Pai Gow Poker is an old Asian game adapted to the Western version 1980s. Initially, Pai Gow was a traditional Chinese domino gambling game transformed into a card game when it was introduced into America. Pai Gow Poker was born, fusing classic poker elements with the traditional rules of the domino game. The card game duel sees online players battle it out against the dealer to see who has the better hand. Our Pai Gow Poker guide contains details of how to play Pai Gow, Pai Gow Poker rules and strategies, everything you need to win. See why Pai Gow Poker is fast becoming one of the most beloved casino card games in Australia.
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What is Pai Gow & What Does Pai Gow Mean?
Pai Gow is originally a Chinese gambling game, played using tiles. The Pai Gow meaning literally translates to double hand. The game of Pai Gow was played using 32 tiles until it was transformed, in favour of using a deck of cards. In total, a 52 card deck is used in the casino table game, with only four cards remaining unused. Since merging with traditional Poker rules, the Pai Gow card game shares several similarities with the American card game. We’ve collated all the basics of Pai Gow Poker, in order to help Aussie gamblers learn how to play Pai Gow Poker online.
How to Play Pai Gow Poker
Learning how to play Pai Gow online should be a breeze for Australian players, simply follow these simple steps, and head over to our top recommended Pai Gow casinos to win. It is especially easy to follow if one has a basic Poker background. The most important thing to consider about Pai Gow Poker is that each gambler gets seven cards and they must divide them to make up two separate hands of cards. This is why it is commonly referred to as a double-handed poker game, as it also uses a standard deck of 52 cards plus one joker card.
Consistent with the American version of traditional poker, Pai Gow rules dictate that one hand consist of five cards and the second hand be made up of two cards. The first hand is referred to as the “front” hand and the second hand is called the “behind”. In order for AU players to win, the total of each hand must be higher than those of the dealer. There’s a number of ways that have proven fruitful for many players, and we’ve listed them in our Pai Gow tips and tricks below. We do not guarantee that you will win every time, but they will have you playing Pai Gow like a pro in no time.
Pai Gow Poker Strategy Betting
Pai Gow casino sites enjoy a large following due to the fact that Pai Gow Poker offers players an opportunity to influence the outcome of the result. Unlike most gambling games that are heavily reliant on luck, there are Pai Gow strategies to help players increase their chances of winning. As a rule, Pai Gai Poker players are encouraged not to play against one another, but rather try to beat the dealer. To increase your chances of winning every time, players must master the art of splitting their cards into the front and behind hands. Here are a few ways to go about achieving this task:
- Upon receiving the seven cards, arrange your hands by keeping in mind the total sum of the five-card hand while maintaining a high ranking two card hand. Players should not aim to create one strong hand while another may be compromised.
- In the event that you are dealt multiple pairs of cards, you must divide them between your two hands. This is because winning in a game of Pai Gow Poker can only be achieved if both hands are higher than the dealers.
- As a reminder, the game is played with a standard deck 52 of cards of which the joker in Pai Gow is an additional card. It takes on the role of a wild card in Pai Gow Poker. Gamblers must use the Joker in a front hand to complete a flush combination as opposed to using it on the low two-card hand.
- It cannot be stressed enough how knowing the value of each card can be the difference between winning and losing. Hence, we recommend players place their highest-ranking pair of cards in their two-card hand unless both pairs are between Aces and Jacks.
- Because they are so hard to come by, the object of this card game is never to split a potential flush or straight hand with the exception of a player having a higher-ranking pair.
Common Pai Gow Poker Hands
We’ve collected a few potential combinations of a five-card hand that commonly present themselves when you play Pai Gow Poker for real money. These combinations have a high success rate in the hand ranking system used in the internet card table game.
- One Pair represents 2 of the same kind of cards out of 5 (e.g. 8, 8, X, X, X)
- Two Pairs represents 2 pairs and 1 different card (e.g. 6, 6, 5, 5, X)
- 5 Aces represents 4 Aces plus a wildcard (joker)
- Three of a Kind represents 3 similar cards with 2 different ones
- Royal Flush represents A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit. The Ace is the highest card in this combination.
- Four of a Kind represents 4 Ace cards and a different card (e.g. A, A, A, A, X)
- Full House represents 3 of a kind plus a pair. (e.g. J, J, J, 3, 3)
- Flush represents 5 cards that are of the same suit
- Straight represents a hand with 5 cards of differing suits in mathematical order (e.g. A, 2, 3, 4, 5)
- Straight Flush represents 5 cards of the same suit in mathematical sequence (e.g. 7, 8, 9, 10, J)
Real Money Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow online is very similar to the land-based versions of the casino game. The Pai Gow table layout is optimised for desktop PCs and mobile phones, whereby six players and the dealer can play. In the internet Pai Gow, you play against a random number generator, with the option to choose live Pai Gow Poker games from select gambling sites in Australia. Live Dealer Pai Gow Poker titles are offered by the best live casino sites in Australia, fully compatible with mobile smartphone devices such as iPhones, Android, Windows Phones and Mac devices. You can easily find a Pai Gow Poker app from the App Store, complete with Pai Gow Poker games from leading software developers.
When you play Pai Gow online for real money, players need to choose gambling sites that have Pai Gow odds that are favourable to the player. This relates to titles whereby the Pai Gow Poker house edge is low, further helping gamblers earn extra money. While the Pai Gow Poker house way also dictates the house edge, players must ensure that they remember the rules for Pai Gow when playing. As a means of putting the strategies into practice, players should scour the net to find Pai Gow Poker with bonus packages. These gambling sites that feature Pai Gow Poker free games help players familiarise themselves with the betting structure as well as game rules.
The History of Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is derived from one of the most popular Chinese domino games. Originally played using tiles, the is reported to have evolved somewhere between the 10th and 13th centuries, depending on who you ask. The 32 tiles featured in the game are shuffled and arranged into eight stacks of four dominoes. Each player is handed a stack of tiles in which they must to form two separate hands. As the game grew in popularity, it could not be contained in Asian borders any longer.
Sam Torosian is credited for inventing the American version of Pai Gow Poker in 1985 after heeding suggestion from a patron of his Bell Card Club. He made several alterations to the original game, opting for fewer cards to make the game quicker. Over time, this poker variation quickly blew up in popularity across the United States and later, the rest of the world.