You must be aware of Microgaming as one of the oldest and best known suppliers of internet casino software. In 1994 the first Internet casino was launched, the Gaming Club, which continues to use Microgaming software to this day. Since then the number has grown to about 70 Internet casinos. They have broken the record for the largest progressive jackpot won online and have paid out jackpots over $1 million multiple times. Unlike some other Internet casinos which take time to pay big winners, Microgaming casinos pay jackpot winners immediately and in full.
Microgaming offers a variant of Pai Gow Poker with a bonus side bet at its internet casinos. The game has a very understandable and user-friendly interface, intuitive features and clear cut presentation. The visual style is minimalistic and quite enjoyable and will ease you through long sessions or when you have just start learning the basics.
Bonus Pai Gow Poker is listed under More Tables in the Games Menu at Microgaming internet casinos and is played with 53 cards. The goal for a player in this type of poker is to use standard poker hand rankings, but create two hands total that will beat the single hand that the dealer has. Bonus Pai Gow Poker, with multiple hands, means that players need to be fast in order to handle everything coming at them. Initially in this game, 7 cards are dealt. The cards are separated into 2 hands. One is called the “High Hand” and this hand is meant to contain five cards. The other hand contains the remaining cards. In order to win and beat the dealer in this game a player needs to actually have a better hand than the dealer’s in both of their hands. If a player has just one hand that’s better than the dealer’s, then the game is considered a tie.
Bonus Pai Gow Poker has an optional bonus bet that is not available in normal Pai Gow Poker variants. It can be placed only after placing the ante bet but must be placed before the cards are dealt to the player. The minimum limit for the bonus bet is 1 credit and the maximum limit is 20 credits. Within this range it can be varied at 1 credit intervals. The bonus bet is paid out according a payout table based on the cards dealt to the player. The payout is made irrespective of the outcome of the main game. The highest payout in the bonus bet table is 8,000 to 1. With a bonus bet of 20 credits the payout should be 160,000 credits. However the maximum payout against the bonus game is limited to only 25,000 credits. This is a very important rule and one that players tend to overlook. Hence in the above case players will have to settle for only about 15% of the due amount. In order to get full value from the bonus bet the amount staked on it should not exceed 3 credits.
The bonus bet pay table generally covers the normal five card poker hand rankings. If five of the seven cards dealt to the player are any of the hand rankings in the payout table then the corresponding payouts are awarded. These are:
- Straight: 2 to 1
- Three of a Kind: 3 to 1
- Flush: 4 to 1
- Full House: 5 to 1
- Four of a Kind: 25 to 1
- Straight Flush: 50 to 1
- Royal Flush: 150 to 1
There are certain hand rankings defined in the payout table that have even higher payouts. Since Pai Gow Poker is played with multiple decks it is possible to be dealt more than four aces. Five Aces pay out at 400 to 1. The Pai Gow Poker decks have a joker. If the player is dealt a seven card Straight Flush with the help of a joker, which acts as a wild card, then the payout is 1,000 to 1. A Royal Flush with a Deuce Pair pays out at 2,000 to 1. And a natural Royal Flush Pays out at 8,000 to 1.
The Microgaming software allows Bonus Pai Gow Poker to be played on Auto Play. The House Way is used to split the player’s cards. The game can be played in four different speeds and with a number of audio options. Both of these can be set from the Options menu in the bottom toolbar. Bonus Pai Gow Poker is live at all Microgaming casinos.
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