The game of poker
is available in many various shapes and forms. There are all sorts of different
poker variants, with some of the most popular types of poker games including
Texas Hold'Em, Omaha, Irish Poker and Seven-card Stud - even H.O.R.S.E. These
are the types that most people will be familiar with.
Another form of
poker though is Pai Gow poker, which has origins in China. You may be a lot
less familiar with this strand of gaming but that doesn't mean that it is any
less fun nor any less entertaining. So as you learn more about the game, here
is an ultimate guide giving you everything you need to know about Pai Gow
poker!
What is the History of Pai Gow?
The original game
of Pai Gow began in China as a gambling game that uses
a set
of 32 Chinese dominoes. Loosely translating as "make nine" because of the
maximum score of a hand, the game of Pai Gow tasks players with forming two
hands that each have two tiles in. There's a front hand which has a lower score
and a rear hand which has the higher score; if the player's front and rear
hands beat the dealer's, they win the bet. If they lose both hands, they lose
the bet and if one hand wins and one loses they "push" and get their money
back. As we will see in the next section, the rules of Pai Gow poker have been
adapted from this original Chinese version. It was Sam Torosian, the owner of
the Bell Card Club, who created the poker version of the game in 1985. This is
often described as an Americanized version of the Chinese, dominobased game.
America is seen as the home of poker, so it makes sense that it would have such
a home-grown game, especially considering the history of Chinese immigration to
the US.
Another form of poker though is Pai Gow poker, which has origins
in China. You may be a lot less familiar with this strand of gaming but that
doesn't mean that it is any less fun nor any less entertaining. So as you learn
more about the game, here is an ultimate guide giving you everything you need
to know about Pai Gow poker!
What Are the Rules of Pai Gow
Poker?
The rules of Pai
Gow poker differ quite a bit from the rules of other card games, such as
baccarat, blackjack, and faro. Instead of the domino system that the Chinese
version uses, players are just dealt a hand of seven cards in order to make two
hands of five and two cards. The back hand uses the standard poker hand ranking
format, while the front hand can only be made up of a pair or two high cards.
Fouling your hand means you lose your bet, so it's very important to pay
attention here. Again, the goal is for each hand to beat the dealer's hand. If
your hands are better than the dealer's you win, if both are worse then you
lose and if only one of your hands wins it's a push. Also keep in mind that if
you have the same hand as the dealer, the dealer will win that
hand.
Where Can People Play Pai Gow? Since first being created
some 35 years ago, Pai Gow poker has been adopted in many poker rooms and
casinos around the world, both online and offline. As is perhaps expected, both
Pai Gow and Pai Gow poker is especially popular in casinos in Macau, the
autonomous Chinese territory which pits itself as the Asian gambling hub. One
example is Grand Emperor Hotel and Casino, where Sic Bo, another Asian table
game, is also offered in addition to classic staples like roulette and
blackjack. Pai Gow poker can also be played in casinos in the United Kingdom
and the United States. As online casino operators work to stand out from the
competition and add more games to their platforms,
casinos such as Betway have chosen to
offer Pai Gow poker as an option in their lobby. As of today, there are no
widely used live dealer casino versions of Pai Gow poker. However,
online casino game
developer Play N'Go have developed what is arguably the most popular online
version at the moment, while Rival Games also have a version out. The original,
domino-based version of Pai Gow remains a major part of Chinese culture as
well.
Why is Pai Gow Poker So Popular? The popularity of Pai
Gow poker likely stems from its rich and interesting history. As mentioned, Pai
Gow is a massive part of Chinese culture and so many gamers in the west likely
relish the chance to play this intriguing take on the classic game. The fact
that it is just a new poker variation that's different enough but not so
different that general pieces of poker
advice don't apply may also contribute to people's interest in it. The
online world has also helped popularize this until recently fairly unknown
table game, with Michael Wehking's book Winning Pai Gow: A Pocket Guide getting
published in April 2018. Being so new, Pai Gow has had far less to build up an
audience than other variations. But interest in it is steadily growing thanks
to how readily available the game is becoming, drawing more players
in.
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