Pai Gow poker is a hybrid of Pai Gow, an Asian dominoes game, and
the American game of poker. It hasn't caught on like blackjack or
baccarat, but it is available in most American casinos.
Pai Gow poker players enjoy the laid back, friendly atmosphere at
a Pai Gow poker table. It's a slow-paced, leisurely, and social
casino game.
The Object of Pai Gow Poker
The object of Pai Gow poker is to create 2 poker hands from 7
cards, one of which is a 5 card hand, and the other of which is a 2
card hand. The 5 card hand is called the bottom or behind hand, and
the 2 card hand forms the top or front hand.
Since players wager on both the top and the bottom hands equally,
it's important to play both hands strongly.
A Pai Gow Poker Deck
Pai Gow Poker is played with up to six players and a dealer. The
game is played with a standard 52 card poker deck, though one Joker
is added to the deck.
The joker is a limited wildcard. It can only be used to fill out
a straight or flush, and otherwise serves as an Ace.
The Deal
7 different 7 card hands are always dealt in Pai Gow poker,
regardless of the number of players at the table. This is an Asian
custom, and the additional hands just remain unplayed. The remaining
4 cards in the deck are discarded.
The order of hand selection is determined randomly and ritually,
sometimes with dice, and sometimes with a random number generator.
The player must arrange his cards into 2 hands, positioned in the
front and the back. The 2 card hand is the front hand, and the 5
card hand is the back hand.
The 5 card hand must be equal to or better than the 2 card hand,
or the player fouls and loses the wager.
One option available at some casinos is the option to play "house
ways" by default, which is the way the dealer is required to play,
per the casino rules. The banker must also play according to house
ways.
The Pai Gow Poker Banker
A banker presides over each Pai Gow poker hand. The players'
hands are compared to the banker's hand to determine whether or not
they win. Often the banker is the dealer, but sometimes players are
also allowed to take the role of the banker.
The banker wins all ties, giving the house a 1.2% or so edge.
In order for a player to be the banker, he must have a large
enough bankroll to cover all the players' bets. Large sums of money
can be lost on a single hand, but skilled Pai Gow poker players
prefer to be the banker because of the reduction of the house edge.
The banker role is normally rotated among the players who want to
bank.
More About Learning to Play Pai Gow Poker
Some (but not all) casinos allow Pai Gow Players to coach one
another on how to play their hands. Casinos who don't allow player
coaching usually allow the player to play house ways.
Pai Gow is a very social game, but in a different, more laid-back
way than craps, which is another social casino game.
Between 30% and 40% of all Pai Gow poker hands are pushes, so the
action can be quite slow indeed.
Be sure to visit the rest of our online Pai Gow poker guide:
