HOW TO PLAY OFC POKER AND BECOME GREAT AT IT?

YOUR GUIDE ON HOW TO BECOME THE BEST OFC POKER PLAYER IS HERE. LEARN THE SKILLS AND BECOME THE PLAYER YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE.

Open Face Chinese (OFC) Poker ranks highly as one of the fastest-growing poker games currently in the poker niche. One interesting feature about OFC poker is that it doesn’t incorporate any betting or chips during game play.

This means that technically, OFC isn’t poker. This might make learning how to play OFC poker sound complicated, which incidentally isn’t really the case.

OFC poker is only considered a poker game because it involves poker hands. This best explains where it gets the name from. If you’re a poker enthusiast or an avid player, you must have also bumped into the Chinese poker.

OFC is a variant of the regular or ‘closed face’ Chinese poker. It gained some traction in the US around 2011/2012 and then dramatically increased in popularity, becoming a household name among pro players. It is most preferred among avid poker players who fancy gambling with both big and small stakes.

With that in mind, OFC is packed with fun and guaranteed to give you the thrill you’re looking for when playing poker. Continue reading to discover all the basics you may want to know before trying Open Face Chinese poker.

Where Does OFC Poker Come From?

Originally, OFC poker was developed in Finland in the mid-2000s. It quickly rose in popularity, spreading to Russia just a few years later, where it was described as spreading like wildfire by the Russian gambling community.

Even though OFC poker is a variant of the standard Closed-face Chinese poker, you don’t have to be very knowledgeable in Closed-face Chinese poker, for you to be able to be a great OFC poker player. There are instances where some of the rules don’t actually apply to both variants.

How do you Play OFC Poker?

Learning how to play OFC poker shouldn’t be very complicated. You can play the game versus two, three or a maximum number of four players at the table.

Learn the Basics of how to Play OFC Poker

In playing Open Face Chinese (OFC) Poker, the dealer button will rotate clockwise around the gaming table. You and the other players will be dealt five cards at the beginning of the game.

The difference in this game is that all cards are played face-up, which explains the name (Open-Face). These cards are dealt between three different hands: a three-card on the top row, a five-card on the middle row and finally, a five-card in the bottom row.

When a card is placed, it cannot be moved again. This way, each of the players involved will take turns receiving cards and placing them in their preferred row.

The cycle repeats eight times until all the players have a 13-cards. No cards are turned in OFC poker and no betting is involved, as we previously mentioned.

You will typically be competing for the points, which are awarded once all the hands are dealt. This implies that all the players involved will compare their hands to opponents when all the hands have been dealt.

If you have the top hand or better front, you win the row for a point. If you win the middle row, you are awarded two points. Finally, if you get the bottom or the back row, you will be awarded three points.

If you or one of your opponent’s wins all three rows, you or the opponent player ‘scoops’ and gets awarded with extra three points. You can also receive bonuses or in other words royalties for strong hands.

What are the Simplest OFC Poker Strategies?

Knowing how to play OFC poker is a good initial step but knowing when to use the best strategies will make you a winning player. If you’re interested in the game of OFC, but unsure about your strategy, here are some simple tips that you may find valuable.

Understanding the Point System

There’s a possibility of winning all three hands and only receiving 6 points. This will mostly be the case if all your sets have hand weak combinations such as two pairs, a pair or an Ace high. To grab the most points as possible, you will need stronger hands.

When learning the game, try calculating the number of extra points you can get for each of your hands in every set. For example, if you get a full house on the bottom hand, you earn six extra points. Similarly, a flush in the middle hand and a pair of aces in the top hand will earn you 8 and 9 extra points.

Learn the Setting

When the first five cards are placed, this is referred to as the ‘setting’ in this game and in most cases, it’s the most important set of hands in Open Face Poker. Learning how to play the first five cards will give you an upper hand when trying to put together big hands and therefor scoop more points.

Do Not Lose Track of your Live Cards

It’s very important that you keep a good track of all other players cards to be able to figure out what your odds are. This way, you will have better chances of calculating the odds of improving your hands and scoring more points.

How to become a Successful OFC player?

Becoming a successful player after mastering the basics of playing OFC poker is a matter of time and practice. But here are a few tips to get you started;

I. Do not forget about Fantasyland

You will basically get your most significant wins from hitting the Fantasyland. Fantasyland is a bonus hand, that gives you the freedom to be able to see all the cards in the beginning. Your best hands, like four-of-a-kind or straight-flushes, which guarantee the most points will almost always be from the Fantasyland. Therefore if, for instance, your starting hand is QQA88, you should place the ace in the middle, the Queen on the top handset and the 8’s the bottom set of hands.

II. Do not Foul, and if you Feel your Opponent may Foul Play it Safe

Before trying to go for the Fantasyland, be sure to evaluate your risks. If there are two aces in the top handset, beating it with your two other hands can be very difficult, so it might be smart to not place it there, even if you’re tempted by it.

III. Compare your Cards to that Pair and the Live Cards

You can avoid fouling by leaving your higher cards in the bottom handset, the lower cards in the middle handset and the lowest cards in the top handset.

Finally, if you can’t place your hands in the right order, that’s considered a foul, and you’ll be counted ‘dead’ for the round if you try to continue to play. Therefore, if you notice that your opponent might be on the verge of fouling, your best bet would be to avoid risky moves and aim to make your solid three handsets scoop the full 6 points.

A different but an exciting game

No doubt becoming the best OFC poker player will take some time and a lot of commitment. To use the best strategies and learn how to play OFC poker, keep an eye on your opponents and continue learning. Join us on SWC Poker and discover if you have what it takes, to become one of the greats!