Pai Gow Poker Rules
Pai Gow Poker is one of the many casinos games where the rules vary from house to house. There are two different topics to consider when referring to the term Pai Gow Poker Rules: House Rules and House Way. House rules are things such as how often a player can bank, any special unique hand rankings, etc. House Way is the way a dealer is forced to set their hand. While players make decisions when arranging their seven cards into a five card and two card poker hand, the dealer always follows the house rules – these rules are called “House Way”. In this article we’ll be focusing on actual Pai Gow Poker rules and their variations as opposed to “House Way”.
If you need to brush on how to play the game first then check out this page: How To Play Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker Rule Variations
Hand Rankings: All Pai Gow Poker games have the same hand rankings, except for one possible exception. Most casinos’ Pai Gow Poker rules state A-2-3-4-5 is the second highest possible straight. This rule is ignored in some casinos, so when this hand appears it is often important to know how it ranks at that particular casino.
Foul Hands: Pai Gow Poker rules require a player’s five card hand to be higher than their two card hand. Even seasoned pros on very rare occasions make mistakes. When it is an obvious mistake call and plead with the floor for help, but don’t expect it – rules state this is a loss and most always the floor will rule a foul hand dead. The reason we even mention this rule is for online play. Most online casinos will not allow a player to set a foul hand. When a foul hand is attempted a warning message will come up and the dealer’s cards will not be revealed until the hand is fixed. If any online casino software allows foul hands, I’d probably avoid using that casino even if I was sure I wouldn’t ever set a foul hand. This is just personal preference, but it’s hard to trust a casino that wants additional edge do to player’s mistakes when technology could prevent this.
Commission Betting: This applies to live casino Pai Gow Poker. At some live casinos it is possible to bet the commission in advanced, for example betting $105 instead of $100. When you win you’re paid the bet and the commission is taken. When this is allowed it is highly recommended as it reduced the 5% commission down to 4.74% commission.
Banking Rules: Each live casino has its own policy when a player can bank. Some allow any player to claim the bank (first to request it) with it being an option every other hand. At other casinos a banker button rotates around the table every other hand and the player has the option to take or decline the bank. In live games finding a casino that allows banking every other hand by the first player to claim it is advantageous, especially if you’re the only player at the table interested in having the bank.
Bonus Rules: Regarding online Pai Gow Poker: some casinos allow their bonus to be cleared at Pai Gow and others don’t. For example Go Casino and Online Vegas strictly prohibit Pai Gow from being played while bonus cash is in their account. Other Casinos such as Bet365 Casino allow it, but increase the required rollover. Bodog, Betfair and 888 Casino offer it fully, with 888 Casino offering the bet Pai Gow Poker bonus of all online casinos.
Commission Rules: This can be a big one to micro limit players. At Bodog, as well as several other online casinos, commission is calculated in 25 cent increments rounding up. This means if you bet $1 per hand and will you’ll end up paying 25% commission. If you bet $6 on a hand and win you’ll end up paying .50 cents commission as opposed to the 30 cents standard 5 percent rules use. When casinos round up to the closest 25 cent increment, be sure only to bet in multiples of $5.00
Once again this article covered only some basic Pai Gow Poker rules. Our website covers Pai Gow Poker in great details, so for additional information we suggest you continue navigating our website starting with out Pai Gow Poker articles page.
