Pai Gow Poker

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Pai Gow Poker is a table based casino game played with a deck of 53 cards.  A normal deck has 52 cards, and a Pai Gow deck of cards is a normal deck plus one joker. 

Pai Gow is a very different poker game then the rest.  Each player and the dealer are dealt 7 cards.  These 7 cards are used to make a 5 card hand of poker and a 2 card hand of poker.  The objective in Pai Gow is to make a better 5 card hand and a better 2 card hand then the dealer can make.

-  There is one joker card in play.  The joker can be used to complete a straight, a flush, or straight flush.  Otherwise the joker is considered an Ace.

-  The 5 card hand is ranked according to standard poker rules with two exceptions.
    1. Ace-2-3-4-5 is the second highest straight, behind Ace-King-Queen-Jack-Ten.
    2. 5 Aces is possible with the joker and is the highest hand that can be made.

-  The 2 card hand will always be either a pair or two different cards.  A pair of aces is the highest ranked two card hand, and the worst 2 card hand is 2-3.

-  Your 5 card hand must be better then the 2 card hand.  If you have an ace in the two card hand you better have a pair in the 5 card hand.  If you have a pair in the 2 card hand you need to have at least a higher pair in the 5 card hand.  If your two card hand ends up being higher then the 5 card hand, you will automatically lose both hands and your bet. 

Picture above is a sample hand of Pai Gow Poker.  Here's a breakdown of how to play.

1.  The player places a bet.  In this example, the bet is $100.

2.  After the bet has been placed, the dealer will deal 7 cards to each player and to himself.

3.  Each player evaluates their hand to create their 5 card and 2 card hands.

In the game above, the player was dealt 7 cards -

4.  In our example, the player has a pair of 7's.  There are no straights or flushes possible.  The pair of 7's must be placed in the 5 card hand.  In hands where I have one pair, I will always take the two highest cards after the pair is removed and put them in the two card hand.  In our example, this is a King and a 9.

5.  The dealer flips over his cards and arranges the two hands in a predetermined way set by the house.  The dealer has a pair of Kings, and places his next two highest cards (the Ace and the Jack) into the 2 card hand.

6.  The players 5 card hand is evaluated against the dealers hand.
Dealer has a pair of Kings - Player has a pair of 7's - Dealer Better

7.  The players 2 card hand is evaluated against the dealers hand.
Dealer has Ace high - Player has King high - Dealer Better

8.  The dealer won both hands and removes the bet from the table.
   

-  You win your bet minus a 5% commission taken by the dealer when you win both the 5 card hand and the two card hand.  A $100 bet would win the player $95.

-  When you win either the 5 card hand or the 2 card hand, you tie or push with the dealer.  Your bet remains on the table.

-  When the dealer wins both hands, you lose your bet.  Ties go to the dealer too.

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