Pai Gow Poker is a game that is traditionally played in Las Vegas, and some of the California card clubs and is now a popular game online. It is a banking poker game and the object of the game is to make two poker hands that end up beating the banker’s hand. You are dealt 7 cards that you make into a five card hand (high hand), and a two card hand (low hand). The hands are played and ranked just like a regular poker hand with one single exception A 2 3 4 5 is the second highest straight that you can get and the 5 card hand must be higher than the two card hand. If both of your hands equal out to be better than the bankers hand, you win. If both of your hands lose, you lose or its a push. You must always remember that the bank wins any absolute ties such as 10,J vs. 10, J. The game of Pai Gow Poker is played with a regular 52 card deck plus one joker. The joker can be used as an Ace or to complete a flush or a straight.

The table has a total of 7 spots one front of the dealer and 6 for players. Each player space has a section for a bet, a low hand, a high hand and sometimes even the house commission. If the tables are full with players then the dealers deals out  7 card hands right in front of the chip tray, the banker can act as a player but they usually acts as the house.

In Pai Gow Poker, the banker decides which hand goes to which player by using a dice cup with three dice. The banker’s place is either one, eight, or fifteen, and the other hands are passed out accordingly, counterclockwise. So to summarize, if the dealer who is acting as the bank, gets a total of 6 on the dice, then the player in the fifth position gets the first hand, players six gets the second, the dealer gets the third and so on. But you as the player really don’t have to worry about anything until you get your cards in hand. You will take the two card hand and face it down and then put it in the box closest to the dealer, then you will take the five card hand and face it down and put it in the back box. After everybody has set their hand the dealer then turns over and shows his hand to the players. They dealer goes around the table counterclockwise comparing the banks hand to the players. The banker then decides whether the player should be taking, playing or knocking. There is a slight 5% commission on the game that can either be put next to your winnings or subtracted from your final winnings.

The only real strategic thing you are faced with in Pai Gow Poker is how much to bet and how to set up your hand up. There is an easy way to set up your hand, you try your best to make the highest two card hand that is less than your five card hand. If for some reason you can’t make up your mind on what to do, you can show your hand to the house and they will tell you how they would set it up. Things do tend to get kind of weird when the player wants to be the bank, the house dealer, or the player may end up being the banker. The bank has to bet against all players, the bank will alternate between the house and the player, the house dealer will take the bank every other hand, just to keep things fair. You can always be sure of who the banker is by the white plastic marker that is placed in front of them.

When you are in the position of the banker you must be able to cover either half of or all of the wagers against them. In order for a player to be a banker they have to have played in the prior hand against the house. If the player is acting as the banker, they may call for a smaller amount to be wagered, and the banker must be bank at the same spot of the hand that they previously played when they played against the house. It is almost always a good idea for the player to be the banker as much as possible because the dealer wins on copies and the 5% commission is charged after losses are set against the winnings. The opportunity to be the banker usually goes from person to person, which includes the house, but in some cases the chance will zig zag between the players and the dealer.

Pai Gow Poker is a very easy game to play, and since each and every hand takes a while to play and most hands end up pushing, you can play on a little amount of money for a pretty long time. This game is a variation of a Chinese domino game Gai Gow. After all of the players who are at the table have arranged their hand, the banker arranges theirs according to a set of rules known as the house way. The house way is how the dealer in a particular casino arranges their own hand. The house way differs from casino to casino, but the difference is marginal and doesn’t happen very often. At some places when you go to play poker, you will find that the dealer will also deal a hand to a seat that is empty, which is called a Dragon Hand. Any player can take that Dragon Hand as a second hand if they wish.

The most important thing that you have to remember when you are playing this game is that to increase your odds, you must figure out the ratio of how much is bet when you are the banker and when you are the player, and of course the better the ratio is the better the odds end up being. The second most important thing that you have to remember is to set up your cards really well, the house way is a great way to arrange your cards. It is a proven strategy that will help keep your hands the way they should be to win the most money. The house advantage in this game depends partly on your skill at setting your hands up, and even more on how much of the action you get.

Pai Gow is offered by many different casinos that are powered by all kinds of different software companies, so there are differences in the way the game looks from casino to casino but the rules should remain about the same everywhere you go. No matter whether you decide to use the house way to set up your cards or you use your own unique strategy, you have to find one that best suits your playing style and stick with that because once you have found your niche you will be able to keep a steady head about you and be able to concentrate more on your game.

Concentration is one of the most important things that you can have in this game, we know that sometimes it can be difficult to concentrate on your game. If you think that you will be being interrupted during your game then your best bet is to wait until you are able to have your full concentration. If you get distracted while playing this or any other game you could run the risk of making a simple mistake that could cost you.

Another big tip that we have for you while playing Pai Gow Poker or any gambling game, you have to watch your bank roll. You do not want to put more money into the game than you know you can afford. Since this game goes at the pace that it does, it can be easy to lose a lot of money before you realize what you have done. So the most important information that we could give you is to pay attention to what you are doing while you are playing your game. A good idea is to set aside a certain amount of money before you go into a casino that you are going to play that night. What you do is simply keep to what you decide, spend only the amount that you put aside for that game and once it is gone either quit playing or move to another game. This way you will know for sure how much you have won or lost.

With all of the above information, you are now ready to make an informed decision to play this game and to be able to play with an edge over some of the other players. It will always be to your advantage to have an edge on the other players because you will be able to come out ahead in the end.

CasinoCashJourney.com features a section on Pai Gow Poker with rules, hand rankings, how to set a hand, strategies and tips.