China Poker, or Chinese Poker, is presumed to date back as far as 10th century China, though its exact origins are unknown. This assumption is solely based on the origins of Pai Gow Poker, known to date as far back, baring great similarities to the game of China Poker. Both games are based on the idea of each player receiving a predetermined amount of cards, separated to create two or more individual poker hands. In Pai Gow Poker, a player is dealt 7 cards to develop a 2-card and 5 card hand. In China Poker, a player is dealt 13 cards, with which to create one 3-card and two 5-card hands.

Though China Poker has been enormously popular throughout regions of the Far East for many years now, it did not receive notice in the Western hemisphere until 1995, when China Poker was featured in the World Series of Poker (WSOP). By 1997, China Poker had been removed from the line-up, but not before it had caught on with many of today’s top poker players, including Phil Hellmuth, who claims t have lost more than $500,000 to Phil Ivey playing China Poker, and Berry Greenstein who reportedly lost in excess of $1.5 million to Ted Forrest in a month-long China Poker match.

RULES

The rules of China Poker are considerably more complicated than 5 Card Draw or Texas Hold’em, simply because each player has so many cards to work with – 13 to be exact – and must sort them in a particular fashion. Understanding the rules of China Poker is the most important step to becoming a skilled China Poker player.

See the menu button “Rules” on the left for an in-depth view detailing to the Rules of China Poker.

(Please observe that we have no separate page for hand ranking (what hand wins) since it´s the same for all poker variations. A hand ranking for poker can be found in our poker school for Holdém here.)

STARTING HANDS

Starting Hands aren't usually an issue to deal with in China Poker, as each player is given 13 cards to work with, from start to finish, and bets are not placed throughout the hand. However, if playing China Poker with the 'Surrender' rule, Starting Hands do become a factor. Please select "Starting Hands" from the left menu to learn more about good Starting Hands in China Poker.

STRATEGY

Due to the strict rules of how a player’s hand must be separated in China Poker, a winning strategy can be very precise. There are several ways to go about developing a China Poker strategy, some better suited for certain individuals depending on how their preferred style of play. At PokerBeginner.org, it is our goal to supply you with a number of proven China Poker strategies from which to choose. Please select “Strategy” from the left menu to learn in-depth China Poker Strategies.

COMMON MISTAKES

There are common mistakes made by inexperienced players in every poker game variation, and China Poker is no exception. Choose “Common Mistakes” from the left menu to discover mistakes most commonly made by novice China Poker players, and how to avoid them.

Pokerbeginner your pokerguide.

Looking for a great bonus to a great poker room? Then check out the PartyPoker or PokerStars page. Here you will find the current PartyPoker bonus and PokerRoom bonus.

© 2007 copyright pokerbeginner.org text on China Poker School

ENGLISH

SWEDISH