Pai Gow Poker Guide
Pai Gow Poker combines Western poker hand rankings with the Chinese tile game Pai Gow. You receive 7 cards and split them into a 5-card 'high hand' and a 2-card 'low hand' — both must beat the dealer's equivalent hands for you to win. Ties (pushes) are common, making Pai Gow one of the lowest-loss-rate casino games when played correctly.
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Basic Rules
Setup: The game uses a standard 52-card deck plus one Joker. The Joker is semi-wild — it can complete a Straight, Flush, or Straight Flush, or counts as an Ace otherwise.
Deal: You and the dealer each receive 7 cards.
Setting your hand: You must arrange your 7 cards into:
- A 5-card high hand (ranked by standard poker hand rankings)
- A 2-card low hand (only Pairs and high cards matter — no flushes or straights)
The rule: Your 5-card hand must rank higher than your 2-card hand. You cannot put a pair in the 2-card hand and two random cards in the 5-card hand — the 5-card hand must always be the stronger poker hand.
Comparing hands: Both your hands are compared to the dealer's equivalent hands:
- Both your hands beat dealer: Win (1:1 minus 5% commission)
- Both dealer hands beat yours: Loss
- One wins, one loses: Push (no money exchanged)
Pushes are the most common outcome — roughly 41% of hands.
Basic Strategy for Setting Your Hand
The key principle: maximize your 2-card hand while keeping your 5-card hand as strong as possible.
No pair: Put highest card in 5-card hand, next two highest in 2-card hand.
One pair: Put the pair in the 5-card hand; highest two remaining in 2-card hand.
Two pair: Split — put the higher pair in 5-card, lower pair in 2-card hand. Exception: if you also have an Ace, put both pairs in the 5-card hand and the Ace in 2-card hand.
Three pair: Put highest pair in 2-card hand.
Three of a kind: Keep the three of a kind in 5-card; highest two remaining in 2-card. Exception: Three Aces — keep a pair of Aces in 5-card, put one Ace in 2-card.
Full house: Split — set pair in 2-card, three of a kind in 5-card.
Four of a kind (7s or higher): Split — set pair in 2-card, pair in 5-card.
House Edge
Pai Gow Poker's house edge with optimal strategy is approximately 1.46% (based on 5% commission on wins). This is competitive:
- Blackjack basic strategy: 0.5%
- Baccarat banker: 1.06%
- Pai Gow Poker: 1.46%
- European Roulette: 2.7%
However, the push rate of ~41% means actual money at risk per hour is low — Pai Gow has one of the slowest effective bankroll depletion rates of any table game.
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Banking in Pai Gow Poker
In live casino Pai Gow, players can optionally 'bank' — taking the dealer role and competing against all other players at the table. The banker wins all ties. Banking reduces the effective house edge significantly — it's positive expected value when you have the resources to cover all bets.
Online Pai Gow does not typically offer banking — it's a feature of live casino environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the house edge in Pai Gow Poker?
1.46% with optimal hand-setting strategy, including the 5% commission on winnings. The high push rate (~41%) means actual hourly losses are modest compared to many other table games.
What does the Joker do in Pai Gow Poker?
The Joker is semi-wild: it completes Straights, Flushes, and Straight Flushes. Outside of those uses, it counts as an Ace. So if you already have four Aces, the Joker gives you five Aces (the highest possible hand).
How often do you push in Pai Gow Poker?
Approximately 41% of hands result in a push — one player hand wins, one loses. This is why Pai Gow has such a low effective loss rate: nearly half your hands cost nothing.
Is Pai Gow Poker good for beginners?
Yes. The high push rate means your bankroll lasts much longer than in blackjack or roulette. The hand-setting strategy is learnable in 15 minutes. The pace is slow, and many online casinos offer a 'house way' button that automatically sets your hand using the casino's strategy.
Pai Gow Poker is available at our recommended casino — look for the 'House Way' option if you're unsure how to set your hand.
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