Submitted by Mercy on 2005-06-08
Chinese Poker, also known as Russian Poker, is a game for up to 4 players.
Gameplay:
After the antes are posted, each player is dealt a 13-card hand. The players divide their 13 cards into 3 hands. The first hand has 3 cards, the second hand has 5 cards, and the third hand has 5 cards. The 3-card hand can either be high card, pair, or trips; straights and flushes do not count. The second hand must beat the first hand, and the third hand must beat the second hand. The three hands are arranged face down in front of the player. After all players have arranged their three hands, there is a showdown. All players' first hand is revealed at the same time. Then all the second hands are revealed. Finally, all the third hands are revealed.
Winnings:
There are many different scoring systems for Chinese Poker. In the most common system, 50% of the pot goes to the player with the highest second hand. 25% goes to the highest first hand, and 25% goes to the highest third hand.
Most scoring systems also have bonuses for good hands. For example, a full house gets one bonus point, a four-of-a-kind gets two bonus points, and a straight flush gets six bonus points. For each bonus point a player gets, all the other players must pay him or her 25% of the pot. Sometimes, the bonus points are doubled if they are won for the second hand. Bonus point systems vary widely from place to place and are usually just determined by house rules.
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