Pai Gow poker is one of those speciality table games most people overlook. But it’s actually a very engaging and entertaining card game where the aim is to beat the dealer. Learning how to play Pai Gow poker is challenging at first, especially when it comes to knowing how to split your hands.
Well, we at Casino ZA have compiled a simple step-by-step tutorial on how to play Pai Gow poker. We’ve also found the best Pai Gow online casinos for South Africans. Read on to find out more.
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How to Play Pai Gow Poker
Let’s take a look at how you play Pai Gow poker online.
- Place your bet at the betting spot
On the Pai Gow poker table, you’ll find the betting spot. This is where you’ll place your bets. Bets can have a wide range so check on the table how much you can bet. Because Pai Gow poker is a game for everyone,the betting range covers both low and high rollers.
- Press the deal button and get your cards
After you’ve placed your bet, press the ‘deal’ button. You’ll be given seven cards. Then, you are free to look at your cards. Concurrently, the dealer also gets a hand but those cards remain face down.
- Divide your 7-card hand into a front hand and a back hand
Next, you’ll have to sort your 7-card hand into two hands – a front hand and a back (or bottom) hand). The front hand has two cards and is of lower value. While the back hand has five cards and ranks higher. We’ll explore what goes into splitting a hand in the section below.
- Press the split button to split your cards
Click on the split button to divide your hands. If you’re not entirely sure on how to split a hand, we recommend choosing the house way. Using the house way organises your cards in the best way to win the round.
- Wait for the results
If your hand beats the dealer’s hand, you win. A loss is when the dealer beats your hand. In the event of a tie, the bet is pushed into the next round.
How to Split a Pai Gow Poker Hand
Learning how to play Pai Gow poker seems difficult when it comes to learning how to rank cards and split your hands. We’ll explain how to do this below.
Before we go into hand rankings, it’s important to remember that the front hand should be lower in value than the back hand.
The back hand
This hand has the same value as a poker hand i.e. it follows the general poker rules. However, there is an exception in Pai Gow poker. Below is a ranking of the back hand types from highest to lowest:
- Five of a Kind (non-standard poker hand)
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pair
- One Pair
- High Card
The front hand
Also known as the low hand, this is the hand with two cards. You’ll find a ranking of the front hand types from highest to lowest:
- Ace-Ace
- King-King
- Queen-Queen
- Jack-Jack
- 10-10
- 9-9
- 8-8
- 7-7
- 6-6
- 5-5
- 4-4
- 3-3
- 2-2
- Ace-King
- Ace-Queen
- Ace-Jack
- Ace-10
- Ace-9
- Ace-8
- Ace-7
- Ace-6
- Ace-5
- Ace-4
- Ace-3
- Ace-2
Learn More About Pai Gow Poker
For more on Pai Gow poker, read our following guides: