If you have not played Pai Gow Poker in several years, you may notice something different the next time you sit down. Traditional Pai Gow Poker has nearly disappeared from many casino floors, replaced by Face Up Pai Gow Poker. While the games look similar, they use different rules that affect both speed and the house advantage.
How Pai Gow Poker Is Played
Pai Gow Poker uses a 53-card deck. The extra card is a joker. It may only be used to complete straight flushes, flushes, or straights. Otherwise, it is an ace.
The banker and each player receive seven cards. Two hands are set from the cards. One is a five-card high hand. The other is a two-card low hand. The high hand must beat the low hand or the hand may be declared dead.
Players only care about what the banker has. They do not play against other players.
When the banker beats both player hands, the banker wins. If the player wins both the high and low hand, the player wins. If one side wins one hand, and the other side wins the other, it is a push. About 40% of all hands end in a push, making Pai Gow Poker one of the slowest table games in the casino.
A copy is when the banker and player have the exact hand. For example, both could have a seven-high straight in the high hand, or an ace and a king in the low one. The banker wins all copies.
Side bets are often available. These include the Fortune Bonus and a progressive that typically hits when the player is dealt a seven-card straight flush. The joker may usually be used in the jackpot hand, and it may be set in any way between the low and high hands.
How Traditional and Face Up Pai Gow Poker Differ
Traditional Pai Gow Poker is a card version of the classic Pai Gow Tiles game. Pai Gow Poker originated in California card clubs, where traditional Pai Gow Tiles could not legally be offered and card rooms were prohibited from banking games.
The solution was to pass the bank around the table. The house took a 5% commission off wins from players and the banker. The banker button moves around the table. Players have the option of banking or passing it to the next player. Players set their hands before the banker.
This game eventually found its way to Nevada and other casino markets. It was played the same way as in California until 2018. That is when the face-up version first started appearing on the Las Vegas Strip.
I first saw Face Up Pai Gow Poker at Circus Circus in 2018. It did not perform well there, as that casino no longer deals it or any other version of Pai Gow Poker. However, the face-up version caught on quickly at other casinos and, within six years, had replaced nearly every traditional table in Las Vegas.
In Face Up Pai Gow Poker, the dealer’s seven cards are set before players act. After players have seen the dealer’s hand, the dealer sets the house hand according to the house way. Players may not bank.
In Face Up Pai Gow Poker, there is no commission. Instead, the dealer making an ace-high pai gow pushes the table. It does not matter if the player would have won or lost. All players get their main bets back. Side bets are still in action. An ace-high pai gow means the dealer has an ace but cannot make any hand of a pair or better.
Dealer Open Pai Gow Poker
Dealer Open Pai Gow took some aspects of Face Up Pai Gow Poker and changed the push hand to one that causes players to automatically lose. That happens when the dealer has two or more jacks in their hand. When that occurs, all players lose their main bets. Side bets are still in action.
Differences in House Advantages
Face Up Pai Gow Poker has a house advantage of about 1.8%. Dealer Open Pai Gow Poker is in the same range. Traditional Pai Gow Poker is about 2.7%. However, this varies by casino, as the house way changes from one establishment to another. Some play more conservatively, while others set house-banked hands more aggressively.
These numbers are somewhat deceptive. While face-up games have a lower house advantage, the games are faster because of the automatic push or lose hands. Players also need less time to set their hands when they know what is needed to win. This increased speed keeps the expected hourly results to be in the same vicinity, while also taking away the player banking situation many casinos dislike.
Decrease Traditional Pai Gow Poker’s House Advantage by Banking
When banking, the player has an expected return of roughly 100%, meaning the casino’s edge on those hands is essentially eliminated. Most houses will permit the player to bank every other hand when heads-up. This lowers the house edge to about 1.3% when averaging the hold on the player and banker hand each round. It increases with every player at the table as the banker button moves around, and there are fewer opportunities for a single player to bank. If a player declines to bank, the house banks that hand in most casinos. The option is not given to other players.
It is imperative to learn the best strategy when banking. The most advanced ones can swing banker hands to the player’s advantage.
Why the House Has the Edge
Two factors play into the house having the advantage. In traditional games, one is the 5% commission. In face-up versions, it is the automatic push hand on a weak ace-high, or players losing to two or more jacks in Dealer Open Pai Gow Poker.
The other factor is that the banker wins on copies. If the player and the banker have the same straight, or the front two cards are identical, the banker wins. That turns a situation where the player wins and copies into a push, and copies and loses into a loss. Two copies go in favor of the banker.
Pai Gow Poker Can Be a Fun, Slow Game
Pai Gow Poker remains one of the most relaxed games in the casino. Frequent pushes and low volatility make it a favorite among players who enjoy social gambling. Just remember that whether you choose the traditional or face-up version, the house still has the advantage.
