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Pai Gow Poker Play Instructions


 

Pai Gow poker: is an Americanized version of a Chinese gambling game played with dominoes. American poker players play Pai Gow using the standard 52-card deck plus one joker. It allows six players and a dealer. It is generally believed that the game was created by Fred Wolf as well as Sam Torosian. Today, the game of Pai Gow is a major crowd favorite at traditional as well as online poker rooms and enjoys massive popularity all over the world.



Each Pai Gow player is playing only against the banker without taking into account other game participants. In Pai Gow, the banker's role may be performed either by the house dealer or any of the players at the table. A player must form two poker hands out of the seven he is dealt, a two card hand as well as a five-card hand. According to Pai Gow poker rules, the five-card hand, referred to as the one 'on top,' must be stronger than the two-card hand, the 'bottom' one.

To kick off play, the dealer shuffles the cards and deals them to the table in seven piles placed face down. Each of the piles must contain seven cards. The remaining four cards are always unused no matter how many players take part in the game. The active players are assigned numbers 1 through 7. A number representing one of the positions at the table is selected, either using dice or electronically. The deal commences with the corresponding position. The betting action proceeds in a counter-clockwise direction. If a particular spot is unoccupied, the hand is still assigned, but then it is removed from the table and placed along with other discarded cards..

Although as we have mentioned above the game originally came from China, Pai Gow poker players use the traditional poker hand ranking system. The only two-card hands allowed are one pair and high cards. The five-card hands are as usual with a single exception: in many Nevada casinos, the A2345 hand ranks between the king-high straight and the ace-high straight AKQJ10. The Joker has many different roles. In the five-card hand, players can use it to complete a flush or straight. In any other case it serves as an Ace. In the two card hand, it always serves as an Ace.

Determining the winner in Pai Gow poker is very simple. If both of the player's hands are stronger than the banker's corresponding hands (five against five and two against two), then he is the winner. If only one of his hands is stronger than the banker then a push takes place. If both of his hands are weaker than the banker's, then he is the loser. If the player and the banker happen to have hands of the same value, the banker wins. Evidently, this gives the banker an edge over the player.

Overall, the game of Pai Gow does not require a player to develop complex gaming strategies in order to win. It's fun, it's exciting and it's all about having a good time! Enjoy!

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