Game rules for Pai Gow Poker

Overview

Although Pai Gow Poker can trace its roots to the intricate and quite beautiful ancient Chinese domino game of Pai Gow, there is little resemblance between the game that is played at land and online casinos today, and the original. Pai Gow Poker is a game of skill and players can significantly increase their chances of winning by learning its strategies. Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard pack of 52 cards.

Objective of Pai Gow Poker

In Pai Gow Poker, you need to create two hands of cards that will essentially be higher than the dealer’s two hands. The traditional rankings of poker are used to make these hands and the game is played against the house. The other players around the special Pai Gow Poker table are of no consequence to the outcome of the game.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Presuming that the maximum number of six players take part in the game, the dealer will deal seven stacks that contain seven cards each. The final four cards in the stack are discarded.

All ante (initial) bets are made.

The dealer throws three dice to begin the process of who gets the first stack of cards. The total of these dice is added and then the dealer counts clockwise that amount to the player who begins the game.

All players receive their cards and arrange them into two separate hands. One hand comprises two cards and the other, five cards.

The five-card hand will be arranged according to the standard rankings of traditional poker.

The two-card hand needs at least a pair to qualify and is ranked from the highest pair (ie. two aces) to the lowest pair (ie. two twos).

The rules of Pai Gow Poker determine that the low hand should not rank higher than the high hand.

Once all players have set their hands, the player turns his over and all hands are compared.

How to Win in Pai Gow Poker

To win in Pai Gow Poker, your two hands need to beat the dealer’s two hands of cards. ‘Copies’, ie. hands that match the dealer’s hand, deem the dealer the winner and the player automatically loses. If one of your hands beats the dealer’s hand, but not the other, this is considered a tie and no money is paid out. All winning hands are paid out even money, with most casinos taking a 5% commission to tilt the house edge.

Conclusion

With a bit of practice, players will find Pai Gow Poker a particularly rewarding game. The strong skill element in Pai Gow means that players can improve over time and enjoy a challenging and highly entertaining game.