How to Play Pusoy

What is Pusoy?

Pusoy is the Filipino way of playing Chinese Poker, a favourite with the barkada and at family gatherings. Each player is dealt 13 cards and sets them into three poker hands: a back of 5 cards, a middle of 5 cards and a front of 3 cards. Then everyone shows their hands and compares them row by row.

Pusoy is not Pusoy Dos. Pusoy Dos is the Filipino name for Big 2, a game where you take turns playing cards and race to empty your hand first. In Pusoy you play no turns at all: you arrange all 13 cards at once, and the best arrangement wins. You can play Pusoy Dos at bs.fyi too, on its own page.

The one rule you must keep: the back must be at least as strong as the middle, and the middle at least as strong as the front. Each row you win against a player is worth 1 point. Win all three rows against someone and it is a sweep, worth 6. Big hands pay royalties, and a few rare deals, such as a dragon, win on their own.

Not Pusoy Dos (the Filipino Big 2). Related games: Pusoy Dos · Chinese Poker

Pusoy rules at a glance

Players

2 to 4, each for themselves; bots fill empty seats

Deck

One 52-card deck, no jokers. 13 cards each; with 2 or 3 players the rest of the deck is not used

Three hands

Back (also called the bottom): 5 cards. Middle: 5 cards. Front (also called the top): 3 cards

Order rule

Back at least as strong as the middle, middle at least as strong as the front. Otherwise the hand is fouled

Front

Only high card, a pair or three of a kind count in 3 cards: no straights or flushes

Straights

A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest straight, 10-J-Q-K-A the highest

Scoring

Each row is compared with the same row of every other player: 1 point a row. A sweep of all three rows adds 3, so it pays 6

Royalties

Rows won with big hands pay more: up to 10 points for a straight flush in the middle

Naturals

Dragon 13, six pairs 3, three straights 3, three flushes 3

Game

10 hands (5 in a short game). The highest total wins

How to play Pusoy, step by step

1. 1

   Deal

   Each player is dealt 13 cards from a shuffled 52-card deck. With fewer than four players, the leftover cards stay out of play for that hand.

2. 2

   Set your three hands

   Everyone arranges their cards at the same time, without seeing anyone else's: 5 cards for the back, 5 for the middle and 3 for the front.

3. 3

   Keep them in order

   Your back must be at least as strong as your middle, and your middle at least as strong as your front. Break this rule and the hand is fouled.

4. 4

   Declare a natural, if you have one

   A dragon, six pairs, three straights or three flushes wins on its own. You may declare it instead of playing your rows and collect its value from every other player.

5. 5

   Show the hands

   When everyone is set, the hands are turned over row by row: front, then middle, then back. Each of your rows is compared with the same row of each other player.

6. 6

   Score each opponent

   Against each player you win 1 point for each row you beat and pay 1 point for each row you lose. Win all three rows and it is a sweep: 3 more points. Big hands in a winning row pay royalties.

7. 7

   Play the game out

   A game is 10 hands, or 5 in a short game. Every point one player wins is paid by another, so totals add up to zero. The highest total wins.

The three hands and the order rule

Your 13 cards make three rows, from strongest to weakest. The back and middle are ordinary five-card poker hands. The front has only three cards, so it can only be high card, a pair or three of a kind. Filipino players use the English names front, middle and back; some say top for the front and bottom for the back.

The rows must stay in order: back at least as strong as the middle, middle at least as strong as the front. Equal is allowed. A typical setting:

Back (5 cards)

A straight: 8♣ 9♦ 10♠ J♥ Q♣

Middle (5 cards)

A pair: A♦ A♣ K♠ 6♥ 2♦

Front (3 cards)

A pair: 5♠ 5♥ J♦

Fouled hands

If your rows are out of order, for example a pair in the front with only high card in the middle, the hand is fouled. A fouled hand loses every row to every player who did not foul, and counts as being swept by each of them: 6 points to each player, plus any royalties they hold. A fouled hand earns no royalties of its own. Two fouled hands tie with each other.

At bs.fyi each row shows its hand name as you arrange it, and a warning appears if the rows are out of order. You can still set a fouled hand after the warning, as at a real table, but it is an expensive mistake.

Poker hand rankings

The back and middle use the standard poker hands, from highest to lowest. Aces are high, but an ace can also be low in A-2-3-4-5, the lowest straight. 10-J-Q-K-A is the highest straight.

Straight flush

Five cards in sequence, all one suit. 10-J-Q-K-A of one suit is a royal flush, the best straight flush

Four of a kind

Four cards of the same rank, plus any card

Full house

Three of a kind and a pair. Compared by the three of a kind

Flush

Five cards of one suit. Compared by the highest card, then the next, and so on

Straight

Five cards in sequence, mixed suits. Compared by the top card; A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest

Three of a kind

Three cards of the same rank. The only big hand the front can hold

Two pair

Compared by the higher pair, then the lower pair, then the odd card

One pair

Compared by the pair, then the other cards from the highest down

High card

No combination. Compared by the highest card, then the next, and so on

The front hand

Three cards cannot make a straight or a flush in Pusoy, so 4-5-6 or three hearts in the front count only as high card. When the front is checked against the middle, the kind of hand is compared first, then the ranks card by card. If both are a pair of kings, the front's odd card is compared with the middle's highest odd card: a front of K-K-9 under a middle of K-K-J-5-3 is fine, but a front of K-K-A over that middle is fouled.

Scoring and sweeps, with examples

You settle up with every other player separately. Your front is compared with each opponent's front, your middle with each middle and your back with each back. Each row you win is worth 1 point, or its royalty, and each row you lose costs what that row was worth to the winner.

Win all three rows against a player and it is a sweep: 3 extra points, so a sweep is worth 6. A tied row breaks a sweep. Here is one hand at a table of four, without royalties:

Against Joy

You win the front and middle, lose the back: +1

Against Mark

You win all three rows, a sweep: 3 + 3 = +6

Against Rey

You win the back, lose the front and middle: −1

Your total

+6 for the hand

Royalties

Pusoy always plays with royalties: a row won with one of these hands is worth the points below instead of 1, and the loser of that row pays the same. Royalties are only paid when the row is won: if both players hold four of a kind in the back, the higher one collects 4, and a tied row pays nothing.

Front: three of a kind

3 points

Middle: full house

2 points

Middle: four of a kind

8 points

Middle: straight flush

10 points

Back: four of a kind

4 points

Back: straight flush

5 points

Example

You sweep a player with three of a kind in the front: front 3 + middle 1 + back 1 + sweep 3 = 8 points

Naturals

If your 13 cards make a natural, the game offers to declare it for you. A declared natural is not compared row by row: it wins its value from every other player, whatever they set, with no sweep bonus on top. If another player also declares one, the natural higher in this list wins its own value, and two equal naturals tie. Naturals, best first:

Dragon

13 cards of 13 different ranks, A to K: 13 points

Six pairs

Six pairs and a single card; four of a kind counts as two pairs: 3 points

Three straights

A straight in every row; the front is a 3-card straight such as 4-5-6, A-2-3 or Q-K-A: 3 points

Three flushes

A flush in every row; the front is 3 cards of one suit: 3 points

Ties

Suits never break ties. If two rows hold exactly equal hands, the row is a tie and scores 0. At the end of the game, players who share the highest total share the win. Totals can be negative, and all the totals together always add up to zero.

Pusoy and Pusoy Dos

The names are close, but the games are not. Pusoy Dos is the Filipino Big 2: players take turns playing singles, pairs and five-card hands, each play beating the last, and the first to empty their hand wins. Pusoy has no turns: everyone sets 13 cards into three hands at once, and the hands are compared.

Outside the Philippines, Pusoy is known as Chinese Poker, and some card books call it Good, Better, Best. bs.fyi also has the international Chinese Poker, where you can choose 2-4 scoring or play without royalties.

House rules on bs.fyi

Pusoy strategy tips

• •Never foul. A fouled hand pays a sweep to everyone at the table, 6 points each and more with royalties. Check the order before you set, or start from auto-arrange.
• •Do not put everything in the back. A huge back with a weak middle often wins one row and loses two. Each row is worth the same 1 point, so three solid hands usually beat one great hand.
• •Guard against sweeps. Being swept costs 6, not 3. If one row looks hopeless, make sure at least one of the others can win.
• •A strong pair in the front wins often. Most fronts are high card or a small pair. A pair of jacks or better up front is a good row, as long as the middle stays stronger.
• •Use the royalties. Three of a kind in the front pays 3, and four of a kind in the middle pays 8. When your back can still stay stronger, a big hand in a lower row can pay more.
• •Weigh a small natural against your rows. Six pairs, three straights and three flushes pay 3 points a player. If your rows would probably sweep, playing them may pay more than declaring.
• •Count the cards you hold. Your 13 cards tell you what the others cannot have. If you hold two aces, a pair of aces against you is much less likely.

Frequently asked questions