Building your hand is key in Open Face Chinese Poker, but there are opportunities to alter your play in a way that changes how your opponent plays. This can be done on multiple lines, but to get the concept across I’m going to focus on how you can make a different play up top with the expectation of getting your opponent to make a play that gives you an advantage.

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Often, the top line is where people make the most glaring mistakes, most notably sacrificing that part of their hand altogether. If you are up against someone who has this tendency but has gotten to where they start to pay attention to your top hand, then you can be creative in when and how you put your top hand together.

Often, if you have no cards on the top or only a low card, your opponent won’t pay any attention to your hand and will just focus on building their hand. As cards that don’t fit their bottom or middle hand come along, they will dump them on the top, often ending up with a low card or two and not really giving themselves any chance to make a winning line. If you were to have a mid to high card up there early on, though, it can draw their attention to needing to beat that card and cause them to put more thought into getting a high card to the top in an effort to win that line.

With that in mind, if I am against a player who I think is playing along those lines, I will often forego putting a card on the top to induce my opponent to trash their top hand and give me a chance to win the top. At the same time, I take on less risk of fouling and can use some larger cards in my other hands instead of on the top.

Say I draw a jack and feel I could either put it in my middle or top hand, but all else being equal would put it on the top. If my opponent has a low card on the top already and looks like they are trying to build something in their middle and top hands where they have to protect spots, I would be more likely to put the jack in the middle hoping they draw a low card on the next pull and put it up top. This defines that hand and lets me control how the top line plays out. This lets me reduce my risk of getting scooped and can let my opponent back into a nothing hand up top that leaves them scratching their head wondering how they ended up losing to an eight-high hand.

Against many players, this type of strategy can backfire and you can end up being forced to take whatever you draw on the top, but just like in other forms of poker, knowing your opponent is a big part of the game. If you can make accurate assumptions about them and adjust accordingly, you can increase your edge and bottom line.

While you are playing OFC, focus on your opponent’s tendencies as far as how they build their hand. Are they aggressive and risk fouling to go for big royalties? Are they conservative and willing to pass on making big hands to avoid risking a hand that fouls? That type of observation is pretty common, but also start paying attention to how they react to your hands. Are they aware of what you are building and trying to notch you on every line? Do they only become aware after a certain point in the hand or only when their royalty possibility goes out the window?

There are plenty of adjustments that can be made based on your opponent’s tendencies in OFC, but the first step is building up an accurate idea of what they are doing, when they are doing it, and what inputs they are making their decisions on.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.

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