Pai Game
Pai Gow is based on an old Chinese dominos game that was later converted into poker for those who prefer cards. Today, you can find it in online and land-based casinos, and it is played with a traditional 52-card deck. Learning more about the Pai Gow card game can help you enjoy the time you spend playing, and it may even boost your winnings, too.
All pai gow poker games use a standard deck of playing cards plus a single joker, which may also be referred to as a wild card. The joker can substitute as an ace or it may also be used to substitute for a straight or flush. In the game of pai gow poker, a hand begins with both the player and the dealer being dealt seven cards each. The game of Pai Gow originated in China more than a century ago and was played at that time with tiles, like Dominoes, and dice. The Chinese word origin meant “make nine.” The conversion to a poker game happened around 1985 in a California Card Room. Like the original game, Fortune Pai Gow Poker uses a 52-card deck and a joker. It’s a battle between you and the house to create two winning poker hands out of seven cards. Once you’ve been dealt your cards, the first step is to select two of them to make your low hand. Play Free Pai Gow Poker Playing Pai Gow Poker Generally speaking, a good Pai Gow Poker game will have six players and a dealer with each being dealt seven cards from the 53-card deck including the joker that can be used to substitute in the making of a straight, or any suit to complete a flush. The Game In Face-Up Pai Gow Poker, players create two poker hands—a five-card hand and a two-card hand—out of the seven cards each is dealt, with the ultimate goal of defeating the dealer’s two corresponding hands.
What is Pai Gow Poker and How Does It Compare to Other Poker
Pai Gow puts the player against the dealer with a 52-card deck plus the Joker. After betting, both you and the dealer receive seven cards; your cards are face-up while the dealer's cards are face-down. You must divide those seven cards into one hand with five cards and another hand with two cards, and the former must rank higher than the latter in order to win the bet. All wins are even money Pai Gow.
The Pai Gow card game is different from other forms of poker namely because the player does not compete with other players at the table. You will only compete against the house. What's more, in almost every Pai Gow poker casino, there is a significant house edge of between 2.5% and 2.7% when using a simplified strategy. Many other poker games have a much lower house edge, and rather than playing against the house, you will play against other people.
Tips When Playing the Pai Gow Card Game
When playing Pai Gow, there are a few tips to keep in mind to help you get the most out of your experience and win against the house more frequently.
- Study the hand ranks - Your goal is to separate your cards into hands that rank higher than the dealer's hand, so understanding the various ranks - starting with Straight, Flush, Straight Flush and Royal Flush - will help you make better choices.
- The larger hand must be the stronger one - When building your hand, remember that the five-card one must always rank higher than the smaller two-card one. Otherwise, you will lose that bet.
- Practice at home by yourself - Before you start playing for real money, get out a deck of cards or find a free game online and practice. This is the best way to familiarize yourself with the game and grow more comfortable with it.
Choosing the Right Casino that Offers Table Games
Most online casinos offer table games, but Pai Gow is not quite as popular as other forms of poker, which means not all casinos have it. After narrowing down your list to actual Pai Gow poker casinos, the next step is to look at the overall house edge. If this at or below 2.7%, take a look at the table limits to make sure they fit within your betting strategy. Finally, choose the Pai Gow poker casino that will give you the best bonus for table games, which can help you grow your bankroll a great deal as you play.
Types of Casino Poker Code Promos
When looking for codes that can help you increase your available funds, the codes available to you will depend on your status with the venue. If you are a new player, you may be given anywhere from $5 to $50 to play for free, though you won't be able to cash out any winnings until you've met the venue's wagering requirements. As an existing casino patron, check your emails for various table game promotions and take advantage of any loyalty codes that may be available to you, as well.
Pa Game Commission Photos
The Pai Gow card game is not nearly as popular as other options like Texas Hold'em, but it is a favorite among those who play it, and with the right strategy, you can easily walk away a winner. Be sure to take advantage of the best bonuses available to increase your winnings and remember that practice always makes perfect when it comes to games of strategy.
| Origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–7 |
| Deck | French |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Card rank (highest first) | A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 |
| Random chance | High |
| Related games | |
| Chinese poker | |
Pai gow poker (also called double-hand poker) is a version of pai gow that is played with playing cards, instead of traditional pai gow's Chinese dominoes. The game of pai gow poker was created in 1985 in the United States by Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club.[1]
The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, plus a single joker. It is played on a table set for six players, plus the dealer. Each player attempts to defeat the banker (who may be the casino dealer, one of the other players at the table, or a player acting in tandem with the dealer as co-bankers).[2]
Winning condition[edit]
The object of pai gow poker is to create a five-card poker hand and a two-card poker hand from seven cards that beat both of the bank's hands. The five-card hand's rank must exceed that of the two-card hand, and it is for this reason that the two-card hand is often called the hand 'in front', 'on top', 'hair', or the 'small', 'minor', or 'low' hand. The five-card hand is called the hand 'behind', or the 'bottom', 'high', or 'big', as they are placed that way in front of the player, when the player is done setting them.
Deals[edit]
The cards are shuffled, and then dealt to the table in seven face-down piles of seven cards per pile. Four cards are unused regardless of the number of people playing.
Betting positions are assigned a number from 1 to 7, starting with whichever player is acting as banker that hand, and counting counter-clockwise around the table. A number from 1 to 7 is randomly chosen (either electronically or manually with dice), then the deal begins with the corresponding position and proceeds counter-clockwise. One common way of using dice to determine the dealer starting number is to roll three six-sided dice, and then count betting spots clockwise from the first position until the number on the dice is reached.
If a player is not sitting on a particular spot, the hand is still assigned, but then placed on the discard pile with the four unused cards. In some casinos, such as the Golden Nugget and Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, an extra 'dragon hand' is dealt if a seat is vacant. After all players have set their original hand they are asked in turn if they would like to place another bet to play the dragon hand. Generally the bet on the dragon hand can be the table minimum up to the amount the player bet on their original hand. The first player to accept the dragon hand receives it; this player is effectively playing two separate hands. Rules vary from casino to casino, but generally the dealer turns over the dragon hand and sets it using the house way. This is because the player has already seen the seven cards of their original hand, which could affect the way they would set the dragon hand.
Hand rankings[edit]
The only two-card hands are one pair and high cards.
Five-card hands use standard poker hand rankings with one exception: in most casinos, the 'wheel' (the hand A-2-3-4-5) is the second-highest straight. At most casinos in California and Michigan this rule doesn't apply, and A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible straight.
The joker plays as a bug, that is, in the five-card hand it can be used to complete a straight or flush if possible; otherwise it is an ace. In the two-card hand it always plays as an ace, except in several southern Californian casinos where the joker is wild.
Win reckoning[edit]
If each of the player's hands beats each of the banker's corresponding hands, then he wins the bet. If only one of his hands beats the banker then he pushes (ties) in which case neither he nor the banker wins the bet. If both of his hands lose to the banker then he loses.
On each hand, ties go to the banker (for example, if a player's five-card hand loses to the banker and his two-card hand ties the banker then the player loses); this gives the banker a small advantage. If the player fouls his hand, meaning that his two-card hand outranks his five-card hand, or that there are an incorrect number of cards in each hand, there will usually be a penalty: either re-arrangement of the hand according to house rules or forfeiture of the hand.
In casino-banked games, the banker is generally required to set his hand in a pre-specified manner, called the 'house way', so that the dealer does not have to implement any strategy in order to beat the players. When a player is banking, he is free to set the hand however he chooses; however, players have the option of 'co-banking' with the house, and if this option is chosen then the player's hand must also be set in the house way.
California casinos typically charge a flat fee per hand (such as 5 cents or one dollar) to play, win or lose. Other casinos take a 5% commission out of the winnings, which is usually known as the rake.[3]
Variants[edit]
There are a number of variations of Pai Gow poker that are popular in casinos today. These variations were mainly formulated in 2004 through 2009. Pai Gow Mania was the first variation to be created which allows for two side bets instead of the traditional one side bet per hand. Fortune Pai Gow is another variation which allows players to make a side bet on a poker hand ranking of three-of-a-kind or better, one of the most popular variations. Similar is Emperors Challenge, which also allows a side bet on a seven-card pai gow (no hand). Shuffle Master introduced a variation of the game in 2006, adding a progressive jackpot side bet, named Progressive Fortune Pai Gow. Part or all of the jackpot may be won by placing a side bet and landing one of the hands specified on the payout table; a combined seven-card straight flush wins the entire jackpot.[4]
Pa Game Lands 300
Advantage play[edit]
Advantage play refers to legal methods used to gain an advantage while gambling. In pai gow poker, a player may be able to gain an advantage in certain circumstances by banking as often as possible, taking advantage of unskilled players while banking, and dealer errors when not banking.[3]
History[edit]
Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club in Los Angeles, invented the game of Pai Gow Poker in 1985. The idea for the game came to Torosian after being told about the game Pusoy by an elderly Filipino customer. He figured that the 13-card game with players arranging three hands would be too slow, but a simplified two-hand version with only seven cards would be faster and easier for players to learn. The game quickly became popular and by the late 1980s was being played on the Las Vegas Strip, and eventually worldwide. Torosian famously failed to patent the game he invented after being given bad advice by an attorney he consulted, and noted poker author Mike Caro, both of whom told him that the game was not patentable.[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abRichard Marosi (3 November 2002). 'Casino Boss Can't Cash In on Game He Developed'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^Michael Shackleford. 'Pai Gow Poker'. The Wizard of Odds. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ abWong, Stanford (1993). Optimal strategy for Pai Gow Poker. La Jolla, CA.: Pie Yee Press. ISBN978-0935926170.
- ^'Pai Gow Poker Variants'. Play Pai Gow Now. Retrieved 21 December 2016.