In pai gow poker, each player in turn has the option of being banker. The game is a mixture of the Chinese game pai gow and American poker. It is played with one deck of 52 cards, plus one joker. The joker can be used only as an ace or to complete a straight, a flush, a straight flush or a royal flush.

The player is dealt seven cards. The cards are arranged to make two hands: a two-card hand and a five-card hand. The five-card hand must rank higher or be equal to the two-card hand (see below Table).

The object of the game is for both of your hands to rank higher than both of your opponent’s hand. Your two-card hand must rank higher than your opponent’s two card hand and your five card hand must rank higher than you opponent’s five card hand.

Five-card Hand                                        Two-card hand

Five aces (five aces plus the joker)                         One pair
Royal flush                                                             High card
Straight flush
Four of a kind
Full house
Flush
Straight
Three of a kind
Two pair
One pair
High card

If one of your hands ranks the same as your opponent’s hand, this is a tie (or copy hand). The banker wins all ties. If you win one hand but lose the other, this is known as a ‘push’. In push, no money is exchanged. Winning hands are paid even money, less a 5 per cent commission. Losing hands lose the money bet.

The game
The dealer and each player in turn are all given the opportunity to be banker. You can only be banker if you bet against the dealer the last time he was banker. You need to have sufficient chips to pay the bets should your opponent win.

You arrange your cards into the two hands. The dealer will then make his hands. Each hand is compared to the dealer’s hands. If the player wins one hand and loses the other, the bet is void. If you wrongly set your hand, you lose.

The major disadvantage to this game is that you are relying on the luck of the deal- there is no skill involved. If your cards are poor, there is no opportunity to bluff. The dealer plays his hand If he has the minimum required and does not drop out of the betting.

As with Caribbean stud poker, the odds are also poor compared to playing for a pot.

Pai Gow Strategy

The strategy for pai gow poker is based on how you set the hands. The five-card hand needs to be higher than the two-card hand. There will be situations where, for example, you have two pair. Depending on the cards it is sometimes advantageous to split up the two pair and put the hIgh pair in the back hand and the low pair in the front hand.