Many casinos are aware of the popularity of poker. Unfortunately, poker is a game played against other players and not the house, so the casinos have little involvement in regular poker, other than to charge a rake (a percentage of each pot) for the usage of the dealer as well as the table. To combine the aspects of poker with those of typical table games played against the home, casinos have invented a range of poker variations which are played like traditional table games, player vs. the casino.
One particular variation is Pai Gow. In Pai Gow Poker, after each player puts up a wager of their choosing they’re dealt seven cards. Your objective is to make your best five-card and two-card poker hand. As a rule, your five card hand must be stronger than your two card hand. In the event you are dealt A, A, 9, 8, 7, 3, 3, you can not split your hands into 9, 8, 7, 3, 3 and AA. You could split them in to a, A, 9, 8, 7 and 3, 3, or perhaps a, A, 3, 3, 7 and 9, 8. As long as your five-card hand beats the two-card hand, you may arrange them however you like. If you’re not sure the optimal way to set your hand, you can ask the dealer to help you. There is just one joker in the deck, which is often used in your hand to complete a straight or possibly a flush, or as an Ace. The joker is just not wild, you can’t use it to pair any card within your hand other than the Ace.
When you have set your hand, the dealer also sets his hand. If both of your hands beat both of the dealer hands, you win an amount equal to your initial bet. If both of the dealers’ hands beat both of yours, you lose your bet. If one hand wins and also the other loses, it’s really a tie and no-one wins. The home gets its edge by charging a five percent commission on winning bets.
In Pai Gow you also have the option of being the “Banker”. If you decide to be the Banker, you put up a amount of cash to cover (or “Bank”) all of the bets on the table (if the amount you put up is not enough, the home will pick up in which you left off). In case you are the Banker, you play against all Players. Your five percent commission is calculated after all wins and losses are tabulated. Being the Banker affords a really slight edge because if your hands “copy” (are exactly the exact same) a Player’s hand, you win.
Pai Gow is an interesting variation of poker and one you could consider if you like poker but are trying to find a more traditional casino game than regular poker, or just one that provides an added dimension to the game. You can find Pai Gow at certain great online casino gambling agent casino sites as well as in any live casino.