Oicho-Kabu Strategy and Tips

Table cards 1 and 4 are worth backing

Lesson 1

A player's Shippin is made when the first two cards are a 4 and a 1. If the table card is a 1 or a 4, a single second card can complete it. That is why an old saying tells you to always back a 1 on Kata.

In this site's computer self-play (1,000,000 hands), the expected result per point put in was +0.12 for a table 1 and +0.08 for a table 4, higher than any other value (−0.05 to −0.01).

Here you put points on the 1 on Kata. When the second card makes Shippin, press Stand — drawing a third card cancels Shippin and leaves an ordinary value.

A 9 or a 10 on the table is less safe than it looks: the second card easily breaks a 9, and a 10 simply becomes whatever the second card is. When unsure where to put points, look for a 1 or a 4 first.

Draw on 4 and 5, stand on 6

Lesson 2

If the last digit of your two cards is 3 or less you must draw, and 7 or more cannot draw. Only 4, 5 and 6 are your call.

In this site's computer self-play, comparing players who draw up to 4, up to 5 and up to 6, drawing up to 5 did best. Old sayings also treat 5 and 6 as the dividing line.

Here you have 2 + 2 = 4. Press One more to draw a third card.

Standing on 5 loses to any dealer hand of 6 or more, while drawing from 5 can also fall to 4 or less. In self-play, the gain from climbing to 6 or more outweighed the loss from falling. From 6, more cards make the total worse than better, so standing and waiting for the dealer wins more often.

Arashi only comes with a third card

Lesson 3

Arashi is three cards of the same value. It beats any value and pays three times the points put in. Three 3s make a last digit of 9, so it is called Arashi-Kabu and pays five times. A player's Arashi even beats the dealer's Kuppin and Shippin.

Arashi only appears with a third card. If the first two cards match but their last digit is 7 or more, you cannot draw, so a pair of 4s or 8s cannot become Arashi (a pair of 9s is the one exception). Pairs that total 3 or less must draw anyway, so luck can complete them.

Here you hold 3 and 3 for 6 (Roppō). Standing on 6 is the usual advice, but a third 3 makes Arashi-Kabu. Press One more to see the five-times hand.

The dealer passes on 5 or less

Lesson 4

If the dealer's hand ends at 5 or less, the dealer role passes to the next seat (Goke). Kuppin and Arashi are winning hands, so they do not pass it. Three hands with the same dealer also passes it on.

The dealer follows the same third-card rule. Here you are the dealer with 2 + 2 = 4. Press One more and aim for 6 or more.

The dealer plays every player at once, so staying dealer makes points swing more. When you are ahead, keeping the role can widen the gap; when you are behind, passing it on early limits the damage.

Goke is separate from winning or losing: with 5 or less the role passes even if you beat the players, and with 6 or more you keep it even if you lose. Decide on a third card with both in mind.