Pai Gow is a traditional Chinese casino game that is rich in history and cultural significance and is enjoyed throughout the Asian world.

Thanks to globalization and the trade of culture and ideas, Pai Gow has made its way to the Western hemisphere, where we can now enjoy the beautiful game of Pai Gow Poker.

Admittedly, the game has a complex set of rules and has a high entry barrier for new players. However, once you learn the game, it is a great experience to indulge in.

Top Pai Gow Casinos Online

Pai Gow poker online is one of our real money casino’s most popular features because the pace of the game allows players to have a seat at the table and play several hands on the same. Pai Gow Poker is a fusion of Asian traditional gaming with Western poker aspects. Its a challenging but fun game in that there is an element of skill involved and, of course, luck. Pai Gow Poker is becoming more and more popular as players gain a better understanding of the nature of the game. Pai Gow is a gambling game that has been played in China for over a thousand years. Traditional Pai Gow is played with Chinese dominos, which are definitely different from the dominos that Westerners are accustomed to, and in any case Pai Gow.

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The Rules Of Pai Gow Online

Pai Gao (牌九), spelled “Pai Gow” in casinos, means “make nine.” The number nine is important to this tile-based game as the maximum number you can make is indeed nine. The traditional version of Pai Gow is played with domino-like tiles rather than cards, which didn’t translate well to a Western demographic, which is why Pai Gow Poker was invented.

Pai Gow Poker is a variation of Pai Gow and Texas Hold ‘Em poker and has a more manageable set of rules than its traditional counterpart. Pai Gow Poker is much easier to translate to an online setting as well, seeing as there are fewer player-on-player and more player-on-dealer interactions.

This article will give you a detailed rundown on all you need to know about both iterations of Pai Gow. If you’re a beginner looking to familiarize yourself with this beautiful game, read on for more information.

How To Play Pai Gow Poker

The rules for Pai Gow and Pai Gow Poker are vastly different, as Pai Gow Poker is merely a loose interpretation of the traditional game. Pai Gow Poker employs a standard 52-card deck with a single Joker card and borrows more rules from the poker side than the Pai Gow side.

If you’re aware of the poker hand rankings, Pai Gow Poker shouldn’t be too difficult to accustom yourself to

Steps To Play Pai Gow At An Online Casino

1. Place Your Bets and Receive Your Cards

   Take a seat at the virtual table and place how much you want to bet. After your wager has been processed, the dealer will deal seven cards face up to you and seven down to themselves.

2. The Joker Card

   In Pai Gow Poker, the Joker acts as a filler card and can be plugged into 5-hands such as straights, flushes, straight flushes, or royal flushes.

   If you cannot form any of those hands, then the Joker simply acts as an ace to form pairs.

3. Sort Your Hand

   Sorting out which hand to present is the meat and potatoes of Pai Gow Poker. The aim of the game is to arrange your seven cards into poker hands – one consisting of five cards and one consisting of two.

   The five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand. In that sense, you cannot arrange your two-card hand to have a pair of aces while you only have a pair of sixes in your five-card hand.

4. Five and Two Card Hands

   For the five-card hand, the standard rules of poker hand rankings apply.

   The only difference between Pai Gow Poker hand rankings and normal Texas Hold’Em rankings is that the A 2 3 4 5 straight is considered the second-best straight in the game, as opposed to K Q J 10 9.

   For the two card hands, suits don’t matter – you only have to concentrate on whether you have a pair or not. A pair of aces would be the strongest two card hand you can have.

5. Beat the Dealer

   It goes without saying that you want to be beating the dealer.

   Pai Gow Poker is a much slower game than other casino games, so you can really take your time and deliberate over the best course of action you want to employ for your seven cards.

Best Online Casinos To Play Pai Gow Poker For Money

We recommend these top-rated operators to play casino games for real money. They all offer Pai Gow Poker and a large selection of online casino games for you to choose from.

Top 3 Online Pai Gow Strategies

Although casino games are largely games of chance, some games have higher RTP (return-to-player) percentages than others. Pai Gow is a low volatility game that requires active participation from the player.

Thus, there are various strategies that you can employ to increase your chance to beat the dealer. Below are some of the best strategies.

• Split Pairs

  This strategy can be complicated for new players, but the basic gist of splitting is that if you have two pairs (AA + JJ, for example), then you would put the AA in the two-card hand and the JJ in the five-card hand.

  The lower-ranking pair should always go in the five-card hand. Additionally, you should split full houses into trips and a pair. There are certain house rules for splitting cards, but generally, it is up to your discretion unless told otherwise.

• Bankroll Management

  The best strategy any player can be aware of is managing their money. You can’t play if you don’t have money. Pai Gow Poker is a very slow-paced game with a lot of pushes, so thankfully, you won’t burn through your money that quickly.

  A progressive overload strategy where you incrementally increase your bet sizes upon winning may be a beneficial way to maximize profits. It’s important to play however you want as long as you are comfortable spending that money.

• Playing The Bonus Bet Smart

  Bonus bets are typically a way for the house to rake in your money. It’s a known trap in the casino world; however, the reward can sometimes outweigh the risks.

  Seasoned players keep a mental note of the number of times the bonus hasn’t been triggered in a row and would strategically place a bonus bet when the timing is right. Of course, this is technically guesswork, but you can estimate when to bet on the bonus just like counting cards.

Pai Gow Poker Payouts

If you get a premium hand in Pai Gow Poker, you have the chance to win big! The table below shows you how much you’re able to win depending on what hand you get.

Pai Gow Tiles: The Traditional Chinese Game

Practice Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Tiles (or just Pai Gow) is the traditional, original version of Pai Gow Poker. Although the aim of the game is rather similar where the player must form 2 ranking “hands”, the rules and terms are completely different and can be very foreign to those unfamiliar with Chinese culture.

The game uses 32 tiles which are ranked individually and can form pairs. Players must place their bets before any tiles are dealt. Unlike Pai Gow Poker, the original game of Pai Gow has a completely different ranking system.

Below is a list of the best hands you can get:

• Gee Joon – domino six (2 white 4 red) & domino three (2 white 1 red)
• Teen – domino twelve pair (6 white 6 red each)
• Day – domino two pair (2 red each)
• Yun – domino eight pair (8 red each)
• Gor – domino four pair alternate (4 white 1 red each)
• Mooy – domino ten pure (10 white each)

• Chong – domino six pair pure (6 white each)
• Bon – domino four pair pure(4 white each)
• Foo – domino eleven pair (11 white each)
• Ping – domino ten pair alternate (6 white 4 red each)
• Tit – domino seven pair (6 white 1 red each)
• Look – domino six pair alternate (5 white 1 red each)

Have Fun With Pai Gow Poker & Win!

Pai Gow truly is a wonderful game to enjoy if you’re looking for a slow-paced event that requires a bit of mental work. It can be tough to learn the rules at first, but once you get the gist of the game, it’s a lot of fun.

On top of that, the chance to win that 8,000 to 1 payout always looms over your head as a possibility. Due to the low volatility and high RTP of this game, it’s truly a player-oriented game.

Check out our trusted online casinos to find one that hosts Pai Gow Poker games online. What could be better than relaxing in the comfort of your own home and playing some Pai Gow Poker? Not much.

Real money Pai Gow poker first appeared in 1985, and it’s slowly grown in popularity ever since. While it doesn’t appear poised to enter the upper echelon of casino games anytime soon, it maintains a decent following both online and at land-based casinos.

The invention of the game is attributed to Sam Torosian, the owner of the Bell Card Club in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, both his attorney and a noted poker author told him the game couldn’t be patented, which likely cost poor Sam a fortune in licensing fees.

By the end of the 1980s, the game had spread to the Las Vegas Strip. Less than two decades later, it was firmly entrenched as a standard option in the table games section of most Internet casinos.

No matter what your level of experience, you should come away from this with a newfound appreciation for the game and a desire to do some gambling. The rules are explained, as well as other important elements such a finding a reliable casino, avoiding the wrath of the law, and making deposits without a lot of hassle.

Is Playing Real Money Pai Gow Poker Legal?

The answer to this question isn’t a simple one, as it all depends on the nation where you reside. Even then, the laws may be different in various states or territories.

For an example of how confusing the laws can be, just take a look at the United States. While there’s no federal law that actually prohibits individuals from participating in online gaming, the dreaded Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act does make it difficult to make deposits and withdrawals to offshore sites.

The state laws are even more complicated, as they range from disinterested to draconian. The state of Washington is a perfect example of the latter, as they actually hold individuals responsible for Internet gaming instead of just passing the blame to the offending website.

If you have any doubts about the legality of such an endeavor, the Internet is the best place to find your answers. A lot of countries and individual states have governmental websites set up to detail specific laws, and any reputable casino should maintain a list of banned countries on their terms and conditions page.

Just remember: ignorance of the law isn’t a valid defense. If you’re thinking about playing Pai Gow poker for real money, it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re in compliance with any federal, state, or local statutes.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow poker is hardly a household name, and many online gamblers pass right by it on the way to more popular games such as blackjack or roulette. If you’re uncertain how the game works, this section should clear up any questions you might have.

After the player makes their initial wager, they’ll receive seven cards. The game is played with a 52-card deck, as well as a joker card.

The objective of the game is to create a two-card hand and a five-card hand, both of which are superior to that held by the dealer. If the player manages to accomplish this, then they receive a payout at even money (minus a 5% commission at most casinos). Winning one hand but losing the other results in a push. Losing both hands results in the player forfeiting their money for that hand.

As you can see, the basic rules of the game are pretty simple. There are, however, a few more details to keep in mind:

• Standard poker ranking rules apply, although there are a couple of exceptions. The Ace-2-3-4-5 straight is the second-highest straight in the game. A pair of aces is the best two-card hand.
• The 5-card hand must rank higher than the 2-card hand.
• A joker is only wild when it completes a flush or straight. Otherwise, it counts as an ace.
• Any tie results in a win by the dealer.
• In some online versions of the game, the player has the option of splitting the first two cards dealt into a pair of hands.

Pai Gow Poker House Edge

The house edge describes the mathematical advantage that a specific casino game holds over the player in the long run. For example, let’s say a player chooses a game with a 2% house edge. According to this number, the individual should expect to win back $98 for every $100 risked over the long term. This gives the casino a $2 advantage, which is where they make their profit. Of course, short term variation can be much different, which is why the house edge is usually calculated over thousands of hands or spins.

The overall house edge for Pai Gow poker is 1.46%. In case you’re wondering, that percentage is superior to each of the following games: single zero roulette (2.70%), Three Card Poker (3.37%), Pai Gow (1.50%), and Red Dog (2.80%).

Who Designs Pai Gow Poker?

Since the inventor of the game, Sam Torosian, famously failed to patent his creation, it’s available for any online or land-based gambling establishment to use. This has led Pai Gow poker to be included in most casino software packages, usually as a way to pad out the number of table games. Almost all of the leading designers have got in on the act, with everyone from Betsoft to Rival producing their own version of the game.

Choosing a Reliable Casino

Like any other business, some online casinos are more trustworthy than others. Since these operations are usually based in a foreign nation, customers who fall prey to shady activities are often left with no recourse. Therefore, it’s important to do some research before opening an account to ensure that your casino of choice is going to deal with you in a fair and honest manner.

There are several ways to go about conducting such research, and the following are the ones that have worked best for me:

• Read Online Reviews – Type the name of any virtual casino into a search engine, and you’re bound to get back numerous results for reviews and complaints. Some of these are more accurate than others, however, and it can sometimes be a chore trying to distinguish between the two. If you want to remove all doubt, you can seek your information directly from a casino watchdog site, as these operations specialize in offering unbiased details on hundreds of online gambling establishments.
• Is the Site Publically Traded? – Check to see if the casino is traded on one of the many stock exchanges around the globe. These sites can still receive customer complaints, but shareholders usually have little patience for any sort of behavior that’s going to cause a major scandal and drive down prices.
• Licensed Jurisdiction – Any reputable casino is going to be licensed and operated from a certain jurisdiction, and these certifications are normally displayed at the bottom of their homepage. Basically, the casino pays an annual fee to the jurisdiction for a license, and the host country verifies that all their business is conducted fairly. Some locales are more thorough than others, though, so it’s always a good idea to stay away from companies based in certain locations (such as Costa Rica, for example).

Sign-Up Bonuses Explained

Online gambling is a cutthroat business, with operations continually looking for ways to spirit away customers from the competition. Sites often live or die by the content of their homepage, and the words “sign-up bonus” should be familiar to anyone who’s ever engaged in Internet gaming.

Pai Gow Poker Rules

For those who are new to the world of virtual gambling, here’s a brief description of how it usually works. A casino offers a matching sign-up bonus with a monetary cap. When the customer signs up and makes their first deposit, the casino then matches the amount of their deposit up to the amount of the cap.

Here’s an example. A casino is offering a 100% matching bonus up to $500 for new players. If the customer signs up and makes a deposit of $500, they’ll receive an additional $500 from the casino. While this sudden influx of free money sounds great, the fine print of the offer is actually loaded down with extra stipulations.

In order to keep the bonus money, the player is usually required to meet a wagering requirement within a certain period of time (usually anywhere from one to six months). This amount is a multiple of the bonus, although sometimes the bonus and initial deposit may be added together.

Let’s say, for example, that the player receives $500 in bonus money and has six months to meet a 30X wager requirement. This means a total of $15,000 must be risked before the player has an opportunity to request a withdrawal (or, in some cases, permanently keep the money in their account).

If the player fails to meet the target sum in the allotted time, they may find the entire bonus amount removed from their account. And, if the casino is especially devilish, they may also remove any winnings that have been generated with that amount. As you might expect, customers who don’t bother to read the fine print can often become enraged when such details become apparent to them.

In their terms and conditions, some sites state that bonus money is intended only for recreational players. Anyone who, in the opinion of the casino, appears to be a professional can find their bonus money revoked along with any subsequent winnings. I take a dim view of this practice, as it gives some establishments a license to screw over any player who has the gall to be too successful.

Finally, there’s the matter of some games counting less than others when it comes to fulfilling the wagering requirements. This is almost always based on the house edge, with pure games of chance counting more than those requiring a bit of strategy. Games like craps and roulette are often excluded entirely from such deals, while table games such as Pai Gow poker usually count 60%. That’s means a $300 wager only counts $180, so anyone looking to unlock a bonus is going to have a lot of work ahead of them.

Pay Attention to the Fine Print

I would hope that the previous section adequately drove this message home. However, for those who are a bit dense, allow me to say it one more time: always read the fine print. Casinos love to get technical if there’s a possibility that it’ll save them money, so make sure to know exactly what’s expected of you before putting any cash on the line.

Watch Out for Thieves

Much like the real world, the Internet has its share of thieves. These shadowy individuals love to hack accounts and steal vital information, and you don’t even have the option of catching them in the act and beating them with a baseball bat.

The top casinos have a number of security safeguards in place, but the smart customer also takes steps on their end to ensure a hassle-free experience. Passwords should always include a combination of letters and numbers, and never use the same password for multiple accounts. It’s also a good idea to alter this information from time to time, even though most view this as a major hassle. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Another key to ensuring security is to buy and maintain solid anti-virus software. Take the time to do some research on the available brands, as some of the leading names in the industry are actually pretty ineffective.

For those who share their computer with others, always make sure to log out of your casino account when you’re finished for the day. Even if you trust your friends and family implicitly, doing otherwise is just inviting potential trouble.

While there’s no sure-fire way to keep online thieves at bay (other than staying off the Internet entirely), there are a number of reasonable steps that can be taken to assist with online security. By taking your fate into your own hands, you should be able to gamble all you want without worrying too much about hackers.

Learning about Withdrawals

Before you select a new casino and start depositing money, take a few minutes and read up on how their withdrawal policies work. This information might seem useless when you’re starting out, but customers are bound to need these details eventually.

Here are the areas to pay particular attention to:

• Available Withdrawal Methods – While casinos often provide a dozen or more methods for depositing money, the withdrawal options are usually much smaller. In some cases, the customer may be required to use the same transaction method for both deposits and withdrawals, which is good to know about ahead of time.
• Fees – When you make a withdrawal, are there any associated fees? Casinos usually don’t charge one, but the company performing the transaction often does.
• Payment Time – Once you’ve requested a withdrawal, how long does it take before you receive the money? This can be a major point of contention, especially since some casinos engage in what’s become known as “slow pay.” This is the practice of drawing payments out as long as possible, usually in the hope that the player will give up and either cancel their request or gamble it away before the transaction is made.

Don’t Neglect Taxes

Unless you live in Australia or a few other select nations, you’re going to be expected to pay income tax on any casino winnings. A lot of players just ignore this stipulation, but it might come back to haunt them down the line.

If you fail to report $100 or less, you probably don’t have anything to worry about. If you win more than $1,000, though, your odds of slipping by are far less. Things might seem okay at first, but anyone who gets audited will have to account for the extra money that’s been deposited into their bank account. Failure to do so could lead to fines, garnishment of salary, and even possible jail time (in extreme cases).

In order to avoid a potential headache, just write down the date and amount won or lost after every session. At the end of the year, you’ll have a handy record that can be used when it’s time to figure up your taxes. If you fail to do so, don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Conclusion

Real money Pai Gow poker may not be a household name, but it does present online gamblers with a fun alternative to more famous casino titles. The rules are some of the simplest around, and each hand is resolved in short order. As long as you’re careful about selecting a reputable casino and paying attention to Internet security, you should be able to enjoy this entertaining game without worrying about additional problems.