How to build a solid back row in Chinese Poker
Your back row is the floor of the house: build it badly and everything else collapses. It's your strongest row and it sets the ceiling for the other two (remember: back ≥ middle ≥ top). Let's see how to raise it properly.
This is where your best weapons go
The back row has 5 cards and it's where your big hands should end up: a flush, a straight, a full house or, at minimum, two pair or trips. That's why, from the opening deal, you send everything that "coordinates" here: suited cards, connected cards and medium-to-high pairs.
Keep reading — it’s free
The rest of this lesson is free with an Academy sign-up. One email, no card, nothing to pay — it just keeps your progress and unlocks every member lesson.
Already signed up on this device? Content unlocks automatically.Keep your draws alive
If you start with four to a flush on the back, your job is to keep that draw alive as long as possible without compromising the legality of the hand. Don't be in a rush to "close" the back: as long as you have cards to come, a good flush or a straight is worth a lot of royalties (flush +4, straight +2, full house +6...).
The mistake of a back that's "too good, too soon"
Watch out for a classic error: you rush to build a spectacular back and forget that you still have to fill the middle and top below it. If your back is a full house, your middle can be at most a flush or a straight, and your top a pair... do you have the cards for that? If not, you end up with a foul. A huge back is worthless if it forces you to break the hand.
When to settle
You won't always hit the big flush. Sometimes the correct play is to settle for a modest made hand — a high pair, two pair — that's legal and lets you build the rest calmly. Remember the Module 1 mindset: legal and weak always beats spectacular and fouled.
Quick recap
- The back row is the strongest and sets the ceiling for the rest.
- Send the coordinated stuff here: suited, connected cards and pairs.
- Keep your flush/straight draws alive, without rushing.
- Don't build a back so good you can't fill the rest without fouling.
Next up: the middle row, the most profitable and the most treacherous.