Casino Game & Previews
How to Play Pai Gow Poker
The Game
Pai Gow Poker, also known as Asian Poker, is a card game in which each player receives seven cards to divide into one five-card Poker hand and one two-card Poker hand. This is called "setting" the cards. (A two-card Poker hand may be either a pair or two singletons.) The player must set the seven cards in any way such that the five-card hand scores higher than the two-card hand.
In the form of Pai Gow offered in our virtual casino, you play against the dealer. At the start of the game, the dealer is designated as the "banker." The banker designation alternates between you and the dealer each hand. We refer to the non-banker as the "player." For the banker to win the hand, the banker's five-card hand must copy or beat the player's five-card hand, and the banker's two-card hand must copy or beat the player's two-card hand. For the player to win the hand, the player's five-card hand must beat the banker's five-card hand, and the player's two-card hand must beat the banker's two-card hand. If the player and the banker each win one hand, the result is a "push," and neither wins or loses. Because copy hands go to the banker, the banker enjoys an advantage over the player.
Pai Gow Poker is played with a deck of 53 cards: the standard 52 cards plus a joker. The joker may be used either as an ace or to complete a straight, flush or straight flush.
Pai Gow Poker hands are ranked as they are in regular Poker games. The only exception is that in pai gow Poker, an ace-low straight (A-2-3-4-5) ranks as the second-highest straight, behind an ace-high straight (A-K-Q-J-10).
If you play the drop slot, you open the door to bigger winnings. A hand of a flush or better pays out a big bonus amount, regardless of whether the dealer hand qualifies. The drop slot bet is your assurance of winning a big payout for a big hand in case that the dealer hand does not qualify. In our virtual casino, you receive your drop slot winnings as soon as your receive your cards. The chart below shows the drop slot payouts.
Starting the Game
To start the game, click on the Poker table in the Casino Lobby, or choose a game from the Table Poker menu.
Game Display
The game display consists of a table on which the cards are displayed. The top row of cards belongs to the house (dealer) and the bottom row of cards belongs to you. Each row of cards is divided into "Highest" and "2nd Highest" groups. The Highest group is of five cards; the 2nd Highest group is of two cards. The following buttons and displays appear in a console at the bottom of the table:
| Credits |
Displays your current account balance. |
| Bet |
Displays the amount you are wagering. |
| Win |
Displays the results of the latest game. |
| Deal |
Click the button to start the next hand. |
| House Way |
Click the button to ask the house to divide your cards into highest and 2nd highest hands. |
| Play |
Click the button to indicate that you have finished dividing your cards into highest and 2nd highest hands. |
| Exit |
Click the button to exit the game and return to the Casino Lobby. |
Placing a Bet
Before you start a hand, you must place your bet. Buttons appear to the left and right of the bet amount for this purpose. Click a button to increase or decrease your bet amount. The bet amount is limited by the table minimum and maximum and by your available balance. Once you are satisfied with your bet amount, click the Deal button to place your bet and start the hand.
Playing the Game
You and the dealer receive seven cards each. Your cards are already divided into five-card and two-card hands, but you may rearrange the cards any way you wish. To move a card, either:
Click a card to select it, then click on another card to exchange the two, or
Double-click on a card to send it to the other hand, or
Click and drag a card to the position you choose.
Once you have set your cards, click the Play button to see the results of the hand. You may ask the house to set your cards by clicking the House Way button. The house sets your cards using its own strategy, which is often the optimal strategy, but is not guaranteed to be optimal in all cases. After the house sets your cards, you may continue to move them. The hand finishes only when you click the Play button.
Scoring
If your five-card hand beats the dealer's five-card hand and your two-card hand beats the dealer's two-card hand, you win the hand, and receive twice your original bet back, minus the 5% house commission. The amount of your winnings appears in the Win display.
If the dealer's five-card hand beats your five-card hand and the dealer's two-card hand beats your two-card hand, the dealer wins the hand. The number zero appears in the Win display.
If you and the dealer each win one hand, the result is a push and you receive your original bet back. The word "PUSH" appears in the Win display.
If you fail to set your cards so that the five-card hand outscores the two-card hand, you foul and the dealer wins by default. The word "FOUL" appears in the Win display.
Exiting the Game
Click Exit to exit the game and return to the Casino Lobby. If a hand is in progress, please finish the hand before exiting the game.
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