Players will take turns around the table acting as the Banker, although in most cases, they’ll decline the option and the turn will get passed around the table until it lands with the Dealer. This is a banking game, meaning the player has the option of betting against other players, or even the Dealer. There are more rules to learn if you want to play Pai Gow Poker live. And the Joker in this game is a “semi-wild” card that can be used to complete a Straight, Flush, Straight Flush or royal Flush otherwise, the Joker is considered an Ace. Your two-card hand is either a Pair or High Card. The second-best Straight you can make in Pai Gow Poker is the wheel (Five-Four-Three-Deuce-Ace), which is the lowest Straight possible in regular poker. Them’s the rules: the standard hand rankings for poker apply, except for one twist. Here are the chances of getting dealt each possible rank: While it’s always nice to find a big made hand in your seven Pai Gow Poker cards, you’ll be dealt a Pair or worse a shade more than half the time.

But as a rough guide, you can expect the house to have an edge of between 2.5% and 2.7% when you use at least a simplified strategy playing online. If you’re playing at a live casino, the house edge is also affected by whether you are the Banker or not.

This method is known as the “house way,” and you’ll need to tailor your Pai Gow Poker strategy accordingly. That edge depends primarily on two things: Your skill at the game, and the method the Dealer uses to complete their two hands. Any tied hands go to the Dealer.Īs with all table games at the casino, Pai Gow Poker comes with a house edge attached.

If one is higher and one is lower, the hand is a push and your bet is returned. If both the Dealer’s hands are better, you lose the wager. If both your hands are better, you win even money minus a 5% commission. Once you’ve decided how to split your cards, the Dealer’s cards are flipped over and arranged, then the hands are compared. Your five-card hand must rank higher than your two-card hand. Your task is to split your seven cards into two hands, one with five cards and the other with two cards. It’s you against The Dealer after you place your bet, you each receive seven cards – yours are face-up, the Dealer’s are face-down. Pai Gow Poker uses the standard 52-card deck, plus a Joker.

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