How to Play as the Banker in Pai Gow Poker

When playing pai gow poker, you’ll sometimes have the opportunity to play a hand as the banker.

Casinos vary widely in how often they’ll let you play as banker. Some simply don’t offer you the option of playing as banker, while others will let you play as banker every other hand if no other player wants to. Most casinos fall somewhere in between these extremes.

A common procedure for determining when a player can play as banker is to use a banker chip. The banker chip is usually a small, white, unmarked plastic chip. It’s passed around the table after each hand is completed. When this chip is in front of you, you have the option to play as banker for that hand. If you decline the option, the dealer will play as the banker that hand. Whether you elect to play as banker or not, the next player in clockwise order will have the option to play as banker the following hand.

Generally, try to play as the banker as often as possible. Because the banker wins copies, he or she enjoys a natural advantage of 1.27%, meaning that the banker can expect to win $1.27 (before commission) for every hundred dollars he or she wagers. It’s much better to have this advantage working for you than against you, so it’s desirable to play as banker whenever you can.

There’s one reason to decline the option to play as banker, however: it can be expensive. Though playing as banker turns the odds more in your direction, that doesn’t mean you’ll always win. And because as banker you’re playing against all the other players and the dealer and are responsible for paying all winning bets using your own money, playing as banker can require a large bankroll. If you can’t afford to play as banker, you must give up the 1.27% advantage in order to play within your means.

If you do decide to play as banker, follow the same strategy for setting your hands that you would use as a regular player.

When playing as banker, you pay the 5% commission on your net win only. That is, your total losses for the round are subtracted from your total wins, and you pay a 5% commission only on the difference. If you lose overall or break even, you don’t pay any commission. This arrangement has the overall effect of lowering the commission for the banker as the number of players increases.