How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards plus one joker, three dice, a dice cup, and a marker. The action button designates first hand dealt.

To start play, the dealer delivers one hand of seven cards to each spot face down. The four cards left are placed in the discard holder. The Banker (house or player) then shakes the dice to determine which of the seven player positions at the table will receive the first hand. A hand will go to each of the seven positions whether or not there are seven players at the table.

The first thing you'll do with your seven cards is sort them into a two-card and five-card hand, using normal Poker rankings. Your highest possible hand would be:

For two cards, a pair of Aces
For five cards, a Royal flush

The five-card hand must always outrank the two-card hand. For example, if the two-card hand were to hold a pair of sevens, the five-card hand must hold a pair of eights or better. The Joker can be used only as an Ace, or to complete a straight, a flush or a straight flush.

To win, your two-card hand must beat the Banker's two-card hand and your five-card hand must beat the Banker's five-card hand. If one of your hands win and the other one loses, it's a push. Hands that tie lose to the bank. Winning hands are paid even money, less 5% commission.

Rules To Remember

Once the dealer exposes the Banker's cards, players cannot touch their cards.
Any player's hand that is set incorrectly is an automatic loser. For example, if a player's hand is set up so that his two card hand ranks higher than the five-card hand, or the player puts three cards in the low hand and four in the high hand. Players are responsible for arranging their own hands and should do this with care. If you don't know how to set your hand, the dealer may assist you.
Neither the House Bank or Player Bank may set an automatic losing hand. The hand must reset under house rules.
The highest two-card hand is a pair of Aces.
The five-card hand must rank higher than the two-card hand. A Royal Flush is the highest five-card hand.

Fortune Bet: An additional wager may be placed in the 'Bonus' circle. The player is betting that in the seven cards received, he/she will create a qualifying five-card Poker hand, The wager wins odds payoff based on the rank of the five-card hand. Additionally, if any player at the table makes a five card of found-of-a-kind or better, the other player who have made the Bonus side wager of at least $5.00 qualify to receive the Envy Bonus payout from the Bonus Schedule, regardless of whether their own hand was of a qualifying nature.