Learning how to play Pai Gow poker is not complicated. The game itself might seem a bit more challenging and different from online poker as we know it but the truth is far from this. This is actually also known as double-handed poker, which should give you a clue as to why players enjoy it so much: it's fast-paced, requires thought and strategy, and is one of the most exciting casino games you can find online. So if you love playing online casino games that are profitable, strategy-based, and exciting, you may like to try your hand and learn how to play Pai Gow poker online too.
What is Pai Gow Poker?
Obviously, before we jump right into the rules of Pai Gow poker, you’d have to be aware of its essence. This is a very popular variety of the game, which is actually pronounced “Pi Gow” poker. It is known for combining interesting elements of the popular ancient Pai Gow game of China and the conventional, world-renowned game of American poker. It is a relatively slow-paced game, which is something that appeals to a lot of players. In its essence, the game is played with a basic deck of 52 normal cards and one joker. You can use the joker as an Ace, to complete a straight or to complete a flush hand. This is quite empowering.
How to Play Pai Gow Poker: The Rules
The Pai Gow Poker rules are actually quite interesting. Each of the players which are situated on the table is going to be dealt a total of seven cards. Up until this moment, it is as if a regular hand of poker with additional cards.
This, however, is where everything changes. You will have to use those seven cards in order to go ahead and construct two hands. One of them should have five cards and the other one should only have two cards.
The five-card hand, which is the one that you are going to be playing with, essentially, needs to be higher than the two-card hand. For instance, if you have a pair of sevens in the two-card hand, the five-card one should have at least a pair of eights or something better than this.
Now, the main object of this game is for both players' five-card and two-card hands to rank higher in comparison to the hands of the Banker. If the player has hands that are effectively the same, the hand will be called a tie. Unfortunately, in Pai Gow poker, the banker wins all the tie hands. Therefore – you lose.
Obviously, you want to get both of your hands to win. However, if you only have one winning hand and the other one that you have is a losing one, this is called a “push”. Throughout this particular hand, no party is going to win any money. The winning hand is paid at an even valuation but there is a 5% commission. The losing hand, naturally, loses the money which is being wagered.
The Rankings of the Game: Pai Gow Poker Rules
As it is a combination of Pai Gow and poker, the rankings which are used are those of conventional American Poker. If there is a hand with an exact value (a copy hand), the tie will be given to the banker. This is when you and the banker have the same value of the hands.
In terms of ranking, the strongest hand that you can make is the royal flush. This is something that beats any other hand, including four of a kind. In order to get a royal flush, though, you would have to align the cards with the following face values on them: T J Q K A in the same order and they all have to be of the same kind – spades, diamonds, clubs, or hearts. There is a popular misbelief here that the royal flush is only made out of hearts – this is not true – any kind would get you the flush.
After that, you have a straight flush. It is the same as the royal flush but only you have to get five cards of the same type aligned one after another (e.g. 2 3 4 5 6)
After the straight flush, we have the four-of-a-kind which is logical enough and doesn’t really need an explanation.
Playing Pai Gow Poker
The truth is that there are a lot of venues that offer the game and it isn’t that challenging to find one which is convenient for you.
This is something that a lot of our players love. We attempt to deliver a significant variety of different casino games in order to make sure that our players are never bored.
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We offer stellar support and a lot of different games. The winning opportunities at our venue are virtually limitless. With hundreds of different options, there is no limitation as to what you can go ahead and take advantage of. That’s what we are proud of and that’s one of the things which differentiates us from the rest.
