Banking Pai Gow Poker

A Pai Gow Poker Glossary

Without a doubt, Pai Gow Poker is among the most exciting casino games on offer. However, understanding the basics of the game could be tricky, even for the ordinary gambler. Fortunately, with our Pai Gow Poker Glossary, players will be able to familiarise themselves with the card game in no time.

A

Ante: The first bet players make before the cards have been dealt on the Pai Gow Poker table.

B

Bank Hand: According to our Pai Gow Glossary, this is the name for the five-card hand in the game.

Banker: This a Pai Gow Poker player’s opponent in the game.

Unlike most casino games, the player may bet against the dealer, and other players in Pai Gow poker. In a process known as “banking,” the banker function rotates around the table, but at some casinos the banking role zig-zags between the dealer and each player in turn giving everyone at the table the chance to participate.

Bankroll: This is the money that players bring with them to the table to wager in the game.

Betting Spot: The place on the Pai Gow Poker table where players place their bets during the game.

1. How to Play Pai Gow Poker. Unlike most poker games, such as no-limit Hold’em, Pai Gow Poker isn’t played against other players, but instead, each player attempts to defeat a banker, most often played by the house dealer. One exception is if a player is allowed and opts to bet against other players, known as “banking.”.
2. Pai gow poker is the least volatile and on average keno is the most. Where I play pai gow poker the commission on a $25 bet is $1, or 4%. How much does this reduce the house edge?
3. In Pai Gow Poker, Banking is an opportunity for players to take the role of a dealer/banker. For a fair play, every player is given an equal opportunity to be the.

C

Copy Hand: This also goes by the name of tie and occurs when the player and banker have identical. In this case, the banker or opponent automatically wins the hand.

D

Dragon Hand: An extra hand offered to the vacant seat at the table. In certain cases, some casinos will allow players to wager on a Dragon Hand. Furthermore, some casinos will permit the Dragon Hand to be played by a player.

Be sure to check out our best casino jackpot reviews to see which selected casino sites currently offer the option.

F

Flush: A hand in which all five cards follow the same suit.

Four-of-a-kind: A hand in which all four cards have the same value.

Full House: This a hand with three cards of the same value (or Three-of-a-kind) plus a hand with two cards of the same value (or Pair).

Fouling Your Hand: This is a foul that occurs when a player’s two-card hand is stronger than their five-card hand.

H

Hand Behind: The name given to the five-card hand (or High Hand) which is placed behind the two-card hand.

Hand in Front: The name of the two-card hand (or Low Hand) in Pai Gow Poker placed in front of the five-card hand.

High Card: This is the highest card in a player’s hand according to our Pai Gow Poker Glossary. This is used to determine the winner when no player has a hand with a pair or higher.

House Way: A set of rules which dealers are must follow when setting their two hands in Pai Gow Poker.

J

Joker: According to our Pai Gow Glossary Guide, this is the wildcard in the game. Furthermore, the card can be used in any how to complete any hand.

O

One-Pair: This is the standard pair hand which consists of two cards of the same numerical value.

Play Pai Gow Poker Online at the King Billy Casino

P

Pair: A hand with two cards of the same value.

R

Royal Flush: This the highest ranking hand in poker. Furthermore, players need five particular cards (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten) of the same suit complete a Royal Flush.

S

Straight Flush: This is a hand with all cards following an identical suit arranged in order according to their value.

T

Three-of-a-kind: A hand in which all three cards have the same value.

Two Pair: This is a high hand of two Pairs.

W

Wild Card: According to the Pai Gow Poker Glossary, this is the Joker card in the game of Pai Gow Poker.

Winning Hands: This is a win in Pai Gow Poker that occurs when both the player’s hands are better than those of the Banker.

Hopefully, you’re set to conquer the Pai Gow Poker tables on online jackpot sites with our Pai Gow Glossary. Furthermore, be sure to check out our how to Play Pai Gow Poker guide to learn more about the casino game.

Conclusion: Pai Gow Poker Glossary

Lastly, don’t miss out on the opportunity to expand your casino games knowledge with our jackpot terms and Blackjack Glossary.

Click here to visit King Billy Casino for fun-filled games!

This page is an introduction to how to play Pai Gow Poker, and it’s also a beginner’s tutorial for Pai Gow Poker strategy. I’ll write additional articles about Pai Gow Poker in the future which will go into more detail about the game and its strategies.

Pai Gow Poker is a poker-based game based on an ancient Chinese domino game called pai gow. The two games have some superficial similarities, but make no mistake, they ARE different games.

• 100% up to £1000
• 100% up to $300

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is not a true poker game. Like most casino games, in pai gow poker, you’re playing against the dealer, not against the other players. In a true poker game, you’re not playing against the dealer at all, you’re playing against the other players.

Pai Gow Poker is always played with a 53 card deck–a standard deck of cards with the inclusion of a joker as a wild card. The goal is to beat the dealer by putting together a better hand.

In a game of Pai Gow Poker, everyone is dealt seven cards. Each player then makes two poker hands out these seven cards–a five card hand and a two card hand.

The poker hand rankings that are used in Pai Gow Poker are the standard poker hand rankings explained on this site’s poker strategy page, with one exception–a straight of ace to five is considered the 2nd highest straight possible. (That straight is called a “wheel.”)

The dealer also arranges her hand into a five card hand and a two card hand, but she doesn’t use her judgment when arranging her hands. She uses a set of prescribed rules called “the house way.” (See the similarities to blackjack?)

The player’s goal is to win BOTH hands, in which case she wins even money less a 5% commission.

If the player wins one hand but loses the other, the hand is considered a push, and her bet is returned.

One rule that all Pai Gow Poker players must follow is that when they arrange their hands, they’re forbidden from arranging their two card hand in a way that would make it a better hand than their five card hand. A player who arranges her hands in this way automatically loses; this is considered a “foul.” It’s not cheating, even though it breaks a rule–it’s just a dumb way to lose your money playing Pai Gow Poker.

Another quirk of Pai Gow Poker is that the player has the option of being the banker. If the player opts to be the banker, she needs enough of a bankroll to cover the bets at the table, and she also has to arrange her hands according to the “house way.” But a player can’t opt to bank every hand; the option rotates around the table. Most players don’t choose to be the banker at all anymore.

Pai Gow Poker House Edge

Banking In Pai Gow Poker

According to the Wizard of Odds, the house edge for a player who knows how to arrange her cards correctly in a game of Pai Gow Poker is 2.73%. The house edge for the banker is only 0.20%, so it’s a good idea to be the banker when you have the option. If you play the game long enough, and you choose to be the banker every time you get the chance, the overall house edge for the game is only 1.46%, making Pai Gow Poker a pretty good casino game, percentage-wise.

Banking In Pai Gow Poker

How to Arrange Your Hands in Pai Gow Poker

If you want to get the detailed specifics for the correct Pai Gow Poker strategy, find a copy of Stanford Wong’s book Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker. He goes into a lot of detail about the math of each situation and how to make the right decisions.

Another option is to visit Michael Shackleford’s site and just copy the “house way” even when you’re the player. You can find that link, labeled “Wizard of Odds”, in the paragraph before last.

But my preferred approach to Pai Gow Poker strategy is to apply a little bit of thought to each hand. This isn’t the mathematically correct approach every time, but I figure that even if I use perfect strategy, I’m still playing a negative expectation game, so why not?

According to Andrew Brisman, author of American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling: Winning Ways, the best you can hope to achieve by playing perfectly at Pai Gow Poker is to shave 0.3% off the house edge. I’m not willing to study hard to gain 0.3% on a game that’s still a negative expectation game, so I’ll just relate the simple strategy for how to arrange your hands in Pai Gow Poker that Brisman shares in his book, and it boils down to a single sentence.

Arrange your hand so that you have the highest possible two card hand possible while still not having a two card hand that’s better than your five card hand.

This makes a lot of sense if you think about it. It doesn’t do you any good to have a full house for your five card hand if your two card hand is going to lose, because you won’t win any money. You’re better off with a three of a kind in your five card hand and a pair in your two card hand, because then you’ve at least got a chance of winning some money.

You shouldn’t arrange your cards in such a way as to almost guarantee a push, in other words.

Pai Gow Poker Banking Rules

Like most casino games, there are more nuances and details I could share about Pai Gow Poker, but this is meant to be an introduction to the game and its strategies, so I’ll leave the other details for future articles on the subject.