Based on the game “Chinese Poker,” Fortune Asia Pai Gow is an exciting poker-based game where players try and make their best three poker hands out of seven cards.
You must make the basic bet against the dealer and can also make the two optional bonus bets – Fortune Bonus and Insurance. After you make your bets, you will get seven cards to make three poker hands: a four-card hand, a two-card hand, and a one-card hand.
The only rule for setting your hands is that your four-card hand must be higher than your two-card hand, and your two-card hand must be higher than your one-card hand. The dealer must set his or her hand according to the specified house way. Each of your three hands will match-up against the dealer’s corresponding hand. You must win 2+ to win or lose 2+ to lose. The house wins ties.
The Fortune Bonus bet wins if your hand contains a straight or better. If you wager at least $5 on the Fortune Bonus bet, the dealer will place an “envy” button next to your bet. This qualifies you to a bonus payout when any other player at the table has at least a four-of-a-kind. You cannot envy the dealer’s hand or your own hand. The Insurance bet wins if a your hand is an ace-high or less.
You will receive your seven cards and arrange them into a four-card “high” hand, a two-card “mid” hand, and a one-card “low” hand. After setting your hands, you place them in the marked areas. The dealer then reveals his or her cards and set hands.
If you bet the dealer in at least two of the match-ups, your basic bet wins. If you lose to the dealer in at least two of the match-ups, you lose to the dealer. If you and the dealer have identical hands, you lose. The dealer then reconciles all insurance and Fortune wagers.
Remember thus that each of the three hands are compared to the dealer’s three hands and the hand with the higher value wins. All ties go to the dealer. The player must have two higher hands or they lose their wager. There are no overall ties as so often happens in regular Pai Gow. In addition, there is no commission paid on winning hands.
Bonus Wager in Fortune Asia Pai Gow
The Bonus Bet for Fortune Asia Poker wager pays on any 4-card straight or higher as well as a special payoff of 10-1 for a 9-high Pai Gow. The Bonus Wager has a house edge of about 6-percent, depending on the pay scale. The standard wager has a house edge of about 5-percent.
Strategy in the game of Fortune Asia Pai Gow
- In a no-pair nothing hand, you must play the highest card in the 4-card hand, the next highest card in the 2-card hand and the 3rd-highest card in the low 1-card hand.
- As there is no push in high hand of Fortune Asia Poker you have to win two of your hands or you lose your wager.
- Suppose you are dealt a hand like Ace-Ace-8-7-4-3-2. You can play Ace-Ace-3-2 with 8-4 and 7 in the lower hands, but the house way is likely to demand that the dealer split the Aces between the 4 and 3-card hands with the 8 in the low single card hand.
- If you hold two-pair, split them between the high and middle hands, unless on of the pairs is aces or kings and there are no other face cards, then play the pairs together in the high hands.
- If you hold four-of-a-kind, split them between the high and middle hands, unless you hold at least two face cards, one of which is an ace – then play them together in the high hand.
- If you hold five aces and two non-paired cards, play a pair in the high and middle hands and a single ace in the low hand.