Pai Gow Poker

Pai gow poker is a Westernised version of a classic Asian dominoes game that has existed for centuries. Using a standard card deck of 52 cards and a joker, this originally rather complex Chinese game has been transformed into a more simple game played around the world.

Like other card games, each player play against the ‘banker' (basically, the house) and it is your objective to create two poker hands out of the seven cards you gain; one five-card hand ‘the hand behind/high-hand’, the other a two-card hand; ‘the hand in-front/low-hand’. Your card hands must beat the bankers to ensure a win. In online pai gow poker, you decide how much wager and the dealer will deal you and themselves seven cards. You then have to pick and click the cards you want to be in your low and high hands. The only rule you must follow is that the poker-ranking of your 5-card ‘high-hand’ must rank higher than your 2-card ‘low-hand’.

Depending on the casino you can either double your bet if both your hands beat the dealer, win your bet back if only one of your hands beats the dealer, or even lose your bet if you haven’t been successful. In the event of a tie between you and the dealer, the house claims all bets.

Most casinos have quirks you should look out for when it comes to pai gow poker. Certain casinos charge a commission on any winnings so keep your eyes peeled that. Make sure to remember that there are numerous variations of pai gow poker in online casinos, as well as some that include ‘Bonus-Bets’. Look for casinos that offer better winnings for the hands that you make too; some casinos only double your bet whereas others can offer you odds into the thousands, but be warned that these prizes may only be valid for those playing with extra bonus bets.

With the online versions of pai gow poker it is often possible to allow auto-play to take control of your spins, and choose the automatic best hands for you to play, however there may be times where you will see that you could have spread the best cards over the two hands, so be warned that this might not always be the best option for you to take.

Top Pai Gow Poker Bonuses by Casinos

Casino	Review	Pai Gow Poker Bonus	Pai Gow Poker Rating	Play Now
	William Hill Casino	£150	97%
	32Red Casino	£32 *	96%
	Betfair Casino	£500	87%
	Intercasino	£250	80%
* - No Deposit Required for this bonus

Hand Rankings

Pai gow poker has a specific hand hierarchy, which players need to be aware of. Essentially, a hand hierarchy is a way of indicating what beats what in a game of poker and below are the winning hands for pai gow poker, ranking from highest to lowest:

Five Aces (Highest)

Royal Flush

Straight Flush

Four-of-a-kind

Full House

Flush

Straight

Three-of-a-kind

Two Pair

One Pair

High Card (Lowest)

The high card rule applies if neither the player nor banker can make a pair. The player and banker then compare their highest cards and whoever has the highest card (e.g an Ace) wins. Not all casinos offer a prize for this, so make sure to check the rules.

Where to Play Pai Gow Poker

Now you've brushed up on all the essentials of pai gow poker, then next step is to decide where to play. As always, we have done the hard work for you a compiled a list of the best places to play pai gow poker, along with commission information.

Where to Play	Commission
32Red Casino	5%
Betfair Casino	5%
Intercasino	5%

Casinos for Pai Gow Poker

Information Icon Pai Gow Poker is available in the majority of our featured casinos, so we have compiled a quick selection of the best online casinos to play Pai Gow Poker.