Pai Gow is a popular casino game based on Chinese Dominoes. Due to its popularity with Asian gamblers, the game is becoming more widespread in the UK. And you can even find freeplay games at some of the best online casinos.
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History of Pai Gow Poker. Pai gow poker is a relatively new casino game.It was invented in 1985 by California card room owner, Sam Torosian. Torosian was inspired to create the card game after a Filipino customer told him about Pusoy – a Chinese card game based on poker hands that requires players to create three different hands from 13 dealt cards. Playing pai gow poker online for free is the ideal way to master the game. The more you practice, the stronger your skills will be. The best part is that it carries zero. Pai Gow Online Video Poker. Please feel free to try out our free online Pai Gow Poker game. If you are playing this game on a desktop or laptop computer, you should have no problem with compatibility. However, if you are playing on a mobile device you may notice compatibility problems.
If you're not too familiar with the game, think of it a little like poker, except there are two hands to make instead of one. Beat both the Dealer's hands and you win - it's that simple.
Pai Gow is a great game to try out for free and you'll find plenty of games online in 2016.
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History of Online Pai Gow
Pai Gow is a Chinese casino game traditionally played with a set of 32 dominoes. It's hugely popular at Macau casinos, but also around Australia and some London casinos.
Pai Gow Poker first appeared in Californian cardrooms in the 1980s. It took on the facets of the ancient dominoes game - making sets of 'hands' or tiles - and added a poker twist.
The game continued to be popular in LA casinos like the Bicycle and Commerce, as well as its nearest cousin, Super-9.
Exciting variants continued to be developed, including Pai Gow Mania which allowed side bets on each hand. Emperors Challenge awards a side bet if the player's seven cards make no hand (a 'Pai Gow').
Available for free at most online casinos, Pai Gow Poker is a great game if you're already familiar with Chinese Poker. It can also be played as a Live Dealer variant at some casinos. Here, you play against a human croupier directing the action from a live casino setting or studio.
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How to Play Pai Gow Online
Pai Gow is played between you and the dealer. 53 cards are used (a standard deck of cards plus one joker).
Both you and the dealer are dealt seven cards. With these you have to form two poker hands, one with five cards and one 2-card hand.
The five-card hand is the 'High', and the 2-card hand the 'Low'. The Low can never be better than the high hand. For example, you wouldn't be able to have a pair of sixes in the High and a pair of sevens in the Low.
The usual poker rankings are used to decide whose High hand is best:
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pair
- One Pair
- High Card
For the Low Hand, the best hand is a pair of aces, then kings, queens, jacks, etc. If you don't have a pair, the value goes on the quality of the high card. So, A-K would be the best non-pair hand, followed by A-Q, A-J, and so on. 3-2 is the worst Low hand.
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Placing Bets: To kick things off, you need to place a bet. The area is clearly displayed on-screen; just drag the chips to the spot to place a bet. You can also place an additional 'bonus' bet. Bonus payouts (see below) are paid immediately if you've hit three-of-a-kind or better.
Now, you need to divide your cards into two hands. Select the two cards you want to form your Low and the five you want to form your High. You can also decide to click on the 'House Way' option if you like. This allows the casino to automatically split your hands the best way possible.
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To win, BOTH your hands must be better than the Dealer's. If just one of your hands beats the Dealer's, your bet 'pushes' and is saved to the next hand. If the Dealer beats both your hands you lose.
Using the Joker: If you get the Joker, you can use this to substitute for any other card in the deck. However, it can only be used to form a straight, flush, straight flush, or Royal Flush. If you don't, it will count as an ace.
Payouts: If you beat the Dealer's hands, you win even-money, or 1/1. However, there's a 5 percent cut (commission) taken from any payout. This is the house's edge over the player. In effect, the real payout is 19/20.
Bonus Payouts: If you've placed a bonus bet, you'll earn special payouts if you hit a winning bonus hand. Bonus hand payouts are as follows:
7-card Straight Flush (e.g. 5-6-7-8-9-10-J all hearts): 8,000-1
Royal Flush and 2-2 (e.g. 10-J-Q-K-A hearts plus a pair of twos): 2,000-1
7-card Straight Flush including Joker: 1,000-1
Five aces (four aces plus the Joker): 400-1
Royal Flush (10-J-Q-K-A same suit): 150-1
Straight Flush (e.g. 2-3-4-5-6 same suit): 50-1
Four of a Kind (e.g. four Jacks): 25-1
Full House (3-of-a-kind plus a pair): 4-1
Three of a Kind (e.g. 3-3-3): 3-1
Straight (e.g. 4-5-6-7-8 different suits): 2-1
Example Hand:
You get dealt Qh-Qc-9h-As-2h-Jd-3d
Immediately you have a strong pair. You place the pair in the High hand, and the two highest single cards in your Low Hand. There are no flushes or straights out there, and you want to save the ace to make a high Low.
HIGH: Qh-Qc-9h-3d-2h
LOW: As-Jd
The dealer turns over his cards and he has garbage. He has As-Ks-10s-8c-7s-5c-4h. The dealer is obliged to play the 'House Way', which is the set optimum way of 'setting', or arranging his cards.
In fact, he has a 'Pai Gow' hand, a hand that contains no pairs. He can't even make a flush with his four spades. He is forced to play the two highest cards in his five-card hand.
The dealer places his hands like this:
HIGH: As-Ks-10s-8c-7s
LOW: 5c-4h
The player manages to beat both the High and Low, and wins the bet.
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How to Play Pai Gow Online
Pai Gow is played between you and the dealer. 53 cards are used (a standard deck of cards plus one joker).
Both you and the dealer are dealt seven cards. With these you have to form two poker hands, one with five cards and one 2-card hand.
The five-card hand is the 'High', and the 2-card hand the 'Low'. The Low can never be better than the high hand. For example, you wouldn't be able to have a pair of sixes in the High and a pair of sevens in the Low.
The usual poker rankings are used to decide whose High hand is best:
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pair
- One Pair
- High Card
For the Low Hand, the best hand is a pair of aces, then kings, queens, jacks, etc. If you don't have a pair, the value goes on the quality of the high card. So, A-K would be the best non-pair hand, followed by A-Q, A-J, and so on. 3-2 is the worst Low hand.
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Placing Bets: To kick things off, you need to place a bet. The area is clearly displayed on-screen; just drag the chips to the spot to place a bet. You can also place an additional 'bonus' bet. Bonus payouts (see below) are paid immediately if you've hit three-of-a-kind or better.
Now, you need to divide your cards into two hands. Select the two cards you want to form your Low and the five you want to form your High. You can also decide to click on the 'House Way' option if you like. This allows the casino to automatically split your hands the best way possible.
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To win, BOTH your hands must be better than the Dealer's. If just one of your hands beats the Dealer's, your bet 'pushes' and is saved to the next hand. If the Dealer beats both your hands you lose.
Using the Joker: If you get the Joker, you can use this to substitute for any other card in the deck. However, it can only be used to form a straight, flush, straight flush, or Royal Flush. If you don't, it will count as an ace.
Payouts: If you beat the Dealer's hands, you win even-money, or 1/1. However, there's a 5 percent cut (commission) taken from any payout. This is the house's edge over the player. In effect, the real payout is 19/20.
Bonus Payouts: If you've placed a bonus bet, you'll earn special payouts if you hit a winning bonus hand. Bonus hand payouts are as follows:
7-card Straight Flush (e.g. 5-6-7-8-9-10-J all hearts): 8,000-1
Royal Flush and 2-2 (e.g. 10-J-Q-K-A hearts plus a pair of twos): 2,000-1
7-card Straight Flush including Joker: 1,000-1
Five aces (four aces plus the Joker): 400-1
Royal Flush (10-J-Q-K-A same suit): 150-1
Straight Flush (e.g. 2-3-4-5-6 same suit): 50-1
Four of a Kind (e.g. four Jacks): 25-1
Full House (3-of-a-kind plus a pair): 4-1
Three of a Kind (e.g. 3-3-3): 3-1
Straight (e.g. 4-5-6-7-8 different suits): 2-1
Example Hand:
You get dealt Qh-Qc-9h-As-2h-Jd-3d
Immediately you have a strong pair. You place the pair in the High hand, and the two highest single cards in your Low Hand. There are no flushes or straights out there, and you want to save the ace to make a high Low.
HIGH: Qh-Qc-9h-3d-2h
LOW: As-Jd
The dealer turns over his cards and he has garbage. He has As-Ks-10s-8c-7s-5c-4h. The dealer is obliged to play the 'House Way', which is the set optimum way of 'setting', or arranging his cards.
In fact, he has a 'Pai Gow' hand, a hand that contains no pairs. He can't even make a flush with his four spades. He is forced to play the two highest cards in his five-card hand.
The dealer places his hands like this:
HIGH: As-Ks-10s-8c-7s
LOW: 5c-4h
The player manages to beat both the High and Low, and wins the bet.
Online Pai Gow Top Tips
1 - Sorting Your Highs and Lows
As you only win of BOTH your hands win, it's important to split your cards the right way. It's important to balance your cards between the two hands. Players often go for a very strong five-card hand and forget all about their two-card hand. But you have to remember that BOTH hands need to beat the dealer to win. Make sure your Low contains an ace unless it's being used to form a straight flush or other bonus hand.
2 - Don't Get Carried Away With a Full House
A full house is a great hand in poker, but in Pai Gow it can get you into trouble. A full house is a very particular hand, and makes a great 5-card hand. However, it will leave your Low Hand very exposed. It's better to split the 3-of-a-kind and pair into the High and Low and hope to beat the Dealer that way.
3 - Don't Be Afraid to Use the 'House Way'
The House Way is the optimum strategy for that hand. In a land-based casino you can ask the Dealer for advice. Online, just click the House Way button and the software will split your cards the best way possible.
Pai Gow Glossary
Bet - Wager placed on a hand
Bonus Bet - Extra bet which pays out if you hit special hands
Bottom Hand - The five-card High Hand
Commission - Percentage of a payout the casino takes as a fee
Croupier - Dealer in a live casino
Dealer - Croupier in charge of the game. The computer assumes the role of the dealer in an online Pai Gow game
Fee - Casino's cut from a payout
Forward Hand - The Low Hand
High Hand / Highest - The player's five-card poker hand
House Edge - The statistical advantage the casino has over the players
House Way - The optimum strategy for playing a Pai Gow hand
Joker - A single card that substitutes for all other cards
Low Hand - 2-card hand that is inferior to the High hand
Pai Gow Hand - A bad hand where the player or dealer can't make a pair
Play - Action button that moves the game along
Push - Your bet carries forward to the next hand
Rebet - Place the same bet on the next hand
Second Highest - The 2-card Low hand
Set - Place your cards into Pai Gow hands
Top Hand - The 2-card, or Low, Hand
Wager - Bet on a game of Pai Gow
Wild card - Joker that is used to replace any other card
Inspired by the Chinese domino game of the same name, Pai Gow Poker is well-known amongst poker players for its slow-paced gameplay and low risk stakes. With even the barest grasp of poker, Pai Gow poker is incredibly easy to play, making for an accessible and low-risk game that's ideal for amateurs and casual online players. In most instances, it's fairly clear how you should play a hand, and learning the right strategy for the rest of the hands is really straightforward. Overall, Pai Gow Poker is a fun and social game that's easy and enjoyable to play.
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How to Play Pai Gow Poker Online
If you're at all familiar with poker, Pai Gow is very easy and simple to play. Unlike poker, however, players in Pai Gow play against the dealer and not against one another for the big prizes. A game of Pai Gow calls for up to six players and a dealer. The players are dealt seven cards each, they then divide the seven cards into two further hands; one with two cards and the other with five. A pai gow is a hand with straights, flushes, or pairs.
Players must ensure that their five-card hand is stronger than their two-card hand. The players then place their bets. The dealer does the same with his or her cards and both parties lay their cards on the table. Each player plays against the dealer, so most of the time the table win and lose together. If both the player's hands beat the dealer's then the player wins the round. If only one hand is better than the dealer hand, then the player and dealer tie for the round.
Pai Gow can be a little frustrating at first because games often end in a tie. On the other hand, this does mean that players stand to lose a less than they might otherwise expect in a usual game of poker. Playing Pai Gow well comes down to hand-setting. There are so many possibilities with seven cards, so setting your high hand your low hand correctly are really important. For instance, a high hand could be a straight and a low hand could be a pair. Winning on one hand and lose on the other results in a push and as you can imagine there can be a lot of pushing in Pai Gow.
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From Amateur to Pro: Pai Gow Strategy & Tips
The following are some tips on building a winning Pai Gow poker strategy. Rather than play the best single hand, players need to play the best two hands possible. This isn't always possible if you concentrate your best cards in just the high hand, so always be sure to aim for a degree of balance in your hands rather than just one single winning hand. The dealer will always set the Banker hand using a casino-chosen house way. Despite the temptation to play the best possible high hand in Pai Gow, the safest and surest strategy for winning and minimizing your losses is to play with balance between the two hands. Of course, the player only wins if both of their two hands beat the banker's two hands. Again, the player's aim should always be to play the best two hands possible and that means ensuring that your two-card hand is at least equally as good as your five-card hand. In this regard, there are some similarities but also stark differences toblackjack, where you attempt to beat the dealer by forming the highest hand possible.
There's a few simple rules to remember for a decent Pai Gow poker strategy. When you have no pairs, flushes, or straights, simply play the highest card in your high hand and the next two highest cards in the two-card hand. Split when you have a top pair of aces or kings. Any two pair below sixes, you should split unless you also have an ace. In this instance, you should play the ace in the high hand and the next highest card in the two-card hand. With Jacks through Aces, you should split with the highest pair in the high hand.
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Just like with other popular online casino games, there are a number of variants of Pai Gow poker. Most were developed between 2004 and 2009 when the game was first became really popular online. Pai Gow Mania was the first successful variation of Pai Gow to really come to light. Instead of the usual one side bet per hand, this version of Pai Gow poker allows for two side bets, which can liven up gameplay to no end. Fortune Pai Gow swiftly followed Mania and remains one of the most popular variants of Pai Gow. In this version, players can make a side bet on a poker hand to further increase their chances of winning big. Much like Fortune Pai Gow, Emperors Challenge allows a side bet on 7 card Pai Gow. Finally, Progressive Fortune Pai Gow includes – as the name suggests – a progressive jackpot side bet to really spice things up. Part or all of the jackpot can be won on a side bet and landing one of the hands on the payout table. Only a seven-card straight flush can win all the jackpot. If you're keen to play, head to our recommended casino below for a chance to play Pai Gow Poker online for real money!
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