Pai Gow Poker Rules
Pai Gow Poker is an ancient Asian game played by using tiles that bear a resemblance to dominos. The game was smartly revamped by introducing regular playing cards and modelling the hands of the game after Poker hands. The game of Pai Gow is now played using a standard 52 card deck. This game has players pitting against the banker rather than each other. Players can also opt to play as the banker if they possess sufficient funds to cover all other player’s bets. The game is pitched as being slightly slower in pace than most poker versions and awards the banker a marginally better edge than the player.
Like regular poker, Pai Gow poker is a multi player game where the dealing rotates round the table. This game is offered in online casinos and attracts players from all over the world. This game of poker has a simple set of rules and can easily be mastered by novice poker players.
Rules of Pai Gow Poker
The Pai Gow poker game is played with a deck of 52 cards and a Joker and is a very entertaining poker game. It was first played in Las Vegas casinos in 1987 and has quickly become very popular among gamblers. Play begins with players making a wager. After the cards are dealt, the player splits the 7 cards into two hands or ‘sets his hand’ and tries to arrange these into a pattern that incorporates pairs or has a special set of numbers. The first hand or the ‘front hand’ must have 2 cards and the other hand – the ‘back hand’ must have 5. The front hand must not be ranked above the back hand or the player will automatically lose. A Joker may only be used to finish a straight (a series of cards adjacent to each other in the rankings), a flush or a straight flush; otherwise it is valued as an ace. A five ace hand is the highest. The hands are ranked according to standard poker rules. The best 2 hand is a double ace and the worst is a 2-3. A player wins if his 7 card hand contains any of the winning combinations according to the rules of the game.
Rules of Play
There are some important rules to be followed when playing this game, namely
- Every player is dealt only one set of seven cards.
- Players are forbidden to communicate with each other on information about the cards they have been dealt with.
- After a player puts down their cards, they cannot touch the cards at all.
Players who are interested in practicing game play for this game of Pai Gow poker can opt to play as a guest or try the free games on offer at many online casinos. Some online casinos also offer practice facilities, where a new player can use the ‘practice play’ option to sharpen his hand setting skills, using software that enables the ‘house’ to split its hand.