Pai Gow Poker is a slow, low-swing casino table game where you split seven cards into a five-card hand and a two-card hand and try to beat the dealer with both. About four hands in ten end in a push, and the house edge on the standard game with a 5% commission is about 2.7% for a player who follows the house way. You can play it at most casinos with a table games pit and, in states with legal online casinos, at some licensed online sites.
How Pai Gow Poker works
The game uses a 52-card deck plus one joker, 53 cards in all. After you place your bet, you and the dealer each get seven cards. You set them into two hands:
- The five-card hand (the “high” or “back” hand), ranked like regular poker.
- The two-card hand (the “low” or “front” hand), where the best possible hand is a pair of aces.
The five-card hand must rank higher than the two-card hand. If it doesn’t, the hand is “fouled,” and the casino will either reset it or rule it a loss, depending on house rules.
For example, if you are dealt Q-Q-K-K-2-3-4, the usual setting is the pair of queens in the two-card hand and the pair of kings with 2-3-4 in the five-card hand. The dealer then sets the house hand using a fixed set of rules called the house way.
Winning, losing and pushing
- Beat the dealer with both hands and you win even money, less a 5% commission in most casinos.
- Lose both hands and you lose your bet.
- Win one hand and lose the other and the hand is a push: your bet comes back.
- An exact tie on either hand (a “copy”) goes to the banker, which is usually the dealer.
The copy rule surprises new players. If your 5-6-7-8-9 straight meets the dealer’s 5-6-7-8-9 straight, you lose that hand.
The joker
The joker is only partly wild. In the five-card hand it can complete a straight or a flush; otherwise it counts as an ace. In the two-card hand it counts as an ace, although some Southern California card rooms play it fully wild.
The A-2-3-4-5 straight
In most casinos, A-2-3-4-5 (the “wheel”) is the second-highest straight, behind 10-J-Q-K-A. That means a wheel beats a king-high straight. California and Michigan casinos are exceptions where the wheel is the lowest straight, so check the rules card at your table.
| Straight rank (most casinos) | Cards |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10-J-Q-K-A |
| 2 | A-2-3-4-5 |
| 3 | 9-10-J-Q-K |
| 4 | 8-9-10-J-Q |
| 5 to 10 | Down to 2-3-4-5-6 |
House edge and odds
The house earns its edge from two rules: the 5% commission on winning bets and copies going to the banker. With both in place, the house edge on the main bet is about 2.7% for a player who sets hands the house way and never banks. Setting hands the house way gets you close to the best result, which is why many casinos and online games offer a “house way” button that sets your hand for you.
Because so many hands push, Pai Gow Poker loses money slowly per hour compared with most table games. That is the main reason players like it: you get a lot of playing time for a modest bankroll.
Some casinos spread commission-free versions. They drop the 5% fee but add a rule that turns certain winning hands into pushes, so the house still keeps an edge. Face Up Pai Gow, where the dealer sets its hand face up before you set yours and an ace-high dealer hand pushes, has a house edge of about 1.81%. Side bets such as Fortune Pai Gow, which pays on three of a kind or better in your seven cards, carry a much higher house edge than the main bet, often 7% or more. For more on how game edges compare, see our casino odds guide.
Banking the game
In many land-based casinos, players can take turns acting as the banker. When you bank, you play against the dealer and the other players, you win copies, and you pay the commission on your net win. Casinos usually require you to cover the other bets at the table, so banking takes a bigger bankroll.
Online versions are house-banked: you always play against the dealer and never get the banker role.
Playing Pai Gow Poker online vs. in a casino
The rules are the same. The differences are in pace, stakes and atmosphere:
- Stakes. Online tables often allow lower minimum bets than casino tables, where minimums vary a lot by casino and time of day.
- Pace. You set your own speed online. In a casino, you play at the table’s pace and set your hand while the dealer waits.
- Learning. Online games show the rules on screen, many have a house way button, and free demo versions let you practice without betting money.
- Banking. Only land-based tables let players bank.
- Comps. Land-based play earns points in casino rewards programs, which can turn into free meals and rooms.
In the US, real-money online casino games are legal only in a handful of states, and licensed sites there decide which table games they carry. Offshore sites that take US players are not licensed by any US state regulator. If you visit a casino in person, our guide to the Las Vegas experience covers where to start, and you can find the game in card rooms across California.
Bonus wagering and Pai Gow Poker
Online casinos set their own rules for how much each game counts toward bonus wagering requirements, and table games often count for less than slots. Read the terms before assuming your Pai Gow play counts.
History of Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is a card version of Pai Gow, a Chinese game played with 32 tiles that look like dominoes. Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club in the Los Angeles area, created the card game in 1985 as a way to bring non-Asian players into a game his Pai Gow customers already loved. It spread quickly through California card rooms and then to Las Vegas and casinos worldwide.
Torosian never patented the game. He was told a card game could not be patented, so he never applied, and any casino could spread it without paying him. The Los Angeles Times profiled his story in 2002.
Pai Gow Poker FAQ
Why was my $5 win paid as $4.75?
Most casinos take a 5% commission on winning Pai Gow Poker bets, much like the commission on winning Banker bets in baccarat.
What happens if I tie the dealer?
If one of your hands exactly matches the dealer’s, that hand goes to the banker. Win the other hand and the result is a push; lose it and you lose the bet.
Is A-2-3-4-5 a good straight in Pai Gow Poker?
In most casinos it is the second-best straight, behind 10-J-Q-K-A. In California and Michigan it ranks as the lowest straight.
What is the house edge in Pai Gow Poker?
About 2.7% on the main bet with a 5% commission, if you set hands the house way and never bank. Face Up Pai Gow is about 1.8%, and side bets cost more.
Can I play Pai Gow Poker online for real money?
Yes, at licensed online casinos in states that allow online casino games, where the site chooses to offer it. Elsewhere in the US, real-money online casino play is not legal under state law.
Gamble responsibly. If gambling stops being fun, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.