China Poker can be a terribly expenses or highly lucrative poker game, depending on whether a player implements strategy, or simply ‘goes with the flow’. Since each player is dealt 13 cards from the start of the hand, to be used to create 3 poker hands (5 cards, 5 cards and 3 cards), there is no way to bluff and no hope of getting something better before it’s over.

The idea behind a good China Poker strategy is to develop these 3 hands in such a manner that you will win more betting units than lost.

The rules state that the Back Hand (5 cards) must beat the Middle Hand, and the Middle Hand (5 cards) must beat the Front Hand (3 cards). Aside from following this strict rule, a player can arrange their hands in any fashion they wish.

You are not required to make the absolute best possible Back Hand first, then work with the 8 remaining cards. You must disperse the 13 cards in such a way that you can win at least 2 of the 3 hands. The exact strategy used to accomplish this varies by the rules at the China Poker table.

China Poker Original Rules Strategy

China Poker, in its original format, pays the winners by keeping score. This means a player can beat one player, but lose to another on the same hand. For this China Poker strategy, you must ensure that your hands are good enough to beat at least 2 out of 3 opponents.

What if your Back and Middle Hands are excellent, but it leaves nothing in your Front Hand? This is okay, because you would be taking 6 units on the first Back and Middle Hands, and only losing 3 units on the Front Hand.

China Poker ‘Pool Betting’ Rule Strategy

If playing China Poker in a Pool Betting format, where the highest Back Hand wins 3 units, highest Middle Hand wins 3 units and highest Front Hand wins 3 units (1 unit from each player), the China Poker Strategy changes a bit.

You must win outright on at least two hands in order to make a profit. Make sure to arrange your cards in such a manner that at least two of them are likely winners. If this is not possible, then create at least one sure-fire winner, one possible winner and disregard the last. When all else fails, make 3 average hands and cross your fingers!

China Poker With ‘Surrender’ Rule Strategy

If given the option to Surrender, you may use the China Poker Starting Hands guide to increase your profit potential. When a player surrenders, they are Folding their hand from the start, paying each player 1 or 2 units instead of expecting to lose all units. How many units are paid to the other players varies by the rules at the table, but either way, it is better to lose 3 or 6 units, rather than crossing your fingers and losing all 9.

Developing Hands

As mentioned above, hand development is the number one key to a good China Poker strategy. To better explain this, let’s try a few example hands, and decide the best route for sorting hands.

Your Hand: 2c, 3h, 4h, 5h, 5s, 5c, 6c, 9c, Qh, Qc, Kd, Ac, Ah

Example 1
Back Hand: 5h, 5s, 5c, Ac, Ah (Full House)
Middle Hand: Qh, Qc, 4h, 3h, 2c (Pair of Queens)
Front Hand: Kd, 9c, 6c (King High)

While the Back Hand is great, the Middle and Front Hands are utterly terrible. This is not how the China Poker hands should be arranged. A Full House usually wins the Back Hand, but the 5’s are two low to predict an outright win.

Example 2
Back Hand: 5c, 6c, 9c, Qc, Ac (Flush)
Middle Hand: Ah, 2c, 3h, 4h, 5h (Straight)
Front Hand: Kd, Qh, 5s (King High)

This would be an average China Poker hand. The Flush on the Back Hand will not beat everyone, but being an Ace-High Flush, might beat at least one opponent. The Middle Hand is decent enough to beat one or two opponents, while the Front Hand might beat one.

Example 3
Back Hand: Ah, Qh, 5h, 4h, 3h (Flush)
Middle Hand: Qc, 9c, 6c, 5c, 2c (Flush)
Front Hand: Ac, Kd, 5s (Ace High)

In this example, the Front Hand would, on average, beat one player. The Middle Hand would likely beat two players, but not all 3. The Front Hand would also likely beat one or two players, leaving you just above or just below breaking even. Let’s try one more example…

Example 4
Back Hand: Ah, Qh, 5h, 4h, 3h (Flush)
Middle Hand: Ac, 9c, 6c, 5c, 2c (Flush)
Front Hand: Kd, Qc, 5s (King High)

The only thing we changed between Example 3 and 4 is the Ac and Qc, exchanging them between Middle and Front Hands. The Middle Hand is now strong enough to very likely beat all opponents. A Flush is the most common winner in the Middle Hand, and by making this Flush Ace-High, it becomes very strong. The Front Hand has decreased from Ace-High to King-High, only a slight difference that might drop its likelihood of beating an opponent from 2 to 1, but winning the Middle Hand outright is well worth the trade-off.

Which Example Hand Is Best?

The best Example Hand above depends greatly on the rule variations of the China Poker game. If playing with the original scoring rules, the best outcome is likely to come from Example 3 or 4. If playing with a Pool Betting rule (usually found in home games), Example 4 is the best bet. It is the only example with a single hand practically guaranteed to win (Middle Hand, Ace-High Flush). However, it still becomes a losing situation if the King-High doesn’t win the Front Hand (win 3 units, lose 6).

Should I Just Surrender?

If a Surrender option is available, this hand should NOT be Surrendered. In a Pool Betting scenario, Surrendering the hand would cost 3 to 6 units, where keeping Example 4 would cost at most 3. Better to keep the hand and hope the King-High is enough to win 3 units on the Front Hand.

By Original China Poker Rules, Surrender would be an even worse idea. Using Example 3 or 4, the worst case scenario would likely be winning 4 units and losing 5 – a total loss of 1 unit. To Surrender would lose 3 to 6 units.

Observing Your Opponents Tendencies

When playing China Poker, every player has their tendencies. It is very important to observe your opponents over the first few hands and see what kind of hands they usually develop. Are they concentrating on the Back Hand more than anything else? Do they spread their cards evenly, often resulting in more units lost than won? If you can decipher the tendencies of your opponents, you can develop your own hands accordingly in a manner that will result in much higher profits.

More Strategy

Though it is our goal to provide the best China Poker strategy and advice, we strongly recommend reading China Poker books that discuss other strategies and actual past scenarios, covering more rule variations to the game. If you haven’t already, it is also recommended to read our China Poker “Starting Hands” section, found on the left menu, to better understand the ‘Surrender’ option (when available), as well as supplying more strategic theories in hand development.

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