What is Pai Gow Poker?
'Blackjack for Poker players' is how you could describe Pai Gow Poker.
Like Blackjack, it's a fast-paced, you-against-the-dealer type of game, but with strategy based on a knowledge of Poker hands.
It's played with a standard deck of 52 cards, but with the addition of a joker. Unlike 'normal' poker, in Pai Gow Poker the purpose of the game is to make two hands - one of five cards and one of two - to beat both of the banker's hands.
'Blackjack for Poker players' is how you could describe Pai Gow Poker.
Like Blackjack, it's a fast-paced, you-against-the-dealer type of game, but with strategy based on a knowledge of Poker hands.
It's played with a standard deck of 52 cards, but with the addition of a joker. Unlike 'normal' poker, in Pai Gow Poker the purpose of the game is to make two hands - one of five cards and one of two - to beat both of the banker's hands.
How to play Pai Gow Poker
Play Pai Gow at Ruby Fortune
Bonus bet - win up to 8000x stake
Expert mode
Auto-play - tailor the game to suit
House Way available
Expert mode
Auto-play - tailor the game to suit
House Way available
Ruby Fortune Casino offers a fantastic version of Bonus Pai Gow Poker. Using
'expert' mode you can tailor the auto-play system to suit your style. The House Way is
always available, and if you're a high-rolling Pai Gow player, you'll want to take
advantage of the bonus bet and get the chance to win 8000 times your bet!
'expert' mode you can tailor the auto-play system to suit your style. The House Way is
always available, and if you're a high-rolling Pai Gow player, you'll want to take
advantage of the bonus bet and get the chance to win 8000 times your bet!
Pai Gow Poker Terms
The back - 5 card hand
The Five card hand is ranked according to standard poker rules. If you're not sure about these standard rankings, or just need a reference point, click on our Poker Hand Rankings page.
The front - 2 card hand
The two card hand has to rank lower than the five card hand. Again, standard poker rules apply: a pair of Aces is the highest pair, a pair of 2s the lowest. If the hand is not a pair, it is ranked as a high, named after the highest card ie J9 is a jack high. If two 'high' hands have the same highest card, the next highest card is used to determine the winner eg if both players have Ace high, one player with AQ and the other with A9, the player with AQ wins.
Joker Card
The joker can be used to complete a flush, straight or straight flush, or can act as a single Ace.
House Way
The House Way is the set of rules that a traditional casino would instruct its dealers to use when setting their hands. In land based casinos, knowledge of this would form the basis of a winning strategy (see our Pai Gow Strategy page). Some online casinos offer a "house way" button. By pressing this, your cards will automatically be set for you using the same rules the dealer/casino uses. Obviously, this negates the edge you may achieve by setting hands manually.
This is all covered in more detail in Pai Gow Strategy.
The back - 5 card hand
The Five card hand is ranked according to standard poker rules. If you're not sure about these standard rankings, or just need a reference point, click on our Poker Hand Rankings page.
The front - 2 card hand
The two card hand has to rank lower than the five card hand. Again, standard poker rules apply: a pair of Aces is the highest pair, a pair of 2s the lowest. If the hand is not a pair, it is ranked as a high, named after the highest card ie J9 is a jack high. If two 'high' hands have the same highest card, the next highest card is used to determine the winner eg if both players have Ace high, one player with AQ and the other with A9, the player with AQ wins.
Joker Card
The joker can be used to complete a flush, straight or straight flush, or can act as a single Ace.
House Way
The House Way is the set of rules that a traditional casino would instruct its dealers to use when setting their hands. In land based casinos, knowledge of this would form the basis of a winning strategy (see our Pai Gow Strategy page). Some online casinos offer a "house way" button. By pressing this, your cards will automatically be set for you using the same rules the dealer/casino uses. Obviously, this negates the edge you may achieve by setting hands manually.
This is all covered in more detail in Pai Gow Strategy.
Odds, payouts and strategy
To see the odds against any bet in Pai Gow poker, click Pai Gow odds.
To see our recommended Pai Gow strategy, click Pai Gow strategy.
Practice for free
Pai Gow Poker is an entertaining variation of poker, but the rules can seem complex to the beginner. If you wish to play for fun or practice any of our Pai Gow tips for FREE, without risking your money, check out Pai Gow practice.
To see the odds against any bet in Pai Gow poker, click Pai Gow odds.
To see our recommended Pai Gow strategy, click Pai Gow strategy.
Practice for free
Pai Gow Poker is an entertaining variation of poker, but the rules can seem complex to the beginner. If you wish to play for fun or practice any of our Pai Gow tips for FREE, without risking your money, check out Pai Gow practice.
BASICS
RECOMMENDED
BONUSES
Pai Gow Poker rules
GAMES
DEPOSITING
Which casino is best for Pai Gow Poker?
To help you decide where to play Pai Gow Poker, we've put together an easy to understand table showing whether they have Bonus/ Fortune, a House Way, bonuses and wagering requirements for all our recommended casinos.
Find the best place to play Pai Gow on our Pai Gow Poker casinos page.
To help you decide where to play Pai Gow Poker, we've put together an easy to understand table showing whether they have Bonus/ Fortune, a House Way, bonuses and wagering requirements for all our recommended casinos.
Find the best place to play Pai Gow on our Pai Gow Poker casinos page.
Win both hands
If both hands beat the dealer's hands, the player wins even money or 1:1 for their bet (though the bank takes a 5% commission from your winnings). If both hands lose, the dealer takes the bet. If you win only one of the two hands, the round finishes in a tie and your bet is returned to you.
Winning both hands in Pai Gow Poker is not as easy as it may seem. Quite often, you'll have to compromise one hand in order not to lose, rather than to win (this is explained fully in our page on Pai Gow Poker Strategy). As a result, you should consider the game as an evens chance bet, suited to lower-risk players who enjoy turning a steady profit without risking too much.
Compared to, for example, Punto Banco / Baccarat or Roulette, it can be a little slow for high rolling, high-risk gamblers, who often prefer the following variation:
Bonus / Fortune Pai Gow Poker
Bonus Pai Gow Poker (sometimes called Fortune Pai Gow) is played in exactly the same way as normal Pai Gow Poker, except that you're given a bonus payout of up to 8000 times your
If both hands beat the dealer's hands, the player wins even money or 1:1 for their bet (though the bank takes a 5% commission from your winnings). If both hands lose, the dealer takes the bet. If you win only one of the two hands, the round finishes in a tie and your bet is returned to you.
Winning both hands in Pai Gow Poker is not as easy as it may seem. Quite often, you'll have to compromise one hand in order not to lose, rather than to win (this is explained fully in our page on Pai Gow Poker Strategy). As a result, you should consider the game as an evens chance bet, suited to lower-risk players who enjoy turning a steady profit without risking too much.
Compared to, for example, Punto Banco / Baccarat or Roulette, it can be a little slow for high rolling, high-risk gamblers, who often prefer the following variation:
Bonus / Fortune Pai Gow Poker
Bonus Pai Gow Poker (sometimes called Fortune Pai Gow) is played in exactly the same way as normal Pai Gow Poker, except that you're given a bonus payout of up to 8000 times your
Essential information for playing at online casinos: Casino reviews | Casino Bonuses | Casino deposit guide
5 cards and 2 cards
The rules of Pai Gow Poker are relatively simple: each player receives seven cards and splits them into two separate hands - a hand of five cards, called 'the back', and a hand of two cards, called 'the front'.
The five card hand must always rank higher than the two.
The rules of Pai Gow Poker are relatively simple: each player receives seven cards and splits them into two separate hands - a hand of five cards, called 'the back', and a hand of two cards, called 'the front'.
The five card hand must always rank higher than the two.
bet if you place a bonus bet and your seven cards hand contains a winning combination - regardless of how you set the front and back. The winning combinations and bonus payouts are given in our Pai Gow Poker Odds table.
The reasons this is more suited to higher-risk players are:
a) you're betting twice as much per game (the bet and the bonus bet) and
b) in the event of a tie, the bonus bet is not returned to you.
But if, for example, your seven cards contained four of a kind, you would receive a bonus payment of 25 times your bonus bet, regardless of your winnings in the 'normal' play.
The reasons this is more suited to higher-risk players are:
a) you're betting twice as much per game (the bet and the bonus bet) and
b) in the event of a tie, the bonus bet is not returned to you.
But if, for example, your seven cards contained four of a kind, you would receive a bonus payment of 25 times your bonus bet, regardless of your winnings in the 'normal' play.
The odds against getting these hands are larger than the payouts, giving a consequently higher house edge, but the possible payouts suit those who enjoy taking more of a risk.
