NutsBet ‐ A Training Calculator for Chinese Poker

In times when the games are getting tougher than ever before, and many are shouting from the rooftops that Holdem is soon to be dead and gone, you might be forgiven for thinking that it's a good idea to look for something fresh, perhaps a game which is only just really starting to increase in popularity.

Open Face Chinese poker just might be that something.

Invented in Finland in the early years of the new millennium, and popularized in Russia, it wasn't until the game traveled to the United States four years ago that its popularity really began to grow. Today though, it is really only the high stakes community playing the game with serious regularity. These guys are constantly seeking new games to ward off the first signs of boredom, and have described the growth of Open Face Chinese as virus-like.

This is a poker variant with a difference, however. Unlike other types of poker, Open Face Chinese is a purely mathematical activity. There's is absolutely no element of bluffing.

This will be music to the ears of many poker players who consider themselves pretty hot on No Limit Holdem or PLO strategy, but struggle with the mental and psychological aspects.

The game is usually played between two or three players, but four is possible. Over the course of each hand, the players will place thirteen cards, each set in a pattern of three rows: five cards on the back and middle row, and three cards at the front. Each row must make a poker hand. The back hand must be stronger or equal to the middle hand, and the middle hand stronger than the front hand. If this does not occur, then a player's whole board is fouled and loses automatically.

The object is to beat your opponents on all three rows, but certain hands are worth more just by being made. There is a point scoring system for creating challenging hands (without fouling), that helps you win more during the payout phase.

NutsBet – Starting Off on the Right Foot

Because of the nature of the game, if we can start off from the strongest possible situation that our cards allow, we stand to win much more frequently than if we're putting ourselves at a mathematical disadvantage with the opening hand. This is even if, in both situations, we play perfectly from that point on. How we choose to structure our hand from the first deal is critical to success.

This is where the new NutsBet calculator comes in.

Whether or not we are first to act or can see our opponents layout, NutsBet will almost instantly compute many thousands of calculations and display the mathematically best choice we can make from the first five cards.

While the game may look simple, the human brain can not process the options fast enough to maintain perfect play, giving the user of NutsBet a huge edge.

Suitable for amateurs and professionals alike, NutsBet Head of Advertising Nick Tomaszewicz says:

With such a powerful tool freely available, people will no doubt be concerned about possible cheating during online play. Tomaszewicz explained how this should not be possible because of the way the program is designed. NutsBet is only an educational tool which shows how to lay out the cards in the most optimal fashion at the beginning of the hand.

The idea is for players to repeat combinations so they understand how to proceed during live play.

Give it a Try!

NutsBet runs direct from the website, and is available on mobile and tablet platforms. All users receive their first five calculations for free with subscriptions available from $9.99 to $99.99 depending on how many calculations you wish to purchase.

Whenever a new game hits the street, those who can stay ahead of the curve will profit until the rest catch up. I can still remember what the No Limit Holdem tables were like when I first took up the game following Chris Moneymaker's World Series of Poker victory back in 2003.

As I stated above, keeping your passion for the game of poker fresh is important. It's easy to end up in a rut where your win rate is falling because you no longer have the motivation to be constantly improving. Learning new games is a great way to avoid this, even if it isn't your main choice.

High Stakes Players and Open Face Chinese Poker

I'm sure many of you won't know anything about this game other than its name. It is far from advertised to the level of the big bet games NL and PLO, but that hasn't stopped a lot of poker's most familiar faces taking it up.

One amusing story from three years back involved Gus Hansen and Tom “durrrr” Dwan playing for $3000 per point in the Aria Casino, which is enormous. Million dollar swings were totally possible. The pair were so happy doing their own thing, that Hansen couldn't bring himself to leave to take his seat for day one of the World Series of Poker Main event. In the end he decided to still buy in, but left his stack getting blinded out for the entire day.

After arriving for the start of day two and playing tight, he tells us he soon had all of his chips in the middle pre flop with 94o versus A5. Back to Aria he went!

Not everybody is a fan though.

Todd Brunson, son of legend Doyle, described the game as a “cancer” in poker. He says it isn't poker any more than Gin Rummy or Backgammon, and should not be allowed to be spread in poker rooms.

The main reason is that the game is detracting from the general high stakes scene because the tables appear to be running non stop, taking players who would usually have to wait for hold'em games.

Shaun Deeb thinks it is here to stay though. He shared his opinion that it is not poker, but probably closer to Blackjack than any other game. That said, if people just enjoy the game, and it's great for fish, then why not?

Deeb stated:

Sounds like it could be a decent spectator sport.