Learning new games and taking on new activities is enjoyable, causes you to get out of your comfort zone, and often helps you improve in unexpected ways in other areas. Learning new variations of poker has helped me improve my Hold’em game and poker game in general. Open Face Chinese Poker, while very different from all forms of poker that involve betting, is still a game that causes you to think differently and can help you improve your overall game.

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Most notably, Open Face Chinese Poker forces you to come to terms with relative hand strengths and assessing the value of your hand based on its value against one, two, or three opponents. The more players, the more complex this assessment comes, but even heads-up, the three different lines make hand values tricky. For someone who comes from playing regular Chinese Poker, this can be a big issue early on.

Factoring in royalties, live cards, draws, scoops, and a nonlinear scoring system make OFC a complex and intriguing game. Challenging yourself to think about, learn, and improve in a complex game like this has tremendous value, but needs to be done in moderation. If you are a professional poker player, OFC should only be a small part of what you do. You should still put time in playing and working on the forms of poker that are more mainstream.

Playing OFC can be addictive and time-consuming. Stories of two- or three-day sessions from big name pros are common. For sponsored pros who get value out of the publicity, this may be good for them and their bottom line, but for the average pro who is grinding it out day to day, letting OFC become this kind of a time sink is a mistake.

If you enjoy the game, play it, but do it in moderation just like you would with anything else. There is always another day and another session. If you are going to put in a monster session, it should usually be at something that is more of your bread and butter than OFC is likely to be.

Of course, there are always exceptions to anything and if you have found a juicy OFC lineup, it may be well worth it to hang in there and take advantage. However, most of the time, opponents who are close enough in skill level that there isn’t much of a true advantage are playing at relatively insignificant stakes.

Take advantage of the opportunities a new and complex game like OFC can offer you, but don’t let it get you off track on your other long-reaching goals. Playing poker professionally and as a significant part of your income is tough enough on its own.

OFC, like anything else that is new and challenging, can be refreshing and serve as an excellent break from poker to clear your mind and give you a reset that is often needed and valuable. But, if it becomes a drain on your time and energy, it can take you in the wrong direction.

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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