You’ve definitely heard about poker and could also hear that this game has several variations, right? This time you can come closer to one famous type that is rather new in the gambling industry and makes players come back to enjoy it over and over. Meet Pai Gow poker online casino games, learn the rules, and find out the tips to improve your gaming skills!
What Is Pai Gow: History of the Game
Before launching Pai Gow poker online casino that you choose can offer, devote a few minutes of your time to learning the history and the basic rules of this game. As many unusual gambling directions, this one also comes from Asia and has pretty interesting roots. The thing is that the Pai Gow game originates as a game with Chinese dominoes. But in 1985, Sam Torosian, the owner of the Bell Card Club in LA, decided to diversify the games of his establishment. Unfortunately, the man didn’t patent this idea. This way, he invented the Pai Gow poker casino game that has rather easy rules and really engaging gameplay.
📌Interesting to know: Sam heard about the Pusoy game from one of his customers. As he realized that playing a 13-card game with 3 hands would take too much time, he decided to invent a new seven-card game that could be faster and easier.
Rules of the Game: How to Play Pai Gow
As for Pai Gow casino rules, they are really easy to understand and you won’t be taken much time to learn the details. Let’s sort out what the basic rules are and what strategies could be applied.
Basic Things
In a nutshell, this game is played with two poker hands - 5-card and 2-card. As it’s played against the dealer, your hands have to beat their combinations. The game is played with a 52-card deck, including a Joker (serves as a Wild and an Ace). A table that is designed for this game can contain up to 6 gamblers, and you still don’t play against them, only against the croupier.
Gameplay
It’s time for examples: that’s how Pai Gow poker casino card games are played.
- The shuffled cards are dealt with the amount of seven cards per player.
- You place a bet, receive the cards, and segregate them into 2 hands - 5 cards (high hand) and 2 cards (low hand).
- The high hand is ranked according to the standard poker ranking, and the low hand has to feature at least pairs. If your low hand is ranked higher than the high hand, you lose.
- When the cards are set, it’s time to compare your cards with the cards of the croupier.
Important Details
There is one combination that can be of great value in some casinos, and be considered the lowest in the others. It’s the "wheel" (A-2-3-4-5), so remember to look out for this. If your cards match the cards of a dealer, they are called copies and you lose. You also lose when none of your hands beat the hands of dealers. And it’s a push when only one of your hands beats the hand of the opponent. While two of your hands beating the cards of the croupier bring you the winnings. By the way, the house edge in this game is pretty low (about 2,8%).
Strategies and Tips to Win More
Pai Gow Asian gambling entertainment is extremely popular, that’s why players are trying to learn all the available tips and strategies to play it better. The thing is that this game allows players to determine which cards will be in a low hand and which ones in a high hand. So the main tip that can serve as a strategy is to set your hands properly.
For example, the following combination K, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 9 has several options for setting a hand.
Low hand |
High hand |
Explanation |
K, 9 |
K, Q, J, 10, 9 |
Though the top hand here isn’t very strong, the bottom one is extremely strong and can provide you with the desired outcome. |
Q, J |
K, K, 9, 9, 10 |
Here, you can see a mediocre low hand but a rather good high hand. |
9, 9 |
K, K, Q, J, 10 |
This time, the low hand is much stronger, though the high hand is just as good. |
And the basic strategy of this game states that you should keep high-ranked cards in the top hand and the second 2 highest-ranking cards in the bottom one.
FAQ
How to play a Pai Gow poker casino?
Actually, this game looks like standard poker you could play. But now you play with two hands (high and low) and only against the dealer.
Where does this game come from?
Pai Gow dominoes come from China, and this type of poker was invented by the Los Angeles gaming club owner.
What is the strategy of the Pai Gow casino game?
As the game is based on the winning hands and you can separate the cards yourself, make sure that your low and high hands are strong enough to work together.
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