Pai Gow Poker

The five-card hand must rank higher than the two-card hand. In the two-card hand the only combinations are a pair or high cards, so straights and flushes do not count there. The joker can be used as an ace or to complete a straight, flush or straight flush.

After the player sets both hands, the dealer sets the dealer's hands using a fixed set of rules called the house way. Each hand is compared with the dealer's corresponding hand:

• Both win: the player is paid 1:1, minus a 5% commission.
• One wins, one loses: the bet is a push and is returned.
• Both lose: the player loses the bet.

If a player's hand exactly equals the dealer's (a copy), the dealer wins that hand. This rule is one of the sources of the house edge.

Around four rounds in ten end in a push, which makes Pai Gow Poker one of the slowest and least volatile casino games. For a player who follows the house way, the house edge is roughly 2.5–2.8% including the commission. Some casinos let players act as the banker in turn, and many offer side bets on the seven-card hand, such as a "Fortune" bonus, at higher margins.

Pai Gow Poker appeals to players who want long sessions on a modest budget, and it has a loyal audience among players familiar with Asian table games. Online it is mostly offered as an RNG game, where the game can suggest the house-way split, and in some live casino lobbies. Because pushes are so frequent, it produces low revenue per hour, so its value lies in variety and in the side bets.

A player bets 100 and sets a flush as the high hand and a pair of 8s as the low hand. The dealer's hands are two pair and ace-king. Both player hands win, so the player is paid 95 after the 5% commission.

• Volatility — why frequent pushes make results so stable.
• House edge — how commission and copy hands produce the margin.
• Three Card Poker — another poker-based table game played against the dealer.

Compare RNG versions from game developers and studios in the live casino provider directory.