Open Face Chinese Poker — Complete Rules Guide

What is Open Face Chinese Poker?

Open Face Chinese Poker (OFC) is a card game for 2–4 players where each player builds three separate poker hands on a board — a top hand (3 cards), a middle hand (5 cards), and a bottom hand (5 cards).

The core rule: your hands must be set in valid order. Bottom must be stronger than middle, and middle must be stronger than top. Break that order and you foul — your hand scores zero and you lose 6 points to each opponent.

OFC Ledger supports two variants: Pineapple OFC (recommended) and Classic OFC.

Pineapple OFC — How the Game Works

Pineapple is the most popular competitive variant and the one OFC Ledger is built around.

Setup: Each player receives 5 cards face-up to start and places all 5 on their board immediately.

Each subsequent round: You receive 3 cards, place 2 on your board, and discard 1 face-down.

This continues until all 13 cards are placed.

Total rounds: 5 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 13 cards across five rounds.

In Classic OFC each player receives 1 card per turn — Pineapple gives you more cards and more decisions per turn, making it faster and more strategic.

Turn order: Players take turns in order. The player who places last in round 1 goes first in round 2, rotating each round.

Fouling: If your completed board is invalid, you foul. A fouled hand loses 6 points to each opponent and earns no royalties.

The Board — Three Hands

Bottom Hand (5 cards) — Strongest

Your strongest hand. Must be equal to or stronger than your middle hand. Standard poker rankings apply: high card, pair, two pair, trips, straight, flush, full house, quads, straight flush, royal flush.

Middle Hand (5 cards) — Medium

Must be stronger than your top hand and equal to or weaker than your bottom hand.

Top Hand (3 cards) — Weakest

Three cards only — no straights or flushes count. Valid hands: high card, pair, or three of a kind. This is where royalties get most valuable.

Scoring & Royalties

Each hand is scored row by row against every other player at the table. Each row you win gives you 1 point — and since OFC is a zero-sum game, every point you win is a point your opponent loses. Win 2 of 3 rows and you're up 1 point net against that opponent. Win all 3 rows and you scoop — that's worth 3 bonus points on top of the 3 row points, for 6 points total against that player. It's also possible to tie individual rows, for example if both players have the same straight on the bottom. Tied rows cancel out and neither player scores that row.

Points are then adjusted for royalties.

Royalty Table — Top Hand

Royalty Table — Middle Hand

Five of a kind and Royal Flush are both worth 50 points in the middle. Royal Flush beats Five of a kind if comparing hand strength, but royalty value is equal.

Royalty Table — Bottom Hand

Five of a kind and Royal Flush are both worth 25 points on the bottom. Royal Flush beats Five of a kind in hand strength, but royalty value is equal.

Fantasy Land

Fantasy Land (FL) is the most exciting mechanic in OFC. Qualify for Fantasy Land and you receive all your cards at once next hand — full information to build the perfect board.

Entering Fantasy Land

OFC Ledger supports three Fantasy Land modes:

Classic Fantasy Land: Any pair of Queens or better on top qualifies — you receive 14 cards next hand.

Progressive Fantasy Land (most common in competitive play):

• Pair of Queens on top → 14 cards
• Pair of Kings on top → 15 cards
• Pair of Aces on top → 16 cards
• Three of a kind on top → 17 cards

Custom: You set the qualification thresholds yourself in the app settings.

OFC Ledger defaults to Classic Fantasy Land.

While in Fantasy Land

• You receive all cards at once and place them privately.
• Opponents see your cards face-down.
• Regular turn order is suspended — all Fantasy Land players place simultaneously.

Staying in Fantasy Land

• Three of a kind on top, OR
• Four of a kind or better on bottom.

Fouling in Fantasy Land still counts — you lose the hand and exit FL. The number of cards received (14–17) is shown as a badge in OFC Ledger's results screen.

Special Rules in OFC Ledger

These rules are optional and toggled in game settings. They were developed from house rules in the OFC community.

Spades Multiplier

When a player places the 2 of Spades on their board (not as a joker), their total net score for that hand is multiplied.

• 2♠ alone: ×2
• 2♠ + 3♠: ×4
• 2♠ + 3♠ + 4♠: ×8

The multiplier applies to the full net result including royalties. If two players both hold spades multipliers, the higher multiplier applies — they do not stack.

The Choice

If you play the 2 of Spades and are not currently in Fantasy Land, you earn The Choice for your next hand. With The Choice active you may place either 1 or 3 cards instead of the normal 2 on a turn — but your total placements must balance to an even number over the round. You carry a debt that must be settled within the same hand.

The Choice badge (TC) appears in the results screen when active. The Choice can only be earned when you play the 2 of Spades outside of Fantasy Land, and it can only be used the following hand if you are also not in Fantasy Land that hand — if you enter Fantasy Land, The Choice is forfeit.

Jokers

1–3 jokers can be added to the deck. When you place a joker on your board you declare which card it represents. Once confirmed the value is locked for that hand. If time runs out jokers are auto-defined as 2♥, 3♥, or 4♥.

Shooting the Moon

If your bottom row is Jack-high or worse — no pair, no flush, no straight — you shoot the moon. Instead of comparing hand by hand, you score a fixed number of points against each opponent (default 20). No royalties are added, but Spades multipliers still apply.

Foul as normal if your board is invalid. Whether Shooting the Moon is valid from Fantasy Land is configurable in game settings.

App Settings — Customize Your Game

OFC Ledger lets you configure the game to match how your crew plays. Settings are chosen when creating a new game.

• Variant: Classic or Pineapple.
• Fantasy Land mode: Classic (QQ+), Progressive (QQ=14, KK=15, AA=16, trips=17), or Custom.
• Spades Multiplier: On or Off.
• The Choice: On or Off.
• Jokers: 0–3.
• Turn timer: 5 minutes to 24 hours, or unlimited.
• Match length: Optional. Set a fixed number of hands — for example challenge a friend to a 10-hand match — or leave open-ended.
• Players: 2–4.

Glossary

• Foul — An invalid board where hand strength order is broken. Loses 6 points per opponent, no royalties earned.
• Scoop — Winning all three rows against one opponent. Worth 3 points total including a 2-point scoop bonus.
• Fantasy Land (FL) — Receiving all cards at once next hand after qualifying on the top row.
• Royalties — Bonus points for strong hands, added after head-to-head row scoring.
• The Choice (TC) — Earned by playing 2♠. Allows placing 1 or 3 cards on a turn instead of the normal 2.
• Spades Multiplier — Multiplies your net score when you hold 2♠ and optionally 3♠ and 4♠.
• Pineapple — OFC variant where you receive 3 cards per turn and discard 1.
• Dead card — The discarded card in Pineapple, played face-down and not revealed.