Beating Pai Gow Poker

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Beating Pai Gow Poker at your local casino isn't as tough as you're thinking that! Although there are books at the subject like Sanford Wong's Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker, there are some simple belongings you can do to extend your chance of winning during your session.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow poker is played with a regular English deck of 52 cards plus the joker, or bug. However, unlike regular poker games where the joker may played as any card, in Pai Gow the joker can only be used as an ace, or a card that completes a straight or a flush. Also in Pai Gow, an ace-2-3-4-5 straight is the second one highest straight.

The strange thing about Pai Gow is that every player gets 7 cards! After placing your bet, the shuffle machine will deliver each hand for the dealer to set out at the table in front of every player. An electronic signal will specify which player gets which hand, or the dealer will shake a cup with three dice to select the primary spot for hand delivery.

Pai Gow is all about hand setting. The hands are grouped right into a high handcrafted up of 5 cards, and a lower value low hand of just two cards. Because there are lots of possibilities with seven cards, a high hand could be a straight and the low hand only a pair, otherwise you may well be dealt a real pai gow - a hand and not using a straight, flush or pair.

The player's job is to set their cards into two hands, ensuring the five-card hand is the top. Once the dealer sets the Banker hand using a casino-chosen house way, the hands are compared. If the player's two-card hand beats the banker's two-card hand AND the player's five-card hand beats the banker's five-card hand, the player wins. If one wins and one loses, this can be a push. If either player hand is identical value because the banker’s hand this is a tie, or copy, and the Banker wins. If the Banker’s two hands beat either one of your hands you lose.

The Banker's Edge

It's that copy aspect that provides the home (or banker) an edge, since two hands will copy about 2.6 percent of the time, so the banker wins 29.9 percent of the results and the player wins 28.6 percent. In addition, when the player does win, the home charges a 5 percent commission, except in EZ Pai Gow. There'll be an overall tie 41.5 percent of the time.

Beating Pai Gow Poker

The house uses a house-way to set each hand, and a player can stay almost in spite of the home by playing in an analogous manner. In fact, you'll ask the dealer that will help you set your hand. The home always starts with the concept it doesn't wish to lose. You should play the most productive two hands, which isn't always the most efficient hand possible within the high hand.

If you might be dealt four aces and a two, three, and four, it's worthwhile to play the four aces within the high (five-card) hand with the deuce, and the 4-3 within the low (two-card) hand. Or, you have to play three aces within the high hand and an ace-4 within the low hand (which most players do). However, the home knows that if it plays an ace-ace within the low hand it could not be beat, since four aces are out and the most productive some other player could play within the low hand is a king-king, and it'll beat a couple of other hands with the pair of aces within the high hand. So, don't gamble - always attempt to play an excellent two-card hand. Learn Pai Gow strategy like blackjack basic strategy.

Simple Pai Gow Strategy

• When you don't have any pair, straight, or flush, play the top card along with your high hand (the five-card hand) and the following two highest cards within the low (the two-card hand) hand.
• Two pair where the highest pair is an aces, split. Two pair where the highest pair is kings, split except when the opposite pair is deuces, then play together and play the 2 highest remaining cards within the low hand. Otherwise use the two-pair rules that follow:
• Two pair: sixes and below, split unless you hold an ace, then play at the side of the ace and the following highest card within the low hand.
• Two pair: 7's thru 10's, split unless you hold an ace, then play along with the ace and the following highest card within the low hand.
• Two pair: Jack's thru Aces, split - obviously with the top pair within the high hand.

Three Pair

Play the top pair within the low hand.

Three of a Kind

Always play together except when the cards are aces, then play a couple of aces within the high hand and a single ace with the following highest card within the low hand.

Full House

Always split with the pair within the low hand unless you've got a second pair also, then play the top of the two-pair's within the low hand.

Straight and Flushes

Keep the straight or flush within the high hand, choosing which-ever will provide you with the top card for the low hand. The exception is whilst you even have two pair, then split in line with the 2 pair rules. Straights and Flushes are always kept together within the five card hand unless you furthermore may have a couple of tens or better. In cases where you could have a couple of tens for a five card hand WITH an AK or better for the 2 card hand – you could consider splitting up a straight or a flush.

Four of a Kind

• Four of a kind, sixes or lower, keep together.
• Four of a kind, seven thru tens, split unless you've gotten an ace or better to play within the low hand.
• Four of a type face cards, Aces, Kings, Queens, or Jacks, always split, unless you've another pair to play within the low hand.

Five Aces

Always split unless you furthermore may have a couple of kings, then play the kings within the low hand.

Bonus Bets

The house makes more cash at the bonus bets (Fortune bonus, etc.) than at the commission it charges at Pai Gow. The bonus bets make the sport more exciting and supply the anticipation of giant payoffs, but when you would like to beat Pai Gow, don't play the bonus bets.

Banking

The best chance a player has of thrashing Pai Gow is once they are given the risk to Bank regularly. I've seen heads-up games where the player was allowed to bank every-other hand. That's a good looking game, but don't anticipate finding it. Instead, most casinos offer the player an opportunity to bank once every seven hands. If in case you have the bankroll, take the bank, because of this you're playing your money against any other player at the table!

In this case, chances are you'll just use the house-way to set your hand. And, you'll pay commission on what you win. The most efficient a part of banking is winning when the opposite players make mistakes setting their hands. That's your edge!

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