Pai Gow Poker

Pai gow poker is an Americanized version of the popular Chinese domino game, pai gow. Some casinos spread the actual pai gow tile game, but most casinos prefer the much simpler pai gow poker variant. It's not the biggest action game in the casino but it's a lot of fun thanks to its relaxed atmosphere and the longevity of pai gow poker buyins.

Pai Gow Rules

Pai gow poker is played with a standard 52 card deck plus an additional joker card for a total of 53 cards. The joker is a semi-wild card and can be used as an ace, to complete a straight or to complete a flush.

Pai gow poker begins with each player making a wager and then 3 dice are rolled to see who receives their cards first. After that, each player is dealt seven cards. These seven cards are used to make two separate hands. One hand is made with five cards and counts as the "high" hand while the other hand uses two cards to make the "low" hand.

Don't let the word "low" confuse you with how the word is used in other poker games. The low hand isn't supposed to be as weak as possible; the same hand rankings apply in the low hand as in the high hand. The only thing players need to remember is that the five card hand needs to be better than the two card hand.

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If a player accidentally makes his five card hand have a lower value than his two card hand, or vice versa, it is an automatic loss. Newer pai gow poker players fear not; you can ask the banker to set your cards "the house way" to prevent mistakes.

The players then compete against the dealer, who is called the banker, to make the best two hands. The banker is usually played by the casino but at many locations, a player can be the banker. If a player is the banker, the casino collects a 5% commission on all wagering.

Pai gow players win when both of their hands beat both of the banker's hands. If one hand beats the banker and one hand loses to the banker, it is a push and nobody wins or loses. If either of the hands is an exact tie, the banker wins.

Pai Gow Poker Hand Rankings

The five card pai gow hand rankings are listed here in order from strongest to weakest:

Hand	5 Card Hand Example
Five Aces	AAAA +Joker
Royal Flush	T J Q K A all the same suit
Straight Flush	4 5 6 7 8 all the same suit
Four of a Kind	8 8 8 8 A
Full House	A A A K K
Flush	A 4 3 7 Q all the same suit
Straight	4 5 6 7 8 (suits don't matter)
Three of a Kind	7 7 7 A 3
Two Pair	4 4 9 9 Q
One Pair	A A 7 6 K
High Card	A 5 3 9 J

The poker hand rankings are the same for the two card hand. Because there are only two cards in the low hand, the best low hand is a pair of aces. The second best low hand is a pair of kings and so on down the list.

Pai Gow Poker Strategy

Be the banker

The greatest strategic benefit one can earn in pai gow poker is to be the banker. The banker wins on all ties so it is obviously good to be the banker as often as possible. Often times the players will have to take turns being the banker but make sure you get in there as often as you can.

The house way is pretty decent

If you let the house set your hands for you, you'll be pretty close to the optimal strategy without having to do any work. An optimal strategy is very difficult to memorize so it helps if you have the house set your cards for you at first.

Don't always go with the biggest hand

Because you're competing against the banker with both of your poker hands, you don't always want to keep the best five card hand all in one hand. For example, if you have a full house it is often better to break it up so that your five card hand gets the three of a kind and your two card hand gets the pair. This makes it more likely that both of your pai gow poker hands win instead of just one of them.

Basic hand strategy chart

This chart shows a basic strategy of how you should divide up your hands to give you the best chance of winning.

If you have	Divide it up like this:
Five Aces	2 Card Hand: 2 Aces 5 Card Hand: 3 Aces
Straight Flush w/ no pair	2 Card Hand: Remaining Cards 5 Card Hand: Straight
Straight slush w/ 1 pair	2 Card Hand: 1 Pair (only if you can keep the straight or Flush) 5 Card Hand: Keep the straight or flush
Full House	2 Card Hand: 1 Pair 5 Card Hand: 3 of a Kind
Flush	2 Card Hand: Remaining Cards 5 Card Hand: Flush
Flush w/ 2 pair	Both Hands: Ignore the flush and use the two pair rules below
Straight	2 Card Hand: Remaining Cards 5 Card Hand: Straight
Straight w/ 2 pair	Both Hands: Ignore the straight and use the two pair rules below
Three Pair	2 Card Hand: Highest Pair 5 Card Hand: 2 remaining pairs
Two Pair	2 Card Hand: Lower Pair 5 Card Hand: Higher Pair
Two Pair w/ an Ace	2 Card Hand: Ace and remaining card 5 Card Hand: 2 Pair
One Pair	2 Card Hand: Highest remaining cards 5 Card Pair: 1 Pair
High Card	2 Card Hand: 2nd and 3rd highest cards 5 Card Hand: Highest card + remaining cards

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