When you go to the casino, you will notice all kinds of different games being spread across the tables. Everyone knows about Blackjack, Roulette, and Craps, but there’s another game that is growing in popularity, both in live and online casinos: Pai Gow Poker. Here we break down how to play the game, what bonuses to bet, and some basic strategies on how to beat the casino in this table game.
How to Play Pai Gow Poker
Unlike regular poker, where each player is dealt their own two or four cards, then a common board is used, this is a game of playing your hand against the dealer's hand. Everyone is dealt seven different cards, and the player will then set their best five-card hand, and their best two-card hand. The five-card hand MUST be better than the two-card hand (IE two pair in the bottom hand, and one pair or high cards in the top hand). The dealer also plays their hand the same way, separating their five-card hand and two-card hand, and then, the dealer flips over their hand. After that, players show their cards one by one, and the dealer pays out accordingly.
If the dealer’s two hands are both better than the player’s hands, the dealer takes the bet and the player loses. If the player wins both hands, the dealer pays out the bet at exact even odds. However, if the dealer has one hand better, and the player has the other hand better, they will push, and the player keeps their bets. You can always watch a few hands for free to get comfortable before you sit down to play. The other way is to create an account in poker room and see how it works online – many poker sites have casino games, like Americas Cardroom or PokerStars.
How Pai Gow Poker is Dealt
Each seat is numbered one to seven beginning with whoever the banker is. A number is randomly chosen at the table (usually there’s a computer in the table that generates the number) to decide who gets dealt cards first, and the dealer hands out the cards in a counter-clockwise direction. Players MUST wait until all the cards are dealt before they can start to look at their cards.
In addition, if there are enough cards in the deck, and an empty seat, many live and online casinos will have a separate hand called the “dragon hand” that any player at the table are free to take as a second hand, as long as they bet the same amount as their original hand. This is often done if a player is confident that they will lose both of their hands, using the Dragon hand in order to try and break even. Alternatively, some players will look to press their luck and play the dragon hand to try and win double if they are confident that their first hand will be a full winner. It should be noted, no one is required to play the Dragon hand, and often times, it will simply be discarded.
Basic Pai Gow Poker Strategy
Now that you know the rules of Pai Gow Poker, let’s teach you some basic strategy. While poker is considered a game of skill over luck by those who play it professionally or for long hours, the same can’t necessarily be said about Pai Gow. Sure there are some small edges an experienced player may have about when the right time to take the Dragon hand is, but in large part, it really comes down to the cards in each hand. Often, the experience will show when you learn how to set very stong hands. Take a hand like: Q, Q, J, 10, 9,8, 8 for example. Many would simply play the queen-eight straight in the bottom with Q-8 at the top, but others might split the pairs, knowing that 88 in the top hand will hardly ever be beat by the dealer. It’s more preference than anything. There’s always a chance that the dealer will have a pai gow themselves, that is an ace high or king high hand with no straights, flushes, or pairs, and in that case, you are more likely to sweep the hand by splitting the pairs.
The Joker
One thing you will likely notice in the first hand of Pai Gow Poker that you play is that the Jokers stay in the deck, and can be dealt to any player, including the dealer. However, Jokers can only be used in the following ways: to complete a flush or a straight, or simply be used as an ace, perhaps to strengthen the top two card hand if you have a strong five card hand that doesn’t need the assistance of the joker. Some casinos will have slightly different rules for the joker, but this is by far the most common. Joker cards can also be used when betting the bonuses, which is the best way to make big money in Pai Gow Poker.
Betting the Bonuses
This is where we get to the real fun part. Because you are more likely to push with the deal than either win both hands or lose both hands, it can often be difficult to win, and also lose, a ton of money in one sitting playing the game. The big bonuses that go with the original bets are where players often make their big scores. Casinos traditionally run a massive side jackpot that is funded by these bets, one that can often reach in the millions. Last year, poker pro Thomas Zanot won nearly $6,500,000 at the Flamingo Casino when he made a seven-card royal flush. While the odds are often different at different live and online casinos, a general sense of the scale can be viewed below.
If you want to hone your Pai Gow skills online before you go to the casino to play live, you can play on sites like partypoker.
