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Open Face Poker online: Information and Best Sites in 2023

Open Face Poker, both online and offline, has recently become one of the most popular variations of the game, gaining more and more followers. Numerous providers on the internet have already embraced this booming game variant since 2013 and offer various opportunities to play Open Face Poker for real money. This poker version, derived from Chinese Poker and thus occasionally referred to as Open Face Chinese Poker, captivates both beginners and professionals with its complex yet easily learnable gameplay. Here, we not only introduce you to the rules and some basic strategies but also recommend top-rated sites that are particularly suitable for playing Online Open Face Poker for real money.

The most important rules at a glance.

• Open Face Poker can be played by two to four players per table.
• Each player receives thirteen face-up cards.
• The players need to divide the cards into three different hands.
• The hands of the players are compared and evaluated with those of the competitors.
• Certain hands receive bonus points.

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The Open Face Poker rules

At first glance, the rules of the Open Face poker variant may seem a bit complicated. However, once you have played a few dozen hands, the gameplay becomes ingrained, and you can then embark on pursuing various strategies.

Open Face Chinese Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and up to four players can participate at a table. The starting hand consists of five cards, while the remaining eight cards are distributed over an equal number of rounds. Players must form a front hand (three cards), a middle hand (five cards), and a back hand (five cards) from the 13 cards they receive, and they can distribute the five starting cards and any additional cards as they please among the individual hands. The only requirement is that the hand rankings must increase from front to back. Only if the back hand is the strongest and the front hand is the weakest, can a player's hand be considered qualified and potentially win. If a player fails to meet this requirement, all of their hands will be deemed lost, resulting in negative points for them and positive points for their opponents.

At the end of the round, each hand is compared to the hands of all players. A scoring system is then used to determine the winner. Additional points, known as royalties, can be achieved with particularly strong card combinations. In real money games, a specific amount is assigned per point. The players settle their accounts with each other at the end of each round.

The ratings in Open Face Chinese Poker

After each player receives their 13 cards, all participants in the round compare their Front, Middle, and Back hands. This comparison leads to the assignment of points according to the following principle:

• If a player wins all three hands against a competitor, they will receive six points (Scoop).
• If a player wins two hands, they receive one point.
• Consequently, two lost hands result in one negative point, while three lost hands result in six negative points.

Points with the middle and backhand can be achieved as follows:

• Street: Middle Hand 4, Back Hand 2
• Flush: 8 cards in the middle hand and 4 cards in the back hand.
• Full House: Middle Hand twelve, Back Hand six
• Poker or Four of a Kind: Middle Hand 16, Back Hand 8
• Straight Flush: Hand in the middle has a value of 20, while the hand in the back has a value of 10.
• Royal Flush: Middle Hand 40, Back Hand 20

The following special point rules apply to the front hand:

• A pair of sixes or better: 1 to 9 points in ascending order (66 = 1 point, AA = 9 points)
• Drilling two or better: 10 to 22 points ascending (222 = 10 points, AAA = 22 points)

The gameplay in Open Face Poker:

1. Similar to the well-known practices employed in the field, it is crucial to rephrase the provided text in English while maintaining the original sentence length. The aim is to ensure the content is unique for search engines like Google, without altering the text size. Additionally, it is important to write in a way that GPT text detectors won't recognize it as AI-generated, thus emphasizing a human-like style. The final result is as follows: "Just like with the familiar methods utilized, it is essential to paraphrase the mentioned text in English without modifying the sentence length." Texas Hold'em or Omaha Poker Variations exist where a dealer rotates clockwise after each hand. There are no blinds, and bets are not placed at the beginning of the game. Initially, the dealer gives each player at the table five cards, which they can assign to their three hands as desired.
2. In eight rounds of play, the players each receive a card. Once a player has been given a card by the dealer or croupier, they must assign it to one of the three hands placed openly on the table. Once they have done so, the next player receives their card and so on.
3. After all players have received 13 cards and assigned them to their hands, the evaluation takes place. All players compare the cards among themselves and calculate, based on the fixed points and taking into account the special points rule, how many plus or minus points they have achieved compared to a competitor. Then the payout per point follows. The amount that a player has to pay to another per lost point is determined before the game starts or in online poker by the table limits.

Playing Open Face Poker online automates the card dealing and calculations, allowing you to fully focus on the game. This ensures that the distribution of cards and the necessary computations are efficiently handled, enabling you to concentrate solely on your gameplay.

Tips and Strategies for Open Face Poker

Since there is no option to fold in this game, relying on bluffs and studying your opponent doesn't hold much weight here. In Open Face, luck plays a much larger role compared to highly strategic variants like Texas Hold'em or Omaha. Nevertheless, having experience with this poker variation can naturally give you an advantage over inexperienced opponents. Therefore, it's advisable to train in Open Face Poker for free before venturing into real money games. Some online poker sites allow you to try Open Face in practice mode with play money.

Additionally, it is crucial to avoid a common mistake that many newcomers tend to make. Inexperienced players often fixate on scoring bonus points by placing a pair of sixes or better directly in the front hand with their starting hand, for example. However, if no good cards follow, this can lead to an automatic scoop by an opponent since your front hand won't be the weakest. Consequently, you would incur a penalty of six negative points for each opponent, along with potential losses from opponents scoring bonus points, all for the sake of acquiring a few bonus points yourself. Therefore, initially focus on qualifying for the showdown by creating a strong back hand, a good middle hand, and a weaker front hand.

Keeping an eye on the opponents' cards and being able to assess one's own outs and probabilities is a strategically important aspect. This allows you to arrange your cards optimally and gain a significant advantage. Of course, it takes a lot of experience to get an overview during fast-paced game rounds and recalculate the probabilities from round to round. The only way to improve in this regard is through practice. It is crucial to hone your skills and gain a deep understanding of the game to consistently make informed decisions. With dedication and perseverance, you can become a master at analyzing situations and making the most favorable moves. Remember, practice makes perfect!

The top Open Face Poker sites for Ireland in 2023

Open Face Poker online is the latest card game trend that is slowly spreading from the poker rooms in Las Vegas 2023 to the internet. There are already several websites that offer Open Face Poker on the internet. On these sites, you can usually play Open Face Chinese Poker for real euros as well as try it out in the free practice mode. It is mainly played at cash game tables, but some providers already offer real money tournaments with the Chinese poker variant.

We meticulously examined the leading poker sites in Ireland, excluding those that offer Open Face Poker. Afterward, we thoroughly tested this variant of the game in different poker rooms while also scrutinizing their additional offerings such as bonuses, banking options, and customer service. This enables us not only to present you with the finest Open Face poker rooms but also to guarantee that the online poker provider's entire package is superb. Take a closer look at our aforementioned ranking of the top Open Face poker sites and try this thrilling game today.