The Basics

Pai gow poker is relatively new to the casino world, getting its start in the mid 1980’s. The game was created by combining the Chinese gambling game, Pai gow, with concepts familiar to traditional poker.

In Pai gow, poker players are dealt seven cards. From those cards, they have to make a two-card poker hand as well as a five card poker hand. The two cards on the top (the "in front" or "on top" hands) make up the two-card hand and the remaining cards are used to create the five-card hand (the "behind" or "bottom"). Each Pai gow poker table has a “banker”, similar to a dealer in poker. The banker in Pai gow poker can either be a player at the table, or a casino staff member acting on behalf of the banker. The banker is determined by a roll of the dice. Once rolled, the number on the dice is used to count clockwise from the dice roller; the player at the end of the count is the banker.

Playing Pai Gow Poker

The best “on top” hand a player can have is either pocket pair, or best high card. The five cards in the bottom hand can make any poker combination. Some states like Nevada usually declare an A-2-3-4-5 straight to be the second most powerful straight in the game, only behind an Ace-high straight A-K-Q-J-10.

A player can win a pot if both of their poker hands beat that of the bankers. The hand is considered a draw if both the dealer and the player have a winning hand, in their “on top” and “on bottom” card sets, respectively. If this occurs, the chips are left in the pot for the next hand. If either hand draws and the dealer has the better other hand, the house wins. This means that the house does have a slight advantage with Pai gow poker due to the fact that any tie of an individual hand between the banker and a player goes to the house.

Read about Pai Gow Poker Strategy