Originaly From China
The Pai Gow poker is a variation of a Chinese domino game called Gai Gow. This kind of banking poker is played in Las Vegas and in some of the California card clubs.
The Rules
The game is played with a 53 card deck, including a joker, and it is a one on one game, player vs. dealer. At first the players place their bets, and then a player is chosen randomly to be the first to receive his set of cards. After that each player is dealt with seven cards. Then the players form their cards into two hands: five card hand and two card hand. The five-card hand is ranked as in poker with one exception: A2345 is the second highest straight and not the highest. The goal of the game is to make two poker hands that beat the banker's hands. The highest two-card hand is a pair of aces and the lowest is a 2-3. The player wins if both of his hands are higher then the banker's.
The odds
If there is an exact match between the player's and the banker's hands, it is a tie and the tie goes to the banker. If the player wins with both hands he gets even money, less his commission (usually 5%). If the player loses in both hands, he loses the entire wager. The two card hand can not be higher then the five card hand, if it is, both hands lose. The joker can only be used in the following situations: to complete a straight, flush, or a straight flush. When it is not filling these positions, it is taken as an ace.
Improve Your Odds
The game usually has a rotation that makes sure each player gets to be the banker. The banker's chances to make money are greater, so if it is up to you, choose to be the banker. The banker's job is more profitable and you are more likely to earn more (or lose less) money. If you are a player, the most important thing for you learn is how to arrange you cards. It takes a lot of skills to form your two hands in a way that will give you a good head start and also a good closing position.
This game may look simple enough, but it is more complicated then most games. If you enter the game for the first time, pay attention to what is going on and learn as much as you can.
