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Pai Gow poker is a unique combination of the old Chinese game of Pai Gow and the American game of poker. Eastern motifs of this game make it really special and present awesome gaming adventures as well as possible. Comparing online poker Pai Gow with regular Pai Gow, it must be admitted that these types differ a lot. The first is a Chinese domino game available in Asian casinos, and the latter is a variation of online casino poker played in the West, sometimes also called two-handed poker. The two games, although related, represent a completely separate category.
As always, we made everything possible to create an online guide about Pai Gow poker for beginners. Keep on reading this article to explore significant things and rules of the game: how to play it, the odds of winning, the best Pai Gow Poker strategies, the different types of Pai Gow Poker and so on.
Table of Contents
Initially, Pai Gow Poker requires a standard deck of 52 playing cards plus a joker. Six players can play at a time along with the dealer. The main goal is to create two hands of seven cards aiming to defeat the banker, which can be one of the players at the table, the dealer, or a team consisting of a player and the dealer.
The guide with the certain rules will demonstrate the way of playing Pai Gow Poker online:
Rather frequently there are questions about how to play Pai Gow Poker – an exotic and exciting combination of poker and Chinese dominoes. Fortunately, no one has any special difficulties in learning: it is enough to have an idea of classic poker and get acquainted with a few new rules. Our aim is to introduce you to the way to play this fascinating game with a detailed guide.
Following certain simple steps, the process of familiarization will be quick and even entertaining, so let’s consider the main aspects:
As you have already seen, it is enough just to master the 8 main stages, and you will certainly learn to play Pai Gow poker. Afterwards, you just need to practice your skills and apply new strategies and tactics in the game.
A prominent feature you ought to know is that you can replace any card in the deck using the joker which also can act as an ace. Once a player has a chance to collect one of the hands, such as a straight, flush, flush royale, or straight flush, he is allowed to use the joker to replace any card. Otherwise, the joker will act as an ace. All standard poker rules apply, except for the ace-2-3-4-5 sequence, which is the second oldest straight. The application of this rule varies from casino to casino.
Hands are arranged into high and low cards. A High Hand is a standard 5-card poker hand, while a Low Hand consists of 2 cards. A 2-card hand cannot be higher in rank than a 5-card hand, as this will lead to a foul. Due to there being only seven cards, the player can arrange the cards and divide them up as he likes.
Check out a table that in a very convenient way summarizes the card values and combinations in online Pai Gow poker:
Hand | Description | Payout |
Flash Royale | Ace, queen, king, joker, ten of one suit | 2000:1 |
Street Flush | Five, six, seven, eight, and nine of the same suit in order | 50:1 |
4 types | Four cards of the same value | 25:1 |
Anschlag | Three cards of the same value plus two cards of the same value | 5:1 |
Blush | Five cards of the same suit, but not in order | 4:1 |
Straight | Five consecutive cards of different suits | 2:1 |
When you have an enormous desire to win the prize, it’s useful to know about the opportunities to make a bonus bet. The payouts for bonus hands are as follows:
Hand | Description | Payout |
7-card Straight Flush | e.g. 5-6-7-8-9-10-J all hearts | 8000:1 |
Royal Flush and 2-2 | e.g. 10-J-Q-K-A hearts plus a pair of twos | 2000:1 |
7-card Straight Flush including Joker | e.g. 5-6-7-8-9-10-J plus Joker | 1000:1 |
Five aces | four aces plus the Joker | 400:1 |
Classical games like Casino Hold’em can be really boring sometimes, don’t you think so? In the case you uphold this opinion, you should try Pai Gow Poker, which can be found in nearly every online casino with the highest ratings in the field.
Playing Pai Gow Poker at an online casino involves the next steps to follow:
Place a bet. Do it before you get seven cards. Some variants of Pai Gow Poker allow you to make bonus bets on certain hands.
Deal. After all players have placed their bets, each player receives seven closed cards from a hand of 52 cards plus a joker. The dealer leaves the unused cards face down.
Create your hands. Place a five-card hand in the back and a two-card hand in the front.
Execute. Each player’s hands are then compared to the banker’s hands.
Payments. You win your bet if both of your hands are better than the banker’s. You lose your bet if both your hands are worse than the banker’s.
Starting a gambling game, you always want to know what probabilities of winning you have – and for good reason, because this way you are aware of your position in digital indicators. An incredibly interesting and sophisticated game that combines elements of classic poker and Chinese dominoes, presents one of the top Pai Gow poker odds.
In this type of poker, the casino maintains an advantage over players of 2.84%, and there are certain reasons for this:
It is quite achievable to minimize the house advantage. A superb way to do this is to play the role of the dealer, because in this way you become the winner in case of a draw and play against all players at the table at the same time. The downside here is that you have to pay a 5% commission, but the house advantage is reduced to 1.46%.
Eventually, let’s estimate how likely specific combinations in Pai Gow poker are to fall, given the fact that the player has 7 cards.
Single pair: 1 to 1.40
Two pairs: 1 to 3.34
Straights: 1 to 12.72
3 squares: 1 to 19.63
Flush: 1 to 23.97
Full house: 1 to 35.80
4 of a kind: 1 to 500.25
Straight flush or royal flush: 1 to 729.46
5 aces: 1 to 142,856
If we calculate different scenarios for the end of the game, the chances are distributed as follows:
Apart from that, it remains crucial not to forget about the main feature of Pai Gow poker – you need to beat 2 hands. All decisions should be focused on achieving this goal. Suppose that you have three kings out of 7 cards. By separating and placing two kings in a separate hand, you increase the probability of beating the dealer’s 2-card combination. On the contrary, by deciding to leave three kings in a 5-card hand, the chances of winning are reduced, because the opponent has many opportunities to make a higher hand.
Thus, being aware of the odds in Pai Gow poker is a powerful thing that should be used wisely. While playing, you need to be involved in the process to make the right decisions that can improve your position and lead you to the final, where your hand will be the fiercest.
Take the time to read the rules before you play Pai Gow Poker. All variations are based on the standard rules, but there are small adjustments that you should be familiar with.
The joker functions as a wild card which must be used mindfully. Try to create a flush or a straight using the joker, otherwise it invariably will become an ace.
Be prepared to be a banker whenever you can, as this is one way to reduce the casino’s advantage in the game.
Figure out how to get your hands balanced so that your five-card hand is always stronger than your two-card hand.
Sign up with online casinos that offer great welcome bonuses, as this gives you free money to play Pai Gow Poker without risk.
Having learnt all the rules, you can start playing free Pai Gow online poker and to gain experience. Then, being aware of the rules and features, you can try betting with real money and try your luck.
Certainly, our clients know that our task is not only to create a list of all the casino sites that offer Pai Gow Poker. It doesn’t work for us. We do our best to provide you high-quality gambling sites with all the guarantees and licenses, the most exciting bonuses and the positive customers’ reviews.
There’s a good chance you’ll want to use your mobile device to play Pai Gow Poker online. The best online casino sites should work just as well on smartphones or tablets as they do on a computer. We are looking for casinos with excellent device optimization when examining Pai Gow online poker sites.
Undoubtedly, you read our guide in order to find the best Pai Gow Poker sites. However, no online casino is without a wide selection of games. You can take a break from Pai Gow Poker and try blackjack, roulette or online slots . Thanks to our experienced casino players, we bring you the best sites with the widest selection of casino games.
Indeed, casino bonuses are the pinnacle of the online casino world, as every gambler knows. Promotions help make Pai Gow Poker and other casino games even better. It’s so easy to find a bonus because they are available at all casinos. Our job is to find the best promotions that offer value for money and recommend you the host casino.
Money transfers are an integral part of online casinos, and players appreciate fast and efficient deposits and withdrawals. We only choose casino sites with a wide variety of payment methods, including a wide range such as traditional bank options, e-wallets, prepaid cards and more.
We strongly feel that players deserve 100% safety and security when playing Pai Gow Poker or any other online casino game. Every casino we recommend is licensed by the relevant regulatory body. This means that the site has passed rigorous tests to obtain a license. Our technical team also checks the casino software to make sure that the MSG (random number generator) and other aspects of the gaming process are always fair to the players.
Pai Gow poker variation is distinguished by remarkable and atypical rules, according to which players should form two hands instead of one. This, by the way, opens up many new opportunities for the application of Pai Gow poker betting strategies. With their help, the player creates a clear system of progression during the game, which minimizes the risks of losing.
If the topic of boosting your chances in Pai Gow poker with the help of strategies intrigues you, the following review will be worthwhile for you.
Although the term “strategy” sounds like something serious and complicated, as a matter of fact, some of these approaches are quite basic and will be clear even to a beginner, if you just take some time to thoroughly grasp the essence.
From time to time, in certain versions of Pai Gow poker, you may well come across a new feature – side bets or extra bets.
These bets offer the possibility to get extra winnings on a hand with three identical or better cards. Note that these bets are often not related to the dealer’s win or loss at all.
Moreover, you should forget about side bets if you pursue the goal of optimizing your strategy in Pai Gow Poker, because it will lead to a significant increase in the house advantage.
All actions are fully consistent with a certain situation, so it will be quite easy to remember them with the gaining experience of the game.
In fact, despite the fact that Pai Gow Poker is a new game in the online casino industry, developers have already created quite a few variations. Right here are some of the most common types of Pai Gow Poker games available on casino sites:
Fortune is possibly the most widely played version of the game, adding the thrill as well as betting possibilities. With this version, you also have the option to place an extra bet on the value of your seven cards. Another stunning addition is the envy bonus, which you get when other players have a square or better.
This variation of the game changes the way you play against the dealer. Particularly, the online dealer will place two extra cards, one for himself and one for the player (you). If the round ends in a tie, the cards are flipped to decide who wins. The older card is the better card. This variation of Pai Gow means there is always a winner, and it also removes the 5% commission you pay on your winnings.
Being a potentially lucrative version of Pai Gow Poker, it has spread greatly. This option has a nice twist: a side bet with a progressive jackpot. Players can pay into this side bet pot and potentially win part or all of the pot along with any winnings in the main game.
This is likely a variant of Pai Gow Poker that is most similar to the standard game. The main contrast of the Mania game is the two additional betting options along with the main game. One of the extra bets is based on the value of the first three cards drawn, and the other extra bet is on all seven cards.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, we encourage you to look for help:
ProblemGambling.ca – a current information resource about the risks associated with online gambling.
CPGCB – a useful resource to help you to get rid of gambling problems and learn how to avoid gambling problems.
KnowYourLimit.ca – a significant resource for residents of any province in Canada who think they might have a gambling problem.
Problem Gambling Helpline –situated in London, Onatio and propose help to all Canadian residents. You can contact them at (519)439-0174.
According to gambling experts, the odds of getting a seven-card straight flush are one in 676,066.
Many of the top rated online casinos offer Pai Gow Poker. Check out our list and choose one of our recommended Pai Gow Poker casinos.
The age at which you can play Pai Gow Poker for real money depends on the gambling laws in your country. In most countries it is 18.
Live Pai Gow Poker is a real game played in a land-based casino. The action is streamed to your computer, allowing you to play from home.
Pai Gow Poker requires both skill and strategy. You can use strategies to reduce your home advantage and make a profit.
No, they are not. All online casino websites have their RNG (random number generator) engine certified and regularly tested to ensure that the outcome of each game is 100% random. Thus, the Pai Gow Poker games at our recommended casinos are never tampered with.