Pai Gow Poker Tips

Bank anytime you get the opportunity

The bank wins when hands are tied, sliding the odds 1% to 2% in the banker's favor. The only problem with banking is that you need a bankroll as the banker must be able to cover the bets of all players. Ask if the casino allows players to share banking duties which will help lower the potential cost of a failed hand as banker. To lower the negative expectation to zero, it is best to bet as much as possible when banking; as much as 6 to 14 times the amount when you bank as when you do not. In the short term, you might suffer losses. In the long term, this evens the odds considerably. Most casinos limit the amount of hands one player can bank. If a player does not want to bank, it passes on to the next player and alternates. It is best to find a table with no other players and a dealer. In this way, you may be able to bank every other hand.

Build the Best Two Card Hand

The two card hand is as important as the five card hand. Often, a new player will try to build the five card hand's strength to the exclusion of the forward cards. It is best to find the best combination that gives you good odds to win both the five and the two card hands and one must remember that the front hand can never be stronger than the behind hand.

Never Play a Full House

A full house should never be played as the upper hand. This will leave a simple high card for the forward hand, and the player will almost certainly push. It is better to play a three of a kind for the back hand, with a two of a kind for the forward hand. Both of these hands have a high likelihood of winning.

Playing 3 Pairs

When a player gets three pairs, it is best to play the highest pair in the two card hand. Typically two pairs give a player a better chance of winning the five card hand and thus it is better to play the highest pair on its own. If you have six cards to a flush, it is best to play the lowest high card for that flush. In this way, you save a higher card to play in your two card hand.

Ask for assistance

Most casinos will help you out if you ask for assistance. This is typically telling a player the standard play using "house ways". In certain card rooms, the management will gather Pai Gow players at a table to offer advice. This is one of the reasons for Pai Gow poker's popularity.