Contents
Pai Gow Poker Basics
Pai Gow Poker Hand Ranks
How to Play Pai Gow Poker
How to Set Your Hands in Pai Gow Poker
How to Play as the Banker in Pai Gow Poker
The House Edge in Pai Gow Poker
Money Management in Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker Etiquette
The House Way in Pai Gow Poker
Fortune Pai Gow Poker
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How to Play Pai Gow Poker
Each hand of pai gow poker follows a similar procedure:
- Betting
- The shuffle and deal
- Setting your hand
- Determining the winner
Betting
The first stage of a hand of pai gow poker is the betting. Before any cards are dealt, each player places a bet in the numbered circle directly in front of each player space. You can bet any amount that falls within the minimum and maximum bet allowed at the table.
A small sign at the edge of the table will list the minimum and maximum bets permitted. Once the deal begins, you may not withdraw or change your bet.
The Shuffle and Deal
Before the cards are dealt, all 53 cards (52 cards and the joker) are shuffled together. Most casinos use an automatic shuffler for this to streamline play, but some still have the dealer shuffle the cards by hand.
Once the cards are shuffled, the dealer deals the cards seven at a time to each of the six player spaces and the dealer’s space. This is true even if only one player is at the table: cards are dealt to every player space whether a player is there or not. All cards are dealt facedown. After all the cards are dealt, the cards in unoccupied player spaces are collected and placed with the other unused cards. This may seem needlessly complicated, but it’s the traditional dealing procedure for pai gow poker.
The Dealing Order
Another quirk of pai gow poker dealing procedure involves the order in which the cards are dealt. To decide whose hand is dealt first, a random number from 1–7 is used. Though traditionally this was done using dice, most modern casinos use a digital display to generate this number. Each player space is assigned an unchanging number: the dealer’s space is 1, then the players’ spaces are numbered 2–7 in counterclockwise order. Note that these numbers are not the same as those that may be printed on the table.
The dealer or player space corresponding to the random number gets the first set of cards, and then the cards are dealt clockwise around the table. To repeat: the numbers are assigned counterclockwise, but the cards are dealt clockwise. For example, if the dealing number is a 2, the player to the dealer’s immediate right gets the first set of cards, followed by the dealer, followed by the remaining players in clockwise order.
The dealing procedure has no effect on your hand or how you should play. The dealer is the only one who really needs to understand it, but having some advance knowledge about the dealing procedure can make it easier for you to follow the action.
Setting Your Hand
After all the cards have been dealt and the unused cards collected, you may look at your hand. The object is to form the highest five-card and two-card poker hands possible using your
original seven cards. Deciding which of your seven cards should go into which of your two hands is called setting your hand. When setting your hand, consider two main guidelines:
- You want both of your two poker hands to beat both of the dealer’s hands.
- Your five-card hand must outrank your two-card hand. For instance, you’re not allowed to have one pair in your two-card hand and only a high card in your five-card hand.
(For a few more basic strategies that you can use to help you set your hands, see How to Set Your Hands in Pai Gow Poker.)
Once you’ve decided how to form your five-card and two-card hands, place your two hands face down in the appropriate spaces in front of you. The space for the two-card hand is the horizontal rectangle farther from you, usually labeled “2nd Highest” or “Two Card.” The space for the five-card hand is the vertical rectangle closer to you, usually labeled “High” or “Five Card.”
Fouls
Make sure that your five-card hand outranks your two-card hand. If your two-card hand outranks your five-card hand when you reveal your hands, the result is a foul. If you foul, you automatically lose both hands and, consequently, your bet. In the unlikely event that the dealer fouls, he’s permitted to correct the hands according to the house way.
Determining Whether You’ve Won or Lost
After all players and the dealer have set their hands, the dealer turns all the hands face up, and winners and losers are determined. Note that even if you or another of the players is playing as banker, it’s the still the dealer’s responsibility to turn over the cards. How to determine whether you’ve won or lost depends on whether or not you’re playing as the banker.
If You’re Not Playing as the Banker
If you’re not playing as the banker, your hands are compared only to those of the banker (as opposed to the hands of the other players). Your two-card hand is compared to the banker’s two-card hand, and your five-card hand is compared to the banker’s five-card hand.
- You win if: Your five-card hand beats the banker’s five-card hand, and your two-card hand also beats the banker’s two-card hand. In this case, you win the amount of your bet (in addition to keeping your original bet).
- You lose if: Your five-card hand loses to the banker’s five-card hand, and your two-card hand loses to the banker’s two-card hand. In this case, you lose your bet.
- You push (or tie) if: One of your hands beats the banker’s hand, but your other hand loses to the banker’s hand. In this case, no money changes hands. Pushes are very common in pai gow poker—about 41% of all hands end in a push. This contributes to the slow pace of the game. You can often play pai gow poker for quite a while without any money changing hands.
An Example of How to Compare Hands in Pai Gow Poker
Here’s an example of how hand ranks and pai gow poker rules are used to determine the winners and losers in a hand of pai gow poker. In this example, the dealer is at the upper right, playing as banker against three players.
This is how the dealer’s hand compares with those of the three players:
- Dealer: Has a five-card pair of kings and a two-card pair of jacks.
- Player 1: Has a five-card straight and a two-card pair of aces. Both hands beat the dealer’s. This player wins.
- Player 2: Has a five-card pair of sevens and a two-card pair of twos. Both hands are worse than the dealer’s. This player loses.
- Player 3: Has a five-card pair of threes and a two-card ace high. Both hands are worse than the dealer’s. This player loses.
If You’re Playing as the Banker
Though the dealer usually plays as the banker, in pai gow poker other players can play as the banker as well. If you’re playing as the banker, your hands are compared to those of the dealer and the other players. You compare your hands to each opponent, one at a time, in exactly the same manner as when you’re not the banker. You must have enough money to pay all players whose hands are higher than yours. (For strategies on how to play as the banker, see How to Play as the Banker in Pai Gow Poker.)
Copies
Occasionally, two hands may be identical in rank. Such hands are called copies. For example, if both you and the dealer have two-card hands of A7, your two-card hands are copies. Copies are always won by the banker. So if the dealer is playing as banker, and your five-card hand loses while your two-card hand copies, you lose your bet for that round.
The 5% Commission
When you win, you must pay a 5% commission on your winnings. For example, if you win a total of $100 on a hand, you must pay a $5 commission. When playing as banker, the commission is paid on your net winnings only. If you lose or break even on a hand, you don’t pay a commission, of course. Commissions in pai gow poker are paid immediately, before the next hand begins.
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