All of our recommended online casinos carry the standard games such as slots, blackjack, video poker and so on. These online casinos also carry a number of games that gamers may not be so familiar with. So, in keeping with the Slots Play Casinos commitment to informing the online casino gaming public, we present somewhat lengthy explanations of Pai Gow Poker, one of the best albeit unusual online casino games.
Do Land-based Casinos Carry These Games?
They may and they may not. In many of these games, they could have a table for the game or a few terminals. The tables take up a lot of floor space and players would rather play blackjack than Three Card Poker. They could put in a terminal or a few terminals but that would take away from the slots terminals which are any land-based casinos biggest revenue source.
Online casinos have no such space problems so they can carry many more diverse games.
So, let’s dive right in and talk about Pai Gow Poker.
Pai Gow Poker
This game is a combination of the old Chinese game Pai Gow and the much more modern game of poker. How the Chinese play Pai Gow is not important since Pai Gow Poker is almost entirely about poker.
Both the player and the dealer get 7 cards. They have to make a 5-card hand and a 2-card hand. The 5-card hand has to be better than the other hand. The dealer has specific rules he has to follow in setting his hand.
At online Pai Gow Poker, the player can choose to have the software set his or her cards the same way the dealer’s hands are set. This is called the “house way”.
There is a Joker in Pai Gow Poker
The joker can be used only in three ways: to complete a straight, a flush, or as an ace. The joker is a great card if it does complete a straight or flush or if it gives you a great hand with an ace. But it can also just be a wasted ace.
Who Wins in Pai Gow Poker?
In order for the player to win, he or she has to win both the 5-card and the 2-card hand. Any equal hands are a tie and the dealer wins all ties. If the player wins one hand but not the other, the hand is a push.
Pai Gow Poker Strategy
The best strategy in this game is extremely complex. You will enjoy the game long before you master the best strategy. Here are a few basic strategy tips for setting your hands.
- It is a lot easier to win the 2-card hand with a high card and no pair. The dealer can have a pair in the low hand only if he has a higher pair or a different better hand in the larger hand. This means that you can win the lower hand with a high card which also means sometimes splitting a high pair.
- If you don’t have a pair, put the highest card in the big hand and the next two cards in the low hand. This is far from great but it wins both hands plenty of times.
- Put a pair in the big hand and then the next two ranking card in the 2-card hand.
- If you have a pair of aces, you might split it and put an ace in the two-card hand. That makes a strong hand. You will need a pair or better for this to be a legal play. Fortunately, having two pairs out of seven cards is not all that rare.
The Most Common Hands
As you can see, top level strategy in Pai Gow Poker is very complex. So, let’s segue and look at the most common holdings a player will have with seven cards. Let’s start with three of a kind. Here, the best strategy is to play the next best two cards, called kickers, in the two-card hand and keep the three of a kind as the five-card hand.
Most strategy sites tell players to split only three aces since a high card hand with an ace as the two-card hand is a strong hand.
What to Do with Three Pairs
This is an uncommon hand but not a rare hand. The best strategy is to keep two pairs in the larger hand and the highest of the three pairs as the lower hand.
What to Do with Two Pairs
This is quite common and players need to be careful here. The first thing to do is to look for the best two-card hand if you keep both pairs in the larger hand. A lot of players miss this important step and simply split the pairs.
They will win in most hands using this strategy but they will win even more if they can make an ace-high or king high hand in the smaller hand and keep the two pairs for the larger hand.
If you can’t make a strong two-card hand with the three unpaired cards, then split the pairs.
What to Do with One Pair
This is the second most common hand after you have received seven cards. Keep the pair in the larger hand and the next two cards as a strong hand with a strong kicker in the lower hand.
What to Do with No Pair
This is the most common hand you will have after getting seven cards. Keep the highest card in the five-card hand and the next two cards in the lower hand.
Why is Pai Gow Poker Such a Good Online Poker Game?
Actually, Pai Gow Poker is a great online casino game! Not just as a variation of poker.
The key element in Pai Gow Poker is that it requires great attention on the part of the player. There is a great deal of satisfaction in playing Pai Gow Poker for a half hour and then going on to do something else. The satisfaction comes from paying close attention on every hand and making good strategy decisions.
When you play Pai Gow Poker online, you can take as long as you need to make a decision. The thinking process can and will become a source of fun! This fits perfectly onto Slots Play Casinos’s generally approach to casino gaming which is that fun rules. The online casino adventure adds to the fun experience since no gamer ever asked himself or herself while walking from the kitchen to the living room, “Why did I spend so much money to get here?” The cost of getting to an online casino is exactly zero not to mention the hassles that exist only in real travel!
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