Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow poker is a casino gambling game based on the Chinese Domino game Pai Gow, but played with cards using standard poker combinations.

A pack of 52 cards plus one joker is used. The joker is a wild card which can be used only as an ace or to complete a straight, a flush or a straight flush. The game is played on a blackjack-size table with up to six players and a banker. The players are playing against the banker and in most cases the casino acts as the banker although players can chose to bank the game if they wish to.

Seven cards are dealt to each player. The player looks at the seven cards and sets them into a two-card hand and a five-card hand. The relative values of the five card hands are the same as in poker, with one exception: A-2-3-4-5 is the second highest type of straight or straight flush, ranking between A-K-Q-J-10 and K-Q-J-10-9. Five aces is the highest hand, beating a straight flush. For the two card hand, any pair beats any two unmatched cards, but no other combinations are possible.

The player must arrange the cards so that the five card hand is higher than the two card hand. If he makes a mistake and the two-card hand is higher, it is a "foul" and he loses automatically.

The two-card hand is placed in front and the five-card hand is placed behind it. If both of player's hands beat the Banker's two hands he wins. If one of his hands beats the Banker's hand and one loses it is a "push" and there are no winners. If either of his hands has the exact same value as the Banker's hand it is a tie, which is called a "copy" and the Banker wins.

The Banker obviously has an advantage therefore to make it fair game everyone has to deal an equal number of times during the session.

Basic Pai Gow Strategy

• Back = 5 card hand
• Front = 2 card hand

• No Pair: use the highest card in the back and second and third highest in front
• One Pair: place pair in back, highest other two cards in front

Two Pair:

• Big Pair is Jack thru Ace: place small in front
• Big Pair is 7's thru 10's: place both pairs in back if you can put Ace in front
• Big Pair is 2's thru 6's: place both pairs in back if you can put King in front; otherwise split

Three Pair: place big pair in front

Three of a Kind:

• Aces: place an Ace and next highest card in front
• Kings and Below: place three of a kind in back; two highest cards in front

Two Sets: place pair from higher set in front

Straight; Flush; Straight Flush:

• With No Pair: place two highest cards in front that leave a complete hand in back
• With One Pair: place two highest cards possible in front that leave a complete hand in back
• With Two Pair: use two pair strategy
• With Three of a Kind: place complete hand in back, pair in front

Full House: put pair in front

Four of a Kind:

• Jacks thru Aces: always split
• 7's thru 10's: place four of a kind in back if you can put Ace or King in front; otherwise split
• 6's or Below: never split
• With a Pair: play four of a kind in back; pair in front
• With Three of a Kind: put highest pair in front; full house in back

Five Aces: place pair of Aces in front