Casino Gow

by admin
  1. Casino Gow Entertainment
  2. Las Vegas Casino Growth

Mar 29, 2019 Pai gow is a Chinese betting game that uses tiles instead of cards, and it’s popular in casinos around the world. Pai gow can also be played at home using a set of specially-designed tiles. While the rules of pai gow can seem a little overwhelming at first, once you learn how the tiles work, you’ll be making hands and placing bets in no time. As stated above, Pai Gow is a slow-paced casino game, suited to the casino enthusiast who prefers a calm, leisurely game. But land-based casinos are rarely, if ever conducive to this sort of atmosphere. They’re busy, loud, somewhat chaotic and purposely keep you on your toes and reaching for your wallet.

Many of you have played Pai Gow Poker at the best online casinos, but are you playing with a proper strategy? Despite the claim that Pai Gow Poker is a game of luck, there are strategies that you can use to improve your odds of winning.

Today, we will look at the basic strategy for playing your hands in Pai Gow Poker. Note that this strategy is based on you playing your hands as the player. It does not account for live Pai Gow games where you can play as the banker.

Playing Uncordinated Hands

There are going to be many times where you will receive a hand that’s completely uncoordinated. With these hands, you don’t have as much as a pair for either hand. When this happens, you have to play two high card hands and hope that the dealer has a bad low hand.

First, you will take your highest card and add your four lowest cards together. This is your high hand. You’ll take your second and third highest cards to make your low hand. For example, if you have A-K-J-9-7-5-2, you’d play A-9-7-5-2 for high and K-J for low.

One Pair Hands

Another common hand is where you only have a single pair and nothing else in your hand. In this case, the pair will be your high hand. Take your two highest kickers and play them as your low hand. For example, if you have A-Q-10-8-8-6-2, you’d play A-Q for low and 8-8-10-6-2 for high.

One pair hands are scoop capable when you have a medium pair and at least one card of queen or higher in your low hand.

Two Pair Hands

The hands that will be the trickiest to play in Pai Gow Poker are hands with two pair. That’s because you’re often going to split your pair. Splitting pairs is where most people get tripped up in this game.

First, let’s look at the three types of pairs. Low pairs are deuces through sixes. Medium pairs are sevens through tens. High pairs are jacks or better.

Here are the times where you will be splitting two pair, regardless of what your other cards are:

  • Anytime one of your two pairs is aces.
  • When you have two high pair.
  • When you have one medium and one high pair.

In the following scenarios, you will also split two pair provided you do not have an ace in your hand:

  • One low pair and one high pair.
  • One Low pair and one medium pair.
  • Two low pairs.
  • Two medium pairs.

In all other cases where you have two pair and an ace in your hand, you will play your ace and the second-highest non-pairing card as your low hand and the two pair for high.

Playing Trips in Pai Gow Poker

Playing trips, aka three of a kind, is easy in this game. In most cases, you will play trips for your high hand and your two highest kickers for the low hand. The only exception is when you have trip aces. In this case, you will split the trips and play one ace as part of your low hand.

Flushes and Straights

Hands with a straight or flush are usually going to play themselves. In the majority of cases, you’ll play the straight or flush as the high hand. For the times where you have a seven-card straight or a seven-card flush, you will play the two highest cards as your low hand.

The one exception for playing a flush is when you have a flush along with two pair. When this happens, you’re going to break the flush and split the pair according to the rules for splitting pairs.

Quads

You might be tempted to automatically play quads (four of a kind) as a high hand, but that’s not the case. When you have quad jacks or better, you’re splitting the hand into two pair. The same applies to medium quads, provided that you don’t have an ace in your hand. If you do, you will play the quads. For low quads, you will play them together.

Five Aces

Casino cowboy

As counterintuitive as it sounds, you’re almost never going to play five aces together. Instead, one ace and the joker will become your low hand and you’ll play trip aces for high.

The exception to this rule is when you have a pair of kings and five aces. Then, you’ll play the kings for low and five aces for high.

This Strategy Helps, But Not By Much

The above strategy is a great strategy to use to help improve your odds at winning in games where the dealer is always the banker. This applies to most Pai Gow Poker games at real money online casinos. However, the edge you gain with this strategy isn’t massive. It only improves your odds by about 0.21%. The general house edge when using this strategy is around 2.5%

Casino Gow Entertainment

Casino gow slot machine

Where this strategy helps is in games where the player is the banker. In those games, the house edge is reduced down to less than a half of a percent. However, you will find few online Pai Gow games offering player banking. However, it is still great to know when you play in live Pai Gow Poker games.

Pai Gow Poker has become one of the most popular casino table games. It involves the player competing against the banker to make the better low and high hand than the house.

This is a slow-paced, relaxing game. The low number of hands dealt per hour and the number of pushes keep players in the game longer. Some consider it a great way to get comp drinks with little risk.

There are five types of Pai Gow Poker in Las Vegas. Each is a bit different. All is explained below, along with details of which casinos offer Pai Gow Poker.

Pai Gow Poker Variants in Las Vegas

Fortune Pai Gow is based on the traditional version of the game. Players may bank this game. The button moves around the table.

Banking is optional. Winners pay a five percent commission on all wins.

Las Vegas Casino Growth

Emperor’s Challenge Pai Gow

Emperor’s Challenge is another Pai Gow Poker variant that is based on the original game. Like Fortune, players may bank and pay a five percent commission on wins.

The difference between Fortune and Emperor’s Challenge is the side bets.

Pai Gow Plus is another classic variant.

It is essentially the original version of the game.

Face Up Pai Gow

Face Up Pai Gow now accounts for about two-thirds of the Pai Gow Poker installs in Las Vegas. That is an incredible feat considering the game did not exist a few years ago.

In Face Up Pai Gow, the dealer looks at the house hand before players act. If the dealer has an ace high pai gow, the hand pushes. If the dealer has any other hand, it is set face up and players set their hands accordingly.

This version turns a skill game into pure luck.

There is no commission on wins in Face Up Pai Gow. Players may not bank.

This was the first version of Pai Gow Poker that eliminated the five percent commission on wins. The dealer pushes if the house has a queen high pai gow. Players may not bank. There is no commission on wins.

Best Las Vegas Casinos for Pai Gow Poker

There are many variables that go into what makes a Las Vegas casino the best one for Pai Gow Poker. Some players have a specific variant in mind. To others, the ambience and minimum bet matters more.

Variant
Max Bet
Aliante CasinoEmperor’s510003
Arizona Charlie’s DecaturEmperor’s55001
Club FortuneEmperor’s52001
Eastside CanneryEmperor’s510001
M ResortEmperor’s1020003
The StratEmperor’s1020002
WestgateEmperor’s1520001
4 QueensFace Up155001
Aliante CasinoFace Up510001
AriaFace Up25100002
Bally’sFace Up1550001
Binion’sFace Up1010001
Boulder StationFace Up510003
CanneryFace Up510001
Circus CircusFace Up2010002
EncoreFace Up25100002
Fiesta HendersonFace Up510001
FlamingoFace Up1530002
Gold CoastFace Up1020002
Green Valley RanchFace Up1020004
Harrah’sFace Up1050004
LinqFace Up1030002
LuxorFace Up2530002
Mandalay BayFace Up2550002
MGM GrandFace Up25100002
MirageFace Up25100003
NYNYFace Up2530002
Palace StationFace Up1030004
PalazzoFace Up25200003
PalmsFace Up1020003
ParisFace Up1550002
Park MGMFace Up25100002
Planet HollywoodFace Up1550002
PlazaFace Up1010002
RampartFace Up510004
Red RockFace Up1020005
RioFace Up1550002
Sam’s TownFace Up510003
Santa Fe StationFace Up510003
SilvertonFace Up1020001
SaharaFace Up1030001
SuncoastFace Up1020003
Sunset StationFace Up1010003
Texas StationFace Up55002
Treasure IslandFace Up1050002
VenetianFace Up25200003
WynnFace Up25100002
AriaFortune25100002
BellagioFortune25100001
Caesars PalaceFortune2550004
CaliforniaFortune155002
CanneryFortune510001
CosmopolitanFortune15100002
CromwellFortune1030004
Downtown GrandFortune1010001
Fiesta RanchoFortune55002
FlamingoFortune1530003
FremontFortune105001
Gold CoastFortune1020002
Golden NuggetFortune1550002
Harrah’sFortune1050003
LinqFortune1030001
Main Street StationFortune155001
Mandalay BayFortune2550001
MGM GrandFortune25100001
OrleansFortune1020002
ParisFortune1550005
Park MGMFortune25100001
Planet HollywoodFortune1550003
RioFortune1550002
Santa Fe StationFortune510001
SilvertonFortune1020001
SaharaFortune1030001
South PointFortune1020008
TropicanaFortune1020002
WynnFortune25100002
Fiesta HendersonNo Commision510002
BellagioPlus25100002
The DPlus1025001
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How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is spread at over 60 Las Vegas casinos. There are several variants dealt, even within the same casino.

There are several bets available at a Las Vegas Pai Gow Poker table. The main bet has a minimum of at least $5, depending on the casino. Side bets can often be made for $1 or $5.

The player and dealer start with seven cards. The deck has a joker that may be used to complete straights and flushes. Otherwise, it is an ace.

In traditional versions of the game, the player sets that hand before the dealer does. It is separated into a five-card and two-card hand. The five-card hand must be higher than the two-card one. The dealer then sets the banker hand.

If the player beats both dealer hands, the bet is paid, sometimes with a five percent commission. If the dealer wins both hands or wins one and ties one, the house wins. If the dealer ties one and loses one, the hand pushes. If the player and dealer split with one win each, the hand pushes. Some casinos permit players to bank once per round.

In Face Up Pai Gow Poker, the dealer sets the house hand first. If the dealer makes an ace-high pai gow, the hand pushes all around. If it does not, players set their hands based on the best way to beat the dealer’s exposed one. Players may not bank in Face Up Pai Gow.

We carry out an annual survey of Las Vegas casinos and the table games they offer. This allows us to publish details of every table game available in Vegas, and the best place to play it.

See the page below for the latest version of our full survey.