Thirteen Cards – Play the Top OB Game for Free!

Thirteen Cards is an OB table game, also known as 13-Card Poker or Chinese Poker. Originating in the late 1970s in Fujian and Zhejiang, it evolved from the Soviet game “Thirteen Cards” and later spread across China. Usually played by four players, it’s commonly seen in online card game platforms.

OB棋牌《⼗三⽔》十三張遊戲說明 — OB table game - Thirteen Cards

Thirteen Cards Strategy Guide

This is a competitive game played between a player and the system (AI).
Each round uses a standard 52-card deck (jokers excluded), and each player is dealt thirteen cards.
The thirteen cards are arranged into three hands: the front hand (3 cards), the middle hand (5 cards), and the back hand (5 cards).

Thirteen Cards Rules – Hand Rankings Explained

Standard Hand Rankings:
Straight Flush > Four of a Kind > Full House > Flush > Straight > Three of a Kind > Two Pair > One Pair > High Card
Card Ranking (High to Low):
A > K > Q > J > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2 > 1
Special Hands:
Royal Dragon > Dragon > Twelve Royals > Three Straight Flushes > Three of a Kind in All Rows > All High > All Low > Pure Color > Four Sets of Three of a Kind > Five Pairs and Three of a Kind > Six Pairs and a Half > Three Straights > Three Flushes

Thirteen Cards Rules – How to Compare Hands

Standard hands are compared row by row: front vs front, middle vs middle, back vs back. The higher-ranking hand wins each row. If tied, compare card values, then suits.
When a special hand appears, it wins automatically without row-by-row comparison and earns the corresponding bonus points.
If both players have special hands, the higher-ranking one wins. Same type results in a tie.

Thirteen Cards Scoring Guide

Thirteen Water Scoring Formula:Player Winnings = Base Bet × Total Water Points

Water points for each hand type are listed below:

Standard Hand Type	Points
Straight Flush	5 points (extra +5 if placed in the middle hand)
Four of a Kind	4 points (extra +4 if placed in the middle hand)
Full House	1 point (extra +1 if placed in the middle hand)
Flush	1 point
Straight	1 point
Three of a Kind	1 point (extra +2 if placed in the front hand)
Two Pair	1 point
One Pair	1 point
High Card	1 point

Special Hand Type	Points
Royal Dragon	108 points
Dragon	36 points
Twelve Royals	24 points
Three Straight Flushes	20 points
Three of a Kind in All Rows	20 points
All High	10 points
All Low	10 points
Pure Color	10 points
Four Sets of Three of a Kind	6 points
Five Pairs and Three of a Kind	5 points
Six Pairs and a Half	4 points
Three Straights	4 points
Three Flushes	3 points

Scoring Explanation－Thirteen Cards Standard Hands

Each hand (front, middle, back) is scored separately. Winning a hand earns water points based on your card type.
Winning all three hands against one player is a Shoot, and the loser pays double points.
Example: A beats B on all hands. B loses 5 points, now pays 10.
Winning all hands against all three players is a Home Run, worth 4× the original points.
Example: A hits a Home Run on B. B loses 5 points, now pays 20.
If hands are the same type (e.g., both are straights), compare card rank, then suit.
No ties are allowed.

Scoring Explanation－Thirteen Cards Special Hands

When a special hand is played against a standard hand, it automatically wins and receives the full water points. No row-by-row comparison is needed.
When two special hands are compared, the one with the higher ranking wins and receives the corresponding points.
Special hands do not count toward Shoot or Home Run. No point doubling applies.
If both players hold the same special hand, it is considered a tie. Card rank and suit are not compared.