How to play

An Elementary Guide on How to Play and Win a Pai Gow Game

Pai Gow is an ancient casino table game that can be played either for fun or real money. Learn all the essential details on how to play Pai Gow.

An Overview of the Game's Details

Players must first place their bets before they can receive the cards. The wager is within the minimum and the maximum and will cover the entire duration of the hand. Players also land themselves a bonus bet if they get a premium hand. With a premium hand, players have the chance to get a better payout with their bet. Getting the bonus doesn't depend on whether the player wins or not. There is a big difference between the bet sizes players make acting as a player as compared to the bet sizes betting as a banker. The bigger the bet sizes, the higher the winning odds at Pai Gow.

The Showdown

Once players have their two poker hands placed, they place their hands with two cards showing the front and the five-card in their back. Every player is playing to win against the banker and not against one another. This is the other part that makes Pai Gow fun because all the players can win or lose together. The banker is either the dealer or another player on the table. For a player to win, they must win both the front and the back five-card hand. Losing one and winning one is considered a push, and losing both is a loss on the player. The banker wins if the front or the back ties.

Keep an Eye on Side Bets

Side bets Pai in Gow variants are increasingly gaining popularity, and they include bets that give players better-winning chances. The good thing about side bets is that they do not detract or add from bets for the hand. The player will be betting extra instead. The chances include whether they get four-of-a-kind, three-of-a-kind, a royal flush, or a straight flush. The higher the hands, the higher the amount players get on their bonus payout. Players can also get bonuses with their side bets on some casinos. With this, players wager that another player will hit a premium hand.

The Bottom Line

Winning is mostly dependent on how players deal with cards because the game doesn't have any betting rounds. Players need to learn skills in setting their hands for them to win against the banker. Gamblers have hands they can place in different ways, and the outcomes are generally unpredictable. To get a guaranteed push, a player may consider the bottom option as the most profitable play as it has better chances of winning. Sometimes this boils down to personal preferences or feelings. The coolest part of this is that the player can always ask the dealer if they feel confused.