Rules
Chinese poker with five or more players
One deck is enough for four players. With more of you, some sit out each hand, taking turns. How to keep that fair, and how to count.
In short
- A hand is for four players at most: four times thirteen cards is the whole deck.
- With five or more, the others sit that hand out, taking turns.
- Usually the dealer deals and is the first to sit out; who sits out moves on with the deal.
- Whoever sits out scores nothing that hand, and the four who play still come to zero together.
- With eight or more, two tables are better: everybody plays every hand.
Why four at most
Every player gets thirteen cards, and four times thirteen is fifty-two: one full deck. A fifth player would need cards that aren't there. So with five or more, four play each hand and the others wait for the next one.
Who sits out
The simplest rule: the dealer deals and sits out. The deal moves one seat on after every hand, so who sits out moves with it, and everybody takes their turn. With five players, one of you sits out each hand:
| Hand | Deals and sits out | Play |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna | Bram, Cas, Dewi, Eva |
| 2 | Bram | Anna, Cas, Dewi, Eva |
| 3 | Cas | Anna, Bram, Dewi, Eva |
| 4 | Dewi | Anna, Bram, Cas, Eva |
| 5 | Eva | Anna, Bram, Cas, Dewi |
With six, two sit out each hand: the dealer and the player to the dealer's left. With seven, three. After a full turn round the table, everybody has sat out equally often; stop halfway, and the difference is a single hand at most.
Counting the points
Whoever sits out scores nothing that hand: no points won, none lost. The four who play compare their rows with each other as always, in the 1-6 count or the 2-4 count, and their points together come to exactly zero. So the night's totals still add up to zero, and what a point is worth stays the same for everybody.
Swapping
If you swap cards, only the four who play take part. Pass to the next player who plays, in that hand's direction, and skip whoever sits out. Across is the player two places away among the four.
Eight or more: two tables
With eight, four sit out every hand, and that's a lot of waiting. Two tables of four let everybody play every hand. Each table is a game of its own: it keeps its own score and settles up on its own. With seven, a table of four and a table of three works too.
Stepping out, or joining later
Somebody stepping away from the table sits out until they're back, and the turn goes on without them. Somebody joining halfway takes their seat and joins the turn from the next hand; the hands before stay as they were.
OFC Board keeps the turn for you.
With five or more, OFC Board sits players out every round by itself, in turn from the dealer, and the host changes it with a tap. Everyone enters their own points, and a round only goes through once it comes to zero. On a party night, up to 3 tables play at once.
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