Pai Gow Poker is just as exciting and offers the same potential for winning as Pai Gow Poker in a physical casino. But you might be shocked to hear that you’ve got a bit of an edge when you play Pai Gow Poker on the internet.
We'll show you why and give you a couple of extra tips to help increase your chances of winning!
The Pai Gow Poker game utilizes a 53-CARD deck (the standard 52-card deck + joker). Players and dealers compete against each other in both brick-and-mortar and online casinos. Each player and dealer receive seven cards. The player creates the best possible Two-CARD hand and FIVE-CARD hand possible from those seven cards. The best Two-CARD hand you can possibly create is a pair of aces. The best possible FIVE-CARD hand is a royal flush. If you have created Two-CARD and FIVE-CARD hands that are better than the dealer's hands, you win. If the Two hands are tied, it is a push. If you create Two-CARD and/or FIVE-CARD hands that are better than the dealer's hands, you win. All of the player's winnings are subject to a 5% commission by the House.
When you're first given your seven-CARD hand, there is no strategy for how to create it. After you've created your hand, though, your best shot at winning will be to split your hand exactly as the House splits theirs. When you split your hand the House way, you guarantee that you are using the same strategy as the dealer in dividing your hand. There are no other strategic options for splitting your hand. By limiting the House advantage to the advertised 2.8%, you can convert Pai Gow Poker into a game of chance.
You can never use any alternative strategy to split your hand and beat the dealer. So, for inexperienced players, the House has an advantage greater than 2.8% (it could be as high as 90%). Because you will be employing the exact same strategy as the dealer when you split your hand the House way, you will essentially be playing a game of chance. So, it is critical to play on-line Pai Gow Poker games that allow you to split your hand the House way. Although many Pai Gow Poker games, including real time gaming's Pai Gow Poker offer a House way that is too complex to allow players to use it.
While you are attempting to make your high FIVE-CARD hand as strong as possible in Pai Gow Poker, this is not your ultimate goal. Instead, you want to make your high-hand and low-hand as strong as possible. In many cases, making your low-hand stronger requires weakening your high-hand. Keep in mind that if you have a pair of aces as part of your high-hand but lose your low-hand, you lose.
Using a basic strategy based upon the seven cards that were originally dealt to you will probably decrease the House advantage by about .02%. Most of the time, you will end up splitting your hand exactly the same way that the House would split your hand. Although this won't always happen, ultimately it will lead to success for you in the long run. Below is the basic pai gow House strategy used by virtually all players:
Split the highest CARD into your high-hand and put the next Two-highest cards into your low-hand. The House method dictates that all high-CARD hands are split in this fashion. You gain no advantage over the dealer.
Put one of the PAIRS in your high-hand and put the Two-highest cards left in your low-hand. As previously stated, this is also how the House splits one-PAIRS.
Keep both PAIRS in your high-hand if they are lower value PAIRS (2s through 6s) or mid-range PAIRS (7s through 10s) and put the highest CARD remaining in your low-hand. Put one pair in each hand if you are holding Two higher-value PAIRS (jacks through aces) or a pair and a mid-range pair. Put the highest pair in your high-hand. No matter how many variations of House ways exist for splitting Two-PAIRS within rng pai gow games, almost always you will be splitting your hand in accordance with rules similar to those used by the dealer.
No matter what KIND of THREE-PAIRS you have been dealt, always include one pair in your low-hand and put the rest of the PAIRS in your high-hand. This is how everybody divides THREE-PAIRS -- always done this way and leaves no room for advantage.
Always put THREE of a KIND in your high-hand except when you have THREE aces. Then put one ace in your low-hand and put the other Two aces in your high-hand. These are the House ways used by almost all games.
When you get straights or flushes where you have enough power in both hands to defeat the dealer by not splitting hands according to House way, these are called "once-in-a-lifetime" situations. Usually, you'll want to include all straights and flushes in your high-hand and use the rest of your cards as your low-hand. While it is unlikely that your high-hand will be very easy to beat, your low-hand could be very weak and unable to compensate. However, if you can form Two high-PAIRS from your cards, then divide them equally between your hands. You will be trading away a straight or flush for a single-pair high-hand and a single-pair low-hand.
It is extremely rare that you can form a six-CARD straight or flush and create a new pair without sacrificing it. In such instances, add one pair to your low-hand. In addition, add the highest CARD from among the six-CARD straight or flush into your low-hand.
Split full houses so that you have THREE-of-a-KIND in your high-hand and one pair in your low-hand. If you have a full-House made up of Two PAIRS or Two sets of THREE-of-a-KIND, add one of each to your low-hand. This is how everybody splits full-houses -- universally.
If you don't have a pair and have FOUR of a KIND that is lower in value (FOUR twos), add FOUR of a KIND to your high-hand and add the next Two highest cards to your low-hand. Add FOUR of a KIND so that each hand contains one pair if you have FOUR of a KIND that is medium value (FOUR sevens) or FOUR of a KIND that is higher in value (FOUR jacks). Add one pair to each hand if you have FOUR aces (including one joker), then add one ace to your low-hand and add THREE of a KIND to your high-hand. Finally, if you have FIVE aces (one joker), then divide them evenly -- THREE of a KIND in your high-hand and Two aces as bulletproof-lowhand. Again, no matter how many variations of ways exist to divide FOUR-of-a-KIND within rng pai gow games, almost all will use similar strategies for dividing them.
Develop an advanced strategy for dividing hands when playing Pai Gow Poker using a hand-by-hand strategy rather than using either House-way or basic-strategy. You can potentially decrease the House advantage by another few tenths of one percent. Depending on luck, it may be possible for you to beat the House playing Pai Gow Poker on-line. A hand-by-hand strategy determines how each individual hand is divided between both hands to maximize advantage over the dealer. Many hand-by-hand strategies for Pai Gow Poker exist -- anywhere: books, magazines & on-line resources. one major benefit of playing Pai Gow Poker on-line is that there will be ample time and opportunity to consult an on-line cheat sheet before dividing each hand.
While side bets appear attractive because of big payout amounts, side bets usually represent bad bets with large House advantages -- typically larger than 8%! If you elect to participate in side betting, try finding side bets with small House advantages (about 8%) like dealer's bonus & fortune bets -- which pay based on combinations that are possible with either player's or dealer's 7-CARD combinations.
Pai Gow Poker combines elements of traditional American poker with traditional chinese paigow. Played with a 53-CARD deck (standard 52-CARD deck + joker), players compete against each other in both brick-and-mortar and on-line casinos. Each player receives seven cards and so does each dealer. Each player tries to make the best possible Two-CARD hand and FIVE-CARD hand from his/her/their seven cards. The best possible Two-CARD hand you can make is ace-ace. The best possible FIVE-CARD hand is royal flush. If you have created better Two-CARD and FIVE-CARD hands than those made by the dealer(s), you win! If you have created equal Two-CARD and FIVE-CARD hands as those created by the dealer(s), it is a push! If you have created better Two-CARD and/or FIVE-CARD hands than those created by the dealer(s), you win! The House gets 5% commission on all your wins.
A few things to consider when trying to increase possibility of winning at Pai Gow Poker online:
House way for Pai Gow Poker means that after you are given your seven cards, you must split them exactly as prescribed by the House way -- just like they split their own hand. By doing so, you limit House edge down to its lowest possible number (usually 2.8%) turning Pai Gow Poker into a purely chance game.
There are many different strategies for dividing various types of hands that significantly impact probability of success at Pai Gow Poker -- examples: straights & flushes -- however this varies depending on what type of hand was given by decking process. For example: you must always divide entire House so that there are THREE of a KIND in your high hand and one pair in your low hand when dividing hands differently based upon specific deals made will certainly help improve total performance.
Side bets offer large awards, yet generally represent lousy bets with large House edges -- usually over 8%! If you choose to wager on side bets; search for side bets with smaller House edges (nearly 8%) -- e.g., Dealer’s Bonus & Fortune Bets -- which reward based on largest 5-CARD combinations possible either in the player’s or dealer’s set of seven cards.
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