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Open Face Chinese Pineapple Poker is a popular card game that has been gaining traction among the poker community.
The basic goal is to create a stronger 13-card hand than your opponents. However, this game requires strategic depth, as you will receive more cards and have more options than anyone playing traditional Open Face Chinese Poker.
This guide explains how to play Open Face Chinese Pineapple Poker and discusses the best sites for anyone interested in this up-and-coming poker variant.
Open Face Chinese Poker Pineapple Rules
Open Face Chinese Pineapple Poker, often referred to as Pineapple OFC, requires you to arrange 13 cards in three rows:
Top: You must place a three-card hand at the top of the grid.
Middle: This five-card hand must be stronger than the top.
Bottom: This five-card hand must be stronger than the middle.
The player with the best 13-card hand wins. Pineapple OFC can be divided into four distinct stages:
Setup: Each player is dealt five cards. You can place them anywhere on the 5-5-3 grid.
Receive additional cards: You will then receive three additional cards. You can place two down on the 5-5-3 grid and discard the other one.
Complete your hand: This process is repeated four more times: receive three cards, place two down and discard the third card. You will then be left with a 13-card hand.
Final showdown: Each player’s hand is revealed, and the scoring takes place.
Your 13-card hand is divided into three rows. You will typically receive 1 point for winning a row and be deducted 1 point for losing a row. There are also scoring bonuses. For example, if you win all three rows – which is known as “scooping” your opponent – you typically earn a 6-point bonus. You will also earn bonuses according to the strength of your hand. For instance, you may receive 25 points for a Royal Flush.
Meanwhile, if you set your hands incorrectly – for example, your middle hand ends up stronger than your bottom hand – you will incur a penalty for fouling. Points are tallied up, and the player with the most points wins the round.
How Pineapple OFC compares to other variants
Pineapple OFC uses similar hand rankings to other poker games, such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha. A royal flush is the best hand, followed by a straight flush, four of a kind and so on. However, there are some clear differences:
Objective: The goal is to earn as many points as possible from a 13-card hand. By contrast, Texas Hold’em and Omaha are community card games, where players try to create the best hand from a combination of hole cards and community cards.
Hand construction: You need to create three separate hands, as opposed to just a single five-card hand when playing Hold’em.
Betting structure: Unlike Hold’em and Omaha, Pineapple OFC does not typically involve betting rounds. Instead, you earn points based on the strength of your hand.
Strategy: Pineapple OFC requires strategic depth and skill, as you have lots of different options. You must decide which cards to keep and which cards to discard, and where to place your cards to ensure you end up with a strong 13-card grid, without fouling. However, Pineapple OFC does not require you to bluff or read your opponents’ tells, so the strategy and skills are different.
Can You Play Open Face Chinese Poker Online?
Yes, you can compete in Pineapple OFC tournaments at 747 LIVE. This popular poker variant is played in a windfall format with a jackpot prize pool at those sites.
Pineapple OFC tournaments feature three players at 747 LIVE. The dealer button moves clockwise after each round. As levels go up, points become more valuable, and the player that ends up with all the chips wins the match.
Pineapple OFC Summary
747 LIVE are the best sites for anyone interested in playing Open Face Chinese Pineapple Poker. Both sites are secure, trustworthy and reliable, with strong traffic and liquidity, and their tournaments run smoothly. They also provide large welcome bonuses, loads of ongoing promotions, 24/7 customer support and quick payouts via crypto or fiat-based methods.
If you are interested in playing other types of poker, such as Hold’em and Omaha, check out our poker sites page to find the best places for those game variants. We have highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each site, and we have also rounded up the best bonuses for online poker players to claim.
