Pai Gow Poker Strategy

There are several ways a player can approach Pai Gow Poker Strategy. For most the best method will be to simply follow house way and look to play at live casinos with good comp programs, or online casinos which have bonuses clearable at Pai Gow Poker. As far as the online casino advice goes, the only American friendly casino we know of where bonuses can be cleared at Pai Gow is Bodog Casino. For Europeans there are many good options with Betfair, 888 Casino, and Bet365 being the best options.

Those looking for more advanced Pai Gow Poker strategy, first need to know optimal strategy for setting Pai Gow Poker hands. Optimal hand strategy will vary from casino to casino, depending on their house way. We developed a general guide that will be within one-fifth of a percent accurate as being optimal strategy for the specific casino it is used at. This will be elementary for seasoned Pai Gow Poker players, but likely much needed helpful advice for novice players and can help them shave a little off house edge.

How to Set Pai Gow Poker Hands

Remember in Pai Gow Poker a player is dealt seven cards and then needs to separate these cards into a five card and two card poker hands. The hand ranking must be higher for the five card hand otherwise it is a foul. For example if you’re dealt a pair of eights and a pair of nines, the nines go in the five card hand and the eights go in the two card hand. If you do the reverse this would be a foul hand, which is an automatic loss. Also as a reminder the one joker in the deck is wild when used to complete a straight or flush only, in all other cases it is an ace. With that said here is our Pai Gow Poker strategy for setting hands.

No Pair – When you have no pair, no flush and no straight, your hand should be set with the two second highest cards in the two card hand, and the rest of the cards in the five card hand. This one is easy, just make sure not to foul the hand – your highest card must stay in the five card hand.

One Pair When dealt one pair only, with no straight and no flush, keep the pair in the five card hand and put the two highest of your remaining five cards into the two card hand.

Two Pair: With two pair, that involves no straight nor flush, you split the two pair with the lower going in the two card hand UNLESS one of the following two conditions are met:

Condition 1: If the total of your two pairs is 9 or less and your hand contains a king or ace, keep the two pair together in the five-card hand and play your highest two remaining cards as the two card hand.

Condition #2 If both pairs are lower than a jack AND their added card values are 16 or less AND you have an ace in your hand keep the two pair together and play the ace and next highest card in your two card hand.

Three Pairs: When dealt three pair the highest of your three pairs goes in the two card hand, the other two stay in the five card hand.

Three of a Kind: Keep the three of a kind in the five card hand and put the highest two of your remaining cards in the two card hand UNLESS your three of a kind is aces. For trip aces, split them making your five card hand a pair of aces and your two card hand ace high.

Full House: Keep three of a kind in the five card hand, and the pair in the two card hand.

Straights and Flushes: When you have a straight or a flush with no pair play the straight or flush in your five card hand and the remaining cards as the two card hand.

Condition 1: When you have one pair: play the straight or flush in your five card hand unless your pair is jacks or higher and you have AK or AQ for your two card hand.

Condition 2: When you have two pair do not play the straight or flush unless the sum of two pair is under 10 and it’s possible to play the straight or flush with an ace or king in the five card hand OR the sum of two pair is under 17 and it is possible to play the straight or flush with an ace in the two card hand.

Four of Kind:

2 through 6: Play the four of a kind in the two card hand.

7 through 9: Play the four of a kind together if you also have an ace or a pair, otherwise split into two pair.

10 through A: Split into two pair unless you have another pair to accompany them.

5 Aces: Play two aces in the two card hand.

Setting hands is the bulk of what can be discussed in Pai Gow Poker strategy. There are some very obscure exceptions which can change house edge by 0.04% following different rules for different casinos, but at such a low percent this is too vast of a topic for us to cover.

For advice on where to play Pai Gow poker online to reduce house edge visit this page: Pai Gow Poker at Online Casinos