Real Money Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow is a gambling game that has been played in China for over a thousand years. Traditional Pai Gow is played with Chinese dominos, which are definitely different from the dominos that Westerners are accustomed to, and in any case Pai Gow hasn’t been a game that has had any great degree of popularity outside China, even though it is played in some Western casinos.
Westerners though are much more familiar with card games using a standard deck, and are especially fond of the game of poker. The game of Pai Gow does have some interesting elements in it though, especially the idea of making two hands, which results in some very interesting decisions being made, ones that are far more rich than you see at any other casino game really.
Strategy in playing casino games tends to be either non existent, like for instance with games like roulette, craps, or baccarat, or pretty minimal, like with blackjack for instance. Sure, there are some decisions to be made at the blackjack table, and ones that clearly affect outcomes, but they are very easily mastered.
Pai Gow, as it is played in most casinos, is a variation of poker using principles driven from the Chinese domino game of the same name. The major difference is that Pai Gow Poker is played with a full 52-deck of cards including a single Joker instead of the set of 32 Chinese Dominos used. Online Pai Gow Poker for Real Money. Online Pai Gow Poker is not to be confused with Pai Gow, the domino game of Chinese origin. Pai Gow Poker is an Americanized version.
Pai Gow is a completely different animal though, and the basic concept is to form two hands so to speak, the hand ahead and the hand behind, with the hand behind needing to be stronger. The dealer also has two hands, and the object of the game is for the player to combine their cards such that they have the best chance to win one or both hands. This is not a straightforward task by any means and will challenge players to think strategically in a way that you just don’t see in other casino games.
- Online Pai Gow Poker for Real Money ”Pai Gow Poker”, the name in itself is daunting, isn’t it? But, the good news is Online Pai Gow Poker is going to be a breeze if you.
- The hands that will be the trickiest to play in Pai Gow Poker are hands with two pair. That’s because you’re often going to split your pair. Splitting pairs is where most people get tripped up in this game. First, let’s look at the three types of pairs. Low pairs are deuces through sixes. Medium pairs are sevens through tens.
If players were just looking to build one or the other hand as strongly as they can, then this would be a pretty simple matter, but since the strength of both hands need to be accounted for, and adding in the fact that in some cases you may want to make one or the other stronger to ensure you win at least one of the two, this does make the game of Pai Gow very interesting.
Pai Gow Meets Poker
The marriage between Pai Gow and poker has the unique gambling laws of the State of California to thank, as well as the ingenuity of casino manager and gambling inventor Fred Wolf. California law only allows for card games to be offered legally, for whatever reason, and if Pai Gow was to be offered here, it would have to be played with cards and not dominos.
Pai Gow Poker Trainer
So Fred Wolf, who is known for several other gambling innovations, came up with the idea to play Pai Gow with a deck of 52 cards plus a joker, using standard poker hand rankings.
So he teamed up with Bell Club owner Sam Torosian and together they rolled out Pai Gow Poker. The Bell Club is long gone now but Pai Gow Poker became a big hit, and quickly spread to other card rooms in the Los Angeles area and then to the rest of the world.
Being based upon poker and poker hand rankings has made Pai Gow much more understandable to the gambling public, and the game is enjoyed by many these days. It is a very easy game to learn but not to easy to completely master, further adding to its appeal.
How To Play Pai Gow Poker
Players are dealt seven cards which they then make two hands with, one with two cards, the hand ahead, and one with five cards, the hand behind. The dealer also gets dealt seven cards and does the same.
The manner in which players put together their hands is what is most interesting about Pai Gow Poker. The dealer is required to put together his or her hand according to the “house way,” which differs by casino, but involves a set strategy of combining them together.
Pai Gow Online
Hand rankings follow standard poker rules, other than the fact that some Las Vegas casinos rank a lowball straight, ace to five, as the second highest straight, after ace to ten. The five card hand must be of a higher ranking than the two card hand, adding an additional interesting twist.
If the player beats the dealer with both hands, the player wins. If only one of the two hands are won, then the bet is a push. If one hand is lost and the other ties, the player also loses.
So there are a lot of pushes in Pai Gow Poker and while it is not anywhere near as fast paced as some other casino games, many players see this as an advantage and find the game both relaxing and stimulating. It definitely is stimulating with all of the strategy involved and does get players thinking a fair bit, although even less experienced players won’t find any trouble putting together hands.
Pai Gow Poker has a fairly player friendly house edge, not quite as friendly as a game like blackjack but comparable to other casino games such as craps, baccarat, and single zero roulette. Players can really get plenty of bang for their buck with this one with all the pushes that occur.
Pai Gow Poker is a fairly new game, but it’s one that has really caught on and is poised to grow in popularity as more and more casino players become familiar with it. It is definitely a unique game and one that has many fans already.
Also read:
Pai Gow Poker is an adaptation of the classic Chinese game of Pai Gow tiles. However, unlike the esoteric nature of the tile based game that makes it difficult for foreigners to learn, Pai Gow Poker uses a standard deck of playing cards and regular poker rankings to make the game accessible for players from around the world.
Playing the game online is very simple and most casinos even give you tools to make the game easier if you’re a new player. With a low house edge and a lot of pushes, it is a great game for those who want to see their money last a long time without the risk of losing (or the chance of winning) a huge sum in just a few hands.
- Accept all players from Germany. Offer great software interface and graphics. ‘House way’ option removes house advantage. $1000 welcome bonus on signup and regular weekly bonuses.
While there’s not much to choose from between internet casinos, when it comes to Pai Gow Poker, one in particular has features that we really like that make the game just a little easier to play: www.bovada.lv! For instance, while playing Pai Gow you can use a convenient “house way” button that will set your hands by the same method the dealer uses to set their hands. This will ensure that the casino isn’t getting any additional advantage by setting their hands in a better manner than you are.
Pai Gow Poker Rules
A hand of Pai Gow Poker begins with each player making a bet. Each player and the dealer then receive seven cards face down. Each player must then use their seven cards to make two separate poker hands: a five-card hand, which is scored as a normal poker hand (with the exception that a “wheel” straight of A-2-3-4-5 is usually considered the second highest straight), and a two-card hand, in which a pair or high cards are the only two possible hands to make.
There are several things to consider when making the two hands. First of all, the game is played with a 53-card deck, which includes a joker. A joker can be used to complete a straight or a flush (or a straight flush); otherwise, the joker will count as an ace. Secondly, the five-card hand must always be higher than the two-card hand. In other words, if your two-card hand is a pair of aces, your five-card hand could not be a pair of kings.
After each player has arranged their cards, the banker (usually the dealer) reveals his cards and arranges them into two hands based on a method called the “house way.” These rigid rules are set by each casino, and determine how the banker must play their hands.
Each player then compares their two hands against the two banker hands. If a player wins both hands, he wins even money on his bet, minus a 5% commission (in other words, a $100 bet would win $95). If the banker wins both hands, the player loses their bet. If the banker and the player each win one hand, the bet is considered a push. When comparing hands, tied hands are treated as wins for the banker.
You may have noticed that we did not use the terms banker and dealer interchangeably. This is because – at least in the live version of the game – players also get the chance to play the role of banker during the course of the game. Generally, the chance to bank rotates around the table, allowing each player to bank once during each rotation. The banker only pays a 5% commission to the house on the net win, and is responsible for collecting bets from losing players and paying out bets to winners. In order to bank, a player must have enough money at the table to pay off all bets from the other players.
Pai Gow Poker Strategy
There are two aspects to strategy in this game: banking, and how to arrange your hands.
The easier aspect to tackle is banking. In general, you should be willing to bank as often as possible, provided that you have the money to do so. In online games, you are unlikely to be allowed to do so, but if you choose to play the game in a live setting (or find an online casino that offers the option), being the banker is a big advantage for two reasons. The first is the rule that ties are counted as wins for the banker, which gives you a slight edge over the players (ties are more common than you might think, at least on the “front” two-card hand). Since you’ll be playing by the house way, you’ll also have an additional small edge over many players who may be playing far less than optimally.
Secondly, the fact that the casino only takes the 5% commission on the net win for the banker means that the commission hurts far less than when you are the player, when you will lose 5% on each individual winning bet. As the player, if you play five hands, winning three and losing two, you will pay three separate commissions on each of the three winning bets. Conversely, if you play against five hands as the banker and win three hands while losing two, the losses in those two hands the players won are set against the profits from the three hands you won, meaning you’ll only pay a smaller commission once.
The more complex part of Pai Gow Poker strategy is how to arrange your hands. Perhaps the best method available is to utilize one of the house way systems that are used by the casinos to set hands for their dealers. None of these systems, to the best of our knowledge, claims to be a perfectly optimal way to play. However, they all come very close to perfect play, and represent a great guide for playing without making any serious mistakes.
Several house ways are published online; we looked for the one that best combined simplicity with solid advice for the player. We’ve chosen to share the following, which is the house way at the Texas Station casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Most house way systems are similar, with small changes in some areas. The house way at Texas Station is as follows:
House Way at Texas Station
No Pair
Place the highest card in the high hand, then the next two highest cards in the low hand.
One Pair
Place the pair in the high hand, and the two highest unpaired cards in the low hand.
Two Pair
There are several rules to follow here, depending on what pairs you hold:
- If you hold a pair of aces and any other pair, always split the pairs.
- If you hold a pair of face cards and a pair of sixes or higher, always split the pairs.
- If you hold two pairs of sixes or lower, always keep both pairs in the high hand.
- If you hold any other two pair, split the pairs unless you have an ace; in that case, keep both pairs in the high hand, and put the ace in the low hand.
Three Pair
Always put the highest pair in the low hand, and the other two pair in the high hand.
Three of a Kind
Always play three of a kind in the high hand, unless you have three aces; in that case, play a pair of aces in the high hand, and use the third ace in your low hand.
Two Three of a Kinds
Play the lower three of a kind in your high hand, and split the higher three of a kind, using that pair in your low hand.
Straight
Play the straight as your high hand. If you have a six or seven card straight, keep the lowest straight possible, playing the highest possible cards in your low hand. If a five or six card straight contains a pair, use the pair as the low hand if that would not break up the straight. If your straight contains two pair, use the two pair rules to determine how to play the hand.
Pai Gow Poker Memory
Flush
You should use the same rules here as with a straight. In most cases, you will play the flush as your high hand. If there are six or seven cards in the flush, keep the lowest possible flush, leaving the highest cards for your low hand. If your hand contains a pair, use that pair for the low hand if it won’t break up your flush. If your hand contains two pair, use the two pair rules instead.
Straight and Flush
In this case, make the best possible legal low hand (this will usually mean keeping either the straight or the flush, with the two highest remaining cards or a pair serving as the low hand).
Full House
Split the full house, putting the three of a kind in your high hand and the pair in your low hand. The one exception is to keep the full house if your hold a pair of twos and an ace/king to play in the low hand. With a full house and an additional pair, play the higher pair in your low hand.
Four of a Kind
A four of a kind should be played according to the rank of the quads, as follows:
- Sixes or lower: Always keep the four of a kind together in the high hand.
- Sevens through tens: Split the four of a kind unless you have an ace and a face card (or any pair) to play in the low hand.
- Jacks through kings: Split the four of a kind unless the hand has a pair of tens or higher that can be played in the low hand.
- Aces: Split the four of a kind unless the hand also has a pair of sevens or better that can be played in the low hand.
Straight Flush
In most cases, you’ll keep the straight flush as your high hand. If you hold two pairs of tens or higher, or any two pair with a pair of aces, then split the pairs. With any other two pairs and an ace, play the two pair as your high hand and the ace as your low hand. If playing the hand as only a straight or flush would allow you to play a face card or better in the low hand when you have to play a weaker low hand to keep the straight flush intact, play just the straight or flush.
Royal Flush
Usually, you’ll play the royal flush as your high hand. If the royal flush also contains a pair, play the pair in the low hand if possible. If the hand contains two pair, use two pair rules instead. If you can play a king-high or better while retaining a flush or straight in the high hand, split up the royal flush.
Five Aces
Split the five aces into a three of a kind for the high hand, and a pair of aces for the low hand. The only exception is if a pair of kings can be played in the low hand; in that case, keep the five aces in the high hand.
Odds
Since both the house ways used by casinos and the strategies used by players can vary (and in some cases, players can improve very slightly on the house way), the exact probabilities involved in Pai Gow can vary somewhat. Calculations made based on various house ways methods and assuming that both the player and banker are arranging their hands in the same manner have determined that the player will win both hands approximately 28.6% of the time, the banker will win both hands about 29.9% of the time (the banker advantage is derived from winning ties), and the hands will result in a push (i.e., both sides winning one of the two hands) about 41.5% of the time. Using those figures, the house edge against a player is 2.73%.
Poker Pai Gow
Figuring out the edge is more difficult when you are in the role of the banker. Using the same numbers above, the banker will face a .2% house edge (after considering the 5% commission) in a one-on-one situation against the dealer. However, with more players involved, the house edge decreases. In fact, the player will actually hold the advantage as the banker if there are two or more players involved in a hand against him! Of course, you will be limited in the number of opportunities you have to bank, meaning that the small advantage you have as the banker isn’t enough to overcome the edge you have as a regular player…unless you’re betting far less than the other players at the table, and are willing to risk a lot to bank against high rollers.