Pai-Gow Poker Rules
Description and Objective
Pai Gow Poker is a card game played with a 53-card deck consisting of a standard deck of 52 cards plus one Joker. The player receives seven cards, which must then be “set” two hands are compared with the dealer’s two hands to determine the winner.
Pai-Gow Poker Rules:
- The 5-card hand must rank higher than the 2-card hand.
- Cards are ranked according to standard poker rules (see chart below).
- Joker can only be used to complete straights or flushes, otherwise it counts as an Ace.
- Dealer wins any copied hand.
The Player can win if:
- Both the 5-card and the 2-card poker hand outrank the dealer’s hand.
The Player loses if:
- Both the 5-card and the 2-card poker hand are outranked by the dealer’s hand.
- The dealer outranks either of the two hands and the other hand is a copy.
The Player pushes if:
- The player wins one hand and the dealer wins the other.
Ranking the Hands/Card Values
The hands are ranked according to standard poker rules with one exception: the Ace-2-3-4-5 straight is the second highest straight. Straights rank, from highest to lowest: Ace-K-Q-J-10, Ace-2-3-4-5, K-Q-J-10-9, 6-5-4-3-2. Also, keep in mind that the best two-card hand is a pair of aces; the two-card hand cannot have a flush (since a flush requires five cards).
| Hand Name | Description | Example |
| Five of a Kind | 4 aces plus the Joker | AS, AH, AD, AC, Joker |
| Royal Flush | 10, J, Q, K, A of same suit | 10H, JH, QH, KH, AH |
| Straight Flush | In sequence, 5 cards of same suit | 3S, 4S, 5S, 6S, 7S |
| Four of a Kind | 4 cards of same rank | 6D, 6S, 6C, 6H |
| Full House | 3 of a kind, plus a pair | 2H, 2D, 2S, 3H, 3S |
| Flush | 5 cards of same suit | 2D, 4D, 6D, 8D, 9D, |
| Straight | 5 cards in sequence | 3H, 4C, 5H, 6S, 7D |
| Three of a Kind | 3 cards of same rank | 7H, 7S, 7D |
| Two Pair | 2 pairs of different rank | 4H, 4S, 6D, 6S |
| One Pair | 1 pair (2 cards) of same rank | KD, KH |
| High Card | 5 cards of different ranks and suits | AH, KS, 10D, 5C, 2C |
Player Actions/Button Descriptions:
Bet – To place a bet, the Player must click on the chip value that they wish to bet.
Deal – Press Deal to begin the game once a bet has been placed. The Player gets 7 cards face up and the Dealer gets 7 cards face down.
Split – To split the cards into two hands, the player must click on the 2 cards that will make up the 2 card hand and then click the Split button.
Payout
Winnings paid to the player are even minus a 5% commission. If the player risked $100, the winning hand would return the risk amount plus an additional $95. The game will round up to the next $0.25 when taking commissions.
