Pai Gow Poker

The game begins with six players and the banker at the Pai Gow table. The banker deals 7 cards to each player, and each player subsequently creates the two best hands possible with his cards: one five-card hand and one two-card hand.

Play begins when players place their bets for their low hand, high hand, and house commission. The dealer then doles out seven seven-card hands. This is where the game gets tricky. The banker designates which hands go to which players by shaking three dice.

The Banker

The dice rules can be a little confusing. The banker’s position is either 1, 8, or 15, with the hands passed out counterclockwise. Thus if the dealer is the bank, and the dice totals to 6, the fifth player gets the first hand, the sixth player gets the second hand, and the dealer gets the third hand.

At this point the players divide their into their respective hands. Players put their two-card hand face down in the box closest to the dealer and the five-card hand face down in the back. Everybody has a set hand. The dealer then turns over and sets the bank’s hand.

After everyone has their hands set, the dealer works counterclockwise around the table, comparing the bank hand to the player hand, and then taking, paying, or knocking.

The Commission

A five percent commission on winning bets occurs as well, and players may either put that next to their winnings or the dealer will subtract it from the payoff.

Players will play and rank their two hands as traditional poker hands with one major exception: the 12345 hand is the second highest straight.

Additionally, each player’s 5-card hand must rank higher than his 2-card hand. If both hands surpass the banker’s hand, the player wins. If both lose, then the player loses. And if one wins and the other loses, you have a push. The banker wins all absolute ties.

Pai Gow in a Nutshell

As stated earlier, this game is one of the simpler poker variations. The bulk of a player’s decision lies on two things: how to bet, and how to set his hand. A player does best when he aims to make the highest 2-card hand possible, keeping in mind that it must rank lower than his five-card hand. Pairs generally win the 2-card hand, and two-pari win the 5-card hands.

A Pai Gow occurs when a player has a hand with no pairs.

Other rule variations occur with Pai Gow, but these pointers lay out the basics of the game. A real juggernaut will want to study the game more in depth, but those just interested in a friendly variation of poker can do quite fine with these tips.