Winning at Pai Gow Poker

Are you looking for a different type of poker game with some great action? Look no further than Pai Gow poker. It’s Five Card Draw with a big twist.

Pai Gow Poker began in China and is played against the banker. If you’re not a fan of community poker games, this one is for you. There are seven spots at the Pai Gow table: five players, a dealer and a banker. Players get seven cards and make two hands to beat the banker, not the dealer. The role of the banker rotates around the table. Even the dealer can be the banker. The dealer plays each hand.

For the two hands, one is made up of five cards and the other is made up of two cards. However, the five-card hand must have a higher value than the two-card hand. Your first instinct is to use your top pair as the two-card hand, but that is not allowed in Pai Gow Poker. Instead, your top pair goes in the five-card hand and your two-card hand may just be a high card.

Pai Gow is a tough game because both of your hands must beat each of the banker’s hands. The banker wins if they are equal. If you win one hand and the banker wins the other, it’s known as a push and you get your original bet back. Winning players get paid from the banker’s funds. Losing players pay the banker. The house generally gets a 5% commission on wins.