Casino Games - Pai Gow Poker Strategy

Basic Strategy

As the player has to make two hands from seven cards, this can be quite confusing for new players, especially as the 5-card hand has to rank higher than the two card hand. Here's a table to hint at the way certain combinations of cards should be played:

Players Hand	Play this way
No pairs, no straight, no flush	2-card hand - use your second and third highest card 5-card hand - use your highest card
A pair, no pairs, no flush	2-card hand - use your two highest single cards 5- use the pair
Two pair	If you have a single ace, use the ace in the two-card hand and keep the pairs together in the five-card hand. Otherwise split the pairs as follows: 2-card hand - use the lower pair 5-card hand - use the higher pair
Three pair	2-card hand - use the highest pair 5- use the second and third highest pairs
Straight and two pair	Play as two pair, ignore the straight
Five-card straight	2-card hand - use the two cards not in the straight 5-card hand - use the straight
Six-card straight	2-card hand - use the two highest cards that you can 5-card hand - use the remaining straight
Flush and two pair	Play as two pair, ignore the flush
Other flush	2-card hand - play the highest cards in this hand without breaking up the flush 5-card hand - flush
Full house	2-card hand - use the pair 5-card hand - use the three of a kind

If you are playing pai gow poker with a rotating banker then this is an advantage when you are banking because you win all copied hands, so unless you can't cover all the bets being placed on the table, don't pass up this golden opportunity to get an edge.

Appeal

Pai gow is a fun game, which can be enhanced in a casino due to the rituals of the game. The cards are shuffled after each hand, then once the cards are dealt and all bets are made, the dealer shakes and rolls three dice from a teacup to determine which player will get the first stack of cards. The dealer totals the amount shown in the dice, and then starting with himself, counts around the players at the table in a clockwise motion until he reaches the player who gets the first hand. The remaining hands are then dealt out to the players in a counter clockwise motion.

These rituals make this fun game take on a nice relaxing pace. Also due to most hands ending in ties, it's very possible that a £20 bankroll at a £5 hand table could last you quite some time indeed. So if you are looking for a new game to play in the casino or online, then give pai gow poker a try!