Pai Gow Poker is another very popular poker game, which is a blend of normal poker and an old Chinese game, known as Pai Gow. You play against the Dealer (as in all casino poker games) and you use the full deck of 52 cards, plus a Joker.

The aim of the game is to beat the Dealer in two ones (either or both). You are dealt 7 cards and need to make two types of hands with them – a 5-card hand and a 2-card hand. Your 5-card hand must be your strongest possible hand, and the 2-card hand the next strongest you can make. Your second strongest hand is automatically regulated by the software so that it is not stronger than your 5-card hand.

Pai Gow Poker begins when you select a chip size using the + and – buttons, and place a bet in the betting circle. Once you’ve done this, click the Deal button. You get your 7 cards and the first thing to do is select your second strongest hand, using two cards. You can do this manually or let the software do it for you by clicking the House Way button. This leaves the other 5 cards as your strongest hand by default. Note that if you cannot make any hand, the highest card you have must be part of the 5-card hand.

Once you’ve selected your hands, click the Play button.

Note that you can use the Joker to complete a hand, but only if it will make a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Flush or Straight. The exception is Aces. The Joker has the rank of Ace, so you can use it to make pairs or trips of Aces.

Pai Gow Poker Game outcomes:

• Your strongest hand value is higher than the Dealer’s – you win
• The Dealer’s strongest hand value is higher than or equal to yours – Dealer wins
• Your second strongest hand value is higher than the Dealer’s – you win
• The Dealer’s second strongest hand value is higher than or equal to yours – Dealer wins
• If you win one hand and lose the other, the game is a Tie – your bet is returned
• If neither you nor the Dealer can complete a hand, your highest cards are compared. If you have high cards of the same value, the second-highest cards are compared, and so on.

How the software decides on second highest hands when you use the House Way selection method to play Pai Gow Poker:

The game uses what is known as the Pai Gow Poker Trump Plaza Rules…

• No pair: highest card goes in the back and the next two highest cards in the front.
• One pair: Pair goes in the back and the next two highest cards in the front.
• Two Pair: The following rules are applied:
  • 2 through 6: Low pair
  • 7 through 10: Medium pairs
  • Jack through King: High pairs
  • Low Pair and low Pair: If there is not a King of better, Split. If a King or better two pair goes in the back.
  • Low Pair and medium Pair: If there is not a King of better, Split. If a King or better, two pair goes in the back.
  • Low Pair and high Pair: If there is not an Ace, Split. If an Ace, two pair goes in the back. Medium Pair and medium Pair: If there is not an Ace, Split. If an ace, two pair goes 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: Highest pair goes in front.
• Three of a Kind: Three of a kind goes in back unless Aces. If so pair of Aces goes in back and one ace goes in front.
• Three of a Kind twice: Highest pair goes in front.
• Straights, Flushes, Straight Flushes, and Royal Flush:
  • With no pair: highest two cards go in front.
  • With 6th or 7th card: lower straight or flush goes in the back, highest cards go 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: If the pair is not twos with an Ace or King to play in front, split.
• Full house with three of a kind and two pairs: highest pair goes in front.
• Full house with three of a kind twice: highest pair goes in front.
• Four of a kind: Play by rank:
  • 2 through 6: 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: split.
• Four of a kind and a pair: pair goes in front.
• Four of a kind and three of a kind: pair goes in front.
• Five aces: Split aces - three aces go in back and two in front unless there is a pair of Kings, in which case five aces go in back and kings in front.