Poker in Asia: A Look at Chinese Poker

A card game that is being played in many communities in Asia for years, and is slowly beginning to earn some popularity outside of the continent is a certain gambling game known as Chinese Poker.

For those who are unfamiliar to the said game, Chinese poker is also known as Russian poker. It is an exciting game that is being preferred by some players because of various characteristics such as the fact that the rules of the game are practically simple. One only needs a basic know-how of the rankings of a poker hand in order to begin playing this game.

Since it is a game which is greatly dependent on the luck of a player, it therefore, gives the beginners of the game a good chance of being able to win in short term matches despite the presence of opponents who are more experienced than they are. However, the players who have been playing the game for a longer period of time and have gathered more experience and understanding of the game are also able to apply their respective strategies in order to reward themselves with a bigger advantage from those who play it poorly.

In a number of cases, the results of the game often incur wins that are oftentimes unexpected by the other players, plus the presence of high ranking hands. You do not need a lot of players for the game either, so it is easier to manage and organize. It is usually played at times when there is a lack of players in order to play a traditional poker game.

Usually, the venue for Chinese Poker is at huge poker tournament halls and is occasionally played as a game "on the side" during big poker matches. The stakes are usually from twenty five dollars, and fifty to a hundred dollars per unit. There are instances where high stakes players play amounts ranging from five hundred dollars to a thousand dollars per unit as well!

The game play is typically similar to a four-person card game, and it can also have as little as two people in the game. Each player will get a thirteen card hand from a normal 52 deck of cards. Every player has to divide the cards he's got into three hands. This is called a "setting", wherein two contains five cards, and one contains three. The five cards in hand, also known as the back, must be the hand that ranks the highest, whereas the other three cards, which is often called as the front, must rank the lowest.

It is after the players set their hands that every player will take turns in a clockwise manner beginning with the person to the left of the dealer, to announce if they are playing their respective hands or not. After this, each player lets the others know of their royalties before they reveal their respective hands.

There are certain variations to Chinese Poker, and the game is still continuously evolving. So if you're ever in a mood to play poker but can't because you lack players, then why not give this Asian variation of poker a try?