How to Play Let It Ride Poker
June 13, 2023
How to Play Roulette
June 13, 2023
Ranking the Hands/Card Values
Pai gow poker is one of the simplest games at the casino, and it’s starting to make a big splash around the world. Pai Gow Poker combines elements of the ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow and the American poker game. Pai Gow Poker is played with a traditional deck of 52 playing cards plus one Joker.
The Joker is used only as an Ace, or to complete a straight, a flush or a straight flush.
It is sometimes referred to as double-handed poker. The player receives seven cards, which must then be “set” in a high hand and a low hand and co-paired with the dealer’s two hands to determine the winner. Due to a rather slow pace and a lot of ties, Pai Gow Poker is less intense than most casino games and a modest buy in can usually last a long time.
The game can have up to eight players, one of the players is called the Banker, he or she is responsible for dealing the Cards. The player(s) compete against the banker, each competing to make the best possible hands. The house initially assumes the role of the bank with the dealer as the banker, and then the position moves around from player to player. The role of banker can be declined by any player, and passed on to the next person in line.
The role of banker is indicated with a chung that is set in front of that player’s area. When the dealer is not the banker, he/she plays the hand as a player.
A roll of the dice or a randomly generated number determines which player gets the first set of cards. Each player then arranges his seven cards into a five-card hand and a two-card hand. The five-card hand is ranked as in poker. Most, but not all, casinos treat A2345 (the “wheel”) as the second highest straight.
The two-card hand is scored by pairs beating two singletons, then by the individual ranks. The highest two-card hand is a pair of aces, and the lowest is 3-2.
After each player has arranged his hand, the banker arranges his according to a set of fixed rules known as the “house way.” Then the player’s five-card hand is compared to the banker’s five-card hand; the higher hand wins. Likewise, the player’s two-card hand is compared to the banker’s two-card hand.
In the event of an exact match between hands, called a copy, the tie goes to the banker. If the player beats the banker with both hands, the player wins even money less a 5% commission. If the player wins one and loses one the bet is a push. If the player loses both the player loses the entire wager.
Pai Gow Rules
5 card hand must rank higher than the 2 card hand Cards are ranked according to standard poker rules (chart below) Joker can only be used to complete straights or flushes, otherwise it counts as an Ace Dealer wins any copied hand.
The Player can win if: Both the 5-card and the 2-card poker hand outrank the dealers hand.
The Player loses if: Both the 5-card and the 2-card poker hand are outranked by the dealers hand. The dealer outranks either of the two hands and the other hand is a copy.
The Player pushes if: The player wins one hand and the dealer wins the other.
Ranking the Hands/Card Values
The hands are ranked according to standard poker rules with one exception: the Ace-2-3-4-5 straight is the second highest straight. Straights rank, from highest to lowest: Ace-K-Q-J-10, Ace-2-3-4-5, K-Q-J-10-9 … 6-5-4-3-2. Also, keep in mind that the best two-card hand is a pair of aces; the two-card hand cannot have a flush (since a flush requires five cards).
| Hand Name | Description | Example |
| Five of a Kind | 4 aces plus the Joker | AS, AH, AD, AC, Joker |
| Royal Flush | 10, J, Q, K, A of same suit | 10H, JH, QH, KH, AH |
| Straight Flush | In sequence, 5 cards of same suit | 3S, 4S, 5S, 6S, 7S |
| Four of a Kind | 4 cards of same rank | 6D, 6S, 6C, 6H |
| Full House | 3 of a kind, plus a pair | 2H, 2D, 2S, 3H, 3S |
| Flush | 5 cards of same suit | 2D, 4D, 6D, 8D, 9D, |
| Straight | 5 cards in sequence | 3H, 4C, 5H, 6S, 7D |
| Three of a Kind | 3 cards of same rank | 7H, 7S, 7D |
| Two Pair | 2 pairs of different rank | 4H, 4S, 6D, 6S |
| One Pair | 1 pair (2 cards) of same rank | KD, KH |
| High Card | 5 cards of different ranks and suits | AH, KS, 10D, 5C, 2C |
Player Actions/Button Descriptions:
Bet – To place a bet, the Player must click on the chip value that they wish to wager.
Deal – Press Deal to begin the game once a wager has been placed. The Player gets 7 cards face up and the Dealer gets 7 cards face down.
Split – To split the cards into two hands, the player must click on the 2 cards that will make up the 2 card hand and then click the Split button.
Pai Gow Payout
Winnings paid to the player are even minus a 5% commission. If the player risked $100, the winning hand would return the risk amount plus an additional $95. The game will round up to the next $0.25 when taking commissions.
