Pai Gow poker rules are totally different from other popular versions of traditional and online poker. For starters, there are no Community Cards, meaning no cards for players to share in an attempt to make a winning hand. Then, participating players do not play against each other but against the bank. Another difference is the fact that players are dealt seven cards each and, instead of making one great winning hand, are required to make two of them. Also, there are no betting rounds in the game. All players receive their cards and must make their hands at once. Now that we have established how Pai Gow is different from other poker games, let's look at the rules of this exciting game.

 

Pai Gow for Beginners

 

In Pai Gow, players use 52 cards and one joker. The joker is considered wild because it can replace an Ace or any other card to complete a straight flush, a flush or a straight. Each player, including the banker/dealer, receives seven cards face down. All the participating players, besides the banker/ dealer, are allowed to take a look at their cards. Players must make two separate hands, one consisting of two cards and another consisting of the remaining five cards. The hands are ranked as in traditional five-card poker games, such as Texas Hold 'em, with a single exception. A-2-3-4-5 is ranked between A-K-Q-J-10 and K-Q-J-10-9, which makes it the third strongest hand in Pai Gow. Five Aces (four Aces and a Joker) is the strongest hand of all. The strongest two-card hand is American Airlines (A-A). The five-card hand must be stronger than the two-card hand.

 

Any discussion regarding cards among players is strictly forbidden. Players put their hands face down, and then the dealer/banker discloses his own cards placing them face up. The dealer/banker now arranges his cards into two hands. Once he is done, the other players expose their hands. In order to establish winning hands, each player compares his hand to the banker/dealer's hand (five to five and two to two). If the dealer is not the banker, the dealer's hand is the first one to be compared to the banker's hand. Now, one of the three following scenarios is supposed to take place:

 

A. If a player beats the banker/dealer's both hands, then he collects the staked amount.

B. If the dealer/banker wins one hand and a player another, then the banker/dealer neither pays out nor collects any money. This situation is referred to as a "push."

C. If the dealer/banker beats both players' hands he wins the stake.

 

Dealing

In traditional poker rooms where play tends to be more formal than online, the dealer uses a sophisticated method of dealing. After each of the seven participating players receives his cards, the dealer discards the remaining four cards without seeing their value. Then he throws three dice to decide which player will receive the first dealt hand.

 

Pai Gow poker rules are quite simple. Indeed, the game does not require players to come up with elaborate poker strategies in order to win. Good Luck to you all!