Online pai gow poker is the Americanised version of the traditional Asian game of pai gow, which is traditionally played with tiles that bear a resemblance to dominoes. In an attempt to make it more accessible, pai gow was made known to the US market with a standard 52-card playing deck along with a joker.
The joker is able to stand in as an ace or be used as a wild card in order to complete hands like the flush; straight or straight flash. Those interested in playing this hybrid game will be able to do so by means of laptops; desktop computers; tablet devices and smartphones, as there are customised versions available for each of these gadgets.
The Basics for Pai Gow Poker
When players begin a game of online pai gow poker, a wager will need to be placed in accordance with the minimum set for the table. After all the bets have been made the players will be dealt a total of seven cards, from which two poker-hands will need to be constructed: a five-card hand and one made up of the remaining two cards.
The five-card hand is sometimes referred to as the bottom; high; behind or big hand, and the two-card hand is also called a small; top; low; minor or in-front hand.
Strategy for Online Pai Gow Poker
When players are creating their two separate online pai gow poker hands from the seven they have been dealt they will need to ensure that the cards in the five-card hand represent a higher poker-hand than the hand of two does. In an example where a player is dealt two aces; a four; a six; a seven; a ten and a jack, and a flush is not possible, the aces will need to be placed in the five-card hand, not the one made up of two cards. Should this rule not be followed it will be seen as a foul and an instant loss will be put into effect.
The five-card online pai gow poker hand will follow the standard rules for poker rankings, and the two-card hand can only be made up of either pairs or high cards. The best two-card hand would be a pair of aces, the worst a two and a three.
Once the two pai gow poker hands have been separated to the player’s satisfaction they will be placed on the table, with the two-card hand in front of the five-card hand. The player’s main aim is to beat the dealer, or banker, as far as rankings go for both. if you enjoy poker, we’re sure you’ll enjoy this game just as much!
How Wins Are Determined
All of the players’ hands will be compared to that of the banker, or dealer, and if a player’s cards are better than the bankers then he or she will be declared the online pai gow poker winner. If only one of a player’s hands has a higher ranking than that of the dealer then the round will be determined to be a push, or a draw, and a tie will be called.
Should the banker’s hand be higher in terms of poker rankings then the player’s bet will be forfeit, and this is also the case if the hands are both of equal value to the ones that the dealer holds.