Phenom Poker Launches Taiwanese Poker, Adds Final Table Deals and Early Bird

Phenom Poker Launches Taiwanese Poker, Adds Final Table Deals and Early Bird
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Alex Sakuta Content Editor
Fact Checked: PokerListings
  • Updated: September 5, 2026
  • Read time: 1 min

Phenom Poker rolled out a major update on September 4, introducing several new features. Here’s a closer look at the biggest changes.

Taiwanese Poker on Phenom Poker

Taiwanese Poker is a variant of Chinese poker played with two boards.

The game is played by 2–6 players using a standard 52-card deck. A two-joker variant is also available.

Each player is dealt seven cards. The goal is to arrange them into three boxes:

  • Top — 1 card
  • Middle — 2 cards
  • Bottom — 4 cards

Hands in the top and middle boxes are formed according to NLHE rules, while the bottom box follows PLO rules (2 hole cards + 3 board cards).

The two boards are then dealt one after the other.

The strongest hand in the top box earns 1 point, the middle box earns 2 points, and the bottom box earns 3 points.

Players can score up to 6 points per board, or 12 points across both boards. If a player wins all six boxes across both boards, they score a scoop (Homerun) and receive 8 additional points.

Unlike Pineapple, the top-box hand can be stronger than the hands in the other two boxes, or the middle-box hand can be stronger than the bottom-box hand.

On Friday, Taiwanese Poker was available at $0.10 and $0.25 per-hand tables. Several tables are still running today.

Final Table Deals With Unusual Rules

Any player can propose a deal. Players cannot see who has agreed to a deal — only a counter showing “4/9 want a deal” is displayed.

If everyone clicks “deal,” an anonymous vote begins. The payouts are calculated based on ICM. The deal is made only if all players agree.

Deals are also available in PKO tournaments, but only for the main prize pool. Bounties are paid separately based on each player’s knockouts.

Early Bird

In some tournaments, players who register before the tournament starts receive an increased starting stack, such as 10,000 + 1,000 chips.

The bonus is limited, and the lobby shows how many spots remain for the bonus. If a player unregisters, the bonus is removed and automatically passed on to the next player who registers

New Deposit and Withdrawal Process

USDC and USDT deposits are now fee-free on Phenom Poker. Available networks include Base, Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Optimism.

Stablecoin withdrawals carry a $1 fee. Fees for non-stablecoin withdrawals are shown separately.