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.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Winning at Five Card Draw Poker
Before understanding any type of poker game, you need to know Five Card Draw. The other popular forms include Texas Hold’em, Pai Gow, Let It Ride and Stud Poker like Caribbean Stud or 7 Card Stud. Five Card Draw is pretty easy to get the hang of and start winning, and you don’t even need Charlie Sheen.
A game of Five Card Draw Poker starts with each player anteing up, which is a small wager to be in the hand. Each played gets dealt five cards. Players form the best poker hand using standard rankings. After checking out your potential hand, next is the first round of betting. Then, there is one round of discarding. You can discard as many of your five cards as you want. After that is the second round of betting. With each round of betting, players raise until everyone has called or folded. The showdown of those left in the hand decides the winner.
Since poker is a strategy game, you need to study the game before jumping in. The professionals you see on TV know the winning odds of each hand. I suggest starting out by playing poker online for free so you can get a feel for the game and learn the etiquette of when to bet. Once you get some strategy down, choose a table with low stakes. At online casinos, you will have a variety of tables to choose from and it is much easier to move to other tables than at land-based casinos.
A game of Five Card Draw Poker starts with each player anteing up, which is a small wager to be in the hand. Each played gets dealt five cards. Players form the best poker hand using standard rankings. After checking out your potential hand, next is the first round of betting. Then, there is one round of discarding. You can discard as many of your five cards as you want. After that is the second round of betting. With each round of betting, players raise until everyone has called or folded. The showdown of those left in the hand decides the winner.
Since poker is a strategy game, you need to study the game before jumping in. The professionals you see on TV know the winning odds of each hand. I suggest starting out by playing poker online for free so you can get a feel for the game and learn the etiquette of when to bet. Once you get some strategy down, choose a table with low stakes. At online casinos, you will have a variety of tables to choose from and it is much easier to move to other tables than at land-based casinos.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Most Popular Video Poker Games
Now that you know how to play video poker, its time to learn about the most popular video poker games. Video poker is a combination of slots and poker. It’s sort of the lazy man’s poker game. But with so many different types of video poker, you need to know what you are getting into each time. The betting varies for each but you can generally bet anywhere from $0.05 to as much as $100 per hand, in some cases. But usually, single bets range from $0.25 to $5. All of these games are available at land-based or online casinos.
Aces & Faces: This is the most common video poker game. Four Aces or four of a kind on face cards is worth more than a Straight Flush. The lowest winning combination is a pair of Jacks. You may have an option to double up. The dealer gets one card dealt face up and you get four cards dealt face down. You choose one and if it ranks higher than that of the dealer’s, your winnings double. In some cases, you can keep doubling but may only be able to double one more time on a tie. Like nearly every casino bonus game, you lose your entire bet if you lose.
Joker: This one uses 53 cards and the Joker is the wild card. The three best payouts are a Natural Royal Flush (doesn’t include the Joker), five of a kind (with the Joker) and a Joker Royal Flush.
Double Joker: The two Jokers are the wild cards. The same rules of the Joker game apply.
Deuces Wild: The 2’s are wild cards. Your odds of winning are better so the lowest payout is three of a kind.
Deuces & Joker: Same as Deuces Wild but adds a Joker. The 2’s and the Joker are the wild cards. Payout start at three of a kind and at the top is four deuces and the Joker. Four deuces has a higher payout than a Wild Royal Flush with the Joker.
Jacks or Better: This one offers some of the best video poker odds and can be single or multi-line. The lowest payout (break even) is a pair of face cards. On multi-line games, bets range from $.05-$100 per hand.
Tens or Better: The same as Jacks or Better but the lowest payout is a pair of 10’s.
Progressive: This one has a progressive jackpot and uses 52 cards, plus several Jokers. Different players visit the same virtual machine as the jackpot increases. The pot restarts after every hit jackpot.
Aces & Faces: This is the most common video poker game. Four Aces or four of a kind on face cards is worth more than a Straight Flush. The lowest winning combination is a pair of Jacks. You may have an option to double up. The dealer gets one card dealt face up and you get four cards dealt face down. You choose one and if it ranks higher than that of the dealer’s, your winnings double. In some cases, you can keep doubling but may only be able to double one more time on a tie. Like nearly every casino bonus game, you lose your entire bet if you lose.
Joker: This one uses 53 cards and the Joker is the wild card. The three best payouts are a Natural Royal Flush (doesn’t include the Joker), five of a kind (with the Joker) and a Joker Royal Flush.
Double Joker: The two Jokers are the wild cards. The same rules of the Joker game apply.
Deuces Wild: The 2’s are wild cards. Your odds of winning are better so the lowest payout is three of a kind.
Deuces & Joker: Same as Deuces Wild but adds a Joker. The 2’s and the Joker are the wild cards. Payout start at three of a kind and at the top is four deuces and the Joker. Four deuces has a higher payout than a Wild Royal Flush with the Joker.
Jacks or Better: This one offers some of the best video poker odds and can be single or multi-line. The lowest payout (break even) is a pair of face cards. On multi-line games, bets range from $.05-$100 per hand.
Tens or Better: The same as Jacks or Better but the lowest payout is a pair of 10’s.
Progressive: This one has a progressive jackpot and uses 52 cards, plus several Jokers. Different players visit the same virtual machine as the jackpot increases. The pot restarts after every hit jackpot.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Winning at Video Poker
If you didn’t already know, video poker is an electronic version of poker. There are many different variations of video poker where the top hand varies, but there are standard rules to each game.
You play only the dealer in video poker and it has more favorable odds than slots or roulette because there is still some skill involved. You need to know your standard poker hand rankings. With a little bit of luck on the draw and some strategy, you will be winning in no time. Unlike other forms of poker, you don’t have to rush your hand when the action is on you. You have all the time to make the decision because you are playing against a machine. Video poker games will rank the hands the hands differently so read up before playing. There are strategy sheets if you need them.
When starting out online, play for free with fun money to learn the game. At a land-based casino, start on the lowest-denomination machine until you get comfortable. Bet low amounts and test out some strategy. Each video poker game has different wild cards so commit them to memory before beginning.
As far as discarding goes, some hands are just all bad. You will run into times when you have absolutely nothing and no face cards. Don’t be afraid to discard everything. Inside straight draws like 2, 3, 4, 6 should be avoided. Your odds are slim with four possible winning cards plus the wild cards. Instead, go for an outside straight like 3, 4, 5, 6. Your odds are better with eight possible winning cards plus the wilds.
When holding, keep a pair instead of a single high card. It doesn’t matter how low the pair is, your odds for payouts like a three of a kind are better than discarding and staring from scratch. Never discard a paying hand unless you have a good chance at a Royal Flush, the jackpot of video poker. Also, bonus games in video poker are a bad idea. If you won a hand based on strategy, don’t risk it all with a game based on luck like guessing the color or suit of a card.
You play only the dealer in video poker and it has more favorable odds than slots or roulette because there is still some skill involved. You need to know your standard poker hand rankings. With a little bit of luck on the draw and some strategy, you will be winning in no time. Unlike other forms of poker, you don’t have to rush your hand when the action is on you. You have all the time to make the decision because you are playing against a machine. Video poker games will rank the hands the hands differently so read up before playing. There are strategy sheets if you need them.
When starting out online, play for free with fun money to learn the game. At a land-based casino, start on the lowest-denomination machine until you get comfortable. Bet low amounts and test out some strategy. Each video poker game has different wild cards so commit them to memory before beginning.
As far as discarding goes, some hands are just all bad. You will run into times when you have absolutely nothing and no face cards. Don’t be afraid to discard everything. Inside straight draws like 2, 3, 4, 6 should be avoided. Your odds are slim with four possible winning cards plus the wild cards. Instead, go for an outside straight like 3, 4, 5, 6. Your odds are better with eight possible winning cards plus the wilds.
When holding, keep a pair instead of a single high card. It doesn’t matter how low the pair is, your odds for payouts like a three of a kind are better than discarding and staring from scratch. Never discard a paying hand unless you have a good chance at a Royal Flush, the jackpot of video poker. Also, bonus games in video poker are a bad idea. If you won a hand based on strategy, don’t risk it all with a game based on luck like guessing the color or suit of a card.
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