Pai Gow Poker is a fairly popular card game played in most Las Vegas casinos. As its name suggests, Pai Gow Poker is a variation of poker (not to be confused with Pai Gow, which is played with dominoes) where each player is playing against the banker, or house.

The object of the game is to create two poker hands with the seven cards in your hand that beat the banker's hands. Each player must make a five-card hand and a two-card poker hand, however, the five-card hand must rank higher than the two-card hand. The banker will set their hand in a pre-defined manner according to the "house way." The five-card hands are evaluated using standard poker hand rankings with one exception: in most Nevada casinos, "the wheel" or A-2-3-4-5 ranks as the second highest straight, after 10-J-Q-K-A. The two-card hands consist of pairs and high cards only, there are no straights or flushes. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck plus one joker. The joker may be used to complete straights and flushes if possible, otherwise it is an ace.

After all players have set their hands, the banker's hands are compared to each player's hands. If both the player's hands beat the banker's corresponding hands, the player wins. If only one of the player's hands beats the banker, it is a push. If both player's hands lose, then the player loses. Ties go to the banker (i.e. if both player and banker have A-K for their two-card hand, then the banker wins that hand). Vegas casinos typically charge a 5% commission on all winnings.

Basic Strategy

In general, the player should try to set the highest two-card hand legally possible (that is, the best two-card hand while maintaining a higher five-card hand). When in doubt, the player can always ask the dealer to set the player's hand according to the "house way," which is often very close to optimal strategy.