NoMercy OFC Crash Course: Opening With Trips And Two Pairs

Welcome to my personal blog on OFC Pineapple (Open Face Chinese Poker). Week after week, we’ll go over the history of the game, basic rules and recommendations, anecdotes from the players, more advanced strategies, hand analysis, and etc. Stay tune and enjoy the Fantasy-ride!

As explained earlier, we are now covering a crucial subject in OFC: your openings.

The way you will chose to place your initial 5 cards will be the foundation of your hand and it represents a key decision. Remember that one of the ultimate goals in Chinese Poker is to reach Fantasyland, so starting with the most effective placement will greatly help you get there!

We are studying optimum openings in order of the highest starting hands by ranking, and we already covered the top poker hands:

• Royal Flushes
• Straight Flushes
• Quads
• Full Houses
• Flushes
• Straights
• Three of a kind
• Two pairs

Recently, we reviewed all scenarios in the next categories of openings: Opening with Three of a kind and two pairs.

Here’s a final recap for this category:

Three of a kind

Simplest rule of all OFC openings: You ALWAYS position your trips in the back. As for the two remaining cards, you can refer on the chapter about opening with Three of a kind to learn where to position these cards.

Two pairs

The general rule is: You will keep your two pairs together on the bottom line, even if these are two very small pairs.

Recap of the exceptions:

• Exception # 1: When one of the two pairs is AA along with JJ to 22

In this case, you always place your pair of Aces in the middle and the other pair in the back. As for the remaining card, it goes in the middle with the Aces, unless it’s a King or a Queen, then it goes on top.

• Exception # 2: When one of the two pairs is AA along KK or QQ

In this situation, the rule is plain and simple: AA goes in the middle, and your pair of Kings or Queens goes on top. The remaining card will go in the back in 100% of the cases.

• Exception #3: When the two pairs are KK and QQ

The same rule as above applies here. You would place KK in the middle and QQ on top, just as you would for AA in the middle and KK or QQ on top, along with the remaining card in the back

• Exception #4: When one of the two pairs is KK or QQ and the 5^th card is an Ace

You will open with the smallest pair on the bottom, the Ace in the middle, and the KK or QQ on top.

• Exception #5: When one of the two pairs is QQ along with A or K

The correct play will be 88 on the bottom, Ace or King in the middle, and QQ on top.

Be aware of the reasons why you make every single decision in OFC. That’s how you will become a winning player!

Meet me at the OFC tables on CoinPoker to practice your skills and enjoy the action. Open yourself a CoinPoker account today. Welcome to Fantasyland!

Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier

OFC “Progressive” World Champion