How To Play Pai Gow Tiles
Pai Gow is a traditional Chinese casino game that is rich in history and cultural significance and is enjoyed throughout the Asian world.
2 days ago Free Pai Gow Tiles casino game by the Wizard of Odds and selection of online casinos to play for real money. Oct 15, 2020 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.
Thanks to globalization and the trade of culture and ideas, Pai Gow has made its way to the Western hemisphere, where we can now enjoy the beautiful game of Pai Gow Poker.
Admittedly, the game has a complex set of rules and has a high entry barrier for new players. However, once you learn the game, it is a great experience to indulge in.
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The Rules Of Pai Gow Online
Pai Gao (牌九), spelled “Pai Gow” in casinos, means “make nine.” The number nine is important to this tile-based game as the maximum number you can make is indeed nine. The traditional version of Pai Gow is played with domino-like tiles rather than cards, which didn’t translate well to a Western demographic, which is why Pai Gow Poker was invented.
Pai Gow Poker is a variation of Pai Gow and Texas Hold ‘Em poker and has a more manageable set of rules than its traditional counterpart. Pai Gow Poker is much easier to translate to an online setting as well, seeing as there are fewer player-on-player and more player-on-dealer interactions.
This article will give you a detailed rundown on all you need to know about both iterations of Pai Gow. If you’re a beginner looking to familiarize yourself with this beautiful game, read on for more information.
How To Play Pai Gow Poker
The rules for Pai Gow and Pai Gow Poker are vastly different, as Pai Gow Poker is merely a loose interpretation of the traditional game. Pai Gow Poker employs a standard 52-card deck with a single Joker card and borrows more rules from the poker side than the Pai Gow side.
If you’re aware of the poker hand rankings, Pai Gow Poker shouldn’t be too difficult to accustom yourself to
Steps To Play Pai Gow At An Online Casino
Place Your Bets and Receive Your Cards
Take a seat at the virtual table and place how much you want to bet. After your wager has been processed, the dealer will deal seven cards face up to you and seven down to themselves.
The Joker Card
In Pai Gow Poker, the Joker acts as a filler card and can be plugged into 5-hands such as straights, flushes, straight flushes, or royal flushes.
If you cannot form any of those hands, then the Joker simply acts as an ace to form pairs.
Sort Your Hand
Sorting out which hand to present is the meat and potatoes of Pai Gow Poker. The aim of the game is to arrange your seven cards into poker hands – one consisting of five cards and one consisting of two.
The five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand. In that sense, you cannot arrange your two-card hand to have a pair of aces while you only have a pair of sixes in your five-card hand.
Five and Two Card Hands
For the five-card hand, the standard rules of poker hand rankings apply.
The only difference between Pai Gow Poker hand rankings and normal Texas Hold’Em rankings is that the A 2 3 4 5 straight is considered the second-best straight in the game, as opposed to K Q J 10 9.
For the two card hands, suits don’t matter – you only have to concentrate on whether you have a pair or not. A pair of aces would be the strongest two card hand you can have.
Beat the Dealer
It goes without saying that you want to be beating the dealer.
Pai Gow Poker is a much slower game than other casino games, so you can really take your time and deliberate over the best course of action you want to employ for your seven cards.
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Top 3 Online Pai Gow Strategies
Although casino games are largely games of chance, some games have higher RTP (return-to-player) percentages than others. Pai Gow is a low volatility game that requires active participation from the player.
Thus, there are various strategies that you can employ to increase your chance to beat the dealer. Below are some of the best strategies.
Split Pairs
This strategy can be complicated for new players, but the basic gist of splitting is that if you have two pairs (AA + JJ, for example), then you would put the AA in the two-card hand and the JJ in the five-card hand.
The lower-ranking pair should always go in the five-card hand. Additionally, you should split full houses into trips and a pair. There are certain house rules for splitting cards, but generally, it is up to your discretion unless told otherwise.
Bankroll Management
The best strategy any player can be aware of is managing their money. You can’t play if you don’t have money. Pai Gow Poker is a very slow-paced game with a lot of pushes, so thankfully, you won’t burn through your money that quickly.
A progressive overload strategy where you incrementally increase your bet sizes upon winning may be a beneficial way to maximize profits. It’s important to play however you want as long as you are comfortable spending that money.
Playing The Bonus Bet Smart
Bonus bets are typically a way for the house to rake in your money. It’s a known trap in the casino world; however, the reward can sometimes outweigh the risks.
Seasoned players keep a mental note of the number of times the bonus hasn’t been triggered in a row and would strategically place a bonus bet when the timing is right. Of course, this is technically guesswork, but you can estimate when to bet on the bonus just like counting cards.
Pai Gow Poker Payouts
If you get a premium hand in Pai Gow Poker, you have the chance to win big! The table below shows you how much you’re able to win depending on what hand you get.
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7 Card Straight Flush | 8,000 to 1 |
| Royal Flush and Royal Match | 2,000 to 1 |
| 7 Card Straight Flush With Joker | 1,000 to 1 |
| 5 Aces | 400 to 1 |
| Royal Flush | 150 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 to 1 |
| Full House | 5 to 1 |
| Flush | 4 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 to 1 |
| Straight | 2 to 1 |
Pai Gow Tiles: The Traditional Chinese Game
Pai Gow Tiles (or just Pai Gow) is the traditional, original version of Pai Gow Poker. Although the aim of the game is rather similar where the player must form 2 ranking “hands”, the rules and terms are completely different and can be very foreign to those unfamiliar with Chinese culture.
The game uses 32 tiles which are ranked individually and can form pairs. Players must place their bets before any tiles are dealt. Unlike Pai Gow Poker, the original game of Pai Gow has a completely different ranking system.
Below is a list of the best hands you can get:
- Gee Joon – domino six (2 white 4 red) & domino three (2 white 1 red)
- Teen – domino twelve pair (6 white 6 red each)
- Day – domino two pair (2 red each)
- Yun – domino eight pair (8 red each)
- Gor – domino four pair alternate (4 white 1 red each)
- Mooy – domino ten pure (10 white each)
- Chong – domino six pair pure (6 white each)
- Bon – domino four pair pure(4 white each)
- Foo – domino eleven pair (11 white each)
- Ping – domino ten pair alternate (6 white 4 red each)
- Tit – domino seven pair (6 white 1 red each)
- Look – domino six pair alternate (5 white 1 red each)
Have Fun With Pai Gow Poker & Win!
Pai Gow truly is a wonderful game to enjoy if you’re looking for a slow-paced event that requires a bit of mental work. It can be tough to learn the rules at first, but once you get the gist of the game, it’s a lot of fun.
On top of that, the chance to win that 8,000 to 1 payout always looms over your head as a possibility. Due to the low volatility and high RTP of this game, it’s truly a player-oriented game.
Check out our trusted online casinos to find one that hosts Pai Gow Poker games online. What could be better than relaxing in the comfort of your own home and playing some Pai Gow Poker? Not much.
Pai Gow Poker is a popular card game featured in casinos across the world. It is particularly popular among the Asian population due to the fact that it’s based on a Chinese domino game known as Pai Gow Tiles in the United States.
Like most other card games, Pai Gow Poker utilizes a traditional 52-card deck with one exception. There is one single joker left in the deck. The joker, however is not a standard wild card. It may only be used to complete a royal flush, straight flush, straight, or flush. If the card cannot be used in one of these hands, it is simply counted as an ace. Read on to learn how to play using proper strategy as well as payouts and other important information before playing at a casino.
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How to Play Pai Gow Poker
When you sit down to play Pai Gow, the hand starts with a mandatory bet. This requires you to place your chips in the ante box. Some games have additional side bets which are optional. This will depend on the rules at each individual table/casino.
Once all bets are placed, the next step is to determine which player will receive the first set of cards. Traditional tables will use three dice while more modern ones use a random number generator that chooses a number between one and seven. To give you a frame of reference if you are unfamiliar; the banker’s spot is considered seat one. The numbers then go in order, counterclockwise around the table.
Once all of this has been determined, the game begins. It starts off by the dealer handing seven cards (in a row) off to the first player who was chosen by the dice or number generator from the top of the deck. One unique facet of Pai Gow when compared to other poker games is that the cards are dealt to all seats, even if they are unoccupied.
Playing Your Hand
Once all bets are placed, and each player has been dealt their cards, they then pick them up. The cards are separated by the player into one five card hand and one two card hand. The main rule being that the five card hand must be higher than the two card hand. This means that a pair cannot be placed in the two card hand unless there is a pair of that value or higher in the back hand or any hand that beats a pair.
Once all players have set their hands, the banker exposes his cards. There is a unique house way for every scenario. This is used when the casino is banker and varies from one house to another. These rules are made available upon request at any casino, so if you play often it may be worth checking before sitting down at a table if it suits you.
Pai Gow Rules
In Pai Gow Poker, the rules are determined by the house and referred to as the House Way. The House Way changes from casino to casino (offline) and from software to software (online), but here are the most typical rules.
– While the additional Joker is counted as an Ace, you can also count it as any card when you are filling out a Flush, Straight Flush, Straight, or Royal Flush. The card is often called a bug.
– The best five-card hand you can possibly have in Pai Gow Poker is a set of five aces.
– In addition to the five-card hand, there is also a two-card hand. The former is often called the Bottom, Back, Behind, or the Big (or High) hand. The latter is called the Front, In Front, On Top, the Minor hand, the Small hand, or the Low hand.
– In Pai Gow Poker, the dealer deals seven cards to himself and seven cards to each player after making the bets. From the seven cards, each player makes two hands: one with five cards, the other with two cards.
– The five-card hand must be higher than the two-card hand. This rule must be taken seriously as fouling your hand (the phrase used when your two-card hand is higher than your five-card hand) makes you lose your bet.
– Often times (but depending on the House Way), the rule is to arrange a pair or two high cards as your two-card hand.
– The standard poker hand ranking rules apply to the five-card hand. There is one exception, however, in a number of casinos. A wheel (the A-2-3-4-5 straight) is deemed as the second-highest straight ranking.
– The best possible two-card hand is a pair of aces while the worst is 2-3. Flushes and Straights are not applicable in the two-card hand because the Joker is always an Ace.
– Each player is betting both hands against the banker, who can be the dealer or any one of the players (similar to Baccarat).
– To determine who wins, each player compares his hands to the banker’s according to the House Way.
a) You win if both hands are higher than the banker’s and get paid even money (sometimes with a commission).
b) You lose if neither hands is higher than the banker’s.
c) The game is a draw or push if only one hand is higher than the banker’s.
d) However, the banker wins in the event that the banker’s hands and the player’s hands are the same. This is a plus for the casino when the banker is the dealer. If the banker is one of the players, this rule does not hold but the house deducts a certain percentage from the winning hands. The percentage is usually 4-5%; however, some casinos do not deduct it. Do note that most – if not all – online casinos round off each value to the nearest $0.25, so you should always wager in the rise of $5.
– There is also a bonus bet, in which you bet on three or more of a kind as the “premium hand”. It is independent of your main bet and pays as high as the numbers of a kind you have.
– In addition, Microgaming’s Pai Gow Poker features a side bet, which has a house edge of 5.79%.
Strategies
Published in April 1990, Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker by Sanford Wong is one book to read if you are truly interested in this game. Even though I have not read it myself, the book has been praised for years to offer the best strategies, point out the conditions in which you can beat the game, and how to minimize losses and maximize wins. Below are some strategies and advises that would deliver a better Pai Gow Poker experience (but using them could be tricky if a player is the banker).
Optimal Strategy
The first and most basic strategy is to split your hands in a strategic way, which is also termed “splitting hands”. It has been verified to lower the house edge from 2.9% to 2.5%. This works because you only need one hand to be higher than the banker’s to avoid losing. So, you need to arrange your two-card hand to be the highest possible hand and still lower than the five-card hand. These are also included in the House Way and vary at times.
General: A common method is to arrange the second (and third) highest ranked cards in the two-card hand while the highest card is in the five-card hand.
A Pair: Another one is to arrange a pair in the five-card hand and the two other highest cards in the two-card hand.
Two Pairs: If you have two pairs, the rules here are quite extensive but we will try to cover them.
a) Always split a pair of Aces, two high pairs, and one high pair and one medium pair between the hands.
b) If you do not have an Ace, always split two medium pairs and one high pair and one low pair.
c) If you do not have an Ace or a King, always split one medium pair and one low pair and two low pairs.
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Three-of-a-Kinds: If you happen to have a three-of-a-kind, arrange in the five-card hand except it is of Aces. In this case, arrange two Aces in the five-card hand while the remaining Ace and one high card are in the other hand.
Four-of-a-Kinds: If you have four cards of the same rank (four-of-a-kinds or quads), split them into two pairs with the higher going in the two-card hand only if the quad is JJJJ or better. If the quad is a 7777 or TTTT, do not split only if you have an Ace. If the quad is of 6s or below, do not split. If the quad is of Aces, split equally.
Straights and Flushes: As they are not allowed in the two-card hand, always play them in the five-card hand. But if you also have two extra pairs, split them according to the two-pair rules some paragraphs above.
Others: If you come across five Aces and two Kings (which is extremely rare), play three Aces and the Kings in the five-card hand. If you have five Aces without a pair of Kings, always play them in the five-card hand. If you have a Full Hand (three cards of one rank and two of another), play the two cards of the same rank in your two-card hand. In the event that you have another pair (which could either mean four cards with the same rank and the other three with the same rank or three cards with the same rank, two with the same, and another two with the same), play the higher pair in the two-card hand.
Exception: If you are able to make a very high five-card hand (such as a straight), this strategy is best ignored since the five-card hand is almost guaranteed to beat the banker’s.
Hand Probabilities
There are even more rules or tips on splitting hands but these are the most common ones. Furthermore, let’s look at the probability of having the 154,143,080 possible card combinations with classification.
a) Five Aces: 0.00000732
b) Straight and Royal Flush: 0.00136862
c) Four-of-a-Kind: 0.00199472
d) Full House: 0.02717299
e) Flush: 0.04004129
f) Straight: 0.07289250
g) Three-of-a-Kind: 0.04846585
h) Two Pairs: 0.23065464
i) One Pair: 0.41663862
j) All Other Possibilities: 0.16076246
Betting Systems
No matter what your stand on betting systems is, you cannot deny their everlasting popularity, especially amongst novice players. Most experts do not endorse them but whether they are beneficial or not is a story for another day. And yes, you can apply betting systems to Pai Gow Poker, which would arguably help you spread your wagers and keep your bankroll in check.
Say No to the Bonus Bet
This is actually an expert tip – it is highly recommended to never bet the bonus because it has the highest house edge and is guaranteed to result in an eventual loss.
Player’s Can Play as the Banker
Pai Gow Poker is an unusual game in that players may be banker on occasion. This is optional. The rules on banking a Pai Gow Poker hand are different from one casino to another. Most casinos will allow a player to bank once every other hand when playing heads up. At a table with multiple players, the dealer option will rotate each hand among the dealer and all occupied seats. A player banker will still have to pay a 5% commission on their net winnings. Any winning player also pays 5% to the house when facing a hand banked by another player.
Fortune Pai Gow Progressive Jackpot
Most Pai Gow Poker tables offer multiple jackpots. The most common is the Fortune Pai Gow Poker Progressive. This jackpot is sometimes linked among multiple casinos in a market. The bet for the progressive is just $1. All hands qualify with or without the joker.
Payouts
– Seven-card straight flush: Jackpot
– Five aces: 10% of jackpot
– Royal flush: $500
– Straight flush: $100
– Four of a kind: $75
– Full house: $4