In Chinese poker, each player receives a 13-card hand from a standard 52-card deck.

Each player then has to divide their cards into three poker hands (known as "setting"):
two containing five cards each (known as "the middle" and "the back"), and one containing three cards ("the front");

the back must be the highest-ranking hand, and the front, the lowest-ranking hand (note that straights and flushes do not count in the three-card hand).

After all the players have set their hands, each player will announce in turn (clockwise, starting from the left of the dealer) whether or not they are playing their hand. All players then announce their royalties, before revealing their hands.