When players first start playing Open Face Chinese Poker, they tend to focus heavily on their own hand and are almost oblivious to their opponents’ hands until showdown. Often, they are aware of the individual cards their opponent may have, but not the hand they are up against. For example, if a player needs the 9 of diamonds to make a straight flush, he may be aware that his opponent has the 9 of diamonds, but not aware that his opponent has another 9 in his middle hand for a pair.

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In the effort to make a hand that doesn’t foul or that completes what you are trying to make, it is too easy to overlook the hand you actually need to beat. There are occasions when you should play aggressively because otherwise you are going to get scooped. If you are holding no royalties and it looks like you are going to get beat on every row, it is time to change your strategy, even if it makes you much more likely to foul.

Many times, it is as simple as realizing what you need to beat on a certain row and making sure you play to win the row. In OFC, you get to a point in the hand where most of the hand you are up against is defined. If your opponent has already played all but one card on any given row, you can easily see what the best hand they can make would be or, even better, if they have a completed row, you know exactly what it takes to beat them.

With the common propensity for dumping cards on the top row just to get rid of them, novices can open themselves up to letting you win the top with a weak high card and just a little patience. If your opponent completes an 8-high row up top, all you have to do is get a 9 or better and you aren’t getting scooped. This is a bit of an obvious one, and most players quickly figure out not to give away their top hand so easily, but the same principle can apply to the middle and bottom rows as well.

When you are up against a fully defined or one-to-go middle hand, you have a great view of what you need to win the street and can adjust your play to do so. If you are up against a pair of fours and you have a few cards to go, getting any live middle cards onto that row increases your chances of making a middle pair and win without really making that much of a hand.

On the other side, if you are up against a defined hand that you have no shot at beating, there is no value in trying to improve your hand on that row beyond what is necessary to keep from fouling. A row that is almost surely a loser should be used as a place to hold cards you don’t want on your other lines so you can avoid scoops and draw at royalties.

The first step in playing OFC is to get your head around the rules and start building hands, but as soon as you have the basic framework, it is time to start looking around and seeing what your opponents have.

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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