.
- And at all times I watched out for the foul: flush ≥ two pair ≥ pair.
Quick recap
- Highs up top, flush at the back, pairs in the middle: the rule in action.
- Keep your draws alive and discard whatever doesn't help.
- Watch the order back ≥ middle ≥ top at every step.
- Mission accomplished: legal hand, +13 royalties and Fantasyland.
Next up
Final lesson: where to practice, how to train and a glossary with every term.