Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is a newer addition to online and land based casinos in Europe and North America. The game has its origins in China and the term means “makes nine”. It combines both the American game of poker and offers players a good chance of winning.  In this game the players are not betting against each other but are playing against the bank and unlike the Chinese version which can be played with dominos, Pai Gow Poker is played with a deck of cards. The objective is for the player to have two hands that rank higher than the bankers two hands.

The table is fitted for six players and the house will assume the role of the bank with the dealer as the banker. The banking position can move from player to player and can be held by the player for a maximum of two rounds depending on each casino. The banker role will be explained in more detail later, however they are seated directly in front of the player and in Pai Gow the player actually has the chance to be banker.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard 52 card deck and one joker that can serve as a wild card for straight, flush and straight flush hands. In some casinos they will use the joker as a wild card that can be used for any card in the deck. The dealer will start by shuffling the deck and rolling three dice from a tea cup to determine which player will get the first hand. If the dealer rolls a seven he will count seven places including himself till he hits the seventh player. The remaining hands are dealt in a clockwise fashion.

Players will receive seven cards each and will have to make two hands. One hand will have five cards and the other hand will have two cards. The two card hand is called the low hand and the five card is called the high hand. Your five hand cards will resemble your standard poker hands with the exception of the four aces and a joker which is higher than a royal flush. See below for standard poker hands.

The hierarchy of the two card hand is definitely much easier then the five hand card hand. The cards are in pairs and start from a pair of aces to a pair of twos.

The player must ensure that the five card hand has a higher placement then their two card hand. If the smaller hand is higher it’s known as a foul and the player will automatically lose their bet, so be carful on how you organize your hands.

Pair – Is the lowest poker hand you can be paid out for. Landing a pair of Jacks or better in the five cards on the table.

Two Pair - Payouts received for having two cards of the same rank and another two cards of the same rank in your hand of five cards. An example of this would be having two fours and two tens.

Three of a Kind – Payouts for having three of the same ranking card in your hand. For example a player having three Jacks in their hand would have three of a kind.

Straight - is a poker hand in which the five cards you have been dealt are in numerical order. An example of a straight would be having the following: 2,3,4,5 and 6.

Flush – is a poker hand that has the same suit in it. An example of this hand would be a player receiving five cards that are all hearts in their hand.

Full House - is a poker hand where the player is dealt a three of a kind and two pair in one hand. An example of this would be having 3 Kings and 2 Fours.

Straight Flush – is a poker hand that combines a straight and a flush. An example of a poker hand that is a straight flush would be: 2,3,4,5 and 6 all in the same suit such as hearts.

Royal Flush – is a straight flush involving 10, Jack, Queen, King and the Ace all in the same suit. This is the highest paying hand in Jacks or better.

4 Aces Plus Joker – Highest hand possible.

When all the hands have been dealt the bankers cards are turned up by the dealer. Then its the bankers job to arrange the stack into a two and five card hand. The players then compare hands in a clockwise order.

To win at Pai Gow Poker a player must beat both the bankers high and low hands. If there is a tie with the low hand and high hand cards, its considered a copy and the banker wins all copies. If one of the players hands wins and the other loses it considered a push and you get your bet back.

Pai Gow Strategy
The best edge you can get is to be the banker in Pai Gow poker. The reason why is due to the banker will win all copies as discussed earlier. Players will be allowed to bank one or two consecutive hands before having to lose the banker position.