8 Ways to Win Pai Gow Poker as a Pro


Pai Gow Poker is a Chinese poker game played with Chinese dominoes in the way that it is structured. To have the Pai Gow poker in a winning situation you need to lower the house edge. According to many professional Pai gow poker players the players should have mathematical skills to calculate the house edge and win the poker game. Here are the 8 ways to win while playing Pai Gow poker.

1. Know the rules and betting patterns in Pai Gow poker

If you are really interested in playing Pai Gow Poker and want to win the game you should have full understanding of the Pai Gow Poker game. You should know how the game works and have knowledge of the basics, rules and betting patterns so that you can play the game easily and need not fumble while playing the game.

2. Use the position of Bank where possible

It is always advised while playing Pai Gow Poker to use the position of bank where possible. Position is an important factor in the game and you must take its full advantage and also be careful about its use. This is because the Banker is required to cover the best of all the other players at the table; however, the odds for the Banker to win are more favourable than for any other player. Also you should keep in mind that you will have to have a good bankroll to keep this position. You can also try and find a table that lets two players share the banker position to help you with this.

3. Look at the Ratio Between Banker to Player Bets

When playing as the Banker, you should try and bet big if you feel you have a good chance of winning with your hand. When you are not in the Banker position you should avoid placing large bets as you do not hold the advantage. When the ratio between the Banker bets and Player is great, then the odds are better for the Banker.

4. Take heed as how You Split Your Two Pairs

If you have a 2 pair hand, you will need to break it into two very well thought out hands as this will cut down the house edge in your favour. There are different ways of doing this and players should try out a few strategies in free play to see what suits their style of gaming before venturing on to one that they can use for real money play.

5. Focus on 5 Card Hand and 2 Card Hand

While playing Pai Gow Poker you will need to create a 5 card hand and a 2 card hand to win this game. Most players concentrate on the 5 card hand and forget the 2 card hand or vice versa. As a wise player you need to try and balance both hands and keep this strategy in mind while betting. It is advisable to learn all the possible hand rankings before playing the game of Pai Gow Poker.

6. Avoid playing a Full House as the Upper Hand

Pai Gow Poker is one type of poker variant that does not favour a full house. If you draw a full house or see the possibility of acquiring such a hand with the cards you have been dealt, you should ideally avoid this hand. This is because although it will secure you a good 5 card hand, it will not leave you much room for creating a forward hand.

7. Finding difficult then use the House Way

If you are getting confused while playing the game of  Pai Gow Poker and do not know how to make the best out of your hand when you are confronted by a difficult arrangement, you can opt for the House Way. Though Pai Gow Poker is not a simple game of poker and requires mathematical planning when you arrange your cards the house way method of automatically arranging your hand based on a fixed system of how the dealer arranges his own hand. Since this system varies from casino to casino, you should look it up and find out how it works before playing Pai Gow Poker at that particular online poker room or land casino.

8. Play the Top Hand in a Three Pair

When playing Pai Gow poker if you secure a hand with a three pair, use the largest pair of that hand in front. This is also s standard strategy that all good Pai Gow Poker players use it. However, if a player has three pair hand and nothing else, then he should play it at the back and put high cards in the front.

With these 8 ways you can learn to win Pai Gow Poker and play like a Pro.