Pai gow Poker is an American card-playing derivative of the centuries-old casino game of Chinese Dominoes. In the early 1800’s, Chinese laborers introduced the casino game while working in California.
The game’s reputation with Chinese gamblers ultimately drew the attention of entrepreneurial gamblers who substituted the standard tiles with cards and shaped the game into a new form of poker. Introduced into the poker suites of California in ‘86, the game’s immediate acceptance and popularity with Asian poker players drew the awareness of Nevada’s casino operators who quickly absorbed the casino game into their own poker rooms. The reputation of the game has continued into the twenty-first century.
Pai gow tables accommodate up to 6 players and also a croupier. Differentiating from conventional poker, all players bet on against the croupier and not against each and every other.
In a counterclockwise rotation, each gambler is dealt 7 face down cards by the dealer. Forty-nine cards are given, including the croupier’s seven cards.
Just about every gambler and the dealer must form two poker hands: a superior hand of 5 cards and also a low palm of two cards. The hands are based on standard poker rankings and as such, a 2 card hands of 2 aces would be the greatest possible hand of 2 cards. A five aces hands would be the greatest 5 card hands. How do you have five aces in a standard 52 card deck? You might be actually betting with a 53 card deck since one joker is permitted into the game. The joker is considered a wild card and might be used as one more ace or to complete a straight or flush.
The greatest two hands win each casino game and only a single gambler having the two highest hands simultaneously can win.
A dice throw from a cup containing three dice decides who will be dealt the first hand. After the hands are dealt, players must form the two poker hands, keeping in mind that the five-card palm must constantly rank higher than the 2-card hand.
When all players have set their hands, the croupier will generate comparisons with his or her hand position for pay outs. If a gambler has one hands higher in position than the croupier’s except a lower 2nd palm, this is considered a tie.
If the croupier beats each hands, the player loses. In the situation of each player’s hands and both croupier’s hands being identical, the dealer is victorious. In casino play, ofttimes allowances are made for a player to become the croupier. In this case, the player will need to have the funds for any payouts due succeeding players. Of course, the player acting as croupier can corner a few large pots if he can beat most of the players.
A number of gambling establishments rule that gamblers can not deal or bank two back to back hands, and a few poker rooms will offer to co-bank 50/50 with any gambler that decides to take the bank. In all instances, the croupier will ask players in turn if they want to be the banker.
In Pai-gow Poker, that you are dealt "static" cards which means you’ve no opportunity to change cards to probably enhance your hands. Even so, as in standard five-card draw, you’ll find strategies to make the best of what you could have been given. An example is maintaining the flushes or straights in the five-card palm and the two cards remaining as the 2nd superior hand.
If you are lucky enough to draw four aces plus a joker, you are able to retain three aces in the five-card hands and bolster your two-card hand with the other ace and joker. 2 pair? Retain the greater pair in the 5-card hands and the other 2 matching cards will produce up the second hands.
