A failsafe pai gow poker strategy is to take on the role of banker. Your chances of winning will increase: the house edge falls to around 1.4% if the casino allows you to bank half of your hands, and even more if you’re able to bank more hands. Pai Gow Poker Hand Rankings. Pai Gow Poker – Rules Strategy & Tips to Help You Win. Pai Gow Poker is a game that is played directly against a Dealer in a similar way to Blackjack. You need to make 2 Poker hands, one that contains 5 cards and one with 2 cards. These hands are then compared to the Dealers hands and a winner determined depending on the value of the hands.

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. The joker is a wild card which can be used only as an ace, or to complete a straight, a flush or a straight flush.

On each deal the dealer plays against the other players. Before the deal, each of the other players puts up a stake.

Seven cards are dealt to each player. All players other than the dealer look at their cards and divide them to form two hands - a two card hand and a five card hand. The relative values of the five card hands are the same as in poker, with one exception: A-2-3-4-5 is the second highest type of straight or straight flush, ranking between A-K-Q-J-10 and K-Q-J-10-9. Five aces is the highest hand, beating a straight flush. For the two card hand, any pair beats any two unmatched cards, but no other combinations are possible.

The player must arrange the cards so that the five card hand is higher than the two card hand (so if the two cards were a pair of aces, the five card hand would have to contain two pairs or better). Players are not allowed to discuss their hands at any stage.

The players place their two hands face down, and when all are ready, the dealer's seven cards are exposed. The other players may not touch their cards from this point on. The dealer forms the seven exposed cards into a five and a two in the same way as the players.

Then all the players' cards are exposed. The result between the dealer and each player is determined by comparing the player's 5 card hand with the dealer's 5 card hand and the player's 2 card hand with the dealer's 2 card hand:

1. If the player wins both hands the dealer pays out the amount staked by the player.
2. If the dealer wins one hand and the player wins the other no money changes hands. This is called a 'push'.
3. If the dealer wins both hands the dealer wins the player's stake.

Pai Gow Poker Free

If either hand is tied, the dealer wins that particular hand. So if the dealer wins one hand while the other is tied, or if both hands are tied, the dealer wins. If one hand is tied and the player wins the other it is a push (no money changes hands).

Note on the deal

When this game is played formally, a rather elaborate method of dealing is used. Seven hands of seven cards are dealt, one card at a time, and the remaining four cards are discarded unseen. The dealer then throws three dice and counts around the players at the table counter-clockwise, starting with himself, up to the dice total to determine who gets the first hand which was dealt. The following hands go to the other players, in counter-clockwise rotation.

Dealer's advantage

The dealer obviously has an advantage (winning tied hands), so if you want the game to be fair everyone has to deal an equal number of times during the session.

For another description, see the Pai Gow Poker FAQ of the newsgroup rec.gambling.misc

The Pai Gow Poker at The Pogg has rules, analysis and a strategy calculator.

The Casino-info.com site has a page of Pai Gow Poker rules and strategy.

Pai Gow Poker Free has information on Pai Gow Poker rules, strategy and odds and a selection of places where you carn play online for fun.

The Pai Gow Poker section of the Casino Advisor web site has Pai Gow Poker rules and advice.

Pai Gow Poker is the Americanized version of the classic Chinese game Pai Gow. Instead of using Chinese dominoes, this game uses playing cards with poker hand values. At first this game can appear to be confusing and overwhelming, but with a little practice this could become your new favorite casino game!

Pai Gow Strategy Chart

If this is your first time being exposed to Pai Gow Poker, you will want to learn the general rules and guidelines to the game. If you already know how to play, then proceed below for a general strategy to Pai Gow Poker that can help you find greater success at the table.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

To play Pai Gow Poker, each player makes a minimum bet before the cards are dealt.

Every player including the dealer is dealt seven cards from a standard deck of 52 cards plus one Joker. With these seven cards, each player must make two poker hands. One of the hands is a five-card “high” hand (also referred to as the big hand) and a two card “low” hand (or the front hand). After every player makes their five-card hand and two-card hand, every player including the banker reveals their cards.

Pai Gow Poker Strategy Betting

For the player to win, the player must win both hands; their high hand and low hand must be stronger than the banker’s high hand and low hand. This outcome results in the player winning the entire bet.

Alternatively, if the dealer wins both hands, the player loses their bet. If a player wins one hand and the dealer wins another hand, this outcome results in a draw and no money is exchanged. However, if the player and banker hands are the same that is a win for the banker. For example: If the player and banker both have an Ace King for their two-card hand that is a win for the banker.

Pai Gow Poker Strategy

You want to play the “house way” as a general guideline. For example, if you are dealt two pairs, there is two way to play this hand, splitting or keeping the two pair as you five-card hand and placing the next highest two cards as your two-card hand. If you are unsure ask the dealer and he will let you know how the house would set this hand. Know that the final decision on how you want to set the hand is up to you.

If you choose to keep both of your pairs in your five-card hand, you have a greater chance of pushing to the banker. It is important to remember that in order to win in Pai Gow Poker your hand ranking must beat both of the banker’s hands.

Pai Gow Optimal Strategy

According to the rules, your five-card hand ranking hand’s value must be greater than your two-card hand. So, as a rule of thumb, keep your higher pair in your five-card hand and place the lower pair in your two-card hand. In the long run, this Pai Gow hand strategy will give you a greater chance of success.

Pai Gow Strategy Card

Just like any other card game, there are hundreds of situation-specific strategies that require an expert level of knowledge and experience. But for the beginner or moderately experienced player, following this Pai Gow hand strategy approach can hopefully lead to a successful and enjoyable experience the next time you visit a Pai Gow table!

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