Pai Gow poker is a game played between the player and the dealer, using a standard deck of 52 cards. The following guidelines are applicable for online Pai Gow games.
After the player places their wager in the designated spot, the dealer deals seven cards to each player as well as them self. Note: During land-based games, the method for determining which cards go where is handled differently. After the cards are deal, the player acts first.
The objective of the game is to make two separate hands out of the seven cards dealt. The top hand has two cards. The bottom hand has five cards. The only restriction the player faces when deciding how to allocate their cards between the two hands is the top hand has to include the highest single card if the player has not been dealt one pair or better. As long as the player has a pair or better, the bottom hand must be higher ranking than the top hand. If the player is unsure of how to allocate their cards, they can click on the “house way or logical way” option in which case the cards will be automatically designated by the software based on a strict set of guidelines that builds the best two hands possible.
Once the player has designated their two hands, the dealer reveals their cards and designates their two hands based on the same “logical way” guidelines used to help the player. Once all hands are set, the dealer’s and the player’s hands are compared using standard poker rules. If the player wins both the top and bottom hand, they win the amount of the bet minus a small house commission, usually 5%. If the player wins one hand but loses the other, the result is a push or no action. If the player loses both hands, the dealer wins the bet and takes the player’s wager.
