Pai Gow Poker Strategy Reddit

Pai Gow Poker is an interesting casino variation that offers something a little different from other casino card games such as Blackjack, Baccarat and Casino Hold’em. Pai Gow Poker is loosely based on the Chinese game of Pai Gow, a gambling game played with 32 dominos.

In this guide I explain exactly how you’ll play Pai Gow Poker. I start with the basic rules of the game, detailing the hand rankings and the use of the Joker in the game. I then look at the strategy of the game and how you can let the casino software do the work for you. I finish by detailing the house fees you’ll be charged before finishing with an overview of the game.

The Basic Rules of Pai Gow Poker

The game of Pai Gow Poker itself plays fairly slowly, especially with a full table of players, so you have plenty of time to set your hand and chat among players. But it can be a little boring. The side bets bring some real fun and excitement to the game and also some strategy changes in setting your hands. The best strategy to maximize your winnings in Pai Gow Poker is to memorize the poker hand rankings. When you’re playing online, the computer automatically prevents you from making your two-card hand higher than your five-card hand and lets you know when you’ve won or lost each hand.

When playing Pai Gow Poker online you’ll be head to head against the dealer. Before each hand you’ll choose the stake you want to play – this stake being of any size as long as it is within the limits of the table. Both you and the dealer will be dealt seven cards.

The Chinese have been playing Pai Gow with dominos since ancient times. Once East met West, however, Pai Gow Poker was born. Credit is given to Sam Torosian, who headed up the California Bell Club card room, for popularizing the new game and helping everyone figure out how to enjoy Pai Gow with playing cards instead of dominoes. In 1985, the owner of the Bell Card Club, Sam Torosian, created a new card game – Pai Gow Poker, also called double-hand poker. While traditional Chinese Pai Gow was played with 32 dominoes, Pai Gow Poker was played with a 52-card deck plus a joker card. Today, the game is one of the most popular in the gaming industry.

Your aim is to make two hands – one of 5 cards and the other hand of just 2 cards. The rules of the game state that the 5 card hand must outrank the 2 card hand - so for example, you’ll not be able to use two Aces as the two card hand, if the 5 card hand has a single pair of Kings. The dealer will go through the same process using exactly the same rules.

You’ll then compare your 5 card hand with the dealer’s 5 card hand – and then compare your 2 card hand with the dealer’s 2 card hand. If you win both hands, you’ll win, if you lose both hands you’ll lose and if you win one hand and lose the other it will be a push and you’ll receive your bet amount back.

The hand rankings in the game follow a standard game of poker:

Straight Flush (a Royal Flush being the highest Straight Flush)
Four of a kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
Three of a Kind
Two Pair
One Pair
High Card

Of course, this mainly applies to the 5 card hand, as the two card hand has only two possibilities – a high card or a pair.

In this game you’ll also find Jokers. Unlike Jokers in some other games, they are not ‘wild’ in all circumstances. They can be used as ‘wilds’ when completing a Flush or Straight draw, but in all other circumstances they will represent an Ace.

Pai Gow Basic Strategy

Remember that in Pai Gow poker your aim is to win both hands, so you’ll not want to set your 5 card hand as the strongest possible if it leaves your 2 card hand weak. Essentially this means that you’ll want to set your 2 card hand to be as good as it can while still leaving a higher 5 card hand.

Here is an example:

The pair of 8’s here are the best hand and you also have a pair of 6’s. Here you’ll set the pair of 6’s as your 2 card hand and you’ll still have a higher hand as your 5 card hand.

In this particular hand, the dealer had a pair of Aces as his the 5 card hand which beat me, however the pair of 6’s beat the dealer’s pair of 2’s, so the hand was a push and I neither won or lost.

When playing online you’ll be able to nominate the house to choose the cards for you – they’ll do this in the same way they will choose their own cards. This is done by clicking the ‘house way’ button.

House Fees

The house fees can vary, but in general you’ll be charged a small commission in the region of 5% on any winning hand. This may seem quite expensive, but having played the game for a while you’ll realise that many of the hands in the game are ‘pushes’ meaning you’ll pay commission on fewer hands than you would if playing another casino card variation.

Pai Gow Poker – Overview

Pai Gow poker is an interesting game which does get you thinking. It’s a game of skill, one that is much more enjoyable for me if not using the ‘house way’ option, as you’ll be using your own ability to beat the game – it being proven that the ‘house way’ isn’t always optimal anyway. The game is a low risk one because of all the pushes, making those winning moments even sweeter. If you want a gentle, long lasting game at the casino where you’ll use your brain, Pai Gow Poker could be ideal for you.

Where to Find the Best Pai Gow Poker Games Online?

This will depend on where you are located.

For US readers I strongly recommend checking out the RTG Pai Gow Poker at the US-only Bovada Casino. This outfit is part of the global Bodog brand and has a reputation for solid service and constantly updated promotions. You'll be able to choose the 'House Way' or define the hands yourself while you clear your bonuses. Check out www.bovada.lv for more.

International readers have a wider choice of casinos, with some good games coming from both PlayTech and NetEnt. My favourite platform for Pai Gow is MicroGaming, which is now flexible enough to work on just about all mobile and desktop devices. 32Red are UK Licensed and treat their loyal players really well. You can find out more at www.32red.com.

More Casino Table Games:

Pai gow poker
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Origin	United States
Players	2–7
Deck	French
Play	Clockwise
Card rank (highest first)	A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Random chance	High
Chinese poker

Pai gow poker (also called double-hand poker) is a version of pai gow that is played with playing cards, instead of traditional pai gow's Chinese dominoes. The game of pai gow poker was created in 1985 in the United States by Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club.^[1]

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, plus a single joker. It is played on a table set for six players, plus the dealer. Each player attempts to defeat the banker (who may be the casino dealer, one of the other players at the table, or a player acting in tandem with the dealer as co-bankers).^[2]

Winning condition[edit]

The object of pai gow poker is to create a five card poker hand and a two card poker hand from seven cards that beat both of the bank's hands. The five-card hand's rank must exceed that of the two-card hand, and it is for this reason that the two-card hand is often called the hand 'in front', 'on top', 'hair', or the 'small', 'minor', or 'low' hand. The five-card hand is called the hand 'behind', or the 'bottom', 'high', or 'big', as they are placed that way in front of the player, when the player is done setting them.

Deals[edit]

The cards are shuffled, and then dealt to the table in seven face-down piles of seven cards per pile. Four cards are unused regardless of the number of people playing.

Betting positions are assigned a number from 1 to 7, starting with whichever player is acting as banker that hand, and counting counter-clockwise around the table. A number from 1 to 7 is randomly chosen (either electronically or manually with dice), then the deal begins with the corresponding position and proceeds counter-clockwise. One common way of using dice to determine the dealer starting number is to roll three six-sided dice, and then count betting spots clockwise from the first position until the number on the dice is reached.

If a player is not sitting on a particular spot, the hand is still assigned, but then placed on the discard pile with the four unused cards. In some casinos, such as the Golden Nugget and Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, an extra 'dragon hand' is dealt if a seat is vacant. After all players have set their original hand they are asked in turn if they would like to place another bet to play the dragon hand. Generally the bet on the dragon hand can be the table minimum up to the amount the player bet on their original hand. The first player to accept the dragon hand receives it; this player is effectively playing two separate hands. Rules vary from casino to casino, but generally the dealer turns over the dragon hand and sets it using the house way. This is because the player has already seen the seven cards of their original hand, which could affect the way they would set the dragon hand.

Hand rankings[edit]

The only two-card hands are one pair and high cards.

Five-card hands use standard poker hand rankings with one exception: in most casinos, the 'wheel' (the hand A-2-3-4-5) is the second-highest straight. At most casinos in California and Michigan this rule doesn't apply, and A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible straight.

The joker plays as a bug, that is, in the five-card hand it can be used to complete a straight or flush if possible; otherwise it is an ace. In the two-card hand it always plays as an ace, except in several southern Californian casinos where the joker is wild.

Win reckoning[edit]

If each of the player's hands beats each of the banker's corresponding hands, then he wins the bet. If only one of his hands beats the banker then he pushes (ties) in which case neither he nor the banker wins the bet. If both of his hands lose to the banker then he loses.

On each hand, ties go to the banker (for example, if a player's five-card hand loses to the banker and his two-card hand ties the banker then the player loses); this gives the banker a small advantage. If the player fouls his hand, meaning that his two-card hand outranks his five-card hand, or that there are an incorrect number of cards in each hand, there will usually be a penalty: either re-arrangement of the hand according to house rules or forfeiture of the hand.

In casino-banked games, the banker is generally required to set his hand in a pre-specified manner, called the 'house way', so that the dealer does not have to implement any strategy in order to beat the players. When a player is banking, he is free to set the hand however he chooses; however, players have the option of 'co-banking' with the house, and if this option is chosen then the player's hand must also be set in the house way.

Pai Gow Poker Tips

California casinos typically charge a flat fee per hand (such as 5 cents or one dollar) to play, win or lose. Other casinos take a 5% commission out of the winnings, which is usually known as the rake.^[3]

Variants[edit]

There are a number of variations of Pai Gow poker that are popular in casinos today. These variations were mainly formulated in 2004 through 2009. Pai Gow Mania was the first variation to be created which allows for two side bets instead of the traditional one side bet per hand. Fortune Pai Gow is another variation which allows players to make a side bet on a poker hand ranking of three-of-a-kind or better, one of the most popular variations. Similar is Emperors Challenge, which also allows a side bet on a seven-card pai gow (no hand). Shuffle Master introduced a variation of the game in 2006, adding a progressive jackpot side bet, named Progressive Fortune Pai Gow. Part or all of the jackpot may be won by placing a side bet and landing one of the hands specified on the payout table; a combined seven-card straight flush wins the entire jackpot.^[4]

Advantage play[edit]

Advantage play refers to legal methods used to gain an advantage while gambling. In pai gow poker, a player may be able to gain an advantage in certain circumstances by banking as often as possible, taking advantage of unskilled players while banking, and dealer errors when not banking.^[3]

What Is Pai Gow Poker

History[edit]

Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club in Los Angeles, invented the game of Pai Gow Poker in 1985. The idea for the game came to Torosian after being told about the game Pusoy by an elderly Filipino customer. He figured that the 13-card game with players arranging three hands would be too slow, but a simplified two-hand version with only seven cards would be faster and easier for players to learn. The game quickly became popular and by the late 1980s was being played on the Las Vegas Strip, and eventually worldwide. Torosian famously failed to patent the game he invented after being given bad advice by an attorney he consulted, and noted poker author Mike Caro, both of whom told him that the game was not patentable.^[1]

Pai Gow How To Play

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