Pai Gow Online

Developed by a Los Angeles card club owner in 1985, Pai Gow quickly gained popularity and started to appear in casinos on The Vegas Strip and around the world. Its creator Sam Torosian thought it would be exciting to introduce a simpler, faster version of the game known as Chinese poker or Pusoy. And he was apparently right – today, Pai Gow is offered by most land-based casinos and it has several digital versions available in online casinos.

But how different is it from traditional poker? The game of Pai Gow (more correctly referred to as Pai Gow Poker) is played with a fifty-three card deck, a regular deck of playing cards with one Joker added to the mix. Pai Gow rules require a player to bet on the hand prior to the start of the game. Once all players have placed their bets, the Pai Gow hand may begin. More importantly, each participant in the game plays not with one but with two hands, consisting of different numbers of cards. But there are many other rules players need to know before they start this game.

In this Pai Gow Poker guide, we have included the rules of the game, how exactly it is played, as well as the ranking of the hands, which is quite similar to the standard poker hand ranking. However, as Pai Gow uses two hands of cards, the article also has essential information about the importance of these two hands and how they are used to win the game. Players can also see the basic playing strategy and adapt it to their play, so they can increase their chances of winning.

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Pai Gow Poker Rules

As we have mentioned above, Pai Gow Poker is played with the standard deck of cards plus one Joker, which functions as a Wild card or a substitute only in certain hands. This is a casino game played amongst players, as the house has no direct and active role in the game. Instead of having players compete against the casino, usually represented by the dealer in most card games, each player here competes against the banker. The banker is designated prior to the start of the Pai Gow hand – players take turns and the banker position moves from the dealer’s left to his right upon completion of each hand.

When the game starts, players are dealt 7 cards and they need to form two hands with them – one hand that consists of five cards and another hand that has only 2 cards in it. The goal is quite simple – in order to win, the player has to beat both hands of the banker. But things are a little bit more complicated, of course.

The Deal

Before the deal can begin, players place their bets. When they receive seven cards, they must construct two separate hands and it is important to note that the 5-card hand must outrank the 2-card hand. Failure to follow this important Pai Gow rule results in an immediate loss when we play in a land-based casino. If we play online, we simply will not be allowed to split the cards into two hands. The 2-card hand may only be a Pair or No Pair, in which case, the individual cards will be counted.

Additionally, in the construction of Pai Gow hands, the Joker may only complete a Straight, Flush, Straight Flush, or Royal Flush. If it cannot be used in these hands, Pai Gow rules state that the Joker is always an Ace, including in the 2-card hand. The banker, of course, also gets 7 cards, which are face-down until the players form their hands.

Showdown

Once each player sets their two hands, the showdown occurs. In the showdown, the banker’s hands are individually compared to players’ corresponding hands. To win, the player has to win both hands – if only one of them wins and the other loses, then it is a push and the stake is returned to the player. If one hand wins and the other is a tie, then the player loses. If both hands lose to the banker’s hands, then the player loses. When the player wins, however, he or she receives an even payout (1:1) minus 5% of the amount, which is paid as a commission to the house.

Commission Rules

In every casino game, the house has to be paid in one fashion or another. Pai Gow is no different, so both players and bankers must pay a fee or commission to the house. Pai Gow rules require players to pay their juice up front. The commission amounts to five percent. Players will prepay $0.05 for every $1 wagered in advance of the Pai Gow hand’s start.

The Pai Gow rules surrounding the banker’s commissions are slightly different. While the player pays the fee up front, the banker is taxed on his winnings. Thus, if a banker loses or breaks even, he pays no commission. However, if the banker wins $100 from a hand of Pai Gow, he owes $5 to the house as his “tax”. This rule applies to the online Pai Gow Poker, as well.

The House Way

Allowing players to be the banker is a rule that is rarely practiced in land-based casinos these days. When you play online, the dealer, i.e. the online casino, will be the banker. In both instances, these casinos have a specific strategy for setting the banker’s hands and it is called the “the house way”. Most digital versions of Pai Gow Poker today feature a House Way button, which allows the player to have his or her hands set automatically.

Pai Gow Hand Rankings

The rankings of the cards in Pai Gow Poker may be quite confusing to first-time players but they are really simple. As we have mentioned above, the 5-card hand also called bottom hand, should be higher than the 2-card or front hand. While the bottom hand is practically a standard poker hand, the 2-card hand may only win with a Pair or with one High Card. Here are the complete rankings in order from the highest to the lowest hand possible:

Front (Two-Card) Hands

  • Pair – There are 13 possible pairs, the highest of which is A-A, while the lowest ranked is 2-2.
  • A High Card – If the hand is not a pair, the individual cards are compared and A-K is the best possible hand, followed by A-Q, A-J, etc. The lowest possible hand is 2-3.

Back (Five-Card) Hands

  • Five of a Kind in Aces – The highest hand in this game is A-A-A-A-J.
  • Royal Flush – This is the highest Straight Flush or A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit.
  • Straight Flush – Five consecutive cards of the same suit. The highest one after the Royal Flush is A-2-3-4-5, followed by K-Q-J-10-9.
  • Four of a Kind – This hand consists of four cards of the same value.
  • Full House – This is a combination of a Three of a Kind and a Pair.
  • Flush – Five cards of the same suit.
  • Straight – Five consecutive cards of different suits.
  • Three of a Kind – This hand consists of three cards of the same value.
  • Two Pair – The hand consists of two different pairs of cards.
  • Pair – This is a hand with two cards of the same.
  • High Card – This hand includes at least one card above 10 or a Joker.

Odds and House Edge

In order to play Pai Gow Poker perfectly and with minimum mistakes, players need to understand the odds and probabilities of the hands. As the game uses 53 cards (52 standard cards and a Joker), there are 154,143,080 possible hand combinations. The odds in the following table do not take into account the way players decide to split their 7 cards into 2 separate hands:

HandPossible CombinationsOdds
5 Aces11281 in 142,856
Royal Flush or Straight Flush2109641 in 729.46
4 of a Kind3074721 in 500.25
Full House41885281 in 35.80
Flush61720881 in 23.97
3 of a Kind74706761 in 19.63
Straight112360281 in 12.72
Two Pair355538161 in 3.34
Pair642219601 in 1.40

As you can see, the chances of getting a pair in our 7 cards are pretty high but this knowledge will serve a little purpose in beating the banker. To understand the odds, however, means that we may be able to make better-informed decisions regarding the splitting of these cards and the forming of two hands. Let’s not forget the three possible outcomes of each deal:

  • Win – Players need to win both hands
  • Push – Players win one hand and lose the other one
  • Loss – Players lose both hands or have a hand that is identical to the banker’s hand

The chance of winning both hands is 28.61% and the chances of losing them both equate to 29.91%. Interestingly enough, 41.48% of the rounds will end in a push – more than in any other casino game. The sum of these is 100%, which would normally suggest that the game has no house edge. We should not forget the 5% commission, however – this is where the built-in advantage in Pai Gow Poker lies. Based on these odds and probabilities, the house edge is 2.66%. As the rules of the game can slightly vary across casinos, the house edge may range from 2.90% to 2.66%.

Basic Pai Gow Poker Strategy

The strategy for Pai Gow Poker is not complicated but it requires a deep understanding of the rules and the hand rankings. This is why beginner-level players in online casinos are advised to use the House Way button when rearranging their cards. Usually, this is the optimal way of setting the hands and was calculated to be beneficial well in advance. This option, however, is not available in land-based casinos and may not be the best one even when playing online as not all digitally created versions of Pai Gow Poker are equally good.

Below, you can see the basic strategy for playing Pai Gow Poker. Remember – our goal is not to get the highest possible 5-card hand. The goal is to form two hands that are as highly ranked as possible. In the first half of the strategy, we can see the winning combination we have in our 7 cards, while in the second – what we should do.

  • Pair – If there is only a pair in the 7 cards, keep it in the high hand and place your highest cards in the front hand.
  • Two Pair – Split the two pairs and put the lower-ranking one in the front hand.
  • Three Pairs – Put the highest pair in the front hand.
  • Three of a Kind – Keep the three of a kind in the back hand and place your highest cards in the front hand.
  • Two Threes of a Kind – Take a pair from your highest-ranking set and put it in your front hand.
  • Three of a Kind + Two Pairs – Keep the full house in the back hand and put the highest pair in your front hand.
  • Full House – Split the Full House and put the pair in the front hand.
  • Four of a Kind – Always keep the Four of a Kind if it consists of cards lower than 7. Always split 4 J’s/Q’s/K’s/A’s. Split four 7’s/8’s/9’s/10’s – there are two exceptions, namely if you have an Ace or King. In that case, keep the Four of Kind and put the high card in the front hand.
  • Straight/Flush – If you hold two Pairs, ignore the Straight/Flush and put higher-hanking pair in the front hand. If you have one Pair or none at all, keep the Straight/Flush in the back hand and put your highest cards in the front hand.
  • Three of a Kind + Straight/Flush – Put a Pair in the front hand.