Ang basics
Pusoy is played with a standard 52-card deck, usually by four players, each dealt 13 cards. Walang draw, walang discard. Ang skill ay nasa pag-ayos.
Everyone arranges their cards face down, then all hands are revealed at the same time and compared. Because there's no betting round mid-hand, a round is fast. Kaya swak siya sa mga mabilis na session.
Quick note: Pusoy Dos is a different game. It's a shedding game (also called Big Two) where you race to get rid of your cards, and it's not covered here.
Back, middle, front
Your 13 cards become three poker hands, ranked from strongest to weakest.
| Hand | Cards | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Back (likod) | 5 | Your strongest hand |
| Middle (gitna) | 5 | Weaker than or equal to the back |
| Front (harap) | 3 | Weakest; only high card, pair, or three of a kind count |
The front has only 3 cards, so straights and flushes don't count there. Tatlong klase lang ang puwede sa front: high card, pair, o three of a kind.
Ano ang foul
A foul happens when your hands are in the wrong order. If your middle beats your back, or your front beats your middle, you've fouled.
A fouled hand usually loses all three hands against every opponent, plus any sweep penalty your table uses. Isang maling ayos lang, talo ang buong round mo. So always double-check before you lock in.
Hand rankings
Pusoy uses standard poker hand rankings, from strongest to weakest:
| # | Hand | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Straight flush (royal flush is the top one) | 9♥ 10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ |
| 2 | Four of a kind | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 8♣ + any |
| 3 | Full house | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 5♣ 5♥ |
| 4 | Flush | Any 5 of the same suit |
| 5 | Straight | 5 in a row, mixed suits |
| 6 | Three of a kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ |
| 7 | Two pair | J♠ J♦ 4♣ 4♥ |
| 8 | One pair | 10♠ 10♥ |
| 9 | High card | Nothing matched |
When two players have the same type of hand, the higher cards win. Some Pinoy tables have extra house rules, like ranking suits, so ask first.
Scoring basics
Each of your three hands is compared with the same hand of each opponent. Back vs back, middle vs middle, front vs front.
- Basic: You win 1 unit for each hand you beat, and lose 1 unit for each hand you lose, against each opponent.
- Sweep or scoop: Many tables pay a bonus when you win all three hands against one player.
- Royalties: Some tables pay extra for strong hands in hard spots, like three of a kind in front or four of a kind in the back.
Scoring varies a lot between tables, apps and sites. Some only crown one overall winner per deal. Basahin ang rules ng table bago maglaro, lalo na kung may totoong pera.
Simple strategy sa pag-ayos
Good Pusoy is about balance. You don't need three monster hands; you need three hands that each have a fair chance.
- Build the back first. Look for your best 5-card hand: straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush or straight.
- Then build the middle from what's left. Check that it's not stronger than the back.
- The last 3 go in front. A pair in front is strong. Kung wala, try to keep an Ace or King there.
- Don't overload the back. If splitting your full house gives you two decent hands instead of one great hand and one weak hand, the split can win more.
- Check for foul every time. Back ≥ middle ≥ front. Ito ang pinakamahalagang habit.
Halimbawa
Say you hold: A♠ A♥, K♦ K♣, 9♠ 9♦ 9♥, 7♣, 6♣, 5♦, 4♥, 3♠, 2♦.
- Option 1: Back = full house (9-9-9 + K-K), middle = A-A-4-3-2 (pair of Aces), front = 7-6-5 high card. Strong back and middle, pero mahina ang front.
- Option 2: Back = straight (3-4-5-6-7), middle = 9-9-9-K-2 (three of a kind), front = A-A-K (pair of Aces). Three solid hands. Check: straight beats three of a kind, and three of a kind beats a pair. Walang foul.
Option 2 spreads the strength, so it can compete in all three hands. Hindi ito laging tama, pero ito ang klase ng pag-iisip na nakakatulong. Practice with free apps or our free demo before playing for money.
Maglaro nang safe online
If you play Pusoy for real money, play only on PAGCOR-licensed sites. Check any site first with our PAGCOR license checker, or start from our licensed casino reviews.
Deposit only through the site's cashier page using GCash or Maya, never to a personal account. Our Maya casino guide shows how. Even with good strategy, the deal is random and you can lose any round, so set a budget and follow our responsible gaming tips. Mas trip mo ang rummy-style? Basahin ang aming Tongits guide.
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More pusoy guides
Go deeper on Pusoy:
- Pusoy hand rankings, from royal flush to high card: with probabilities, tie-breakers and the foul rule.
- Legal ba ang online Pusoy for real money?: what the law says, PAGCOR licensing, and private room risks.
FAQ
Ano ang tamang ayos ng 13 cards sa Pusoy?
Hatiin sa tatlong hands: 5 cards sa back, 5 sa middle, at 3 sa front. Dapat ang back ang pinakamalakas, sunod ang middle, at pinakamahina ang front.
Ano ang mangyayari kapag na-foul ako sa Pusoy?
Kapag mas malakas ang middle kaysa back, o ang front kaysa middle, foul ito. Kadalasan talo ang lahat ng tatlong hands mo laban sa bawat kalaban sa round na iyon.
Puwede bang straight o flush sa front hand?
Hindi. Tatlong cards lang ang front, kaya high card, pair, o three of a kind lang ang binibilang doon.
Pareho ba ang Pusoy at Pusoy Dos?
Hindi. Ang Pusoy ay pag-aayos ng 13 cards sa tatlong poker hands. Ang Pusoy Dos, o Big Two, ay ibang laro kung saan paunahan maubos ang baraha.
Sources
- Pagat.com, Chinese Poker (Pusoy) (hand arrangement, front-hand limits, scoring variations, Pusoy vs Pusoy Dos)
Kassandra Marcos is SugarFun's lead reviewer. She checks every site against PAGCOR's official list and writes our game and responsible gaming guides. How we test