Pai gow poker. You’ve probably seen it in the casinos or browsed it online, and now you’d like to give it a shot. Pai gow poker plays and feels like traditional poker, but its gameplay is simpler and quicker than that of other forms of poker — such as blackjack.
Online pai gow pokerPai gow poker is a version of the Chinese domino game pai gow. Instead of using dominoes, we use cards. The pai gow poker game is played using a 53-CARD deck, as opposed to the standard 52-CARD poker deck used by traditional poker games. Additionally, pai gow poker has more betting options than other poker-style games. Many online casinos that offer pai gow poker have numerous side bets that you won't find in other types of poker.
Although pai gow poker appears to be a game of luck for people unfamiliar with the way the game is played, nothing could be farther from the truth. You can actually win at pai gow poker, and our comprehensive pai gow strategy and tactics guide will provide you with the tools necessary to increase your chances of doing so.
For beginners who are new to online casino gaming, pai gow poker provides a great option. With an extremely favorable balance of winning/losing/push percentages (typically 25%, 25%, 50%), you're guaranteed to win about a quarter of the time and lose about a quarter of the time. On average, the majority of your wagers will result in a "push," meaning neither you nor the casino wins.
With a minimum bet of only $5, pai gow poker allows you to gamble for less money than you would at a live casino. This feature makes it a popular choice among those who prefer to minimize their risk exposure while still being able to enjoy the excitement of the casino experience.
Pai gow poker is quick, exciting, and easy to learn. The simplicity of the gameplay allows for rapid-fire betting and action, similar to what you'd encounter in blackjack.
Although pai gow poker provides very good odds relative to other casino games, it still needs to create profit for the casino. Casinos achieve profitability by taking a 5% commission on all wins. As long as you Play the game correctly, you'll have a strong advantage over the house. We've developed a number of strategies that will improve your odds of success.
Learning how to Play pai gow poker is easier than learning how to Play other versions of poker. Here's a step-by-step overview of how to Play pai gow poker:
Similar to blackjack, you're competing directly against the dealer. Your wager goes into the middle of the table after you click the "bet" button. Then click the "deal" button to receive your initial HAND.
After clicking the "deal" button, you'll receive seven cards that will be divided into TWO hands. Three cards will be visible to everyone (your TWO-CARD low HAND) and four cards will be face down (your FIVE-CARD high HAND). The dealer will also receive seven cards; Three will be visible (their TWO-CARD low HAND) and four will remain hidden (their FIVE-CARD high HAND).
Your job is to separate your seven cards into TWO distinct hands: a TWO-CARD poker HAND (also known as your "low HAND", "in front", "minor", or "small HAND") and a FIVE-CARD poker HAND ("high HAND", "behind", "high", or "big HAND").
Create the best possible FIVE-CARD HAND using your FIVE visible cards and your TWO invisible cards. After creating your FIVE-CARD high-HAND, select TWO of your cards to add to your low-HAND. Note: these TWO cards must be selected from your original seven cards.
Once you've created your TWO-CARD low-HAND, you'll need to determine whether or not it beats the dealer's TWO-CARD low-HAND.
Compare your FIVE-CARD high-HAND to the dealer's FIVE-CARD high-HAND. Which HAND has the greatest value? Remember that aces are high in this variation of poker.
If both your hands defeat both of the dealer's hands, then you'll win twice your wager. If both of your hands lose to both of the dealer's hands, then you'll lose your entire wager. If ONE HAND defeats ONE of the dealer's hands and loses to the other HAND, then the result will be a tie.
In some online pai gow casinos, you have the ability to choose "house way". When you Play pai gow using house way, you'll be forced to follow a specific strategy for splitting your HAND every single time. By choosing house way, you'll essentially eliminate any strategic differences between yourself and the dealer. This means that over time, the outcome of each game will depend solely on chance rather than skill. As mentioned earlier, casinos require a 5% commission on all wins. Therefore, by eliminating any element of skill from the game through house way, you'll ultimately end up losing money in the long run.
Pai gow poker utilizes a 53-CARD deck instead of the normal 52-CARD poker deck used in traditional poker. The extra CARD is called a Joker. Although jokers can act as wildcards in some variations of poker, in pai gow poker jokers act as wildcards only when they help complete either a straight or flush. In any other situation, jokers are treated as an ace. This unique aspect of pai gow poker provides added complexity and versatility when building different types of hands.
There are several key ways in which you can increase your chances of winning when playing pai gow poker. ONE of the primary objectives in pai gow poker is maximizing your chances of winning by ensuring that both of your hands are as strong as possible.
ONE important strategy when playing pai gow poker is focusing on developing strong high and low hands. Often times when trying to develop strong hands in pai gow poker, players sacrifice the quality of their high HAND in order to gain an upperhand on their low HAND.
In traditional poker games, there are numerous possible poker hands. In contrast, in pai gow poker there are only TWO possible hands for your low HAND: a pair or a high CARD.
It's generally optimal when splitting your HAND to attempt to obtain at least ONE pair for your low HAND. However, if you must Play with a high CARD as your low HAND, Play with your TWO highest cards.
Additionally, when playing with only ONE pair as your high CARD low HAND, it's beneficial to use both of your highest cards as your low HAND. As multiple players often have identical high cards, high CARD comparisons are often resolved by comparing secondary cards.
The exception is when you only have ONE high CARD HAND. As illustrated later in this section.
Optimal strategies for splitting your HAND in pai gow poker
When you're only given ONE high CARD HAND, split it between your high HAND and low HAND using your TWO highest cards for your low HAND.
Pair
Split the pair for your high HAND and combine the remainder of your TWO highest cards for your low HAND.
When playing with TWO PAIRS in general it is preferable to maintain both PAIRS within your high HAND if they're PAIRS of low cards (2s-6s) or medium-low cards (7s-10s), and utilize the remainder of your high and low hands as a high CARD HAND.
However, if you're playing with PAIRS of high cards (js-ac) or a pair of highs along with ONE pair of mediums, split each pair between both hands.
If you're dealt Three PAIRS, always place the highest pair in your TWO-CARD HAND and maintain both other PAIRS in your FIVE-CARD high-HAND.
Always place Three-of-a-KIND into your FIVE-CARD HAND unless you've been dealt Three aces. In that case, place ONE ace into your low-HAND and maintain the remaining TWO aces as a pair in your high-HAND.
Straights and flushes present opportunities for you to dominate the dealer's hands.
Typically, you should always split any straight or flush you've been dealt into a FIVE-CARD HAND. However, if you can break out TWO-pair hands from the same HAND, split those PAIRS into both hands.
Similarly, if you've been dealt six-straight/flush cards and you can create a pair from either the highest or lowest CARD on that straight/flush, place that pair into your low-HAND. Otherwise, split the highest CARD on that straight/flush into your low-HAND regardless of whether it was part of the six-straight/flush cards or not. Don't do this with FIVE-straight/flush cards; obviously.
Full houses should always be split so that your high-HAND contains Three-of-a-KIND and your low-HAND contains a pair.
If you have Three-of-a-KIND and TWO PAIRS or vice versa, put ONE pair into your low-HAND so that both hands contain at least ONE pair.
If you hold a four-of-a-kind and a pair, use the low pair in your "lower" hand.
If you do not have a pair and the four-of-a-kind is a low hand, put the four-of-a-kind in your upper hand and the best card possible from your remaining cards in your lower hand.
When you are holding a middle or upper pair, divide the four-of-a-kind so that each hand will be able to make a single pair. If you are holding four aces, place one of the aces in your lower hand and place the rest of the aces in your upper hand.
When you are holding all five aces because you have used the Joker, divide them up to create a three-of-a-kind for your upper hand and a pair of aces as a bulletproof low hand.
Poker Pai Gow is a unique blend of the traditional Chinese domino game Pai Gow and regular poker. This version of poker is played using a 53-card deck that contains a Joker and allows for many side bets that are generally unavailable when playing poker. Because this version of Pai Gow Poker moves quickly like Blackjack and has less complexity compared to most versions of poker, it provides new players with an entry point to experience the excitement of casino-style gambling.
There are many good reasons why someone might want to give Pai Gow Poker a shot:
Nearly Even Odds: Winning is almost always going to happen at about the same rate as losing, which is perfect for people who are new to casino games.
Low Stakes Betting: In most cases, minimum stakes can range anywhere from $5-$10 per hand which is much lower than what you'll see at most land-based casinos.
Easy to Learn Strategies: The game itself isn't overly complicated and it doesn't take long to learn how to win money.
Here’s how to play Pai Gow Poker:
1) Set a bet and receive 7 cards from the dealer.
2) Split these 7 cards into a 'high' 5-card hand and a 'low' 2-card hand.
3) The low-hand hand must be less powerful than the high-hand.
Winnings occur if both your hands defeat their respective opponent's hands. Losses occur if both your hands lose to the opponent's. Push occurs if you get one victory and one loss.
In Pai Gow Poker, 'the House Way' refers to a predetermined way of splitting hands, where some internet casinos allow players to choose. The 'House Way' simulates what the house would do by eliminating any competitive advantage in terms of strategy that the house may have over the player.
The joker in Pai Gow Poker creates an element of surprise; although it acts as a wild card to complete either a straight or flush it acts as an Ace unless being used to complete either of the above. The joker therefore provides strategic options in creating stronger hand combinations.
Some key basic strategies for playing Pai Gow Poker are as follows:
In general, optimal high and low hand splits in Pai Gow Poker will provide the greatest opportunity to win. Some important ways to achieve this include:
Making sure to strategically split pairs or high-value cards between your high-hand and your low-hand.
Using your joker wisely to help create strong hand combinations.
Creating balanced strengths between your hands to improve your chances of defeating the dealer's hands.
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