Pai Gow Poker

Rules

pai-gow-poker_en A total of seven players can participate in a round of Pai Gow Poker or Asian Poker as it is often called. One player acts as the banker, and can hold this position for a maximum of two rounds, the other six players place bets against the banker/dealer. After the cards have been shuffled, every player receives seven cards; dices are thrown to determine who will start.
All players including the dealer have to split their cards into two hands the „Back Hand/High Hand" consisting of fife cards, and a „Front Hand/Low Hand" with two cards. The high hand, is similar to the poker hands of other variations, with just a few variations, as for instance the highest hand is the straight flush 10-J-Q-K-A, the second highest straight flush is: A-2-3-4-5 with the third highest being 9-10-J-Q-K, after that the order of straights is based on the highest card. After that the “regular poker” hands apply. Pai Gow Poker is played with 53 cards as a Joker is added to the deck, and may be used in a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Flush or Straight. But the “bug” as the joker is called can also be used as an Ace, so don’t be surprised if an opponent declares “I have fife Aces”, as this is possible in Pai Gow Poker, and by the way the highest possible hand.
The low hand can consist of pairs, again with two aces being their strongest hand down to 2s, or as “no pair” with a high card. The low hand has neither flush nor a straight.
Once all players have concluded to create their hands, and sorting their cards, they have to be place on the appropriate spots on the table. The dealer flips the cards and the payout is determined.

Payout

As every player plays individually against the bank, as in Black Jack, the high and low hand needs to be better than the dealer’s.
Payout depends on the wager, but 5% are going to the bank. Should both dealer and player each have one stronger hand they tie, also called “Push”. On each hand, ties go to the banker (for example, if a player's five-card hand loses to the banker and his two-card hand ties the banker then the player loses); this gives the banker a small advantage.

Strategies

Casinos have established house rules for Pai Gow, should the dealer also be the bank then he needs to conform to these rules. Should another player take on the role of the banker, then he is not obliged, but recommended to obey the house rules.
Enclosed a few tricks for the banker/player:

Should you not have a pair, then place the highest card in the high hand and the second highest hand in the low hand. If you do have a pair, then place it in the high hand, putting the two highest cards into the low hand.
If you have two pairs place both into the high hand, and as before put the two highest cards into the low hand. However, you should split up the two pairs (into high & low hand) under the following conditions:

If you have a pair of 7s or higher, and no Ace
If you have a pair of Jacks and 6s or higher, and you do have an Ace
If you have a pair of Aces and another pair
Should you have three pairs, then place the highest pair into the low hand and the other two into the high hand

These are just a few guidelines, and there are many more tips and tricks you can apply to optimize your game.

History

Pai Gow means “make nine” and has its origins in China. Initially it was one o the numerous domino versions and very difficult to lean. At some point it started to be played with poker cards, most likely because dominos were not at hand. This version quickly gained in popularity, but only made it to Las Vegas in the late 1980s. From California, a place with a high Asian population the game made it to the casinos in Atlanta, where it was an instant hit.
Pai Gow Poker is practically unknown in Europe, but people how know the game play it with great enthusiasm. Note however, that the game itself is very different form the original Chinese Pai Gow.