Playing the game
Pai-gow is a variation of the poker game that is played with a standard
pack of playing cards
including the joker.
The Pai-Gow Poker table has 6 players' seats, and the dealer - as with a
blackjack table. The game calls for the player to set 2 hands: 1 of two
cards and 2nd, higher, of five cards. The point of the game of Pai-Gow is to beat the
bankers' 2 hands.
The player's high hand is shown closest to the space in front of them, and his 2nd highest
(or low two-card hand) is placed on top of the high hand, towards
the dealer. A marker is set in front of the banker.
Pai-Gow play begins by placing 2 equal bets. The dealer then shuffles and
dealing counter clockwise, deals 7 hands of seven cards
face down, equaling 49 cards, so that only 4 are left in the deck. A dice is
then
thrown from a cup holding 3 dice, which decides who gets
the 1st hand. Once all players have their 7 cards face down, they
must create 2 hands.
The 2 poker hands are formed from 1 high hand - consisting of 5 cards, and 1
low hand with only 2 cards. As per poker rankings, the highest 5-card
hand consists of five Aces and the highest 2-card hand of two Aces.
Pai-Gow follows similar poker rankings, excepting that in Pai-Gow, 1 joker is included in the deck.
This joker can be played as an Ace or a
high card to finish as a straight, a flush, a straight flush or a royal flush.
The 5-card hand is ranked as per standard poker, excepting that an A - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 straight is the
2nd highest straight. The 2-card
hand will be either a pair or 2 individual cards. The highest 2-card hand is
a pair of Aces and the lowest is a 2 - 3.
All Pai-Gow players play against the banker - who can be the dealer or another
player ho has put up the necessary funds. A player must win both hands in
order to win his bet. Casino rules vary as to how many times a player can be
banker, though usually the dealer asks each player in turn, and the same player
may not bank consecutive hands. A player has the right of refusal as well.
A player does however have an advantage should he be allowed to banker every 2nd
or 3rd hand. The banker must
generally have sufficient chips to cover all the other players' bets, and in
some cases may co-bank with the house to cover this - making the house a 50%
partner in the dealers hand... this though has yet to be seen!
When all the hands are set, the dealer compares the player's hand rank with
banker's hand for payouts.
Betting options and results
When playing Pai-Gow, 1 of the players 2 bets is betting that his five-card hand
is better than that of the banker - unless of course he is the banker! The 2nd bet is the same, betting that
his 2-card hand can beat the banker's.
There are 4 possible outcomes:
| Both hands beat the banker |
Player wins both bets. |
| Both hands lose to the banker |
Player loses both bets. |
| One hand wins and one hand loses |
It is a push. |
| A tie (called copies in pai gow poker) |
Banker wins |
It is advantageous to bank because the banker wins on ties.
Pai-gow rules
The basic and most important rule of playing Pai-Gow Poker is
that the rank of the
5-card high hand must be higher than the 2-card low hand. A players hand that is
set incorrectly will lose automatically, though most casino dealers will help in this placement; and
the dealer sets bank hand according to fixed house rules.
The joker can only be used to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush;
otherwise it is treated as an ace.
The casino or the house takes a 5% fee or commission when the player wins both bets and on the net
win of the banker, and takes a commission on all winning hands, that is collected immediately. A
win pays even money.
Should a player want to bank, they must have sufficient money on the table to broker
their share of the bets. The player must have played a previous hand against the
house banker to bank.
When the player plays banker, the dealer will also play against the banker, and
place a bet
equal to the player's last bet against the house banker.
Some casinos will also have the dealer dealing a "dragon" hand if there is an
empty seat. At this point another player may use the "dragon hand" if they wish to
play 2 positions rather than 1.
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