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 game while working in California.
The game’s popularity with Chinese bettors eventually attracted the attention of entrepreneurial gamers who replaced the standard tiles with cards and shaped the casino game into a new type of poker. Introduced into the poker suites of California in 1986, the game’s immediate acceptance and popularity with Asian poker players drew the awareness of Nevada’s casino operators who rapidly assimilated the game into their own poker suites. The popularity of the game has continued into the 21st century.
Pai-gow tables cater to up to 6 players plus a croupier. Distinguishing from common poker, all players play against the croupier and not against just about every other.
In an anti-clockwise rotation, every player is dealt seven face down cards by the croupier. 49 cards are given, including the croupier’s 7 cards.
Every single gambler and the croupier must form two poker hands: a good hand of five cards and a low palm of 2 cards. The hands are based on common poker rankings and as such, a two card palm of 2 aces will be the highest possible hand of two cards. A five aces hands will be the highest five card hand. How do you have 5 aces in a standard fifty-two card deck? You might be actually wagering with a 53 card deck since one joker is permitted into the casino game. The joker is regarded as a wild card and can be used as another ace or to finish a straight or flush.
The greatest two hands win every game and only a single gambler having the two greatest hands simultaneously can win.
A dice toss from a cup containing three dice decides who will be given the first hand. After the hands are given, players must form the two poker hands, keeping in mind that the 5-card hand must always position larger than the two-card hands.
When all gamblers have set their hands, the croupier will produce comparisons with his or her hand position for pay-outs. If a gambler has one hand larger in rank than the croupier’s except a lower 2nd hand, this is considered a tie.
If the croupier beats each hands, the gambler loses. In the case of each gambler’s hands and both dealer’s hands being identical, the croupier wins. In betting house bet on, ofttimes considerations are made for a gambler to become the dealer. In this case, the gambler must have the money for any payoffs due winning gamblers. Of course, the gambler acting as croupier can corner a number of huge pots if he can beat most of the players.
Some gambling establishments rule that gamblers cannot deal or bank 2 consecutive hands, and several poker suites will provide to co-bank 50/50 with any player that elects to take the bank. In all situations, the croupier will ask players in turn if they want to be the banker.
In Double-hand Poker, you’re given "static" cards which means you’ve no chance to change cards to possibly enhance your hands. Nonetheless, as in conventional 5-card draw, you will find strategies to produce the best of what you’ve been given. An example is maintaining the flushes or straights in the five-card palm and the two cards remaining as the second great palm.
If you’re lucky enough to draw 4 aces along with a joker, you can maintain three aces in the five-card hand and bolster your 2-card hands with the other ace and joker. Two pair? Keep the larger pair in the 5-card hand and the other two matching cards will produce up the second palm.
