Eating It Up: Open-Face Chinese Poker

Whenever I hear someone referring to “Open-Face Chinese Poker,” it makes me think of food. In fact, it often makes me hungry.

One reason is the way the name of the game -- the latest new variant to capture the poker community’s attention -- sounds like “open-faced sandwich.” As in oh, man, you’ve simply got to try this Open-Face Chinese with avocado and sprouts and a slice of cheese melted on top. Delish!

The other is the excitement with which many people who’ve played the game seem always to talk about it -- as if their appetite (so to speak) for more open-face Chinese is unending.

For example, Jason Mercier not long ago wrote a post over on the PokerStars blog titled “Why I love Open-Face Chinese Poker” that begins with him referencing a recent session wherein he played the game for 34 consecutive hours, slept, then woke to play 20 hours more.

Again, it sounds like the game is some sort of lotus-like delicacy that once you try it you cannot stop eating it.

Mercier goes on in the post to discuss reasons why he is so “hooked” on the game, although I suppose the points he makes aren’t necessarily unique to OFCP.

He likes how unlike other forms of poker there is no betting involved during game play (just points tallied at the end), although that is an aspect of the game that is similar to regular Chinese Poker. He also likes the fact that it is a new game to many and thus “no one’s ‘solved’ the game” nor have “standard” plays been developed as yet. That, too, one could argue, is always going to be the case for whatever new variant comes along, at least at first. It depends on the nature of the game, however, how great a resistance to being “solved” it might have.

Mercier also talks about the many variables OFCP can have, especially when played four-handed. Again, something similar might be said of other poker variants, with some games presenting many more variables than others.

If you’re not familiar with OFCP, Jennifer Shahade has written an article describing “How to Play Open-Face Chinese Poker” for Card Player. There she spells how OFCP differs from regular Chinese Poker while also delving further into the game’s sudden popularity.

The big difference with OFCP is that rather than being dealt all 13 cards initially, players only get five cards to start, then the remaining cards one at a time thereafter, setting their hands as they go (top, middle, and bottom as in regular Chinese).

It is therefore harder to make strong hands in OFCP, and so royalties are adjusted accordingly. Indeed, royalties are a lot more prominent (and complicated) in the game, awarded not just for super-strong hands but all of the way down to having a pair (on top). There’s also a greater danger of missetting one’s hand -- that is, “fouling” one’s hand by not ensuring the highest-value hand is in back, then the second-best is in the middle, then the weakest is on top -- than is the case in regular Chinese poker.

As an indicator of OFCP’s popularity, there is actually going to be an Open-Face Chinese Poker event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure next month. It’ll be a $2,000 + $150 buy-in tournament that will incorporate a “shot clock” so as to force players to make decisions about setting their hands more quickly.

I enjoy regular Chinese Poker, which can be an especially fun game for passing the time when traveling or in situations where it isn’t feasible or convenient to get out chips and set up to play other forms of poker. I haven’t really tried OFCP that much as yet, only having had a taste of the game thus far. A bite or two, so to speak. So I haven’t come close to experiencing getting “hooked” on it such as has happened a few times for me when learning other variants of poker (pot-limit Omaha springs to mind).

It does seem a little like OFCP edges over into territory occupied by card games like gin or bridge or spades, at least in some respects (e.g., the rhythm of the game, the points system), while still being poker.

Am kind of curious how the game got its name. I understand how calling it “open-face” helps indicate the difference between setting your hand secretly (as in regular Chinese) and out in the open (as in OFCP), but why “open-face” rather than just “open”? I guess there is a precedent in blackjack, as there is an “open-face” version of that game. But again, why the “face”?

Anyhow, will have to try it for real soon. Meanwhile, I’m going to have some lunch.

Make a Point to Double-Check, Double-Check to Make a Point

This summer at the WSOP I finally got around to learning how to play Chinese Poker. A few of us on a break dealt out some hands and I received a quick tutorial. Didn’t take long to see why the game can be so addictive. One of the field reporters had the Chinese Poker application on his iPhone, too, which I thought about adding to mine. But since it wasn’t a free app -- and because I’m cheap -- I passed.

There’s now a free version of the app, which I grabbed before my recent trip to Kyiv, Ukraine and enjoyed playing during random moments along the way. Took me about a hundred hands to realize I wasn’t playing very smartly, and so started looking further into strategy.

Tom Schneider made a couple of Card Player videos a while back in which he talks about Chinese Poker. The first covers basics, like how to deal and some of the default strategies for building hands and avoiding getting scooped. That first one also talks about scoring and points work, which is simple but not obvious to a newcomer:

In the second video, Tom gets into explaining royalties and how they might affect one’s strategy. He also talks about some of the variations like deuce-to-seven in the middle.

These vids were recorded right near the end of the WSOP Main Event. You might recall that Schneider made it all of the way to Day 7, ultimately busting in 52nd place. In fact, I’m remembering that after he busted I ran over during the dinner break and joined Tom and crew while they ate dinner, and sure enough Chinese Poker was being played at the table.

This is also making me recall a very funny story involving Tom from right there at the end of the WSOP that I don’t think I shared here. Story also has to do with my iPhone, as it happens, which I had only just picked up in May right before going out to Vegas.

Long time readers of the blog know about how I met Tom a couple years ago (via his old podcast, Beyond the Table). He and I have been in contact ever since, and this summer had talked a few times and exchanged text messages now and then. So when he was making his deep run in the ME, it wasn't unusual for me to send him a text message wishing him well. Sent during the morning before Day 7, actually.

We got to the first break that day and as I often did took a moment during the break to fire off a text to Vera Valmore: “hey mama... first break about to end... day goin’ well xxx.”

That is to say, I thought I’d sent a message to Vera. It was later that afternoon Tom finally busted, then sometime after that he sent what I assume was a text to all of his contacts passing along the news that he was out.

That’s when I realized -- my earlier message... I’d sent it to Tom, not Vera! I had a feeling as soon as I started texting with the iPhone that at some point I would probably make that mistake. The message app opens to the last person you texted, so if yr not paying attention, it isn’t that hard to send a message to the wrong person. Finally I had done it.

Sent Tom another text, explaining the mix-up. “Disregard the ‘mama’ and ‘xxx’ and replace with ‘dude’ and a high-five” I said.

Funny stuff. Tom got a big laugh out of it, and referred to me as “mama” from that point forward. That was the night I met ’em all for dinner, and then later in the evening had the chance to play for an hour or so with Tom, Julie, and others in the Rio poker room. Got to play both Badugi and deuce-to-seven triple draw for the first time ever live. A highlight of the summer, for sure.

So the moral of the story here is always double-check, whether when setting your hand in Chinese or sending a text to your buddy. In the former case, you might accidentally kiss yr money goodbye. In the latter, you might accidentally kiss yr buddy.