How to Play Pai gow Poker

Pai gow poker is a derivative of the Chinese domino game gai gow.

Like many Chinese games is played at a leisurely pace and is an enjoyable game. Another advantage is your bankroll tends to last a long time.

How to Win Pai Gow

Pai gow poker is played with a 53 card deck and includes one joker. The game is one on one, the player or players compete against a banker, to get the best possible hand.

The Play

A random roll of the dice determines what player receives the first set of cards.

Each player is dealt seven cards and splits them into two separate hands.

This is called "setting the hand". The first is made up of five cards and is called "the highest hand" or "the back".

The second hand is made up of the remaining two cards and is called "the second highest" or "the front" or "low" hand.

The 5 card hand must always rank higher than the 2 card hand to win.

If both of your hands beat the dealer's hands, you receive even money or 1:1 on your bet. The bank then takes a 5% commission from your winnings.

If both your hands lose against the dealer's hands, the dealer takes the bet.

If you win only one of the two hands, the round finishes in a tie and the banker collects.

In the game of Pai Gow Poker, the player needs to get two strong hands and win on both hands.

The house has a 2.3% advantage in this game.

Chances of Winning.

Ensure you are setting both high and low hands properly.

Try to make both hands fairly strong to win both hands otherwise you will end up with at tie.

Your bank hand must be set higher that your front hand otherwise you will "foul" your hand and lose the bet you place.

Basic strategy is straightforward:

Always check your hand for flushes and then set your hand according to strategy rules below:

No pairs, no straight, no flush

2- Use second and third highest card
5- use your highest card

A pair, no pairs, no flushes

2- Use two highest single cards
5- use the pair

Two pair if you have a single ace, use the ace in the two-card hand and keep the pairs together in the five-card hand, or split the pairs:

2- use lower pair
5- use higher pair

Three pairs

2- Use highest pair
5- use second and third highest pairs

straight and two pair play as two pair, ignore the straight Five-card straight

2- Use two cards not in the straight
5- use straight

Six-card straight

2- Use highest cards that you can
5- use remaining straight

Flush and two pair play as two pair, ignore the flush other flush

2- Play highest cards in this hand without breaking up flush
5- flush

Full house

2- Use pair
5- uses three of a kind

Best chance of winning in pai gow poker – Be the banker

The best way to get an edge and win in pai gow poker is to be the banker.

This is due to the fact that the banker wins all copies.

Player's are usually allowed to bank for one or two consecutive hands before passing the banker option on to the next player.

The amount of money that the banker will be risking is limited to what the banker places down on the table.

Betting in pai gow poker

The banker should place enough money on the table to cover all of the player bets, or the banker may be allowed to risk less than what the players in total wish to bet.

The most important factor in improving your odds in pai gow is the ratio of how much is bet when you are the banker to when you are the player.

You should really be willing to risk enough money to cover 6 – 14 times the table minimum bet.

For more tips and strategies on pai gow poker and all major casino games, go to our website for tips, strategies articles, magazines and downloads. http://www.net-planet.org/gaming.html