Pai Gow originated in the 1800's during the construction of the railroad when the Chinese domino game Gai Gow was combined with American poker. It is a more slow paced game but still offers excitement to the player.
The object of the game is to have a higher ranked five-card and two-card Poker hand than the house.
How to Play
Pai Gow Poker is played using a single deck of standard playing cards including a Joker. You will be dealt 7 cards. These cards must be split into two Poker hands: a two-card front hand and a five-card back hand. You can split your hand however you like but you must follow one simple rule: your back hand must be ranked higher than your front hand. To win, your hands must rank higher than the house's front and back. If one of your hands wins and one loses, the hand is a push.
Playing the Game
After placing your bet, click the Deal Button to deal the hand. You will be dealt seven cards. Split your hand by dragging and dropping the cards on the card the front and back hand holders on the right of the table. If you change your mind, you can drag back any card again. Once your hand is set, click the Done button. The dealer will reveal the house hands. Your hands will be compared to the house hands. Remember, you must win both your front and back hand to get paid.
Game Elements
Jokers
In Pai Gow Poker Jokers can be used as wild cards only to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush, in any other combination it’s treated as an ace.
Copies
Anytime one of your hands is identical to one of the house's hands, the hands are said to be a copy. The house wins all copies. *Note that two straights are not necessarily a copy. If you have a 7, 8, 9, 10, J straight and the house has a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 straight, you win because your straight is higher than the house's.
Deal
You may press the Deal button once a bet is placed on the table. You are dealt seven cards face up which you need to split into a front hand and a back hand. To win, you must out-rank the both the dealer's front and back hand.
House Way
Press House Way to automatically have the dealer arrange your cards. Your cards are arranged in the most optimal fashion so that your probabilities of winning are maximized. The casino follows the card selection process to a popular set of rules used by the Flamingo Hilton Casino in Las Vegas. After pressing the "House Way" button you can always get back and manually rearrange one or all should you feel that the hand is not arranged to your liking.
Done
Done should be pressed once you are finished arranging your front and back hands and ready to see what the house has. The Dealer's cards will be revealed and compared with your cards. If your front and back hands beat those of the dealer's, you win!
Repeat Bet
Press Repeat Bet to repeat your previous bet with the same wager amount and automatically deal your next hand.
Min / Max Bet
Min bet: displays the minimum bet amount required to play a hand. Max bet: displays the maximum bet amount allowed to play a hand. You can see this displayed on the top right hand side of your screen.
Clear
The "Clear" Button resets the chips being wagered to 0.
Fast-Play
The fast-play button allows you to play Pai Gow poker faster by skipping the animation part of the game experience. Fast Play will in no way alter the outcome of the game. You can enable or disable this option at any time.
Chip Selector
The Chip Selector bar allows you to select the denomination of the chip or chips you want to play at the Pai Gow table.
Credits / Paid
Credits: displays the amount of money you currently have available in your casino account. Paid: displays the amount you were paid on your last hand.
Payout
Pai Gow Poker pays even money on winning bets minus a five percent commission. So if you bet $5 and win the payout is $9.75.
Hand Rankings
Hand Rankings are different winning combinations in Pai Gow Poker. As most poker based games, Pai Gow uses the common poker hands with some variations. Listed below are the different hands in Pai Gow starting from highest paid to lowest rank.
Five Aces
This is the highest possible hand in Pai Gow Poker. Four Aces plus Joker
Royal Flush
A Royal Flush consists of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit. For example: A, K, Q, J, 10.
Straight Flush
A Straight Flush consists of five cards in order and of the same suit; (Note that an ace can be counted as the lowest card in the order as well as the highest) for example:
A, K, Q, J, 10 - Highest
A, 2, 3, 4, 5 - 2nd Highest
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – Lowest
Four of a Kind
This hand consists of four cards of the same rank plus one other odd card. For example: Q, Q, Q, Q, 3.
Full House
Is a hand containing three cards of one rank plus two cards of another rank. For example: Q, Q, 7, 7, 7, or 6, 6, 6, 8, 8.
Flush
If all five cards in a hand belong to the same suit, you have a Flush.
Straight
A straight consists of five cards in order, but not of the same suit. For example:
A, K, Q, J, 10 - Highest
A, 2, 3, 4, 5 - 2nd Highest
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – Lowest
Three of a Kind
Three cards of same rank.
Two Pair
Two sets of two cards of same rank.
One Pair
Two cards of same rank.
No Pair
No pair: Place the second and third highest cards in the front.