Best Pai Gow Poker Strategy for Consistent Wins
Pai Gow Poker is an interesting poker-based variation of traditional Chinese Pai Gow invented in 1985. Players compete against the house, so elements such as tournament play, bluffing, and out of position strategy don’t come into it. Some key Pai Gow Poker strategy tips can help, though, and we’ll discuss them here.
Pai Gow Poker Strategy
A Pai Gow strategy chart is usually geared toward hand creation, as this game is all about how you set your high five-card hand and your low two-card hand. Everything else is down to the luck of the draw.
One of the key things to remember is that the high hand must always beat the low hand, and the latter can only consist of pairs or high cards, with a pair of Aces being the best.
So, let’s say that you draw Ah, As, Kh, Ks, 9h, 6h, 2h. You have five hearts, giving you a flush in your high hand and leaving an Ace/King in your low hand. You can also opt to break up that flush, so you have kings in your low and aces in your high, but doing the opposite would mean your low is stronger than your high, and you would either forfeit or reset.
Unlike five-card draw, where the skill element lies in the cards you change, or Texas Hold’em, where it’s all about knowing when to fold and bet/raise, the skill in Pai Gow Poker is in this setup stage.
Pai Gow Poker Tips
Playing a few demo games is a good way to acclimatize to Pai Gow Poker. If you’re jumping straight in with a real Pai-Gow game, these tips will keep you on track:
- If you have a straight or flush with two pairs, break it up and split the pairs between your two hands, keeping the best one in your high hand.
- Break up a full house by placing the three-of-a-kind in your high hand and the pair in your low hand.
- If all you draw is a pair, it must go in your high hand, with high cards placed in your low hand.
- If you have a three-of-a-kind and two pairs, complete a full house with the smallest pair and put the biggest one in your low hand.
Conclusion: Pai Gow Strategy Chart
Standard Pai Gow strategy won’t work here, but the same is true for general poker strategy. As detailed above, you need to learn some specific Pai Gow Poker strategies to beat this game.
Remember to always create a bankroll before playing, and gamble responsibly when you try the best table games at BetUS.
Table Games Common Queries
What are the odds of winning at Pair Gow Poker?
Its house edge is 2.84%, higher than baccarat and blackjack but lower than American Roulette and most slot machines.
What is the best hand in Pai Gow Poker?
The best hand is five Aces, formed with four natural Aces and a Joker, which acts as a wild card.
Who created Pai Gow Poker?
It was created by Sam Torosian, who owned a card club in Los Angeles. He invented the game in 1985, but famously, he didn’t patent it, so he didn’t receive royalties and missed out on a sizeable fortune.
What are the rules of Pai Gow Poker?
Players are dealt seven cards and must make a high five-card hand a low two-card one, with the former being stronger than the latter.
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