PH888 13 Card Game: Back, Middle and Front Hands in Pusoy
In the 13 cards game known as Chinese poker or Pusoy, you split your 13 cards into a back hand of 5, a middle hand of 5 and a front hand of 3.
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The 13 card game Filipino tables call Pusoy is easy to confuse with Pusoy Dos, so settle that first. Thirteen cards are the heart of Pusoy, the four-player game Filipino tables call by that name and the rest of the world calls Chinese poker. Every player gets 13 cards and splits them into three poker hands; the skill is all in the split. It is one of the player-versus-player games on the casino card games list, where JILI’s Pusoy Go version sits in the PH888 Cards tab.
The 13 card game: three hands in a fixed order
pagat.com’s rules set out the split:
| Hand | Cards | Must be |
|---|---|---|
| Back | 5 | better than the middle |
| Middle | 5 | better than the front |
| Front | 3 | the weakest of the three |
Standard poker rankings apply, from royal flush down to high card, and there are no wild cards. Players lay the three hands face down, front nearest the centre and back nearest themselves.
Pusoy scoring and 13 card poker: how hands are compared
- Each of your three hands is compared with the same hand of each opponent.
- Winning a hand takes one unit from that opponent.
- Some tables add bonuses: in pagat.com’s example rules, a front three of a kind wins 3 units instead of 1, and a middle full house wins 2.
- A hand that breaks the order is not allowed, so a strong back can still lose overall if the middle and front are weak.
JILI’s page for Pusoy Go adds its own twist: win all three comparisons against one opponent and the win doubles, a result it calls “Pusoy”. The game’s rules screen lists its exact scoring.
Pusoy and Pusoy Dos: two games, one name
The two games share a name and nothing else.
| Game | Cards | Aim |
|---|---|---|
| Pusoy | 13 each, four players | arrange three poker hands of 5, 5 and 3 |
| Pusoy Dos | dealt out in full | shed your cards first in combinations |
Pusoy Dos, per pagat.com, is a climbing game, a version of Big Two, where players shed cards in combinations. Pusoy, the 13 cards game on this page, is about arranging three fixed poker hands. If you came looking for Pusoy Dos, its shedding rules are different from everything above.
Splitting your 13 cards well
- Find your strongest five-card hand and test it as the back.
- Build the best middle from what is left, keeping it below the back.
- Put the strongest legal three cards in front.
- If the front looks wasted, try weakening the back slightly to lift the middle.
pagat.com’s worked example shows a player with aces full in the back still losing on balance because the middle and front were weak, which is the lesson in one line. JILI’s studio profile is on the JILI provider page. For quicker games on the same tab, compare the andar bahar rules and the big small dice round.
FAQ
How many hands do you make from 13 cards?
Three: a back hand of 5 cards, a middle hand of 5 cards and a front hand of 3 cards. Each is compared with the matching hand of every opponent.
Can the front hand be a straight or a flush?
Not in the standard rules. With only 3 cards the front hand can be three of a kind, one pair or high card; three in a row or three of a suit count for nothing.
What is the difference between Pusoy and Pusoy Dos?
Pusoy is the 13-card game of three poker hands described here. Pusoy Dos is a separate climbing game, a version of Big Two.