Chinese Poker

Overview

(Not to be confused with Big Two) A gambling game using a standard card deck. Each player is dealt 13 cards, which they use to form 3 poker hands: a 3-card "front hand," a 5-card "middle hand" (which must outrank the front hand), and a 5-card "back hand" (which must outrank the middle hand). Each player then compares their three hands to those of each of the other players, in turn. In the most common scoring system, a player wins two betting units when two of their hands are stronger than another player's corresponding hands, and four betting units when all three of their hands are stronger. So for example, if Player A's back hand was a full house, his middle hand was two pair, and his front hand a pair of jacks, while Player B's corresponding hands were a flush, three-of-a-kind, and a pair of nines, Player B would owe Player A two betting units. Other scoring options include bonuses for especially strong hands (e.g., you win four extra bets if your back or middle hand is a straight flush), and "surrender," which allows you to throw away a particularly bad set of cards and just pay a fixed penalty fee to each opponent. In another variant, if you have all fours, you instantly win.