Pai Gow Poker is one of the most popular casino card games and is available at many live and online sites. In this short guide, we will teach you how to play Pai Gow Poker, how poker hands are ranked in the game, and what strategy to apply for optimal results.
What Is Pai Gow Poker?
Derived from the traditional Chinese domino game of Pai Gow, Pai Gow Poker is a unique casino game played against the house. The game’s rules are a blend of traditional poker rules and rankings, with a few unexpected turns.
Pai Gow Poker is played with a deck of 52 playing cards, along with an additional Joker card. In each hand, the player and the dealer make two separate poker hands, one made up of five cards and another made up of just two cards.
Let’s take a closer look at Pai Gow Poker rules and learn how to play the game one step at a time.
How to Play Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is one of the simplest casino games to play. In each hand, the player is dealt seven cards. These cards must be set up into two separate hands, with five cards going into the bottom hand and two cards into the top hand.
It is important to note that the bottom hand must always outrank the top hand. Once all players have set their cards, the dealer lays out their cards according to “the house way,” and the hands are compared.
To make things clearer, we will walk you through every step of a Pai Gow Poker hand.
Step 1. The Betting Round
The first step in every Pai Gow Poker hand is the betting round. At this point, your only move is to place a bet of your choosing on the next hand. In addition to the basic bet, some versions of Pai Gow Poker include one or multiple side bets, which are optional bets you can place at will.
Step 2. The Deal
Next up, the dealer deals seven cards to every active player at the table, and seven cards to himself. The cards are dealt face down, and players must arrange them without showing their cards to one another. A maximum of six players may play simultaneously.
Step 3. Setting Up Your Hands
The most difficult part of Pai Gow Poker is arranging your cards in a way that makes sense. You must set five cards in your bottom hand and two cards in your top hand. The bottom hand must always outrank the top hand. For example, if you want to have a pair of Queens in the top hand, you must have at least a pair of Queens with a better kicker, or a pair of Kings in the bottom hand.
Step 4. The House Way
Once all players have set up their hands, the dealer will set his up according to the house way. The house way is a fixed set of rules that the dealer must use to arrange the cards. The house way is a balanced Pai Gow Poker strategy that eliminates any subjective elements or dealer bias.
Step 5. The Joker Card
When setting up your hands in Pai Gow Poker, it is essential to understand how the Joker card works. Unlike in many other card games, the Joker is not exactly a wild card in Pai Gow Poker, although it does serve as a substitute card. In the five-card hand, the Joker can be used to complete any straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush. Otherwise, it acts as an Ace. In the two-card hand, the Joker always acts as an Ace, giving you a pair of Aces if your other card is also an Ace. The Joker cannot be used to complete hands like three of a kind, full house, or four of a kind.
Step 6. Showdown
Once all the hands have been set up, the cards are revealed and compared. The dealer will compare his two hands with each player’s hands, paying players who have won both hands and collecting the bets from players who have lost both. All players who won one hand and lost the other will push and retain their bet without any profit. Keep in mind that if you and the dealer have the exact same cards in one of the hands, the dealer will win that hand.
Pai Gow Poker Hand Rankings
Now that you know how to play Pai Gow Poker, let’s talk briefly about the hand rankings in the game and all the possible hands you can make.
It’s important to note that hand rankings differ for the five-card hand and the two-card hand quite dramatically, so let’s take a look at all the possible hands you can make with your five-card hand, from best to worst:
| Poker Hand | Example |
| Five Aces | A♠A♥A♣A♦🂿 |
| Royal Flush | A♥K♥Q♥J♥T♥ |
| Straight Flush | J♣T♣9♣8♣7♣ |
| Four of a Kind | Q♠Q♥Q♣Q♦7♠ |
| Full House | 9♦9♣9♥5♦5♣ |
| Flush | A♠K♠7♠5♠2♠ |
| Straight | 7♦6♣5♦4♥3♣ |
| Three of a Kind | 4♦4♣4♠K♣9♥ |
| Two Pair | 8♠8♣4♦4♠K♣ |
| One Pair | J♦J♣7♠5♣2♠ |
| High Card | A♠T♥7♣5♦3♣ |
Unlike the five-card hand, your two-card hand is limited to just two cards, which means you can only make a pair or have a high card hand. Any pair is better than any high card, while high cards are ranked purely by the value of each card.
For example, A5 is superior to KT, whereas QT is superior to Q8. Card suits and connectedness do not count in any way in the two-card hand.
Pai Gow Poker Payouts and RTP
Payouts in Pai Gow Poker are fairly straightforward, especially in terms of the main bet. The player only wins if both their five-card hand and their two-card hand beat the dealer.
If one hand wins and the other loses, the round results in a push. Pushes are common in Pai Gow Poker, with many hands resulting in a “money back” outcome for the player. If you and the dealer have identical cards in one of the hands, the dealer will win that hand.
Whenever you do win the round, you will win double the money on your bet.
However, note that the casino typically charges a 5% commission on such wins. For example, if you bet $100 on a hand and win, you will receive $100 back plus a $95 profit, for a total of $195, rather than $200.
Across all pushes, wins, and losses, Pai Gow Poker has an overall return-to-player (RTP) rate of 97.5%, with the house maintaining an edge of approximately 2.5%. This places the game in the higher echelon of casino games in terms of returns, with blackjack and baccarat having higher RTPs and slots and keno having lower RTPs.
Side Bets in Pai Gow Poker
On top of the regular bet you must place to be dealt cards in Pai Gow Poker, most versions of the game feature at least one side bet. The most popular side bet in Pai Gow Poker is called Fortune Pai Gow, which is a bet on the best poker hand you can make out of all seven cards you are dealt.
For the purposes of Fortune Pai Gow, you won’t have to do any card setting, as the bet pays out anytime your cards make a qualifying hand. The qualifying hands and the usually payouts can be found in the following table:
| Poker Hand | Example | Payout |
| 7 Card Straight Flush | K♦Q♦J♦T♦9♦8♦7♦ | 8,000/1 |
| Royal Flush + Royal Match | A♣K♣Q♣J♣T♣K♥Q♥ | 2,000/1 |
| 7 Card Straight Flush with Joker | J♠T♠9♠8♠7♠6♠🂿 | 1,000/1 |
| Royal Flush | A♥K♥Q♥J♥T♥ | 150/1 |
| Straight Flush | J♣T♣9♣8♣7♣ | 50/1 |
| Four of a Kind | Q♠Q♥Q♣Q♦7♠ | 25/1 |
| Full House | 9♦9♣9♥5♦5♣ | 5/1 |
| Flush | A♠K♠7♠5♠2♠ | 4/1 |
| Three of a Kind | 4♦4♣4♠K♣9♥ | 3/1 |
| Straight | 7♦6♣5♦4♥3♣ | 2/1 |
Pai Gow House Way Explained
The house way in Pai Gow Poker is a system of rules that the dealer must use when setting up their hand. In most casinos, you can also ask the dealer to set your cards the house way, which helps you avoid making mistakes and guarantees optimal results.
Each casino has its own house way chart, with some differences between the house ways in different venues. For the most part, all house way charts aim for the following:
- Optimizing the Bottom Hand: The house way prioritizes the five-card hand. Hands like straights and flushes will be made in the bottom hand if they are possible, before other considerations.
- Balancing the Hands: The house way seeks to balance the two hands. For example, if you start with two pairs, the house way splits them to create a pair in the two-card hand and a pair in the five-card hand, ensuring both hands are competitive.
- Defensive Strategy: The aim of the house way is to balance hands and play defensively. In most cases, the house way maximizes the likelihood of at least a push, while leaving room for a win. On the other hand, a more aggressive strategy may seek to get more wins in situations where multiple ways to set cards are possible, at the expense of a higher chance of a complete loss.
Basic Pai Gow Poker Strategy
Now that you know how to play the game, how the hands rank, and how the house way works, it’s time to discuss some strategy. In Pai Gow Poker, you are allowed to set your cards anyway you like, as long as you do it in a legal way. This means that you can maximize your wins by setting your cards appropriately, but you can also cost yourself money if you make mistakes in setting your cards.
Here are a few basic Pai Gow strategy tips that you should follow to maximize your chances of winning.
Tip 1. Balance Is King
In Pai Gow Poker, balancing your two hands is the most important factor to consider. You should not seek to make one very strong hand if it means the other hand will be very weak. For example, if you make a flush in the bottom hand but only nine-high in the top hand, you have almost no chance of winning. On the other hand, if the same hand can produce two “one pair” hands, your winning chances will increase dramatically.
Tip 2. Don’t Break Up One Pair
If you have just one pair in your seven cards, you should never break it up, even if it’s a pair of Aces. It could be tempting to make two Ace-high hands and try to scoop, but you are more likely to end up losing the hand that way. Instead, leave the pair in your bottom hand, and play the two highest-ranked cards you have left on top.
Tip 3. Break Up Your Full Houses
A full house is a very strong poker hand, and in games like Texas Hold’em, it’s what you are hoping to make. However, in Pai Gow Poker, a full house is not the kind of hand you are looking for. If you have a full house, leave the three-of-a-kind in your five-card hand and place the pair on top. That way, you will have a real chance of winning the entire round.
Tip 4. Bet Bigger Than in Other Casino Games
Pai Gow Poker allows players to bet slightly more than in games such as Caribbean Stud Poker. This is true because many rounds of Pai Gow Poker end up in a push. With so many pushes, increasing your bet a bit will lead to similar volatility you are used to in other games, while betting the same as you are used to may end up making the game a little “small” for your standards.
Tip 5. Beware of the Joker Rules
One of the biggest mistakes players make in Pai Gow Poker is that they play their Joker wrong. For example, a player may leave his Joker in the five-card hand with a pair, expecting to have three of a kind, only to lose to a higher pair. Always remember that the Joker can only complete a straight or a flush in Pai Gow Poker, and acts as an Ace in all other cases.
It’s Time for Your First Pai Gow Poker Round
After reading this guide, you now have all the information you need to play your first hand of Pai Gow Poker. We have walked you through the basic rules and gameplay and taught you the basic Pai Gow Poker strategy to follow. All that’s left is to head down to the casino or join one of the online sites and play your first Pai Gow Poker session to get fully acquainted with the game.