- Most Pai Gow Poker hands are ranked according to traditional poker rules. You'll remember that the game is played by splitting 7 cards into two separate hands: a 2-card hand and a 5-card hand. The 2-card hand- The best hand you can have is a pair of Aces (or an Ace and a joker). From there, pair rankings descend to a pair to 2's.
- Pai Gow is an unusual card game that can best be described as like Blackjack for Poker players - you play against the dealer, but have to form two Poker hands. Although simple, there is plenty scope for players who want to develop an optimal playing strategy.
- At most pai gow poker tables, you'll see 30 hands per hour. If 12 of them are ties, you're only looking at 18 hands per hour with a win or loss. This kind of thing matters a lot when you're trying to track how much.
- 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. This is the highest possible hand arrangement in Pai Gow Poker. It includes four Aces plus Joker.
Pai Gow Poker This is a casino gambling game based on the Chinese Domino game Pai Gow but played with playing-cards and poker combinations instead of with dominoes. It can be played by up to seven players. A pack of 52 cards plus one joker is used.
Pai Gow Poker is loosely based on the Chinese game of Pai Gow which is played with 32 dominos. For this casino game, the dominos are replaced by a set of playing cards. There are 53 cards in all (the usual 52 cards plus one joker). In this game, you're playing against the dealer. If you beat the dealer you win.
Pai Gow Poker is available at online in casinos in New Jersey. The introduction of this game to the online audience has seen its popularity increase. While Pai Gow is tactical, the software will sort the cards into the best hands for you.
This page starts by explaining how Pai Gow Poker works. Then Fortune Pai Gow poker, an online variant from SG Digital is reviewed, including details of the side bet action you can place.
How does Pai Gow Poker work?
Your first decision is to decided how much you'll bet in Pai Gow Poker. A number of games offer the opportunity for a side bet in addition to the main bet. Having placed your bets, you'll be dealt seven cards, as will the banker (dealer).
Next, you'll have to split your hand into a 5-card hand and a 2-card hand. The only rule in this split is that the 2-card hand can't outrank the 5-card hand.
For example, if you have a pair of Aces and a pair of sevens in your seven cards (and no flushes or straights), you can't pick the pair of Aces to be your 2-card hand. You can do this yourself, or choose the ‘house way', where the cards are automatically assigned to each hand by the software.
A joker is also added into the mix. Unlike a joker in other games, this is not completely wild. It can be used to represent any card if you can create a straight or a flush, but aside from that, you can only count the joker as an Ace.
Comparing poker hands
Once you have split your seven cards into a 5-card and a 2-card hand (the banker will do the same with their seven cards), both hands will now be compared with the bankers.
If you are lucky enough to win both hands, you'll double your stake.
As an example, if you bet $10, you'll receive the $10 back with an additional $10 on top. If you win one hand, but lose the other, the bet is considered a push and you'll receive your stake back. If you lose both of the hands, you'll lose your stake.
If at any time you have a hand that matches the banker's hand exactly, the banker automatically wins the hand. This is where the house edge comes into play.
How to play Fortune Pai Gow Poker online
Fortune Pai Gow Poker is an online variation, with an added ‘Fortune Bonus' bet. You will find similar side bets in many brick and mortar casinos.
To play you'll start by choosing your chip denomination from the colored chips at the bottom of the screen. These range from just 10c, all the way through to $50, and you can move through the chip ranges by using the arrow keys to scroll from left to right.
Click on a denomination and then click again on the white circle in the center of the screen to place your main bet. You can also place a side bet in the green Fortune to the right.
Rebet, undo and clear buttons give you additional options to save time or aid you if you change your mind.
When ready you'll hit ‘deal' and both yours and the bankers seven cards will be dealt. You'll now make the decision on how to split the cards.
The software offers an ‘autosplit' option which will split the cards in the best way, although you do have the option to override this and choose the cards in the way you want.
It is best to stick to the autosplit, as this will be the best mathematical option possible. To override, you'll manually click on the cards themselves.
When ready, you'll hit the split button that will now divide your hand, and the banker's cards are then revealed and split themselves. At this point you'll compare hands and know if you've been successful.
The side bet option is based on the strength of your 5-card hand. If you hit a straight, 3 of a kind or higher in your five cards, you'll be paid out according to the following pay table:
Pai Gow Poker Payouts
- Straight 2:1
- Three of a Kind 3:1
- Flush 4:1
- Full House 5:1
- Four of a Kind 25:1
- Straight Flush 50:1
- Royal Flush 150:1
- Five Aces 500:1
- Seven Card Straight Flush with Joker 1,000:1 (based on all seven cards before the split)
- Royal Flush with Suited Royals 2,000:1
- Seven Card Straight Flush (based on all seven cards before the split) 8000-to-1
This side bet is completely independent to the main betting action. It is possible therefore that you could lose to a better hand from the banker, but still win the side bet.
For example, if your 5-card hand features three of a kind (3's), but the banker has three of a kind (7's). The side bet will still payout even if you lose the main bet.
Final thoughts
While many online casino games play at a fast pace, Pai Gow Poker is the perfect game for someone who wants to enjoy something more considered. The tactical element of the game makes this a slower game (both live and online), with the splitting of the cards the key element.
Once you're an experienced Pai Gow Poker player, the optimal splitting of the hands will become second nature in a live environment. Playing online, the software will do the work for you.
You can now enjoy Pai Gow Poker online in New Jersey. ‘Fortune Pai Gow Poker' is a popular variant in the state, with the added side bet which could turn any hand into a jackpot winner.
This page is an introduction to how to play Pai Gow Poker, and it's also a beginner's tutorial for Pai Gow Poker strategy. I'll write additional articles about Pai Gow Poker in the future which will go into more detail about the game and its strategies.
Pai Gow Poker is a poker-based game based on an ancient Chinese domino game called pai gow. The two games have some superficial similarities, but make no mistake, they ARE different games.
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How to Play Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is not a true poker game. Like most casino games, in pai gow poker, you're playing against the dealer, not against the other players. In a true poker game, you're not playing against the dealer at all, you're playing against the other players.
Pai Gow Poker is always played with a 53 card deck–a standard deck of cards with the inclusion of a joker as a wild card. The goal is to beat the dealer by putting together a better hand.
In a game of Pai Gow Poker, everyone is dealt seven cards. Each player then makes two poker hands out these seven cards–a five card hand and a two card hand.
The poker hand rankings that are used in Pai Gow Poker are the standard poker hand rankings explained on this site's poker strategy page, with one exception–a straight of ace to five is considered the 2nd highest straight possible. (That straight is called a 'wheel.')
The dealer also arranges her hand into a five card hand and a two card hand, but she doesn't use her judgment when arranging her hands. She uses a set of prescribed rules called 'the house way.' (See the similarities to blackjack?)
The player's goal is to win BOTH hands, in which case she wins even money less a 5% commission.
If the player wins one hand but loses the other, the hand is considered a push, and her bet is returned.
One rule that all Pai Gow Poker players must follow is that when they arrange their hands, they're forbidden from arranging their two card hand in a way that would make it a better hand than their five card hand. A player who arranges her hands in this way automatically loses; this is considered a 'foul.' It's not cheating, even though it breaks a rule–it's just a dumb way to lose your money playing Pai Gow Poker.
Another quirk of Pai Gow Poker is that the player has the option of being the banker. If the player opts to be the banker, she needs enough of a bankroll to cover the bets at the table, and she also has to arrange her hands according to the 'house way.' But a player can't opt to bank every hand; the option rotates around the table. Most players don't choose to be the banker at all anymore.
Pai Gow Poker House Edge
Pai Gow Cards
According to the Wizard of Odds, the house edge for a player who knows how to arrange her cards correctly in a game of Pai Gow Poker is 2.73%. The house edge for the banker is only 0.20%, so it's a good idea to be the banker when you have the option. If you play the game long enough, and you choose to be the banker every time you get the chance, the overall house edge for the game is only 1.46%, making Pai Gow Poker a pretty good casino game, percentage-wise.
How to Arrange Your Hands in Pai Gow Poker
If you want to get the detailed specifics for the correct Pai Gow Poker strategy, find a copy of Stanford Wong's book Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker. He goes into a lot of detail about the math of each situation and how to make the right decisions.
Another option is to visit Michael Shackleford's site and just copy the 'house way' even when you're the player. You can find that link, labeled 'Wizard of Odds', in the paragraph before last.
But my preferred approach to Pai Gow Poker strategy is to apply a little bit of thought to each hand. This isn't the mathematically correct approach every time, but I figure that even if I use perfect strategy, I'm still playing a negative expectation game, so why not?
According to Andrew Brisman, author of American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling: Winning Ways, the best you can hope to achieve by playing perfectly at Pai Gow Poker is to shave 0.3% off the house edge. I'm not willing to study hard to gain 0.3% on a game that's still a negative expectation game, so I'll just relate the simple strategy for how to arrange your hands in Pai Gow Poker that Brisman shares in his book, and it boils down to a single sentence.
Arrange your hand so that you have the highest possible two card hand possible while still not having a two card hand that's better than your five card hand.
This makes a lot of sense if you think about it. It doesn't do you any good to have a full house for your five card hand if your two card hand is going to lose, because you won't win any money. You're better off with a three of a kind in your five card hand and a pair in your two card hand, because then you've at least got a chance of winning some money.
You shouldn't arrange your cards in such a way as to almost guarantee a push, in other words.
Pai Gow Poker Hand Odds
Like most casino games, there are more nuances and details I could share about Pai Gow Poker, but this is meant to be an introduction to the game and its strategies, so I'll leave the other details for future articles on the subject.
