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Pai Gow Poker is an exciting variant of casino poker where you play head-to-head against the dealer. If you’re a fan of traditional card games, or you’re just someone who generally enjoys games of chance, you’re going to love this game.
However, there are a few things you need to know before you start playing. Pai Gow Poker has various elements that make it a bit complicated to start with. We’ll briefly cover how to play the game and what strategies you need to employ.
What is Pai Gow Poker?
When you play Pai Gow Poker, you have to make two hands and beat the dealer with both hands. If you’d like to learn more about how to play in general, you can check out our handy guide for more information. Once you get the hang of the game, doing it should become second nature. However, it takes some getting used to.
Pai Gow Poker is a live casino game played against a live dealer in a heads-up scenario. So if you want to play, head to the live section of the website and pick your favorite Pai Gow poker table. Before you get started, though, you might want to read our expert tips on how to get better at the game.
What is the best strategy for Pai Gow Poker?
Pai Gow Poker is a game of chance and a lot comes down to how the cards are dealt. There is no foolproof way to win, but you can try to increase the odds in your favor by using knowledge and strategy. We will provide you with the basic aspects of Pai Gow Poker that you need to know before you start playing.
Read the rules
You can’t just jump into a game of Pai Gow Poker without knowing all the rules first. This title is very different from the traditional game format. First, there is a Joker involved, which can be used as a wildcard to make any hand. This greatly affects the probabilities, which is something you need to consider when drawing.
Another key point of Pai Gow Poker is that you need to make two hands, and you have to beat the dealer with both hands. You have to make a two-card deck and a five-card deck. Five-card hands follow traditional poker hand values, while two-card hands will win on top pair or high card.
You need to think carefully about how you arrange the cards into these two separate hands. This is important because both hands need to beat both of the dealer’s hands to win the bet.
Know hand value
For your two cards, the best outcome is that you have a pair of Aces. If neither the player nor the dealer has a pair, the winner will be determined on the high card. If the high cards are the same, then another card (called a booster) comes into play.
For five-card hands, you need to know your standard poker hand values. These are listed below from highest to lowest:
- straight ahead
- four kinds
- Full house
- rinse
- straight
- The three are unique
- two pairs
- pair
- High card
arrange your hands
There is one important rule you need to follow when lining up your hand in Pai Gow Poker. Your top (two-card) hand cannot be worth more than your bottom (five-card) hand. This only works if your bet is a pair. Therefore, before you can set up your hands-on, you need to arrange your hands-on first.
Remember, you need both hands to beat the dealer, so there’s no need to make a super strong hand on the bottom and then use a weak high hand on the top. When considering how to make Pai Gow playing cards, follow these key points:
- If you cannot play poker with any of the cards, you should put the highest value card in the lower hand and the next two highest value cards in the upper hand.
- If you have two pairs, you should separate them and put the lower value pair on top.
- If you get four, you should split it between your two hands if they are worth more than the jack.
- If you have four of 6 or less value, it makes more sense to put the quad on the bottom and play your strongest second hand in the top hand.
It might be handy to open a chart with all the different strategies so you know what to do in any situation. Over time, these things will become second nature, and the more you play, the easier it will be to know what to do.
Play Pai Gow Poker at Sugarplay Casino
There are some other advantages to playing Pai Gow Poker at Sugarplay Casino. First, they provide a safe and secure gaming environment that keeps your personal and financial information safe. Secondly, they offer a variety of different deposit and withdrawal methods so you can trade at any time. Additionally, they offer a 24/7 customer support service to resolve any issues you face with the game. Whether you are a newbie or an experienced player, you can easily enjoy Pai Gow Poker game at Sugarplay Casino.
