|
|
. |
. |
|
|
 |
| Poker
Pros Drawn to Chinese Poker's Luck Factor |
|
One often hears the big name
professional poker players talking about a session of Chinese poker that they recently
played. The game has been popular with Asian players for many years, and is responsible
for some heavy action amongst the game's biggest bankrolls.
This particular version of poker is so popular because the element of luck plays a bigger
role than in most variants of poker. This allows novice players to have short term gains,
and will also make it easier for a losing player to blame their losses on the cards
instead of their play.
Very experienced players will carry a big edge over novice players, and if the session
lasts long enough the skilled players will usually win out.
The game is usually played with four people, but the higher stakes games are mostly
heads-up action. Each player is dealt 13 cards with which they have to divide up into
three poker hands; two five-card hands and one three-card hand. The two big hands are
known as the “middle" and “the back", while the three-card hand is the
“front". “the back" must be the highest ranking hand, and “the
front", the lowest ranking hand. The hands are then set down and then players declare
if they're going to play their hand or not. If they have a hand that is big enough for a
bonus, called “royalties" they will declare them before the hands are revealed.
The stakes of the game are agreed upon before the game starts and players are given points
called "units" to keep track of who is winning. A player wins one point for
every corresponding hand they can beat from each player at the table. That means that
second-best hand can often still be profitable. An extra point can be won if one player
wins all three showdowns against the same player, called the “scoop". The
heads-up hand comparisons also allow players to play for different stakes against
different opponents in the same game.
When a player decides to surrender their hand they will be forced to pay an amount greater
than the amount paid when losing two out of three hands, but less than the amount paid
when getting scooped.
Making a mistake separating your hand will result in having to pay each opponent still in
the hand (players who have not surrendered) an amount equal to being scooped.
Chinese poker is a popular side game at most of the major tour events, and most Vegas
casinos in Vegas will spread the game if there's enough interest. |
Check Out The Online Poker
Sites
|
|
|
