Pai Gow Poker is a popular card game featured in casinos across the world. It is particularly popular among the Asian population due to the fact that it’s based on a Chinese domino game known as Pai Gow Tiles in the United States.

Like most other card games, Pai Gow Poker utilizes a traditional 52-card deck with one exception. There is one single joker left in the deck. The joker, however is not a standard wild card. It may only be used to complete a royal flush, straight flush, straight, or flush. If the card cannot be used in one of these hands, it is simply counted as an ace. Read on to learn how to play using proper strategy as well as payouts and other important information before playing at a casino.

What is Pai Gow Poker and How Does It Compare to Other Poker. Pai Gow puts the player against the dealer with a 52-card deck plus the Joker. After betting, both you and the dealer receive seven cards; your cards are face-up while the dealer's cards are face-down.

When playing Pai Gow Poker, the goal is to beat the banker who can be the dealer, another player at your table, or even a team-up of sorts between an opponent and the dealer. Beating the dealer means that you have to have a better hand than they do. This is done by creating two poker hands from the seven cards that are dealt to you – one of the hands has to be a five-card hand, and the other. To start playing pai gow poker, you need to place a bet according to the table minimum. After all bets are made, all players at the table are dealt 7 cards. With these 7 cards, you need to form two poker hands: a 2-card poker hand and a 5-card poker hand. The 5-card hand is often referred to as the bottom, high, behind or big hand.

Pai Gow Articles

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

When you sit down to play Pai Gow, the hand starts with a mandatory bet. This requires you to place your chips in the ante box. Some games have additional side bets which are optional. This will depend on the rules at each individual table/casino.

Once all bets are placed, the next step is to determine which player will receive the first set of cards. Traditional tables will use three dice while more modern ones use a random number generator that chooses a number between one and seven. To give you a frame of reference if you are unfamiliar; the banker’s spot is considered seat one. The numbers then go in order, counterclockwise around the table.

Once all of this has been determined, the game begins. It starts off by the dealer handing seven cards (in a row) off to the first player who was chosen by the dice or number generator from the top of the deck. One unique facet of Pai Gow when compared to other poker games is that the cards are dealt to all seats, even if they are unoccupied.

Playing Your Hand

Once all bets are placed, and each player has been dealt their cards, they then pick them up. The cards are separated by the player into one five card hand and one two card hand. The main rule being that the five card hand must be higher than the two card hand. This means that a pair cannot be placed in the two card hand unless there is a pair of that value or higher in the back hand or any hand that beats a pair.

Once all players have set their hands, the banker exposes his cards. There is a unique house way for every scenario. This is used when the casino is banker and varies from one house to another. These rules are made available upon request at any casino, so if you play often it may be worth checking before sitting down at a table if it suits you.

Pai Gow Rules

In Pai Gow Poker, the rules are determined by the house and referred to as the House Way. The House Way changes from casino to casino (offline) and from software to software (online), but here are the most typical rules.

– While the additional Joker is counted as an Ace, you can also count it as any card when you are filling out a Flush, Straight Flush, Straight, or Royal Flush. The card is often called a bug.

– The best five-card hand you can possibly have in Pai Gow Poker is a set of five aces.

– In addition to the five-card hand, there is also a two-card hand. The former is often called the Bottom, Back, Behind, or the Big (or High) hand. The latter is called the Front, In Front, On Top, the Minor hand, the Small hand, or the Low hand.

– In Pai Gow Poker, the dealer deals seven cards to himself and seven cards to each player after making the bets. From the seven cards, each player makes two hands: one with five cards, the other with two cards.

– The five-card hand must be higher than the two-card hand. This rule must be taken seriously as fouling your hand (the phrase used when your two-card hand is higher than your five-card hand) makes you lose your bet.

– Often times (but depending on the House Way), the rule is to arrange a pair or two high cards as your two-card hand.

– The standard poker hand ranking rules apply to the five-card hand. There is one exception, however, in a number of casinos. A wheel (the A-2-3-4-5 straight) is deemed as the second-highest straight ranking.

– The best possible two-card hand is a pair of aces while the worst is 2-3. Flushes and Straights are not applicable in the two-card hand because the Joker is always an Ace.

– Each player is betting both hands against the banker, who can be the dealer or any one of the players (similar to Baccarat).

– To determine who wins, each player compares his hands to the banker’s according to the House Way.

a) You win if both hands are higher than the banker’s and get paid even money (sometimes with a commission).
b) You lose if neither hands is higher than the banker’s.
c) The game is a draw or push if only one hand is higher than the banker’s.
d) However, the banker wins in the event that the banker’s hands and the player’s hands are the same. This is a plus for the casino when the banker is the dealer. If the banker is one of the players, this rule does not hold but the house deducts a certain percentage from the winning hands. The percentage is usually 4-5%; however, some casinos do not deduct it. Do note that most – if not all – online casinos round off each value to the nearest $0.25, so you should always wager in the rise of $5.

– There is also a bonus bet, in which you bet on three or more of a kind as the “premium hand”. It is independent of your main bet and pays as high as the numbers of a kind you have.

– In addition, Microgaming’s Pai Gow Poker features a side bet, which has a house edge of 5.79%.

Strategies

Published in April 1990, Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker by Sanford Wong is one book to read if you are truly interested in this game. Even though I have not read it myself, the book has been praised for years to offer the best strategies, point out the conditions in which you can beat the game, and how to minimize losses and maximize wins. Below are some strategies and advises that would deliver a better Pai Gow Poker experience (but using them could be tricky if a player is the banker).

Optimal Strategy

The first and most basic strategy is to split your hands in a strategic way, which is also termed “splitting hands”. It has been verified to lower the house edge from 2.9% to 2.5%. This works because you only need one hand to be higher than the banker’s to avoid losing. So, you need to arrange your two-card hand to be the highest possible hand and still lower than the five-card hand. These are also included in the House Way and vary at times.

General: A common method is to arrange the second (and third) highest ranked cards in the two-card hand while the highest card is in the five-card hand.

A Pair: Another one is to arrange a pair in the five-card hand and the two other highest cards in the two-card hand.

Two Pairs: If you have two pairs, the rules here are quite extensive but we will try to cover them.

a) Always split a pair of Aces, two high pairs, and one high pair and one medium pair between the hands.
b) If you do not have an Ace, always split two medium pairs and one high pair and one low pair.
c) If you do not have an Ace or a King, always split one medium pair and one low pair and two low pairs.

Three-of-a-Kinds: If you happen to have a three-of-a-kind, arrange in the five-card hand except it is of Aces. In this case, arrange two Aces in the five-card hand while the remaining Ace and one high card are in the other hand.

Four-of-a-Kinds: If you have four cards of the same rank (four-of-a-kinds or quads), split them into two pairs with the higher going in the two-card hand only if the quad is JJJJ or better. If the quad is a 7777 or TTTT, do not split only if you have an Ace. If the quad is of 6s or below, do not split. If the quad is of Aces, split equally.

Straights and Flushes: As they are not allowed in the two-card hand, always play them in the five-card hand. But if you also have two extra pairs, split them according to the two-pair rules some paragraphs above.

Others: If you come across five Aces and two Kings (which is extremely rare), play three Aces and the Kings in the five-card hand. If you have five Aces without a pair of Kings, always play them in the five-card hand. If you have a Full Hand (three cards of one rank and two of another), play the two cards of the same rank in your two-card hand. In the event that you have another pair (which could either mean four cards with the same rank and the other three with the same rank or three cards with the same rank, two with the same, and another two with the same), play the higher pair in the two-card hand.

Exception: If you are able to make a very high five-card hand (such as a straight), this strategy is best ignored since the five-card hand is almost guaranteed to beat the banker’s.

Hand Probabilities

There are even more rules or tips on splitting hands but these are the most common ones. Furthermore, let’s look at the probability of having the 154,143,080 possible card combinations with classification.

a) Five Aces: 0.00000732
b) Straight and Royal Flush: 0.00136862
c) Four-of-a-Kind: 0.00199472
d) Full House: 0.02717299
e) Flush: 0.04004129
f) Straight: 0.07289250
g) Three-of-a-Kind: 0.04846585
h) Two Pairs: 0.23065464
i) One Pair: 0.41663862
j) All Other Possibilities: 0.16076246

Betting Systems

No matter what your stand on betting systems is, you cannot deny their everlasting popularity, especially amongst novice players. Most experts do not endorse them but whether they are beneficial or not is a story for another day. And yes, you can apply betting systems to Pai Gow Poker, which would arguably help you spread your wagers and keep your bankroll in check.

Say No to the Bonus Bet

This is actually an expert tip – it is highly recommended to never bet the bonus because it has the highest house edge and is guaranteed to result in an eventual loss.

Player’s Can Play as the Banker

Pai Gow Poker is an unusual game in that players may be banker on occasion. This is optional. The rules on banking a Pai Gow Poker hand are different from one casino to another. Most casinos will allow a player to bank once every other hand when playing heads up. At a table with multiple players, the dealer option will rotate each hand among the dealer and all occupied seats. A player banker will still have to pay a 5% commission on their net winnings. Any winning player also pays 5% to the house when facing a hand banked by another player.

Fortune Pai Gow Progressive Jackpot

Most Pai Gow Poker tables offer multiple jackpots. The most common is the Fortune Pai Gow Poker Progressive. This jackpot is sometimes linked among multiple casinos in a market. The bet for the progressive is just $1. All hands qualify with or without the joker.

Payouts

– Seven-card straight flush: Jackpot
– Five aces: 10% of jackpot
– Royal flush: $500
– Straight flush: $100
– Four of a kind: $75
– Full house: $4

Pai Gow Poker has been around for a long time. With a large number of players, this game has become one of the most popular games in casinos today.

The reason why the card game has such a great appeal, in addition to the simple rules of the game, there is also an interest in the game experience that only insiders can understand.

If you want to learn how to play, we will cover the basic rules and strategies of the Poker game Pai Gow in this article.

Stay tuned!

What is Pai Gow Poker?

Pai Gow Poker is also known as Chinese Domino. This is a traditional folk game. Pai Gow rules are actually very difficult to play, but strangely appealing to players.

It is a table with lots of Domino pieces, each with its own score. The dominoes are shuffled and divided equally among the players. The player wins if there is a hand with the highest score pair.

This is a game where players have to use their minds to think about the move, patiently waiting for the right moment. It looks easy at first glance, but it’s actually not easy at all.

The Pai Gow hand is dealt seven cards and divided into 2 hands. Anterior has 2 hands and 5 hands in lower. To win, you must have 2 hands stronger than your opponent’s 2 hands.

Note: The anterior hand should not be stronger than the lower hand.

The Pai Gow card game is played with 52 cards plus 1 joker card. A total of 53 leaves. The Joker can be used as an Ace, or any card to complete a straight or flush set, with 5 Aces (or 4 Aces and 1 joker) being the strongest.

History Of Pai Gow Poker

If you have ever learned about the high-end entertainment world at casinos, the name Pai Gow Poker is not too strange. This is a game associated with cards that are said to be easy to play and understand.

This casino game is an American version of the game Pai Gow. The Pai Gow Poker game was created in 1985 by a Bell Card club owner named Sam Toroi San.

Based on the Pusoy game played by a Filipino client, Sam realized that a game with 13 was that the player had to arrange 3 players too slowly.
So, Sam created a 7-card version with 2 players. This way it will be much easier to play.

From there, the game quickly gained popularity. And in the late 1980s was played in Las Vegas, and finally around the world.

Variants Of The Pai Gow Poker Game

There are several variations of the Pai Gow Poker table game that are also popular. These variations were formed mainly in the years 2004 – 2009.

• Pai Gow Mania: Pai Gow Mania is the first variant. They allow for 2-side betting instead of the traditional 1-side betting per player.
• Fortune Pai Gow: It allows side bets to be placed on a Poker player ranking. This is rated as one of the most popular variants.
• Emperors Challenge: Bet on 1 7 card side (no players).

Terms Used In Pai Gow Poker

How To Play Pai Gow Card Game

To get the most out of your online Pai Gow games, make sure you understand this game’s jargon. Below are the most commonly used terms in Pai Gow’s online games and in traditional casinos.

Jokers

In Pai Gow Poker, Jokers can be used as wild cards to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush in any other combination. It is seen as an Ace.

How To Play Pai Gow Card Game Offline

Copy

Anytime one of your hands is the same as one of the house’s hands, those hands are considered a copy. The playhouse wins all copies.

Note that the two Straights are not necessarily a duplicate. If you have a 7, 8, 9, 10, J straight and the dealer has 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 straight, then you win because your straight is higher than the dealer.

Deal

You can press the “Deal” button once the wager has been placed on the table. You are divided into seven flip-up cards that you need to split into the front and backhands. To win, you must be about to beat both Dealer’s front hands.

House Way

Press the “House Way” button to automatically force the Dealer to arrange your cards. Those cards are arranged optimally so that your chances of winning are maximized.

According to a set of rules used by the Flamingo Hilton Casino in Las Vegas, the casino monitors the card selection progress.
After pressing “House Way“, you can always come back and fold one or all of your hands if you find that the hand doesn’t like you.

Done

The “Done” button is pressed once you have finished placing your money and backhands and ready for the house to reveal the cards.

The Dealer’s cards are shown and compared with your cards. If your trump cards beat the Dealer’s cards, you win!

Repeat Bet

Click the “Repeat Bet” button to repeat the previous wager with the same wager amount and automatically split your next card.

Minimum stakes/maximum stakes

• Minimum bet: Shows the minimum wage required to play a hand.
• Maximum bet: Shows the maximum bet amount allowed to play a hand. You can see this displayed in the upper right corner of the screen.

Clear

The “Clear” button regenerates the currently used cards back to zero.

Fast-Play

The “Fast-Play” button allows you to play Pai Gow poker faster by eliminating the animation you experience. Fast Play does not change the outcome of the game at all. You can turn this option on and off at any time.

Chip Selector

Chip Selector allows you to select the unit of cards or cards you need to play at the Pai-Gow Table.

Credit/Money To Be Paid

• Credit: shows how much money you currently have in your casino account.
• Payouts: shows the amount you have paid out in the last hand.

Hand Rankings

Hand ranking is a combination of different cards to win in Pai Gow Poker. Like most poker-based games, Pai Gow uses regular poker hands with a variety of variations.

Listed below are the hands in Pai Gow starting from top to bottom.

1. Five Aces

This is the highest possible hand arrangement in Pai Gow Poker. It includes four Aces plus Joker.

2. Royal Flush

A Royal Flush includes Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and number 10 in the same suit. For example, A, K, Q, J, 10.

3. Straight Flush

A “Straight Flush” consists of five cards in sequence and of the same suit. (Note that an ace can be seen as the lowest in the card as well as the highest, for example:

• A, K, Q, J, 10 – Highest
• A, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Second highest
• 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – Lowest

4. Four of a Kind

This hand consists of four cards of the same rank plus another odd hand. For example, Q, Q, Q, Q, 3.

5. Full House

This is a hand containing three cards of the same rank plus two cards of another rank. For example, Q, Q, 7, 7, 7, or 6, 6, 6, 8, 8.

6. Flush

If five cards in hand belong to the same suit, then you have a Flush.

7. Straight

A straight has 5 cards in sequence but not in the same suit, for example:

• A, K, Q, J, 10 – Highest
• A, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Second highest
• 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – Lowest

Pai Gow Poker Joker

Three of a Kind

This is three cards of the same rank.

Two Pair

This is two sets, each consisting of two children of the same rank.

One Pair

This is two cards of the same rank.

No Pair

Put the second and third highest cards in front.

Basic rules when playing Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow is a game between the players and the Dealer. Each game consists of a dealer and an unlimited number of players.

The game has 4 positions. The dominoes are shuffled, aligned, and scripted.

The Dealer rolls the dice to determine the order in which the cards are dealt. Domino cards are dealt 4 cards respectively to the player.

After receiving the cards, the player must put them in 2 rows. The previous row is cards of low value.

The player matches the rows against the Dealer. If a player’s 2 hands hit the Dealer’s 2 hands, they win. If the player’s 2 rows both lose, they will lose money. And 1 lose, 1 win counts as a tie.

Detailed Guide To Play Pai Gow Poker

For those who are new to playing Pai Gow Poker, it can be quite difficult. However, the article below will provide information that makes it easier to understand.

First, players bet. The Dealer then deals cards to each player and to themselves.

However, the first hand decided at random by a random number generator will choose a number between 1 and 9. Or a set of three dice totaling 3 -18. The dealer box is traditionally 1.

Then comes the player squares. Then go back to the Dealer’s box, which is the number 8. In the end, there is no advantage to which box accepts which cards.

The Pai Gow Poker game’s goal is to create a larger hand than the Dealer. And no matter how you arrange your hand so that the 5-card hand is 2-card higher than the low hand.

If you happen to forget to make the correct hand, you will lose money immediately. Because it is a violation post, be precise when placing your cards!

If you want to increase your chances of winning, a player must beat both the Dealer’s cards and vice versa. For example, a player holds an Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Q.

They should arrange their hand this way: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (straight) for the high hand, and A – Q for low post.

Suppose the Dealer holds an Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, K. They will also arrange their high hand of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and the low hand is A, K. In that case, the two higher cards are called a “copy”, and actually, the house wins.

Then the Dealer’s A – K pair wins the player’s A – Q pair. So the Dealer wins this bet. The player does not have this advantage. If there is a copy and the player’s low hand wins the Dealer’s low hand. The overall result is a push.

The Odds Of Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker has a 1.46% house margin. That number means that (with an infinite stake over an indefinite period), the bettor is expected to lose 1.46% of the amount in their Pai Gow Poker account.

It also tells you how much you are expected to lose. Here is an example of how these odds can affect the amount of money in your account.

With an average of 180 hands per hour, an online Pai Gow Poker player wagering $ 1 per game is expected to lose $ 2.52 per hour of play.

Remember that this number is estimated when you play with the ideal strategy.

This is a great strategy page for Pai Gow Poker.

How To Play Pai Gow

Results Occurring During Play

If both player’s hands beat the dealer’s hand, then they win 1: 1 of their bet, minus the house’s 5% commission.

For example, if you wager $ 20, you can keep your stake plus $ 20 from the Dealer, minus the commission. So you will get paid $ 19.50 in addition to keeping your stake.

If only one of your cards beats the Dealer’s hand, the game is considered a push, and neither the Dealer nor the player wins. Players are allowed to keep their bets.

If both draw, the Dealer wins.

The 2-card card cannot be higher than the 5-card hand. If so, then both hands are considered a foul, and the player’s stake is collected.

The software will prompt you to correct your cards at some online casinos if you make this mistake, allowing you to continue playing.

If a player is the Dealer, they must have sufficient funds in their bank account to cover all the player’s bets.

In this case, the Dealer becomes the player and bets the same amount that the player or Dealer did in their last hand when the Dealer was the Dealer.

If the player’s hand wins while being the Dealer, the Dealer will still take 5% of their commission, but this time the net winnings instead of each individual bet won.

If a player does not have enough in their bank account to cover or wishes not to cover the full amount, the Dealer has the option of half insurance.

Pai Gow Game For Fun

In this case, the player/dealer must set the hand according to the Dealer’s Play, just as the Dealer would. Again, check your table’s rules to see if this is an option or not.

Strategy When Playing Pai Gow Poker

The Dealer has a specific dealer-method for handing, and a player can almost tie with the Dealer by following the same rules for hand placement.

If you are unsure of the best way to play, the Dealer will help you by suggesting the casino dealer’s layout.

However, remember that the casino will always play their hand to reduce risk, instead of trying to win every game. Players sometimes forget this.

Because the highest low hand (2 cards) is an ace pair, you can play with an ace as the low hand so you cannot lose at any time. With this in mind, let’s say you have A-A-A-A-7-8-9.

You could lay four Aces with 7 in the high hand and 8-9 in the low hand, but you probably won’t win with this pair. Because you might think it’s better to have three Aces in the high hand with 7-8 and A-9 in the low hand.

But that is not the best card layout. It is better to always split, placing A-A-7-8-9 for the high hand and A-A for the low hand. If you do that, you won’t be beaten, and you should be happy when you win. That’s a good card.

Where To Play Pai Gow Poker?

In the 1990s, Pai Gow Poker was launched on the Internet and available across all online casinos.

The interesting thing about this game is that players get bonus bets. This helps the player to win a lot of cash. With today’s modern technology, Pai Gow Poker dominates the majority of casinos in the world.

Therefore, for the best experience, an online casino is ideal if you want to play. You can find a list of reputable online casinos at Betting Valley’s website.

This website specializes in providing information related to online betting, online casino games, as well as the most useful and complete instructions on this field.

With a simple and easy to use website interface and an enthusiastic team of consultants, Betting Valley will definitely bring you the best experience.

How To Play Pai Gow Card Game Play

Final Words

Hopefully, with the above information, everyone understands how to play Pai Gow Poker, a popular game in casinos. Knowing how to play is essential, but it takes experience to become confident in integrating hands.

Therefore, manage your finances wisely in exchange for experience and fun in entertainment.

Wish you will have great moments of relaxation with this game.

Thanks for reading!

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