How to Play Pai Gow Poker
The Game
Pai Gow Poker combines elements of the ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow and the American game of poker. it is played with a traditional deck of 52 playing cards, plus one Joker. The Joker can be used only as an Ace, or to complete a straight, a flush, or a straight flush.
Ranking the Hands
Each player at the table is dealt seven cards, which the player arranges to make two hands: a two-card hand and a five-card hand. Rankings are based on basic poker rankings. Thus, the highest two-card hand would be two Aces, and the highest five-card hand a royal flush.
The five-card hand must be higher than the two-card hand (if the two-card hand is a pair of sevens, for example, the five-card hand must contain at least a pair of eights or higher).
Object of the Game
The object of the game is for both of the player's two hands to rank higher than both of the Banker's two hands. The player's two-card (low) hand must rank higher than the Banker's two-card (low) hand, and the player's five-card (high) hand must rank higher than the Banker's five-card (high) hand. (Should one hand rank exactly the same as the Banker's hand, this is a tie and the Banker wins all tie hands.)
If the player wins one hand, but loses the other, this is considered a "push". In "push" hands, no money exchanges hands. Winning hands are paid even money, less a five percent commission. Losing hands lose the money wagered.
Play of the Game
The house dealer, or any player, may be the Banker. All players bet against the Bank. The house and the players will rotate acting as the bank. In order for a player to back he must have enough money wagered to cover all the other players´ and the house bets. The Banker will be identified by a white plastic marker.
Spirit Mountain Casino uses the Shuffle Master machine on our Pai Gow Poker table. The Shuffle Master machine will shuffle the cards and will also select a number at random which will appear on a small electronic sign located in the center of the table. The number tells the dealer which position on the table will receive the first hand. In Pai Gow Poker, the Banker's position on the table will receive the first hand. In Pai Gow Poker, the Banker's position is always number 1. The dealer counts from the Banker's position. The card will then be placed by the dealer in front of each player (including the dealer) in a counter-clockwise rotation from the starting point indicated by the electronic sign.
Each player then arranges his/her cards into a two-card low hand and a five-card high hand as described above (Ranking the Hands). The house dealer does not look at the cards until all players and player-banker have set their hands in the designated spaces face down. The house dealer then turns his cards over and sets his hand in front of the tray face up.
The player-banker's hand is compared to the house dealer's hand first (see Object of the Game).
The house bet against player-banker will be determined by the amount wagered against it when house dealer was the bank.
Winning hands are left lying face up next to the betting circle. For losing hands, the wager is picked up by the dealer and the cards are placed in the discard holder. Losing wagers are set in the center of the layout. If the player wins one hand and loses the other, this is considered a "push." No money exchanges hands and the cards are placed in the discard holder.
Rules to Remember
- Once the Banker exposes his cards, the players cannot touch theirs.
- Players are not allowed to show their hands or talk to other players about their hands before all cards are exposed.
- Any player's hand that is set incorrectly (e.g., the two-card low-hand ranks higher than the five-card high hand, or player puts three cards in low-hand and four cards in high-hand) is an automatic loser. In other words, players are responsible for arranging their own hands and should do so with care.
- Neither house bank nor the player bank may set an automatic losing hand. The hand must be reset under the house rule.
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