Pai Gow Poker

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Pai Gow Poker Guide

We’re giving you the lowdown on Pai Gow Poker, hands-down one of the most popular real money table games and Ignition Casino. Played all around the world, this is a game of skill and guts, which is why it’s perfect for Ignition’s players.

Pai gow poker 101

Pai gow poker betting boxes Fortune Pai Gow is another variation side bet on the game. Players can place a bet on making hands of three of a kind or better and get paid according to pay table posted. This is where setting you hand may also change wherein you can use cards from all 7 cards to make straights, flush’s, etc. The Fortune Pai Gow Poker table itself features a silhouette of a dragon printed on the green baize, a nod to the game’s Asian roots. There are low and high sections for both you and the house, as well as the dealer’s shoe and stacks of casino chips. Pai Gow Poker is spread at over 60 Las Vegas casinos. There are several variants dealt, even within the same casino. There are several bets available at a Las Vegas Pai Gow Poker table. The main bet has a minimum of at least $5, depending on the casino. Side bets can often be made for $1 or $5. The player and dealer start with seven cards. For the poker fan with a taste for the Orient, Pai Gow Poker offers an interesting twist on the century’s old gambling game from China. Rather than utilizing the distinctive Chinese tiles of the traditional game with poker cards for a relaxed gambling experience.

Pai gow poker is the American version of pai gow – a Chinese dominoes game. Pai gow was introduced to the US market by Sam Torosian, who invented it based on the Asian model. Sadly for him, he didn’t patent it and ended up losing a potential fortune. The game quickly gained popularity and nowadays is considered a classic.

What Is Pai Gow Poker?

Pai Gow is actually an ancient Chinese game of dominos – 32 to be exact – which later got appropriated for poker. It’s no cake walk either, but that doesn’t mean the poker version is difficult. Actually, it’s pretty easy. You just have to learn the fundamentals.

Thanks to Sam Torosian, owner of the California Bell Club cardroom, we now have a simplified version of pai gow uses playing cards instead of dominoes.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker uses the standard 52-card deck, plus a Joker. It’s you against The Dealer; after you place your bet, you each receive seven cards – yours are face-up, the Dealer’s are face-down. Your task is to split your seven cards into two hands, one with five cards and the other with two cards. Your five-card hand must rank higher than your two-card hand.

Once you’ve decided how to split your cards, the Dealer’s cards are flipped over and arranged, then the hands are compared. If both your hands are better, you win even money minus a 5% commission. If both the Dealer’s hands are better, you lose the wager. If one is higher and one is lower, the hand is a push and your bet is returned. Any tied hands go to the Dealer.

As with all table games at the casino, Pai Gow Poker comes with a house edge attached. That edge depends primarily on two things: Your skill at the game, and the method the Dealer uses to complete their two hands. This method is known as the “house way,” and you’ll need to tailor your Pai Gow Poker strategy accordingly. If you’re playing at a live casino, the house edge is also affected by whether you are the Banker or not. But as a rough guide, you can expect the house to have an edge of between 2.5% and 2.7% when you use at least a simplified strategy playing online.

While it’s always nice to find a big made hand in your seven Pai Gow Poker cards, you’ll be dealt a Pair or worse a shade more than half the time. Here are the chances of getting dealt each possible rank:

Five Aces 0.000732%
Straight or Royal Flush 0.137%
Four of a Kind 0.199%
Full House 2.72%
Flush 4.00%
Straight 7.29%
Three of a Kind 4.85%
Two Pair 23.1%
One Pair 41.7%
High Card 16.1%

The Rules

Them’s the rules: the standard hand rankings for poker apply, except for one twist. The second-best Straight you can make in Pai Gow Poker is the wheel (Five-Four-Three-Deuce-Ace), which is the lowest Straight possible in regular poker. Your two-card hand is either a Pair or High Card. And the Joker in this game is a “semi-wild” card that can be used to complete a Straight, Flush, Straight Flush or royal Flush; otherwise, the Joker is considered an Ace.

There are more rules to learn if you want to play Pai Gow Poker live. This is a banking game, meaning the player has the option of betting against other players, or even the Dealer. Players will take turns around the table acting as the Banker, although in most cases, they’ll decline the option and the turn will get passed around the table until it lands with the Dealer. You won’t have to worry about any of this at Ignition Casino – there are no other players at the table, and you’re always betting on yourself.

Optimal Strategy

Deciding how to split your seven cards is where Pai Gow Poker strategy comes in. Like Blackjack, this game has been “solved” by computers, and if you play an optimal strategy, you can narrow the house edge down as low as possible. However, the optimal strategy for Pai Gow Poker is more difficult to learn than it is for blackjack. A simpler, near-optimal strategy that’s easier to remember will get you most of the way there.

Whether you’re working with a simplified or an advanced Pai Gow Poker strategy, you’ll be separating your hands into 20 categories, depending on the seven cards you’ve been dealt. These categories are then listed in order of hand strength; you’ll choose the highest rank that applies to your cards, and follow the recommended instructions. It’s the same approach that you’d use to play Video Poker as optimally as possible.

The 20 categories for your Pai Gow Poker strategy are further divided into two sections: One, cards which complete a Straight, Flush, Straight Flush or royal Flush; and two, those which do not. The first section is relatively easy to handle, since you already have a made five-card hand at your disposal – remember, your five-card (high) hand has to be stronger than your two-card (low) hand. Here’s a simplified Pai Gow Poker strategy for this section.

1. Four of a Kind: Play the highest Pair possible in your low hand while maintaining your Straight/Flush.

2. Three of a Kind and a Pair: If you have a Pair of Sevens or better, put them in your low hand if you can maintain your Straight/Flush. If not, settle for putting Three of a Kind in your high hand.

3. Three of a Kind: Play your best kickers for the low hand while maintaining your Straight/Flush.

4. Three Pair: Play the highest of your Pairs in your low hand while maintaining your Straight/Flush.

5. Two Pair: This one’s a little tricky. Depending on the strength of each Pair, and what kickers are left over, you might want to put your better Pair in your low hand. Definitely do this if the face value of the two Pairs adds up to at least 17; for example, Kings and Fours (13+4) or Nines and Eights (9+8). Splitting your Pairs is less advised as their face value drops.

6. One Pair: Play the best low hand you can while maintaining your Straight/Flush – unless you have Queens through Nines, in which case play Ace-King in your low hand if possible.

7. No Pair: Play the best low hand you can while maintaining your Straight/Flush.

Working with cards that cannot make a Straight/Flush in Pai Gow Poker requires a few extra steps, because now you might have cards that fall into additional categories. Here’s what to do with your seven cards in these situations:

8. Five of a Kind and a Pair: Put two Aces in the low hand, and leave a Full House in the high hand.

9. Five of a Kind: Put two Aces in the low hand and leave a Set of Aces in the high hand.

10. Four of a Kind and Three of a Kind: If your Quads are at least two ranks higher than your set, split your Quads and put two of those cards in your low hand, leaving a Full House in your high hand. Otherwise, split your set.

11. Four of a Kind and a Pair: Put the Pair in your low hand.

12. Four of a Kind: This category requires a little more savvy. If you have Queens or better, split them up and put a Pair in your low hand. If you have Fours or worse, keep your Quads together in your high hand. Everything in between will depend on the strength of the kicker you can put in your low hand.

13. Three of a Kind and Three of a Kind: Split your higher-ranking set and put two of those cards in your low hand.

14. Three of a Kind and Two Pair: Put the higher Pair in your low hand.

15. Three of a Kind and One Pair: Put the Pair in your low hand.

16. Three of a Kind: Put the two highest kickers in your low hand, unless you have three Aces, in which case use an Ace and your highest kicker.

17. Three Pair: Put the highest Pair in your low hand.

18. Two Pair: Follow the same strategy as when you have seven cards that can make a Straight/Flush.

19. One Pair: Put your best two kickers in your low hand.

20. No Pair: Put your second- and third-best kickers in your low hand.

Even as a simplified strategy, this is quite a lot to absorb for newer Pai Gow Poker newbies. But most of these steps are pretty intuitive, and most of the time, you’ll be dealt seven cards that fall into one of these easier categories. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at following the strategy; then, if you choose, you can start on a more complex strategy by adding in some of the exceptions to these rules. For example, if you have seven cards that make a Straight/Flush and include both Three of a Kind and One Pair, and you have three Sevens and two Aces, you’ll only put the Aces in your low hand if your two kickers are Six-Five or worse.

Pai Gow Poker has become one of the most popular casino table games. It involves the player competing against the banker to make the better low and high hand than the house.

This is a slow-paced, relaxing game. The low number of hands dealt per hour and the number of pushes keep players in the game longer. Some consider it a great way to get comp drinks with little risk.

There are five types of Pai Gow Poker in Las Vegas. Each is a bit different. All is explained below, along with details of which casinos offer Pai Gow Poker.

Pai Gow Poker Variants in Las Vegas

Fortune Pai Gow is based on the traditional version of the game. Players may bank this game. The button moves around the table.

Banking is optional. Winners pay a five percent commission on all wins.

Emperor’s Challenge Pai Gow

Emperor’s Challenge is another Pai Gow Poker variant that is based on the original game. Like Fortune, players may bank and pay a five percent commission on wins.

The difference between Fortune and Emperor’s Challenge is the side bets.

Pai Gow Plus is another classic variant.

It is essentially the original version of the game.

Face Up Pai Gow

Face Up Pai Gow now accounts for about two-thirds of the Pai Gow Poker installs in Las Vegas. That is an incredible feat considering the game did not exist a few years ago.

In Face Up Pai Gow, the dealer looks at the house hand before players act. If the dealer has an ace high pai gow, the hand pushes. If the dealer has any other hand, it is set face up and players set their hands accordingly.

Poker

This version turns a skill game into pure luck.

Pai gow poker odds

There is no commission on wins in Face Up Pai Gow. Players may not bank.

This was the first version of Pai Gow Poker that eliminated the five percent commission on wins. The dealer pushes if the house has a queen high pai gow. Players may not bank. There is no commission on wins.

Best Las Vegas Casinos for Pai Gow Poker

There are many variables that go into what makes a Las Vegas casino the best one for Pai Gow Poker. Some players have a specific variant in mind. To others, the ambience and minimum bet matters more.

Variant
Max Bet
Aliante CasinoEmperor’s510003
Arizona Charlie’s DecaturEmperor’s55001
Club FortuneEmperor’s52001
Eastside CanneryEmperor’s510001
M ResortEmperor’s1020003
The StratEmperor’s1020002
WestgateEmperor’s1520001
4 QueensFace Up155001
Aliante CasinoFace Up510001
AriaFace Up25100002
Bally’sFace Up1550001
Binion’sFace Up1010001
Boulder StationFace Up510003
CanneryFace Up510001
Circus CircusFace Up2010002
EncoreFace Up25100002
Fiesta HendersonFace Up510001
FlamingoFace Up1530002
Gold CoastFace Up1020002
Green Valley RanchFace Up1020004
Harrah’sFace Up1050004
LinqFace Up1030002
LuxorFace Up2530002
Mandalay BayFace Up2550002
MGM GrandFace Up25100002
MirageFace Up25100003
NYNYFace Up2530002
Palace StationFace Up1030004
PalazzoFace Up25200003
PalmsFace Up1020003
ParisFace Up1550002
Park MGMFace Up25100002
Planet HollywoodFace Up1550002
PlazaFace Up1010002
RampartFace Up510004
Red RockFace Up1020005
RioFace Up1550002
Sam’s TownFace Up510003
Santa Fe StationFace Up510003
SilvertonFace Up1020001
SaharaFace Up1030001
SuncoastFace Up1020003
Sunset StationFace Up1010003
Texas StationFace Up55002
Treasure IslandFace Up1050002
VenetianFace Up25200003
WynnFace Up25100002
AriaFortune25100002
BellagioFortune25100001
Caesars PalaceFortune2550004
CaliforniaFortune155002
CanneryFortune510001
CosmopolitanFortune15100002
CromwellFortune1030004
Downtown GrandFortune1010001
Fiesta RanchoFortune55002
FlamingoFortune1530003
FremontFortune105001
Gold CoastFortune1020002
Golden NuggetFortune1550002
Harrah’sFortune1050003
LinqFortune1030001
Main Street StationFortune155001
Mandalay BayFortune2550001
MGM GrandFortune25100001
OrleansFortune1020002
ParisFortune1550005
Park MGMFortune25100001
Planet HollywoodFortune1550003
RioFortune1550002
Santa Fe StationFortune510001
SilvertonFortune1020001
SaharaFortune1030001
South PointFortune1020008
TropicanaFortune1020002
WynnFortune25100002
Fiesta HendersonNo Commision510002
BellagioPlus25100002
The DPlus1025001

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How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is spread at over 60 Las Vegas casinos. There are several variants dealt, even within the same casino.

There are several bets available at a Las Vegas Pai Gow Poker table. The main bet has a minimum of at least $5, depending on the casino. Side bets can often be made for $1 or $5.

Pai Gow Poker Rules

The player and dealer start with seven cards. The deck has a joker that may be used to complete straights and flushes. Otherwise, it is an ace.

In traditional versions of the game, the player sets that hand before the dealer does. It is separated into a five-card and two-card hand. The five-card hand must be higher than the two-card one. The dealer then sets the banker hand.

If the player beats both dealer hands, the bet is paid, sometimes with a five percent commission. If the dealer wins both hands or wins one and ties one, the house wins. If the dealer ties one and loses one, the hand pushes. If the player and dealer split with one win each, the hand pushes. Some casinos permit players to bank once per round.

In Face Up Pai Gow Poker, the dealer sets the house hand first. If the dealer makes an ace-high pai gow, the hand pushes all around. If it does not, players set their hands based on the best way to beat the dealer’s exposed one. Players may not bank in Face Up Pai Gow.

We carry out an annual survey of Las Vegas casinos and the table games they offer. This allows us to publish details of every table game available in Vegas, and the best place to play it.

Pai Gow Poker online, free

See the page below for the latest version of our full survey.