Play Pai Gow
Pai Gow is a traditional Chinese casino game that is rich in history and cultural significance and is enjoyed throughout the Asian world.
Thanks to globalization and the trade of culture and ideas, Pai Gow has made its way to the Western hemisphere, where we can now enjoy the beautiful game of Pai Gow Poker.
Admittedly, the game has a complex set of rules and has a high entry barrier for new players. However, once you learn the game, it is a great experience to indulge in.
About the tile game of Pai Gow. Here's what you can do on PaiGow.com: Learn to play Pai Gow like an expert. Our 400 pages of online tutorials will teach you everything you need to know. Experienced players: Improve your odds with the Denenberg Strategy. Exciting news: exclusively on PaiGow.com, you can now learn an improved Pai Gow strategy, designed by computer, that. Play Pai Gow Poker. Them’s the rules: the standard hand rankings for poker apply, except for one twist. The second-best Straight you can make in Pai Gow Poker is the wheel (Five-Four-Three-Deuce-Ace), which is the lowest Straight possible in regular poker.
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- See how to play Pai Gow Poker in this exclusive instructional video from WinStar World Casino.
- Pai Gow Poker uses the standard 52-card deck, plus a Joker. It’s you against The Dealer; after you place your bet, you each receive seven cards – yours are face-up, the Dealer’s are face-down. Your task is to split your seven cards into two hands, one with five cards and the other with two cards.
- See how to play Pai Gow Poker in this exclusive instructional video from WinStar World Casino.
The Rules Of Pai Gow Online
Pai Gao (牌九), spelled “Pai Gow” in casinos, means “make nine.” The number nine is important to this tile-based game as the maximum number you can make is indeed nine. The traditional version of Pai Gow is played with domino-like tiles rather than cards, which didn’t translate well to a Western demographic, which is why Pai Gow Poker was invented.
Pai Gow Poker is a variation of Pai Gow and Texas Hold ‘Em poker and has a more manageable set of rules than its traditional counterpart. Pai Gow Poker is much easier to translate to an online setting as well, seeing as there are fewer player-on-player and more player-on-dealer interactions.
This article will give you a detailed rundown on all you need to know about both iterations of Pai Gow. If you’re a beginner looking to familiarize yourself with this beautiful game, read on for more information.
How To Play Pai Gow Poker
The rules for Pai Gow and Pai Gow Poker are vastly different, as Pai Gow Poker is merely a loose interpretation of the traditional game. Pai Gow Poker employs a standard 52-card deck with a single Joker card and borrows more rules from the poker side than the Pai Gow side.
If you’re aware of the poker hand rankings, Pai Gow Poker shouldn’t be too difficult to accustom yourself to
Steps To Play Pai Gow At An Online Casino
Place Your Bets and Receive Your Cards
Take a seat at the virtual table and place how much you want to bet. After your wager has been processed, the dealer will deal seven cards face up to you and seven down to themselves.
The Joker Card
In Pai Gow Poker, the Joker acts as a filler card and can be plugged into 5-hands such as straights, flushes, straight flushes, or royal flushes.
If you cannot form any of those hands, then the Joker simply acts as an ace to form pairs.
Sort Your Hand
Sorting out which hand to present is the meat and potatoes of Pai Gow Poker. The aim of the game is to arrange your seven cards into poker hands – one consisting of five cards and one consisting of two.
The five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand. In that sense, you cannot arrange your two-card hand to have a pair of aces while you only have a pair of sixes in your five-card hand.
Five and Two Card Hands
For the five-card hand, the standard rules of poker hand rankings apply.
The only difference between Pai Gow Poker hand rankings and normal Texas Hold’Em rankings is that the A 2 3 4 5 straight is considered the second-best straight in the game, as opposed to K Q J 10 9.
For the two card hands, suits don’t matter – you only have to concentrate on whether you have a pair or not. A pair of aces would be the strongest two card hand you can have.
Beat the Dealer
It goes without saying that you want to be beating the dealer.
Pai Gow Poker is a much slower game than other casino games, so you can really take your time and deliberate over the best course of action you want to employ for your seven cards.
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Top 3 Online Pai Gow Strategies
Although casino games are largely games of chance, some games have higher RTP (return-to-player) percentages than others. Pai Gow is a low volatility game that requires active participation from the player.
Thus, there are various strategies that you can employ to increase your chance to beat the dealer. Below are some of the best strategies.
Split Pairs
This strategy can be complicated for new players, but the basic gist of splitting is that if you have two pairs (AA + JJ, for example), then you would put the AA in the two-card hand and the JJ in the five-card hand.
The lower-ranking pair should always go in the five-card hand. Additionally, you should split full houses into trips and a pair. There are certain house rules for splitting cards, but generally, it is up to your discretion unless told otherwise.
Bankroll Management
The best strategy any player can be aware of is managing their money. You can’t play if you don’t have money. Pai Gow Poker is a very slow-paced game with a lot of pushes, so thankfully, you won’t burn through your money that quickly.
A progressive overload strategy where you incrementally increase your bet sizes upon winning may be a beneficial way to maximize profits. It’s important to play however you want as long as you are comfortable spending that money.
Playing The Bonus Bet Smart
Bonus bets are typically a way for the house to rake in your money. It’s a known trap in the casino world; however, the reward can sometimes outweigh the risks.
Seasoned players keep a mental note of the number of times the bonus hasn’t been triggered in a row and would strategically place a bonus bet when the timing is right. Of course, this is technically guesswork, but you can estimate when to bet on the bonus just like counting cards.
Pai Gow Poker Payouts
If you get a premium hand in Pai Gow Poker, you have the chance to win big! The table below shows you how much you’re able to win depending on what hand you get.
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7 Card Straight Flush | 8,000 to 1 |
| Royal Flush and Royal Match | 2,000 to 1 |
| 7 Card Straight Flush With Joker | 1,000 to 1 |
| 5 Aces | 400 to 1 |
| Royal Flush | 150 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 to 1 |
| Full House | 5 to 1 |
| Flush | 4 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 to 1 |
| Straight | 2 to 1 |
Pai Gow Tiles: The Traditional Chinese Game
Pai Gow Tiles (or just Pai Gow) is the traditional, original version of Pai Gow Poker. Although the aim of the game is rather similar where the player must form 2 ranking “hands”, the rules and terms are completely different and can be very foreign to those unfamiliar with Chinese culture.
The game uses 32 tiles which are ranked individually and can form pairs. Players must place their bets before any tiles are dealt. Unlike Pai Gow Poker, the original game of Pai Gow has a completely different ranking system.
Below is a list of the best hands you can get:
- Gee Joon – domino six (2 white 4 red) & domino three (2 white 1 red)
- Teen – domino twelve pair (6 white 6 red each)
- Day – domino two pair (2 red each)
- Yun – domino eight pair (8 red each)
- Gor – domino four pair alternate (4 white 1 red each)
- Mooy – domino ten pure (10 white each)
- Chong – domino six pair pure (6 white each)
- Bon – domino four pair pure(4 white each)
- Foo – domino eleven pair (11 white each)
- Ping – domino ten pair alternate (6 white 4 red each)
- Tit – domino seven pair (6 white 1 red each)
- Look – domino six pair alternate (5 white 1 red each)
Have Fun With Pai Gow Poker & Win!
Pai Gow truly is a wonderful game to enjoy if you’re looking for a slow-paced event that requires a bit of mental work. It can be tough to learn the rules at first, but once you get the gist of the game, it’s a lot of fun.
On top of that, the chance to win that 8,000 to 1 payout always looms over your head as a possibility. Due to the low volatility and high RTP of this game, it’s truly a player-oriented game.
Check out our trusted online casinos to find one that hosts Pai Gow Poker games online. What could be better than relaxing in the comfort of your own home and playing some Pai Gow Poker? Not much.
Pai Gow Poker is one of the most fun casino games but it can be tricky to learn when first starting out.
If you want to enjoy playing Pai Gow Poker online or live at a casino, then it is important to learn the basic rules and hands.
You are already ahead of the curve if you know the rules of Texas Hold’em, especially the hand rankings.
But don’t let the amount of previous poker knowledge stress you out. By the time you have completed this beginner’s guide to Pai Gow Poker, you will know:
- What is Pai Gow Poker
- Pai Gow Poker rules
- Pai Gow Poker hands
- Pai Gow Poker strategy
- How to Play Pai Gow Poker for Free
1. What is Pai Gow Poker?
Pai Gow Poker may not have the long and storied tradition of popular casino table games blackjack or roulette or of the most popular poker variant in Texas hold’em as it was invented by casino owner Sam Torosian in 1985.
'Pai Gow roughly translates to 'Make Nine' in Chinese'
But, the game does have deep historical roots as it was taken from the domino-based Pai Gow Tiles (also known as simply Pai Gow) that has been played in China for more than a millennium.
Pai Gow roughly translates to “Make Nine” in Chinese as this represented the maximum score in the game outside some special circumstances.
Most poker games pit player against player with the dealer not involved with the hand other than dealing cards and enforcing the rules.
Pai Gow Poker is a bit different in that it is a casino game that you are playing against the dealer or on occasion, can even choose to be the dealer yourself.
Despite being a casino game, it can be every bit as much as social as other forms of poker and is considered to be one of the lowest risk casino games thanks to the slow pace of play and many hands ending in a tie or push.
In addition, the Pai Gow Odds vary by venue but are typically among the lowest among casino table games.
If you are planning to play Pai Gow for the first time, starting from the basic rules of the game is key.
The good news is that the rules of Pai Gow Poker are easy to learn with a little practice and anyone – including you – can learn the optimal Pai Gow Poker strategy in no time flat.
2. Pai Gow Poker Rules
So how do you play Pai Gow Poker?
Play Pai Gow Poker online, free
Pai Gow Poker utilizes a 53-card deck which features the standard 52 cards used in most poker games along with one joker.
The game is easier to master than most forms of poker as there is no bluffing involved as betting only takes place before any cards are dealt. In other words, you can master the best approach to the game simply by learning the rules.
So, let’s dive straight in…
A Pai Gow Poker hand begins after bets are placed when the dealer deals all of the players in a hand and the banker seven cards face down. The banker is often the dealer but it can also be a player or at some venues a player/dealer team.
Each player will then separate their hole cards into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. The high hand must always be better than the low hand.
The banker places their hand into a high and low hand as well via house rules which can differ between venue and online. Players can also ask the house for advice on how to set their hand the house way if they so choose at most if not all casinos.
A player can then win, lose, or push (tie) a hand based on the following scenarios:
- The player wins their bet when both of the player’s hands are better than both of the banker’s hands. The amount won is the amount of a bet less a commission (usually 5%).
- The player pushes (ties) and has their bet refunded when only one of the player’s hands beats one of the banker’s hand. This applies whether the banker has won or tied a hand while losing the other hand.
- The player loses their bet when the player loses or ties both hands against the banker.
Pai Gow Poker Hand Rankings
Pai Gow Poker utilizes the same hand rankings as most poker games including Texas hold’em. One big difference between Pai Gow and other forms of poker is the joker in the deck.
In Pai Gow Poker, the joker is treated as an ace unless it can be used to complete a flush or straight.
The hand rankings are identical to that of Texas hold’em except for the two following rules.
- Five aces, which can be achieved with the joker, beats a royal flush and is the best hand in Pai Gow Poker.
- A wheel straight, e.g. , is the second best straight at most casinos, only behind a broadway straight, e.g. .
Here is a look at all of the Pai Gow Poker hand rankings. Please take note that in the two-card low hand the best hand that can be achieved is one pair.
Also in the case both the player and the banker have the same hand, the rank of that hand would be used to potentially break a tie. For example, if a player’s straight would be stronger than the dealer’s and a player’s one pair would be better than a dealer’s one pair.
- Five Aces – five aces including the joker
- Royal Flush — five cards of the same suit, ranked ace through ten; e.g.,
- Straight Flush — five cards of the same suit and consecutively ranked; e.g.,
- Four of a Kind — four cards of the same rank; e.g.,
- Full House — three cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g.,
- Flush — any five cards of the same suit; e.g.,
- Straight — any five cards consecutively ranked; e.g.,
- Three of a Kind — three cards of the same rank; e.g.,
- Two Pair — two cards of the same rank and two more cards of the same rank; e.g.,
- One Pair — two cards of the same rank; e.g.,
- High Card — five unmatched cards; e.g., would be called 'ace-high'
Pai Gow Poker Side Bets
Both online and live casinos often offer special Pai Gow Poker side bets.
These bets can often be lucrative in the short run, especially those with progressive jackpots, but in general should be avoided as they boast a higher house edge than the base game.
The Fortune Pai Gow Poker side bet is one of the most popular you will see. This side bet looks at all seven of the player’s cards regardless of how it was eventually set.
A natural seven-card straight flush without a wildcard can pay big with this side bet, especially if a progressive jackpot is involved instead of fixed odds. The pay tables can vary but very often players can win with trips or better while other payout structures begin with a full house.
Other side bets include Dealer Bonus, Jackpot, Emperor’s Challenge, Progressive, Insurance, Lucky 8’s, and many more.
As these side bets vary from casino to casino, it is best to ask the dealer, who is usually more than happy to explain, how all the side bets work if interesting in an extra gamble before sitting down to play in a live casino. Likewise, you can read up about all the rules of any side bets your favorite online casino might feature in its Pai Gow offering.
Pai Gow Strategy
Setting a Pai Gow Poker hand can be tricky, although most of the time it is straight forward.
For example, being dealt a hand plays itself out with a straight going on the bottom high hand and the pair of deuces going on top for the low hand.
But what if you are dealt a hand like . Your best two options to choose from are as follows:
Pai Gow Poker Odds
- Strongest possible hand up top - = high hand for a straight; for low hand.
- Very strong low hand – = high hand for a pair of nines; for low hand.
The first hand would almost guarantee a push but it might not be the best option even if it is at first the most intuitive.
The second hand presents better options as the pair of eights for the low hand is almost very strong while giving the player a chance for a win with the pair of nine for the high hand often being a winning hand.