For those of you who didn’t know, Pai Gow Poker is loosely based on the traditional Chinese tile game of the same name. Pai Gow, which means “make nine”, is played using special domino like tiles, and is a very popular casino game in China, across Europe, and even in some Las Vegas casinos.
The card game, which is similar to the tile game but uses the value of the cards rather than dots on a tile, is played by giving each player 7 cards. The winner is determined by whoever has the best hands, a five card hand and a two card hand. There are a lot of other rules, but for the sake of time we’ll just tell you how you can win Pai Gow Poker with these simple strategies.
- If you aren’t dealt a pair, straight, or flush, just play the highest card on your five-card hand, and the next two highest cards in the two-card hand.
- Split a two pair if the top pair is an ace. If you have a two pair where the top pair are kings, split except when the other pair is deuces, then play them together; playing the two highest remaining cards in your two-card hand.
- If you have a three pair, play the highest card in the two-card hand.
- If you’re dealt five aces, split them between the hands unless you also have two kings – play those in the two-card hand.
- Bank whenever you have the chance. When you “bank” you’re essentially playing your own money against the hands of all the other players. Sadly, more casinos will only let you bank every 7th hand, but if you’re given the opportunity to do it more often, go for it.
Oh, and one last thing – don’t play the bonus bets. The casino makes more money on the bonus bets than it does on the commission it earns from what it charges players to play Pai Gow. Sure, playing the bonus bets can make the game more exciting, but chances are that you won’t win and you’ll just lose more money.
Pai Gow Poker is a fun table game with ancient roots. Use these simple strategies to increase your chances of winning, and let us know how you did. PrismCasino.com has some of the best Pai Gow Poker games online, and we are more than happy to teach you a thing or two about winning – even if you lose.
