Hold’em games are still in the majority all over the world. It is the most played modality and has the largest community of followers in the world. But there are more and more fans of other types of varieties, and that is where Chinese poker enters the scene.

It is one of the most beloved modalities, and its popularization in some of the best-known poker apps of the moment has made the number of players trying the Asian variant of poker on the rise.

Chinese poker: basic rules to start

Chinese poker is a type of poker that is very different from the Texas games. It works for points, but in a system that can be somewhat crude at first glance. We are talking about a somewhat complex scoring system that requires some adaptation to begin to master it.

The system is as follows: when a player wins all three lanes from one of the players, the winner is said to have managed to Scoop. The winner adds 3 points. Points in Chinese poker are calculated by comparing street by street. For each of the lanes won, another point is added. But if a street is lost, then it is subtracted. Therefore, bad play penalizes.

What punishes the loser the most is losing the hand. So, he loses 3 poker points. In the event that a foul has been committed, 1 point will be subtracted for each of the lanes affected by that foul.

This Chinese poker points system has royalties as its main incentive. At first it seems that the points system in Chinese poker is designed to punish players, but with royalties it evens out. This is when players can add extra points to their locker, although they can only be added to lanes that have been earned. Losing the lane means automatically giving up this bonus.

Points in online poker: how this system works

How are points distributed in Chinese poker? Let’s see it:

Additional points in the Back Hand

These bonuses, which imply adding extra points, are calculated from the ladder, and are as follows:

• Flush. Add 2 extra points.
• Color. Add 4 extra points.
• Full House. Add 6 extra points.
• Poker. Add 10 extra points.
• Color flush. Add 15 extra points.
• Royal flush. Add 25 extra points.

Additional points in the Middle Hand

On mid lane, royalties are added from the set, not the straight. It is a different distribution of poker points:

• Three-in-a-row. Add 2 extra points.
• Flush. Add 4 extra points.
• Color. Add 8 extra points.
• Full House. Add 12 extra points.
• Poker. Add 20 extra points.
• Color Flush. Add 30 extra points.
• Royal Flush. Add 50 extra points.

Additional points on the Front Hand

Again, the point system in Chinese poker changes with the change of street. That affects royalties, making these extra points start adding up from pairs. Depending on the value of the pair, some points or others are assigned:

• 66: 1 extra point is added.
• 77: 2 extra points are added.
• 88: 3 extra points are added.
• 99: 4 extra points are added.
• TT: 5 extra points are added.
• JJ: 6 extra points are added.
• QQ: 7 extra points are added.
• KK: 8 extra points are added.
• AA: 9 extra points are added.
• 222: 10 extra points are added.
• 333: 11 extra points are added.
• 444: 12 extra points are added.
• 555: 13 extra points are added.
• 666: 14 extra points are added.
• 777: 15 extra points are added.
• 888: 16 extra points are added.
• 999: 17 extra points are added.
• TTT: 18 extra points are added.
• JJJ: 19 extra points are added.
• QQQ: 20 extra points are added.
• KKK: 21 extra points are added.
• AAA: 22 extra points are added.

How Fantasy Land works in Chinese poker

Chinese poker is associated with the distribution of rewards and a points system that can be enhanced with bonuses. Beyond royalties, it is possible to access what is known as Fantasy Land. This special access is obtained when during the Front Hand, a player binds a pair of queens or higher.

In Fantasy Land, the benefited player receives 13 hit cards, being able to make the hand directly. The rest will continue to receive the hand with the cards one by one.

This incentive system is exactly what makes playing Chinese poker online so much fun. It gives a twist to the strategic component of poker and adds a series of incentives that makes playing Chinese poker a fresh and different experience.