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Pai
gow poker Strategy
Pai
gow poker is a variation of the Chinese domino game gai gow. Pai gow poker
is played with a 53 card deck, including a joker. The game is one on one,
the player(s) against the banker, each competing to make the best possible
hands. Due to a rather slow pace and a lot of ties pai gow poker is less
intense than most casino games and a modest buy in can usually last a long
time. This page will discuss the rules and strategy for pai gow as found
in casinos as opposed to card clubs. Pai gow in legal in the card clubs
of southern California but the rules are somewhat different, often in the
direction of being to the player's advantage.
The Rules
Play
begins by making a wager. Next everyone receives seven cards. A roll of
the dice or a randomly generated number determines which player gets the
first set of cards. The players then each arrange their seven cards into
a five-card hand and a two-card hand. The five-card hand is ranked as in
poker, with the exception that an A-2-3-4-5 straight is the second highest
straight. The two-card hand will either be a pair or two individual cards.
The highest two-card hand is a pair of aces and the lowest is a 2-3.
After
all the players have arranged their hands the banker arranges theirs according
to a set of fixed rules known as the "house way." Then the player's five-card
hand is compared to the dealer's five-card hand. Likewise the player's
two-card hand is compared to the dealer's two-card hand. The highest hand
wins. In the event of an exact match between hands, called a copy, the
tie goes to the banker. If the player beats the dealer with both hands
the player wins even money, less a 5% commission. If the player wins one
and loses one the bet is a push. If the player loses both the player loses
the entire wager.
When
setting the hands the two-card hand may not be higher then the five-card
hand. If it is then both hands are deemed "foul" and both lose. The joker
can only be used to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush, otherwise
it is treated as an ace. At some places if there is an empty seat the dealer
will also deal a "dragon" hand. Another player may assume the dragon hand
if they wish, essentially playing two positions rather than one. The player
may have to use the house way in setting the dragon hand.
In
pai gow poker any player may elect to be the banker in turn. If a player
banks the 5% commission is charged on the net win. When a player is the
banker the dealer will still play, betting an amount equal to the last
bet the player made when the dealer was banking. It is strongly to the
advantage of the player to be the banker as much as possible because the
dealer wins on copies and the 5% commission is charged after losses are
set against winnings.
The
opportunity to bank usually rotates from person to person, including the
house, but sometimes will zig-zag between the players and the dealer. If
the player wants to bank they must have enough money on the table to pay
off all winning bets of the other players and dealer. The player must also
have played a previous hand against the house banker to bank. Some casinos
will allow the player to co-bank with the house. If this option is elected
the casino will assume half the financial responsibility of the outcome.
The player must set their hand according to the house way if co-banking.
Strategy
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 as a player. The greater the
ratio the better your odds are. The second most important factor is how
well you arrange your cards. The house way (explained below) is a very
safe strategy that is difficult to improve upon. In my pai gow poker appendix
I have a table that shows the probability of any given 5 or 2 card hand
beating the house way. Theoretically you could use these charts to play
any hand, maximizing your odds of winning, but in real life nobody would
have enough time to look up the numbers and add them up.
Play
Pai gow poker at following Casinos click on a link below to enter the casino
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