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A new game for Casinos online is the Pai Gow Poker
Pai gow poker, or double-hand poker, is an Americanized version of Pai
Gow, in that Pai Gow Poker is played with playing cards using poker hand
rankings while Pai Gow is played with Chinese dominoes.
The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, plus a single joker. It
is played on a table marked with seven betting locations if one of the
players serves as "bank"; in a casino where players play against the
house, there are only six betting spots.
The cards are shuffled, and then dealt to the table in seven face-down
piles of seven cards, with four cards unused, regardless of the number
of people playing. Each round's deal begins on a randomly-selected
position on the table, with the hands after the first being dealt to the
player's left around the table. One common way of doing this is to roll
three six-sided dice, then count betting spots clockwise from the first
until the number on the dice is reached; then give that spot the first
hand, the next spot the next hand, and so on until all seven hands have
been allotted (this is an adaptation of the similar procedure used in
Pai Gow). Otherwise, the position is derived from a random-number
generator as shown on a display above the dealing apparatus. If there is
no bet placed on a particular spot, the hand is still assigned but then
placed in the discards with the four unused cards.
Each player is playing against the banker, who may be the casino dealer
or one of the other players.
The object of the game is to create two poker hands out of the seven
cards in your hand: A five-card poker hand and a two-card poker hand.
The five-card hand must rank higher than your two-card hand. The
two-card hand is often called the hand "in front", and the five-card
hand is called the hand "behind", as they are placed that way in front
of the player when he is done setting them. The only two-card hands are
one pair and high cards; no straights, flushes, and so on. The joker
plays as a bug: that is, in the five-card hand it can be used to
complete a straight or flush, if possible; otherwise it is an ace. In
the two-card hand, it always plays as an ace. Five-card hands use
standard poker hand rankings, with one exception: in most Nevada
casinos, the hand A-2-3-4-5 ranks above a king-high straight, but below
the ace-high straight A-K-Q-J-10. In California, this rule doesn't
apply.
If each of your now-separated hands beats the banker's corresponding
hand, then you win your bet. If only one of your hands beats the banker,
then you push. If both of your hands lose to the banker, then you lose.
On each individual hand, ties go to the banker (for example, if your
five-card hand loses to the banker and your two-card hand ties him, you
lose). This gives the banker a small advantage. If you foul your hand,
meaning that your low hand outranks your high hand or that there are an
incorrect number of cards in each hand, there will be a penalty, either
re-arrangement of the hand according to house rules or forfeiture of the
hand.
In casino-banked games, the banker is generally required to set their
hand in a pre-specified manner called "house way", so the dealer does
not have to implement any strategy in order to beat the players. When a
player is banking, he is free to set the hand however he chooses.
However, the player has the option of "co-banking" with the house, and
if this option is chosen, the player's hand must also be set the house
way.
California casinos typically charge a flat fee per hand, such as 50
cents or one dollar, to play, win or lose. Other casinos take out of
winnings a 5% commission. While this seems high, it should be noted that
a hand of Pai Gow poker takes a long time to play compared to, say,
blackjack, and there are many pushes, so the house doesn't collect that
5% as often as it would collect the house percentage on other games.
[edit]
Basic Strategy
Generally speaking, one should try to set the highest two-card hand that
you can legally set (that is, the best two-card hand that still leaves a
higher five-card hand behind). More specifically, one should expect and
"average" hand to be something like a medium-to-high pair behind in the
five-card hand and an ace-high in front. Detailed computer analysis has
been done to determine ideal strategy, but this requires memorizing
large tables. A close approximation can be done with only a few rules of
thumb. If you are playing in a casino, you can always ask that your hand
be set "house way" if you are in doubt; most house strategies are quite
reasonable and can be quite close to optimal strategy.
If you have no pair, no straights, and no flushes, set the second- and
third-highest cards in your two-card hand. For example, with
K-Q-J-9-7-4-3, play Q-J and K-9-7-4-3. There are a few minor exceptions
to this (for example, with A-Q-10-9-5-4-2 it is slightly better to play
Q-9 and A-10-5-4-2), but these are rare and don't affect your win rate
much.
If you have nothing but a single pair, set it in your five-card hand and
put the two highest remaining cards in your two-card hand. For example,
with A-Q-Q-9-6-5-3, play A-9 and Q-Q-6-5-3. There are no exceptions to
this rule. This rule and the rule above will cover 90% of the hands you
play.
Two pair is the most common case where strategy isn't obvious. You can
either play the high pair behind and small pair in front, or else two
pair behind and high cards in front. The smaller your high pair and
higher your remaining cards, the more you should be inclined to play two
pair behind. If your side cards are small, or your larger pair is large,
split the pairs. You should always split pairs if your high pair is
aces, and almost always split if your high pair is kings or queens; they
are high enough by themselves. With something like J-J-4-4-A-Q-5 you can
consider playing A-Q and J-J-4-4-5-, since A-Q in front is not much
worse than 4-4, but two pair behind is much better than a single pair of
jacks. Jacks and tens might be more inclined to split, because tens in
front is much better than A-Q. With pairs as small as 7s and 8s, you
might consider playing two pair behind if you can play a king-high or
better in front. With 2s and 3s, you might even play as little as a
queen-high in front. If you have no side cards higher than a jack,
always split pairs, even 2s and 3s. (Most house ways split if there's a
pair of 6s or higher, and split small pairs if there's no Ace for the
low hand.)
Three pair is a very good hand. Always play the highest pair in front,
no exceptions. For example, with K-K-7-7-4-4-A, play K-K and 7-7-4-4-A.
If you have three of a kind and nothing else, play three of a kind
behind and remaining high cards in front, unless they are aces--always
split three aces, playing a pair of aces behind and ace-high in front.
Occasionally, you can even split three kings if your remaining side
cards are not queen-high (for example, with K-K-K-J-9-7-6, it is
slightly better to play K-J and K-K-9-7-6 than to play J-9 and
K-K-K-7-6). Most house ways only split three Aces.
If you can play a straight or a flush or both, play whichever
straight-or-better five-card hand makes the best two-card hand. For
example, with K♠-9♠-8♣-7♠-6♣-5♠-4♠, playing the flush would put 8-6 in
front, playing the 9-high straight would put K-4 up front, but the
correct play is K-9 and 8-7-6-5-4. Occasionally, you will have a
straight or flush with two pair; in that case, play as if it were two
pair and ignore the straight or flush. This rule applies even if you can
play a straight flush: if a straight or flush makes a better hand in
front, play it that way.
With a full house, generally play trips behind and the pair in front.
The exception is if the pair is very small and your side cards are very
high, for example, with 5-5-5-3-3-A-Q, it might be better to play A-Q
with the full house behind. These are rare, though, and you will never
be making a big mistake if you never play a full house behind. House
ways will always split the full house.
With two sets of trips, play the higher as a pair in front, and the
smaller trips behind. For example, with Q-Q-Q-7-7-7-A, play Q-Q and
7-7-7-A-Q. No exceptions.
With four of a kind, play as if it were two pair, but be slightly less
inclined to split. For example, with 10-10-10-10-J-5-4, play 10-10 and
10-10-J-5-4; with 3-3-3-3-K-Q-7, play K-Q and 3-3-3-3-7. Most house ways
always split the four of a kind.
With three pair and a straight or flush (only possible with the joker),
play as three pair (aces in front).
The cases below will probably never happen to you, but just in case:
With four of a kind and a pair, play the pair in front unless it is very
small and the four of a kind is very large. For example, with
9-9-9-9-7-7-K, play 7-7 and 9-9-9-9-K, but with Q-Q-Q-Q-3-3-9, you might
play Q-Q and Q-Q-3-3-9. House ways always put the quartet in back and
the pair in front.
With a full house and a pair, play the higher pair in front and a full
house in back.
With four of a kind and trips, split the four to play a pair in front
and full house behind. House ways will tend to break the trips.
With all four aces and the joker, play a pair of aces in front and three
aces (or a full house) behind UNLESS your back pair is a pair of kings;
you get the honor of gloating on this one.
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