Pai gow poker is a casino game that combines some features of an ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow and poker. This casino game is relatively slow-paced compared to other casino games. If you’re looking for a casino site to play this slow but exciting game, you have come to the right place.
The best part about playing pai gow poker online is that you can test it out for free. We have the best pai gow poker casinos online. So, you won’t have to do a lot of research to find a casino site. Read this guide to learn more about how to play pai gow poker.
Top-rated Casinos for Pai Gow Poker Games
What is Pai Gow Poker?
Pai gow poker does not have a long history like other popular table games at casinos. The game is derived from the ancient Chinese domino-based game that uses Pai gow tiles. This game has been played in China for over a millennium.
The term Pai Gow is loosely translated to “make nine” in Chinese. Apart from some exceptions, this number represents the max score you can get in the game. In Pai Gow poker, you can play against the dealer and choose to be the dealer in a game.
At land-based casinos, paigow poker can be very social like other poker games. The nature of the game makes it one of the lowest-risk games available at online casinos. That is because many of the hands in the game can end in a tie or a push.
So, if you’re planning on playing paigow poker online, you need to start by learning the rules.
How to Play Pai Gow Poker for Real Money
Pai gow poker is a game of pushes, and since it’s a slow game, you can play for a long time with the same bet size. However, you can get to move a lot of money around while using the same bet size. The odds are always in favour of winning at least one hand for each deal.
The game is considered low risk, and you can interact with other players when you’re playing at a land-based casino.
- In paigow poker, you need to place the bets first before the cards can be dealt.
- The dealer will hand out seven cards to each player, including the places without wagers.
- You will have to form two hands from those seven cards given to you. These hands include a 5-card hand (high) and a 2-card hand (low).
- You can place your two hands face-down when you are satisfied with your hand arrangement. The Pai gow poker table has a place for you to place your cards.
- The dealer will turn their hands over and place them face-up on the tray. This is done according to the house way.
- Each player’s hand will be compared to the dealer’s five-card hand and the two-card hand. Then the winners and losers will be determined according to the hands. A tie is also possible in this step.
- You will win the hand if you beat both the dealer’s five-card and two-card hands. If you win one hand and lose the other, the round will end in a push. That means the next round will start. However, if any of your hands are tied with the dealer’s hand, the dealer will win.
Online Pai Gow Poker Rules
The pai gow poker game uses a deck of 53 cards with the joker included. The Joker card is used as a wild card in the game, and it can complete a straight or a flush. However, if you use the joker card on its own, it can act as an ace.
For each pai gow poker round, a player or the dealer will take the position of “banker.” Then all the other players will have to compete against that person. There are certain scenarios where you can win, lose or tie a hand in paigow poker. They are:
- You can win a bet when your hands are better than the dealer’s hands. So, you’ll get all the winnings, excluding the commission. Most casinos impose a 5% commission on all winnings.
- Your bet can be refunded if you tie (push). This result will happen when only one of your hands beats the dealer’s hand. This will also apply when the dealer has won one and tied/lost the other.
- You’ll lose your wager when your hands don’t beat the dealer’s hands. You can also lose if both your hands tie with the dealer’s hands.
Keep in mind that the “banker” position acts as a dealer in the game. So, if you’re the dealer, the other players have to beat your hands.
Real Money Pai Gow Poker Online: Hand Rankings
Look at the table below to see how the paigow poker hands are ranked:
| Pai Gow Poker Hand | Ranking |
| Five Aces | This is a hand that has four aces and a joker. |
| Royal Flush | A hand that has an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and a 10 in the same suit |
| Straight Flush | This hand has the five cards in consecutive order in the same suit. When you have an Ace, 2, 3, 4 or a 5, that is considered the highest-ranking card in this hand. A King, Queen, Jack, ten and a 9 is the second-highest hand ranking straight flush. The lowest ranking straight flush you can have is a 6,5,4,3,2. |
| Four of a kind | This is a hand that has four cards with the same ranking. A hand with four aces is considered the highest-ranking four-of-a-kind. The lowest ranking hand of this kind is four 2s. |
| Full House | This hand has one pair and three of a kind hands. The highest-ranking cards to the hand of this kind are two kinds and three aces. On the other hand, the lowest cards to have are three 2s and two 3s |
| Flush | This hand involves cards in the same suit but not in consecutive order. You’ll have the highest-ranking hand if you have an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 9. Alternatively, a 7, 6, 5, 4 and 2 are the lowest ranking cards in this hand. |
| Three of a Kind | This hand has three cards of the same rank. Three aces are ranked highest in the hand while three 2s are the lowest. |
| Two Pair | This hand involves a pair of two cards ranked the same. You also need to have another pair of cards of the same hand. The highest-ranked two pairs are two aces and two kings. The lowest-ranked cards in this hand are two 3s and two 2s. |
| Pair | This is a hand that has two cards of the same rank. Two aces are the highest-ranked cards in this hand, while a pair of 2s is the lowest. |
| High Card | This hand involves five cards that don’t form any of the above hands. An Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 9 are the highest-ranked cards in this hand. While 7, 6. 5, 4, 2 are the lowest-ranked cards |
Pai Gow Poker Payout & Odds
The table below will show you how much you’re most likely to be paid out and the odds of each hand.
| Pai Gow Poker Hand | Payout | Odds |
| Straight Flush | 50:01:00 | 750:01:00 |
| Straight | 02:01 | 14:01 |
| Royal Flush | 2,000:1 | 2,000,000:1 |
| Pair | 0 | 05:02 |
| High Card | 0 | 13:02 |
| Full House | 05:01 | 36:01:00 |
| Flush | 04:01 | 25:01:00 |
| 7-Card Straight Flush (With Joker) | 1,000:1 | 800,000:1 |
| 7-Card Straight Flush (No Joker) | 8,000:1 | 5,000,000:1 |
| 5 Aces | 400:01:00 | 140,000:1 |
| 4 of a Kind | 25:01:00 | 500:01:00 |
| 3 of a Kind | 03:01 | 20:01 |
Best Pai Gow Poker Strategy
Pai gow poker is both a game of skill and luck. That means you need to have a strategy that will help you gain an edge at the paigow poker table. Here are a few tips that can help you play the best pai gow poker game ever.
- Play free paigow poker for practice. Practicing with a free paigow poker game can help you master the real money game. It would help if you practiced consistently to become skilled at the game.
- Learn the paigow poker rules. Before you start playing the game, you need to learn the game’s rules. When you know the game’s rules, you can then know how to apply them strategically.
- Know the payout percentages of each hand. The payout percentage is the amount of money you will get back when your hand wins. For example, if the payout percentage is 94%, the hand will payout $94 for every $100 wagered.
- Choose the banker position when possible. In most cases, the banker has a better chance of winning than any other position. However, make sure that your bankroll is good because you’ll be covering the other players’ bets. Plus, your house advantage is lower (1.42%) in this position.
- Form balanced hands. You need to focus on both your hands if you’re going to have a chance at winning. It’s not a good idea to focus on one hand entirely. Remember that you need both hands to beat out the dealer’s hands to win the ultimate prize.
FAQs about Pai Gow Poker
Yes, pai gow poker is beatable. All you need is a good gaming strategy to make sure that you gain an edge over the game.
Yes, pai gow poker is a good game because it’s considered a low-risk game and doesn’t require a quick pace.
We have recommended some of the best-rated online casinos for paigow poker players. You can look at our full list and choose a casino that best suits you.
Yes, you can make a lot of money playing pai gow poker. However, it would help if you had an aggressive strategy involving many side bets.
No, the casinos we have recommended ensure that third-party companies audit their games for fairness. Plus, all games are fitted with random number generator technology to ensure that all the results are random.
Pai gow poker has a house edge of 2.84%, but you can become the banker and lower the house edge to 1.42%.
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