Pai Gow Poker: Strategies and Rules for Success
Introduction
Pai Gow Poker is a variation of the Chinese domino game, The game is known for a slow rate of play and lots of pushes, resulting in low risk game. While a game of skill, most hands are obvious how to play, and it is not difficult to learn proper strategy for the rest of them. Every player plays against the same dealer hand, which causes the table to often win and lose together, resulting in a fun and social game.
History
Pai Gow Poker was invented in 1985 by Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell card club in southern California. However, his is a name few people recognize. While other have made millions inventing casino games, Sam received some bad legal advice that card games were not patentable, and never filed one for his game. When his game was a success at his own casino there was nothing to prevent competing casinos from offering the game as well, and they didn’t have to pay Sam a dime.
Top Poker Games Casinos for India
| Name | Play |
|---|---|
| Casoo Casino | Visit Casino |
| BetSomnia Casino | Visit Casino |
| 7Bit Casino | Visit Casino |
The Rules
Pai Gow Poker: A Unique Blend of Strategy and Chance”
“A Guide to Pai Gow Poker: Rules, Strategies, and Social Dynamics”
“Pai Gow Poker Demystified: Understanding the Rules and Gameplay”
“Pai Gow Poker: Mastering the Art of Setting High and Low Hands”
“Unraveling the Intricacies of Pai Gow Poker: From Dealing with the Joker to Banking Options”
Strategy
Check out my comprehensive Pai Gow strategy guide! Whether you’re playing as the banker or against the banker, I’ve got you covered with simple, intermediate, and advanced strategies. With months of research and development by my assistant JB, this guide is your go-to resource for mastering Pai Gow poker. Plus, download my one-page simple Pai Gow poker strategy in PDF format for quick reference. Happy gaming!
House Edge
The house advantage in Pai Gow Poker depends on partially on your skill setting hands but more on how much of the action you bank. I plan to publish some pai gow poker strategy in January, 2014. Until then, the following tables show the probability of each possible outcome and the expected value four ways — whether using the house way or optimal strategy and whether banking or the dealer is banking.
House way Strategy — Dealer Banker
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 0.95 | 2,402,491,783,820,756 | 0.291195 | 0.276635 |
| Push | 0 | 3,341,087,256,920,524 | 0.404958 | 0.000000 |
| Loss | -1 | 2,506,879,990,473,120 | 0.303847 | -0.303847 |
| Total | 8,250,459,031,214,390 | 1.000000 | -0.027212 | |
House way Strategy — Dealer Banker
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 0.95 | 2,402,491,783,820,756 | 0.291195 | 0.276635 |
| Push | 0 | 3,341,087,256,920,524 | 0.404958 | 0.000000 |
| Loss | -1 | 2,506,879,990,473,120 | 0.303847 | -0.303847 |
| Total | 8,250,459,031,214,390 | 1.000000 | -0.027212 | |
Optimal Strategy — Dealer Banker
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 0.95 | 2,413,147,766,131,848 | 0.292486 | 0.277862 |
| Push | 0 | 3,337,551,044,510,696 | 0.404529 | 0.000000 |
| Loss | -1 | 2,499,760,220,571,856 | 0.302984 | -0.302984 |
| Total | 8,250,459,031,214,400 | 1.000000 | -0.025122 | |
Optimal Strategy — Player Banker
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 0.95 | 2,521,011,760,499,300 | 0.305560 | 0.290282 |
| Push | 0 | 3,330,840,908,447,708 | 0.403716 | 0.000000 |
| Loss | -1 | 2,398,606,362,267,392 | 0.290724 | -0.290724 |
| Total | 8,250,459,031,214,390 | 1.000000 | -0.000442 | |
The following table summarizes the expected value under all four scenarios. The “difference” row and column show that banking, compare to not banking, increases expected value by 2.47%. The difference between following the house way and the theoretical optimal strategy, which I’m quite sure nobody knows, is 0.21%.
Summary
| Banker | House Way | Optimal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | -0.002540 | -0.000442 | 0.002098 |
| Dealer | -0.027212 | -0.025122 | 0.002090 |
| Difference | 0.024672 | 0.024680 |