Pai Gow Poker: A Beginner's Guide

Forget the Bluff, Just Split and Chill: Unlock the Secrets to Pai Gow Poker’s Easy Wins and Why It’s the Low-Stress Casino King

Ditch the Stress, Stack the Wins

Pai Gow Poker is a casino table game that combines aspects of traditional poker and the traditional game of Pai Gow, which was played with dominoes.

Invented by California card club owner Sam Torosian in 1985, Pai Gow Poker has been embraced as it involves a relatively slow game, low volatility, and strategic betting. Unlike other forms of poker games, where people play against each other, Pai Gow Poker is played against the banker or the dealer, similar to the case of blackjack.

The game is played using a standard 52-pack deck of cards with a single joker, and each player has to form two different hands from seven cards - a five-card "high" hand and a two-card "low" hand.

Why Pai Gow Poker Is Different from Other Poker Games

Pai Gow Poker differs from other forms of poker such as Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud based on its unique setup. These are the primary differences:

• Player vs. Dealer Mode: Unlike most other poker games where players are pitted against one another, Pai Gow Poker is playing against the dealer. The aim is to beat the dealer's two hands rather than bluff or cheat other players.
• Hand-Setting Strategy: Compared to Texas Hold'em or Omaha, where betting strategy and reading the opposition dictate the day, Pai Gow Poker is essentially an optimization-by-hands game. The player must set his cards into their most advantageous configurations to be able to beat the hands of both dealers.
• Pushes are frequent: Since the game is based on structure, there are a lot of percentage hands that are pushes. A push is caused by the overlap of a player's winning hand and his losing hand such that the player neither loses nor wins. Pai Gow Poker is therefore a slow game to play, and this is friendly to bankroll management.
• Joker as Half-Wild Card: In the majority of casino games, wild cards can be used in place of any value, but Pai Gow Poker restricts the joker. It can only be used as an ace or to fill a straight, flush, or straight flush.

These characteristics make Pai Gow Poker one of the favorite BetUS Casino table games that is appealing to players seeking strategic play experience at low risk relative to high-variance forms of poker.

Pai Gow Poker Rules

1. Deck and Joker Use

Pai Gow Poker uses a 53-card deck, which is a standard 52-card deck with one joker. The Joker has restricted wild properties:

• It can be substituted for an ace.
• It can be made straight, flush, or straight flush.
• It can be used like any other card except for these three situations.

2. Betting and Dealing

• The players put up an initial bet before the cards are dealt.
• The dealer deals seven cards to the players and to him/herself as well.
• The cards are all dealt face down, and the hands must be established before they are revealed.

3. Setting the Hands

Each player must split his/her seven cards into:

• A five-card "high" hand, which observes regular poker hand ranking. It must be stronger than the two-card hand.
• A two-card "low" hand, which may contain no more than a single pair (or two singleton cards).

Suppose a player has been dealt the following seven cards:

♠️A, ♥K, ♣K, ♦J, ♠️10, ♥5, ♣5

A good division of the hands would be:

• High hand: K♥ K♣ J♦ 10♠️ 5♥ (Pair of Kings)
• Low hand: A♠️ 5♣ (Ace-high)

4. Dealer's Hand and Comparison

• The dealer maintains their hand according to the "house way", a fixed method by which casinos arrange their cards in the best possible manner.
• To win, the two-player hands need to be higher than the respective dealer's hands.
• If a hand wins and the other loses, it is a push (no payout).
• If both hands lose to the dealer, the bettor loses their bet.

5. Winning and Payouts

• If both of the player's hands beat the dealer's hands, they win even money, minus a 5% commission.
• If the dealer wins both hands, the player loses their bet.
• When the player wins and the other loses, the bet is returned as a push.

Basic Pai Gow Poker Strategies

Since Pai Gow Poker is based on correct hand-setting and not a betting strategy, strategic play is all about maximizing hand strength with little risk. The following are some basic strategies:

1. Maximizing Five-Card Hand Without Compromising Two-Card Hand

• The five-card hand should always be stronger than the two-card hand.
• Breaking up a good five-card hand sometimes increases the odds of winning both hands and therefore breaking it up is useful at times.

2. Smart Pair Splitting

• Aces and Kings must be played in pairs.
• Queens down to Sevens can be broken up if the remainder of the hand can support a good two-card hand.
• Low pairs (Sixes or lower) should be kept together unless splitting makes the two-card hand much stronger.

3. Playing Straights and Flushes Effectively

• If a straight or flush is dealt, keeping it whole in the five-card hand is generally best.

• But if splitting the straight or flush makes the two-card hand much stronger, it might be worth it.

Common Pai Gow Poker Mistakes

1. Incorrectly Setting Hands

• The two-card hand should always be weaker than the five-card hand. Otherwise, the hand is fouled and the player loses automatically.

2. Misusing the Joker

• Players tend to misinterpret the Joker as being completely wild, but it can only be played as an ace or to fill in for certain hands.

3. Ignoring the House Way

• Most casinos follow a systematic procedure for breaking hands. It is helpful to players to understand the way dealers break their cards.

4. Breaking Strong Hands When There's No Need

• Breaking a strong five-card hand or splitting a full house just to create a slightly better two-card hand is usually an error.

5. Failing to Consider Commission Charges

• The 5% commission on winnings affects long-term profitability, so bankroll management is essential.

Pai Gow Poker Finds its Own Niche

Pai Gow Poker is a recreational table game that is quite different from the rest of the poker games. It's a push-hands strategy game and not an aggressive or bluffer game. Being a slow, high-push rate game with moderate volatility, it's a very good option for those players who want to spend as much time playing as they can without destroying their bank accounts.

Knowledge of hand ranking, proper splitting process, and house way enables players to maximize chances for success. Avoid errors like placing hands out of order or the abuse of the joker. Playing for fun or indefinitely, a knowledge of the Pai Gow Poker basics provides an advantage in this quirky casino table game.