Playing Pai Gow Poker Step-By-Step Guide

Players’ Hands

Every player is in charge of establishing their hand, and the dealer is the only person who is permitted to touch the cards outside of the player. The dealer is there to help if the player needs assistance setting their hand. The dealer may only set the hand in accordance with the house way; you may not stray from it in any manner.

The player will place the cards face down in the appropriate spots after they are happy with the hands they have chosen. The dealer will then turn over and reveal their cards. The players are not permitted to touch their cards once they are exposed.

Players are dealt 7 cards and need to make a 2-card hand and a 5-card hand. Pairs and high cards are the only possible outcomes for the two-card hand. The conventional poker hand rankings are applicable for the five-card hand and the five-card hand must have a superior rank to the two-card hand. Say the two-card hand had a pair of aces, then the 5-card hand must be a 3 of a kind or higher.

House Hands

Dealers have to set their hands in accordance with the "house way," a set of rules that is preset and differs depending on the location. Every time you settle down to play, make sure you find out what the house way is.

For instance, a casino might have a "house way" that resembles the following description.

• Use the top card in the high hand, followed by the second and third highest cards in the low hand, if there is no pair.
•  Use the other highest-ranking cards in the low hand and the pair in the high hand if there is one pair.
• Never divide two low pairs (sixes or less); divide low and medium pairings among the high and low hands; divide medium and high pairs, and so on if there are two pairs.
• For the low hand, always play the highest pair if there are three pairs.

And so on. In essence, dealers are required to follow a certain process while setting their hands, and knowing this process might help you formulate your own approach.

Find a Reputable Online Casino

Do your research and do not pick the first casino you see, even if it is highly recommended as all online casinos are tailored to meet the needs of specific player types (for example, a slots-focussed casino is likely to only offer a limited selection of poker games). Use review sites such as Gambling Zone to learn about the most trustworthy and player-approved sites to narrow your search. As a general rule of thumb, make sure the online casino you have chosen is licensed and accredited by a recognised external body such as the UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission).

Create Account

Once you have chosen the online casino for you, go through the registration process, create your account, deposit your funds and claim any welcome bonuses available to you (just read the terms and conditions first) that are suited to your play style.

Find the Game

Browse the games lobby and find your chosen Pai-Gow Poker game. If you have never played poker before, you might want to try video poker for its simplistic gameplay, or some of the more typical variants such as Hold’em. If you are ready to play Pai-Gow Poker, however, simply cut to the chase and pick the game you like the look of from the available options.

Place your bet

Before playing, make sure you read the game rules, so you know about any specific rulings, as well as the tablet limits for the game. Make sure your wager is within these limits to be eligible. Be sure to gamble responsibly, set a budget and time limit for your session, and never wager more than you can afford to lose.

Set your cards

The dealer and each player are dealt seven cards. After that, each player makes their best five-card and two-card hand.  The joker can only be used to finish a straight or flush. The Joker must be an ace if neither of these circumstances holds true. (Although there are variations in some casinos' policies concerning the joker, this is the most typical.)

A player is dealt a pai-gow, or non-hand, if they are unable to make a pair or better with their cards. An example of this would be if you were dealt Q-9-7-6-5-3-2.

Showdown

The two-card hand is placed in front and the five-card hand is placed behind once players have set their hands. As a result, the two-card hand is frequently referred to as being "on top," "small," "minor," "in front," or "low," whereas the five-card hand is referred to as being "bottom," "high," "behind," or "big."

A hand is fouled and, depending on the casino is either reset in accordance with house regulations or forfeited if it is set wrongly, such as when the two-hand hand ranks higher than the five-card hand.

The cards must be placed in accordance with house regulations if the dealer or casino is acting as the banker. On the other hand, a player may select how to set their hand if they are the banker in that specific hand.