Basic Pai-gow Poker

This page will discuss the rules and strategy for pai gow as found in casinos as opposed to card clubs. Pai gow in legal in the card clubs of southern California but the rules are somewhat different, often in the direction of being to the player's advantage. The strategy in this page can be equally applied to southern California games.

The Rules

Play begins by placing two bets of equal size. Then everyone receives seven cards. A roll of the dice or a randomly generated number determines which player gets the first set of cards. The players then each arrange their seven cards into a five-card hand and a two-card hand. The five card hand is ranked as in poker, with the exception that an A-2-3-4-5 straight is the second highest straight. The two-card hand will either be a pair or two individual cards. The highest two-card hand is a pair of aces and the lowest is a 2-3.

After all the players have arranged their hands the banker arranges theirs. Then it is time to compare. Unless you are banking, one of your two bets is betting that your five-card hand is greater than that of the banker, the other bet is likewise betting that your two card hand can beat the banker's. The banker wins on ties (called copies in pai gow poker). If both your hands beat the banker then you will win both bets, if both of your hands lose then you lose both bets, and if one wins and one loses then it is a push. The house collects a 5% commission when the player wins both bets and on the net win of the banker.

The bank either rotates from person to person, including the house, or it will zig-zag between the players and the dealer. It is beneficial to bank because the banker wins on ties. The player may pass the chance to bank if they want. Some books say that at some casinos the banker may co-bank with the house in which case the house is a 50% partner in the dealer's hand, however I have never seen any casino offer this option. If the player wants to bank they must have enough money on the table to broker their share of the bets. The player must have played a previous hand against the house banker to bank. When the player banks, as long as the house is not co-banking, the dealer will also play against the banker with a wager equal to the player's last bet against the house banker.

Here are some other important rules. First, the two-card hand may not be higher then the five-card hand, if it is that both hands are deemed "foul" and both lose. Second, the joker can only be used to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush, otherwise it is treated as an ace. At some places if there is an empty seat the dealer will also deal a "dragon" hand. Another player may assume the dragon hand if they wish, essentially playing two positions rather than one.

Strategy

According to 'Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker' by Stanford Wong the most important factor in improving your odds in pai gow is the ratio of how much is bet when you are the banker to as a player. The greater the ratio the better your odds are. The second most important factor is how well you arrange your cards. The house way (explained below) is a very safe strategy that is difficult to improve upon.

House Edge

The house advantage in pai gow poker depends on both your skill in arranging your hand and in the ratio of betting action as the banker to the player. The house edge also depends on whether or not you count ties as money bet. I will indicate the house edge both ways: definition 1 will include ties and definition 2 will not.

Trump Plaza (Atlantic City)

The house way is how the dealer arranges their own hand. It can vary from place to place but I believe that the differences are marginal and happen infrequently. Following is a complete listing of the house way from the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. The Wizard of Odds would like to thank said casino for allowing me to see and copy down their house way from a laminated sheet they kept in the pit area. Two other Atlantic City casinos refused to show me anything.

For purposes of the house way the "front" refers to the two-card hand and the "back" refers to the five-card hand.

• No pair: Place the highest card in the back and the next two highest cards in the front.
  
  
• One pair: Place the pair in back and the next two highest cards in the front.
  
  
• Two pair: Use the following groups to determine how to play a two pair:
  
  2 through 6: Low pair
  7 through 10: Medium pairs
  Jack through king: High pairs
  
  
  • Low pair and low pair: Split unless holding a king or better, then play two pair in the back.
  • Low pair and medium pair: Split unless holding a king or better, then play two pair in the back.
  • Low pair and high pair: Split unless holding an ace, then play two pair in the back.
  • Medium pair and medium pair: Split unless holding an ace, then play two pair in the back.
  • Medium pair and high pair: Always split.
  • High pair and high pair: Always split.
  • Pair of aces and any other pair: Always split.
• Three pair: Always play highest pair in front.
  
  
• Three of a kind: Always play three of a kind in back unless they are aces, then play a pair of aces in back and one ace in front.
  
  
• Three of a kind twice: Always play highest pair in front.
  
  
• Straights, flushes, straight flushes, and royal flush:
  
  
  • With no pair: When choosing whether to play a straight, flush, or straight flush play the category which will allow the highest two cards in front.
  • With 6th or 7th card: Play the lower straight or flush in the back to place the highest cards in front.
  • With one pair: Play pair in the front only if a straight, flush, or straight can be played in the back.
  • With two pair: Use two pair rule.
  • With three pair: Use three pair rule.
  • With three of a kind: Play pair in front.
  • With full house: Use full house rule.
• Full house: Always split unless the pair is twos and you have an ace and a king to play in the front.
  
  
• Full house with three of a kind and two pairs: Play the highest pair in front.
  
  
• Full house with three of a kind twice: Always play the highest pair in front.
  
  
• Four of a kind: Play according to the rank of the four of a kind:
  
  2 through 6: Always keep together.
  7 through 10: Split unless a king or better can be played in front.
  Jack through king: Split unless an ace can be played in front.
  Aces: Always split.
  
  
• Four of a kind and a pair: Play pair in front.
  
  
• Four of a kind and three of a kind: Play pair in front from the three of a kind.
  
  
• Five aces: Split aces and play three aces in back and two aces in front unless you have a pair of kings, then play five aces in back and kings in front.

Claridge (Atlantic City)

The house way at the Claridge in Atlantic City is published in their gaming guide. It is the same as that of the Trump Plaza with the following exceptions: