Pai Gow Poker

The Game

Pai Gow poker, an exciting game of skill, has developed under the influence of American poker and the ancient Chinese game of Pai Go. The popularity of Pai Gow in U.S. casinos has increased tremendously in the last ten years. The object of the game is to use seven dealt cards to construct two hands that will beat the dealer's two hands.

How It Works

Once you have entered the online casino, you can easily check the guest book to see if any of your friends are currently in the casino and the games in which they are currently participating by clicking on "Information/Info." You can then go back to the game menu to select your game. In the game room, some tables will be occupied while others will be free. If a table is marked "private," you must ask permission to enter. The player that initially opens the table has the authority to grant permission or deny access to new players.

If you find all the tables occupied, simply click on the arrow in the upper right corner to move to the next game room.

The Rules

Pai Gow poker is played with a deck of 53 cards: a standard 52-card deck plus one wild joker. Each player is dealt seven cards and must split them into two separate hands. The first hand is referred to as "the highest hand" and consists of five cards. The second hand is referred to as "the second highest" and consists of only two cards. The 5-card hand must always rank higher than the 2-card hand. [For example, if your seven cards are: ace + ace + 9 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 3, you cannot place the two aces as in your 2-card hand. The pair of aces must be kept in "the highest hand" (i.e. the 5-card hand).]

Your goal as the player is to beat both of the dealer's hands: the 5-card hand and the 2-card hand. If both of your hands beat the dealer's hands, you receive "even money" on your bet (i.e. 1 to 1), with the exception that the bank takes a 5% commission from your winnings. If both your hands lose against the dealer's hands, the dealer takes the bet. If you succeed in winning only one of the two hands, the round results in a tie or "push".

XXX Casino's Pai Gow Poker game follows the standard rules employed by casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. However, XXX Casino has eliminated the option of playing the dragon and XXX Casino does not automatically win if the player should create a so-called "dead" hand. This is explained further below.

Poker Hand Rankings

In Pai Gow poker, the highest-ranking hand is five aces (i.e. four aces plus the wild card). This poker hand beats a royal flush. The only difference between the system of ranking hands in Pai Gow poker and in other poker games is that A-K-Q-J-10 ranks as the highest straight, A-2-3-4-5 ranks as the second highest straight, followed by the straight composed of K-Q-J-10-9.

Highest, Five-Card Hand

The 5-card hand must have the highest rank of the two hands. The player must try to create the best possible 5-card hand from his seven dealt cards.

Second Highest, Two-Card Hand

The 2-card hand must have the second-highest rank of the two hands. The highest-ranking 2-card hand is a pair of aces. If the 2-card hand is not composed of a pair, the value of the cards determines the hand's rank.

The Wild Card

The wild card, or joker, may be used only as a single ace or to complete a flush, straight, or a straight flush.

Dead or Foul Hands

A dead or foul hand results when the Pai Gow player fails to divide the seven cards properly into a highest and second-highest hand. If the player places his two best cards in the second- highest hand, the hand is considered dead. Unlike in most land-based casinos, you will not automatically lose if you create a dead hand at XXX Casino. When you make a mistake dividing your seven cards, you are merely notified by the dealer that your cards must be redistributed between the two hands.

House Way

Ever get stuck on how to set your two hands? No need to worry at XXX Casino! Simply hit "house way" and your cards will automatically be set for you by the dealer using the same rules employed by the casino.

Copy Hand

When the player and the dealer compare hands that have the same rank, the hand is referred to as a "copy hand." The dealer wins the copy hand in Pai Gow (as opposed to in blackjack, where a copy hand results in a push. For example, if your second-highest hand is composed of an ace + king and the dealer has an ace + king as well, the dealer will win that portion of the hand.)

Player Banking

Just like Pai Gow in your favorite land-based casino or card room, XXX Casino now offers player banking. This means that you will occasionally be given the option to play as the house or banker. As the banker, you have the advantage of winning any copy hands, just like the dealer. When you play as the banker, you must first place a bet against the dealer. This wager will always be the amount of your previous wager or the table minimum. You must also cover all wagers placed by the other players seated at your table. In the first showdown, your cards will be judged against the dealer's. Your cards will then be judged against the cards of all players at your table. Your winnings will be charged a 5% commission by the house.

How Often Can You Be the Banker?

At XXX Casino, the casino dealer will bank every other hand. On every second hand, the option to play as the banker will pass in rotation to the different seating positions at the table. In other words, seat #1 will be given the option to bank first, then seat #2, 3, 4, and 5 on every other hand, regardless if there is a player located in the seat or not. (This means that if you are seated in seat #5 and there is only one other player at the table in seat #1, you will still have to wait until the game passes seats #2, 3, and 4 before you will be given the option to bank.)

The Dragon

In many land-based casinos, Pai Gow players have the option of playing the dragon in turn as an extra game. At XXX Casino, the dragon has been eliminated.

Split

If your first two cards are of the same value, you may split them into two separate hands, placing a second wager of equal value. You then proceed to draw cards as usual. However, if you split two aces, you get only one additional card for each hand. If you split two aces and one of your hands totals 21, this is not considered blackjack, but 21. You cannot split a split hand.

Double Down

When you have been dealt two cards, and believe that a third card may give you a position to beat the dealer?’s hand, you can "double down." Your wager is doubled, and you are allowed to hit and receive just one additional card.

Insurance

Insurance is a game of its own within blackjack, and gives you the chance to protect yourself when you believe that the dealer may have blackjack. If the dealer?’s first card is an ace, and if you believe that the dealer?’s hole card is of value 10, you may buy insurance against dealer blackjack at the price of half your initial bet. If the dealer does have blackjack, the insurance pays 2 to 1, corresponding to the amount of your initial bet. If you have bought insurance, and the dealer does not have blackjack, you lose your insurance. Your initial bet is then settled by comparing your cards with the dealer?’s. Should you and the dealer both have blackjack, the game results in a push.

Betting Limits

Start by pressing the JOIN button within the game. (A player can choose to play a maximum number of three hands alone.) Next, use your left mouse button to click on the value of the chip you wish to bet. The wagered chip will appear in the betting box on the blackjack table. The player can regret a wagered chip before the game begins by clicking on the wagered chip with the right mouse button to remove it.

Betting Limits

The table betting limits are $1-100, $5-500, or $25-1,000.

Options Dialog Box

In Pai Gow Poker, the Options dialog box offers the following game settings:

Play sound effects
Play midi music

Shortcut Keys

The following shortcut keys are available in Pai Gow Poker:

To	Press
Make the same bet again	F1
Deal	F2
Quit	ESC
Open Options dialog box	F9
Open Help files	F10

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