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The Basics

Pai gow poker is relatively new to the casino world, getting its start in the mid 1980’s. The game was created by combining the Chinese gambling game, Pai gow, with concepts familiar to traditional poker.

In Pai gow, poker players are dealt seven cards. From those cards, they have to make a two-card poker hand as well as a five card poker hand. The two cards on the top (the "in front" or "on top" hands) make up the two-card hand and the remaining cards are used to create the five-card hand (the "behind" or "bottom"). Each Pai gow poker table has a “banker”, similar to a dealer in poker. The banker in Pai gow poker can either be a player at the table, or a casino staff member acting on behalf of the banker. The banker is determined by a roll of the dice. Once rolled, the number on the dice is used to count clockwise from the dice roller; the player at the end of the count is the banker.

Playing Pai Gow Poker

The best “on top” hand a player can have is either pocket pair, or best high card. The five cards in the bottom hand can make any poker combination. Some states like Nevada usually declare an A-2-3-4-5 straight to be the second most powerful straight in the game, only behind an Ace-high straight A-K-Q-J-10.

A player can win a pot if both of their poker hands beat that of the bankers. The hand is considered a draw if both the dealer and the player have a winning hand, in their “on top” and “on bottom” card sets, respectively. If this occurs, the chips are left in the pot for the next hand. If either hand draws and the dealer has the better other hand, the house wins. This means that the house does have a slight advantage with Pai gow poker due to the fact that any tie of an individual hand between the banker and a player goes to the house.

Helpful Pai Gow Poker Hints

Winning at Pai Gow Poker is much like winning any kind of card game; you play your cards wisely and pay attention to what is happening in the game. Arranging your cards into your in front and back is another element in Pai Gow Poker that separates the winners from the losers.

If you are looking at a hand with no high pair, straight, or flush, make the best possible “in front” hand you can. This will allow you to have at least one good hand when it comes time to face the banker. The same rules apply when a player has been dealt great cards. If dealt a good pair, a player should include the pair in their five card hand and place their two highest cards in their two-card hand. Doing this will allow the player to have something in each of their two hands.

There are some tips that may seem fairly obvious. When a Pai Gow Poker player has two pairs dealt to them they can either put their high pair in their top or bottom hands. It really doesn’t matter which, but when a player has three pairs in their hand, he or she should always place the highest pair in their front hand. This is a basic rule of thumb with Pai Gow Poker