THE QUICK TAKE
Three cards in front and five in each other row satisfy the size check. The ordinary arrangement also needs the back to outrank the middle and the middle to outrank the front.
Traditional Pusoy diagram reading for adult Filipino beginners · No stakes, payouts or arrangement recommendations
Separate the size check from the order check
Pagat’s traditional Pusoy reference describes a three-card front, five-card middle and five-card back. It also requires the back to rank above the middle, and the middle above the front. A diagram can have the correct number of cards while failing that second check.
This lesson reads already completed examples. It does not ask you to find a better arrangement or predict a result against another player. If you are looking for the climbing game, start with Pusoy versus Pusoy Dos.
Read this fixed thirteen-card diagram
Copy the rows below without moving a card. First count each row and write the total: 3 + 5 + 5 = 13. Then check that no exact rank-and-suit label is repeated.
| Row | Fixed cards | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Front | 2♣ · 2♦ · K♠ | One pair |
| Middle | 4♣ · 4♦ · 8♣ · 8♦ · Q♠ | Two pair |
| Back | 6♣ · 6♦ · 6♥ · 9♣ · 9♦ | Full house |
For these categories, full house ranks above two pair, which ranks above one pair. The displayed order therefore passes the two adjacent comparisons as well as the size check. That observation does not establish a winning hand; no opponent or scoring system appears in the worksheet.
If the category names are unfamiliar, use our full house and two-pair examples before continuing.
Write two separate comparison lines
On your paper, write “back versus middle” and “middle versus front”. For the first line, copy only the category labels full house / two pair. For the second, copy two pair / one pair. Mark each line only after reading both labels.
This keeps a strong back row from distracting you from the other comparison. It also makes an error easy to describe: you can name which two rows you checked instead of saying that the whole diagram “looks right”. Keep the original card list next to the log so another reader can check your labels.
Self-check: a worksheet with the five-card rows exchanged
FIND THE FAILED CHECK
A second worksheet keeps the same front row, but labels the full-house row middle and the two-pair row back. The cards still total thirteen. Which check now fails?
Reveal the explanation
The back-versus-middle comparison fails: the back now shows two pair and the middle shows a full house. The size check still passes, and the middle still outranks the front’s one pair. One successful comparison cannot compensate for the failed one.
Annotate that second worksheet with the precise error and keep it as a counterexample. The task is to recognise why it fails, not to search for an optimal replacement.
Know what this worksheet does not establish
The examples deliberately use different categories. If two rows share a category, this worksheet does not resolve their detailed comparison. Consult the full rules rather than deciding from a category name alone.
Also identify the three-card row before applying a five-card label: our front-hand guide covers that distinction. Special thirteen-card declarations require separate rules. No Tongits Go mode was tested here, so a traditional paper example cannot confirm an App’s validation message or scoring behaviour.
Sources & scope
Checked on September 23, 2026. Pagat supplies the ordinary row sizes, ordering rule and hand-category hierarchy. The fixed diagrams and audit worksheet are original. Same-category tie-breaks, special declarations and App-specific rules are outside this exercise.
- Pagat — Chinese Poker / Pusoy ↗Traditional Pusoy hand arrangement. Individual game modes can vary.
This is an independently written educational guide, not an official rulebook or a promise of results. Illustrations are original examples, not screenshots from the game.
