Jim Green's guide to Pai Gow Pokerby Jim Green |
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Jim Green offers his wisdom on Pai Gaw Poker
If you want a more straightforward guide to the basic rules of PaiGow Poker then you should consult the how to guide. I'll try to explain as I go along but don't rely on it.
Like pretty much every casino game, you start by ponying up your wager. If you win you get 1.95 times your bet back. A tie (which happens quite a lot) returns your wager and if you lose the casino keeps your money. The large amount of ties in this game mean you can bet bigger than you would at blackjack (generating more wagering action for the casino and clearing your bonus while still looking like a good customer).
You get seven cards and have to arrange them into a five card and a two card hand. The five card hand has to rank higher than the two card hand (so if you have a pair of Queens in your two card hand, you need at least a pair of Kings in your five card hand). All the online casinos I have played at will let you know if you violate this requirement. They also offer a "house way" of setting your hand. The house way is the set of rules for arranging the hands that the dealer will be following, so it's a pretty good idea to have a look at their suggestion - it also prevents silly mistakes (I nearly missed seeing a straight flush once).
The dealer then compares your five card hand with his five card hand and your two card hand with his two card hand. You need to win both hands to win but you have to lose both hands to lose. This makes for a lot of ties.
Pai Gow Poker takes a little bit of getting used to, but you pick up the basics very quickly. It then becomes a lot of fun, working out what to do with your hand. The house way usually gives you the most chance of winning both hands but sometimes it's fun to gambool it up a little (or to stack one hand to be sure of at least tieing overall.
Whether to split a two pair hand or not is perhaps the trickiest decision in Paigow Poker, and the house way is fairly arbitrary. The wizard of odds, who is apparantly the professor of casino math at the University of Las Vegas, has the following simple rules:
Always split two pair, except if:
If you have two low pairs (the sum of the ranks is less than ten) and a Ace or King (or both) unmatched, then keep the pairs in the main hand and put your highest two unmatched cards in the two-card hand.
OR
If you have a low pair and a medium pair (the sum of the ranks is less than sixteen) and an unmatched Ace, then keep the pairs in the main hand and put your two highest unmatched cards in the two-card hand.
So, if you want to try something different, sit down at a Pai Gow table. if you make sure to always consult the "house way" option, you will not make any serious mistakes. Paigow poker is easier to play well than blackjack and it's more fun.
Some casinos offer PaiGow Poker with a "be the banker" option, which dramatically lowers the house edge when it's your turn to be the bank. If you're up against big betting players (or can needle people into betting big against you) then you can make some nice cash.
I've got a sudden craving for sweet and sour pork now. If you've got a craving for more Pai Gow information, Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker by Stanford Wong is pretty much the last word on this game. If you've got a craving for sweet and sour pork, I can't help you with that, try your nearest Chinese restaurant.Comments on Jim Green's guide to Pai Gow Poker |
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