Open Chinese Poker "Pineapple"

Game Basics:

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck or a 54-card deck (for Joker Pineapple tables). There are no community cards and no betting rounds. The dealer button rotates every hand, regardless of whether a "Fantasy Land" mode was triggered. The initial deal and all subsequent "Fantasy Land" hands are collectively referred to as a "Match."

To join a game, players must buy in for a minimum number of points (kush), as specified by the table stakes. In Chinese Poker, it is impossible to track the exact win/loss amount during live play; the final point spread is only calculated at the end of the hand. However, per standard rules, a player cannot win or lose more points than their opponent has brought to the table (the "table stakes" rule).

The areas where players place their cards are called boxes, also commonly referred to as "lines." Each player must arrange their cards into three separate boxes:

- The top box is the top line of 3 cards (the weakest). Only the following combinations are possible in this line: a Three of a Kind (three cards of the same value), a Pair, and a High Card.

- The middle box is the middle line of 5 cards (medium in strength).

- The bottom box is the bottom line of 5 cards (the strongest).

Line rule: the top line cannot be higher than the middle one; the middle one cannot be higher than the bottom one. By seniority, combinations must be placed from top to bottom in ascending order. Equality is allowed. If this rule is not obeyed, the hand is considered dead, no points are awarded to it, and the player loses to all opponents on the table.

Game Progress:

The game begins as soon as the required number of players (two or more) have joined the table. After the start of the hand on the first street, five cards are dealt face up to the player sitting to the dealer's left. All players see their cards. The player must arrange all five cards in their three boxes. The game at this stage is completely open. Players do not have pocket cards; all cards are laid out in boxes, the contents of which are available to all participants. Players shift cards one at a time, and the process of laying open cards in the first street is visible to all players.

End of Turn in 1st Street

After the player has laid out the cards, the "Ready" button becomes available to them, clicking on which the player confirms their move. Cancellation after this is impossible. Before confirming the move, the player can shift any of their cards. After completing this turn, the next player receives their five cards, and so on, until the first street is completed.

Other Streets (2–5)

Starting from the second street until everyone has 13 cards laid out, the players receive three cards face down and add two to their boxes. The player discards the remaining card. When the third card is discarded, two other cards are revealed. The player cannot move cards laid out in the previous street.

Each player in hand is given certain amount of time to play cards in every street. If the player runs out of regular time per turn, they will be given extra Time Bank time. If the player has spent all their regular time on a turn and the entire "Time Bank", but has not completed their turn, their cards will be laid out automatically as follows: Cards are laid out in the order they were received, first on the bottom line, then on the middle and top; The first two cards received are laid out first, and the third one is discarded, starting from the second street. If the player has a disconnection with the server, the "Time Bank" is also turned on. If, after the entire "Time Bank", the player has not reconnected to the server, their current hand will be laid automatically and counted. The player will be placed in "Sit-Out" and will not continue the game, except in cases where the opponent has received the right to lay "Fantasy". According to Chinese poker rules, "Fantasy" is considered a continuation of the current hand, so it will be played, and only after it will the player be transferred to the "Sit-out". The time bank resumes when the player moves to another tableThe time bank resets after a certain period and also at new tables.

Fantasy:

In open Chinese poker "Pineapple", the "Fantasy" mode may be available. If a player has collected a combination of QQ (two Queens) or higher on the top line and at the same time their hand is not "dead", then the game goes into the "Fantasy" mode:

The game is extended by one hand. In the "Fantasy" mode, the opponents are the first to lay out their cards openly, as in a regular game of "Pineapple". After the opponents have completed the layout of the cards, the player receives 14 cards face down at once. From 13 cards, the player makes combinations in all streets, and one card must be discarded. In one go, the player deals "Fantasy" like a regular Closed Face Chinese poker hand. Several players may have collected "Fantasy", or even all the players at the table. If all the players at the table except for one have collected "Fantasy" then all the players at the table begin to lay out their hands simultaneously:

The player without "Fantasy" lays out the cards first, face down, but receives them according to the rules of "Pineapple", that is, first five cards, then three cards in each remaining street. Then players with "Fantasy" lay out 14 cards face down at once. In some cases, "Fantasy" can be repeated if the player fulfills certain conditions during the combination layout. There are several types of "Fantasy" in our room:

The 1st variety of "Fantasy" is unlimited. If a player has a combination of QQ (Pair of Queens) or higher on the top line and at the same time their hand is not "dead", the player receives 14 cards for the "Fantasy" layout. If a player is already in Fantasy mode, they can get endless Fantasy replays if they hit a Three of a Kind in the top box or Four of a Kind and higher in the bottom box. At the same time, their hand should not be "dead".

The 2nd variety of "Fantasy" is unlimited progressive. If a player has a QQ (Pair of Queens) combination on the top line and at the same time their hand is not "dead", the player receives 14 cards for the "Fantasy" layout. For a combination of KK (Pair of Kings), the player will receive 15 cards; for a combination of AA (Pair of Aces), the player will receive 16 cards; for a combination of 222 (a Set of two and higher), the player will receive 17 cards. If the player is already in Fantasy mode, they can get endless Fantasy replays if they hit a Three of a Kind in the top box or Four of a Kind and higher in the bottom box. At the same time, their hand should not be "dead", and when repeating "Fantasy", the player will receive 14 cards, regardless of which combination is collected in the top box.

The 3rd variation of "Fantasy" is Ultimate Fantasy. To qualify, a player must set a pair of Queens (QQ) or higher on the Top Line without fouling the hand. The number of cards the player receives during the initial Fantasy Land (ranging from 14 to 17) will remain the same for all subsequent re-triggers.

The 4th variation is Tournament Fantasy. If a player sets a pair of Queens (QQ) on the Top Line and the hand is not fouled, they receive 13 cards for the Fantasy Land layout. For a pair of Kings (KK), the player receives 14 cards; for a pair of Aces (AA), 15 cards; and for Three of a Kind (222 or higher), 16 cards. There are no re-triggers in this mode.

Scoring and Bonuses:

At the end of the hand, points are calculated. Points are awarded by pairwise comparison of each player's hand with the rest. The corresponding combinations are compared in each pair: the highest with the highest, the middle with the middle, and the lowest with the lowest. In case of a draw on one of the lines (for example, if two players have an equal Flush in the bottom line at once), none receive points for this hand.

If three people play, their hands are compared in pairs with each other, and the number of points in each pair is counted. Then each player's points are summed up, and the final score in the game is determined. First, there is a calculation of the players sitting after the button. The first player, after the button, then counts against the button itself. The button then counts against the second player.

Open Chinese poker does not use the 1-6 scoring method, but a player receives 1 point for each won line and an additional 3 points if they have won all three lines.

Suppose by the end of the hand, a player has collected a combination with a violation of the order of the line strength (the top box turned out to be lower than any of the others, or the middlebox turned out to be weaker than the bottom one). In that case, their hand is declared "dead". In this case, during mutual counting, this player is considered the loser on all three lines to all opponents. If two or more players have "dead hands", then these players receive 0 points in pairwise comparison.

In addition to points for winning, all players are also awarded bonuses for the collected combinations, regardless of the distribution results. There are no bonuses for dead hands. Below is the bonus table: