How to Play Pai Gow Poker

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It’s important to underscore that the strategy we’ve given you – both basic and advanced – is based completely on Pai Gow Poker odds. On this page, we’ll give you a crash course on Pai Gow Poker odds and hand probabilities. We’ll explain the basics before digging more deeply into the details.

Pai gow poker is a casino table game designed by Sam Torosian. The game came into being in 1980 and has since enjoyed quite a huge followers. Many casinos offer the game to their clients for their enjoyment as it elicits social behaviour from the players. It indicates the level of fun the players are experiencing while at the table.

The game requires the players to beat the high hand, and the lower hands of the dealer or whoever is dealing might be their fellow player. The game is simple, easy to understand but does require a high level of skill. To help you out, we do have an optimal winning strategy that can help you through the game and win. The game can be described as a low-risk game due to the number of pushes made and the rate at which the game is played “slow”. Therefore, it is a winning game for the player with the right playing tips at hand.

Rules

Pai Gow Poker rules do not vary much from the usual poker rules. However, there are some differences. Here are the game’s rules:

1. The game consists of one joker and a 52 card deck. The joker can be played as an Ace, used to complete different poker hands including a Straight, straight flush, a flush or a royal flush.
2. The game starts with the six players in the game, placing their ante bets. The dealer then deals out seven cards for himself and each of the players. The cards face down.
3. The player evaluates his cards and separates them into two; a high hand composed of five cards and a low poker ranking hand consisting of two cards. In the low side, individual cards indicate the poker value if there is or there isn’t a pair.
4. After evaluating, the player sets his hand according to the house rules. The house rules regarding card arrangement must be followed in this game less risking being forfeited from the competition. If unsure of the house rules, ask the dealer to help you out.
5. The dealer then does the same and reveals his high hand and low hand. He will also similarly place his cards, as described in the house rules.
6. The cards are then compared; the dealer’s high hand is compared against the player’s top card and the same with the low hand cards. The side with the higher poker hand ranking wins. when the player and the banker experience a tie in their poker rankings, then the dealers win the bets.
7. If you succeed in both the high hand and the lower hand, then you win all the stakes with a commission of 5% going to the house which in most cases they choose not to take. If you win one hand, the game goes on, and the bets push.
8. However, the sport enjoys one strange exception from other poker-based games. The straight or A2345 is the 2nd ranking highest straight in this game.
9. Another exceptional rule is that the player can bank on other players by betting against them as they bet against the dealer. You can also play the dealer according to the house rules. They determine who represents the dealer after the dealer in each game. If the player doesn’t want to play the banker, then the chance is offered to another player, or it goes back to the dealer.
   

Types of Bets

© New Vision Gaming – Pai Gow Poker Mania | © SG Gaming – Fortune Pai Gow Poker | © Galaxy Gaming – Emperors Challenge Pai Gow Poker

The game has several types of bets. These are:

• Ante Bet

The bet is placed before the game starts.

• Fortune Pai Gow Bet

It is a side bet made by players dependent on the outcome, i.e. trips or a better hand.

• Pai Gow Mania Bet

In this type of bet, the player makes two different side bets.

• Emperors Challenge Bet

The bet gives the player the chance to place a side bet on Pai Gow.

• Progressive Fortune Pai Gow Bet

The stake allows a player the opportunity to place different types of side bets based on a seven card straight flush poker rank win.

Objective

The objective of Pai Gow Poker is to beat the dealers, banker, house or other players hand to win the bet with the highest five-card poker ranks and low two card poker rank.

Hand Ranks

• Five of A Kind – Highest Hand in Pai Gow poker, includes 4 Aces and a Joker
• Royal Flush or Straight Flush – Consists of 10, J, Q, K & ace all of the same suit
• Four Of A Kind – Four cards of the same denominations
• Full House – Three cards of same denominations and a pair
• Flush – Five cards of the same suit
• Straight – Five cards in sequence
• 3 of a Kind – Three cards of the same denomination
• Two Pair – Two sets of cards of the same Denomination
• One pair – 2 cards of the same denomination
• High Card – All five cards of different denominations and suits
  

Payouts

The Pai Gow Poker payouts are as follows

House Edge

The game has a house edge of 2.8%. It is quite low, and you can reduce the percentage further by following the set Pai Gow Poker strategies.

Playing Strategy Tips

How to play Pai Gow Poker is a question that distracts many as they do not know what they need. Well, apart from the general knowledge of the game rule, here are the strategies or tips for playing this game is to split the cards dealt in a way that you have the highest ranking poker hands or hand. It will ensure that your bet pushes through.

Equipment

You need a table with the games logo in the middle, six sitting spots for the players and another place for the dealer. Besides, you will require 52 cards and an additional joker to play the game. If playing online, then you need a reliable internet connection, a playing device and a comfortable place to sit.

FAQ

The predominant strategy is to split the cards into the two best possible hands. However, if you have a straight in one hand (best possible hand) the other hand will not matter since it defeats all other hands. On the contrary, with a bad hand, the strategy is to place the two best cards in the front hands and the rest in the backhand.

Other hands that can lead to a strategy e.g. when you have a pair, the best strategy is to put the pair in the back hand and the two other strongest cards in the low hand. Also, if you have two pairs, it is always best to split them. However, the split will depend on the pairs dealt.

There are also other generic strategies such as when you have 4 of a kind you should keep them together. Another one is to keep 3 of a kind in the high hand unless you have 3 aces. Straights and flushes should also be kept in the higher hand. If you have all five aces including the joker, you should always split them, unless you also have two kings then you can place all aces in the high hand.

In China, pai gow is a popular gambling game played with Chinese dominoes. In 1985, Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club, created a poker game inspired by pai gow—he called it “pai gow poker.” It’s become a popular game in casinos throughout the United States.

Like blackjack, pai gow poker is a game of skill, where your decisions matter. It’s also a slow-paced game, and the probability of getting into a “push” situation (a tie) is relatively high. For someone with a small bankroll, pai gow poker can be one of the best deals in the casino.

But pai gow poker is also more complicated to play than many other casino card games. Playing well is another magnitude of difficulty. This post aims to provide everything you need to know to get started playing pai gow poker without making a fool of yourself.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Pai gow poker is played with a standard 53-card deck of cards. (“53” is not a typo—it’s a 52-card deck with the addition of a joker.)

In most card games, jokers are “wild cards”—they can stand in for any card you need them to.

But in pai gow poker, jokers are only wild for certain situations. Here’s how you can use a joker in pai gow poker:

• You can use it as an ace.
• You can use it to complete a straight.
• You can use it to complete a flush.
• You can use it to complete a straight flush.

The game starts with the players making bets. Then the dealer and the players each get 7 cards.

As with most poker games, even house-banked games, the standard ranking of poker hands is used, with one exception:

After you get your 7 cards, you must “set your hand.” This means you divided your hand into 2 hands—a 5-card hand and a 2-card hand. You have a lot of freedom for setting the hand, but you must follow one restriction:

The 5-card hand must have a better poker hand ranking than the 2-card hand.

Pai Gow Poker Optimal Strategy

Of course, the 5-card hand is treated like a 5-card poker hand. The 2-card hand can only qualify for 2 poker hand rankings, though—a pair, or not a pair.

The dealer also sets his hand, but he must follow specific rules set by the casino. This is called “the house way.” It’s comparable to how a blackjack dealer must play his hand in a prescribed manner.

When you compare hands, you have the following possibilities:

1. Both of the player’s hands beat both of the dealer’s hands.
2. One of the player’s hands beats the dealer’s hand, but one of the dealer’s hands beats the player’s hand.
3. Both of the dealer’s hands beat both of the player’s hands.

If both of the player’s hands beat the dealer’s hand, he wins even money less a 5% commission on his bet.

If both of the dealer’s hands beat the player’s hand, the player loses his bet.

But if one hand is a winner and the other is a loser, the bet is considered a “push.” This means the player gets to keep his bet, but he doesn’t get any winnings in addition to that.

Also, ties go to the banker.

40% of the time, the outcome is a push, which is huge. 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 money per hour it costs to play a specific casino game. In blackjack, for example, you’re liable to see 100 hands per hour, but most of them won’t result in a push.

I like leisurely games where I don’t lose a lot of money at once. Pai gow poker fits the bill nicely.

Banking in Pai Gow Poker

In most casino games, the betting is pretty straightforward. You’re the player, and you bet against the dealer. In pai gow poker, though, you have the option to bet against the dealer and the other players. Only one player gets to be the banker on each hand, though—the opportunity rotates.

Here’s the thing about being the banker in pai gow poker, though—it requires (as you might expect) a large bankroll. Most people just decline the opportunity to be the banker.

If you do choose to play as the banker, you can set your hand any way you like. You’re not required to follow the house way.

Being able to play as the banker enables players to get a small edge, especially if you’re playing with other players who are beginners and aren’t good at the game. The strategy in pai gow poker stems from how you’re able to set your hands.

The House Edge in Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Trainer

The house edge is the long-term expected win for the casino expressed as a percentage. It’s a forecast and an estimate, but it only applies in the long run—over the course of thousands of hands. Still, it’s good information to have about a casino game.

Generally, the lower the house edge, the better the game is for the player. For example, the house edge in blackjack is usually around 1%, but that assumes the use of perfect basic strategy. This means that every time you place a $100 bet, the casino expects to win an average of $1.

The house edge in pai gow poker varies based on a couple of things. One of these is how good you are at setting your hand. The other is how often you can afford to play as the banker.

Generally, the house edge in pai gow poker is 2.7%, although it’s much lower when playing as the banker. This estimate assumes you’re just following the house way strategy. If you can play more optimally than that, you can whittle the house edge down by another 0.2%.

And if you’re playing as the banker and using optimal strategy, the house edge is even lower—around 0.3%. If you can find a table where the other players aren’t very good at setting hands, you might even be able to get a long-term advantage. This is an example of an advantage gambling technique.

Pai Gow Poker Strategy for Setting Your Hand

For most recreational gamblers, a strategy similar to the house way is sufficient. Getting any more optimal than that is more trouble than it’s worth for the tiny gain in expectation. Below I’ve outlined one common house way of setting hands.

To understand this guide to pai gow poker strategy, you should know which hand is your “front” hand and which hand is your “back” hand. Luckily, this isn’t complicated.

The front hand is your 2-card hand.

The back hand is your 5-card hand.

Here’s how to play with close to correct pai gow poker strategy:

First, if you have no pairs at all in your 7 cards, put the highest card in your front hand. Put the next 2 highest cards in your back hand.

Pai Gow Poker Rules Strategy

If you have one pair, always put it in your back hand. Then put your 2 other highest cards in your back hand.

If you have 2 pairs, you’ll put one pair in your back hand and the other in your front hand. The higher ranked pair goes in your back hand, and the lower ranked pair goes in your front hand. But sometimes, you’ll want to keep both pairs in your back hand.

You’ll do this if you have a pair of 7s and no ace. You’ll also do this if you have a pair of jacks or better AND a pair of 6s or better along with an ace. And finally, you’ll do this if you have a pair of aces and any other pair.

If you get 3 pairs, put the highest-ranked pair in your front hand. The other 2, of course, go in your back hand.

If you have 3 of a kind, put all 3 of those cards in your back hand UNLESS you have 3 aces. In that case, you put an ace in your front hand and 2 aces in your back hand.

If you have a 3 of a kind AND a 2^nd 3 of a kind, put the lower-ranked 3 of a kind in your back hand. Then split up the 2^nd 3 of a kind so that you’ll have a pair in your front hand.

If you get a full house, split it up so that you have a pair in your front hand and 3 of a kind in your back hand.

Pai Gow Strategy Tips

If you get a straight, flush, or a straight flush, you should always keep those 5 cards together in your back hand.

If you have a 4 of a kind, how you play it depends on the ranks of the cards. If they’re 6 or lower, you’ll keep the 4 of a kind together in your back hand. If they’re 7, 8, 9, or 10, you should split them unless you have an ace, in which case you keep them together and put the ace in your front hand.

If you have a 4 of a kind consisting of face cards, split them unless you also have a pair of 10s or higher. And if you have 4 aces, split them unless you have a pair of 7s or higher.

If you get 5 aces, you should split them unless you have a pair of kings to put in your front hand.

Besides that, you should always play as the banker if you can afford to, because of the much lower house edge. This isn’t an option when playing in an online casino, but it’s an option at most traditional brick and mortar casinos.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for affordable entertainment in the form of casino gambling, you’ll have a hard time finding a better game than pai gow poker. A house edge of 2.7% sounds high, but it’s really not bad at all when you consider that 40% of the hands you’ll play will be a push.

Optimal strategy for pai gow poker is more complicated than the house way, but if you just play by the house way, you’ll be doing better than most other players at the table. Consider using the house way strategy provided in this post next time you play.

Finally, one of the biggest distinctions between pai gow poker and other casino games is the ability to play as the banker. You should take advantage of this as much as possible, but you’ll probably only be able to if you’re a high roller with a huge bankroll.