Last Updated on 9 July 2025 by Nicholas Lim
Learning how to play pai gow poker is really quite easy, and you’ve come to the right place. With the information on this page, Every Singaporean casino player will quickly learn how to play pai gow poker. Ace Win 8 Casino is happy to give you all the help could want, and get you playing in no time.
We’ve also got a great pai gow poker game as part of our online games suite, and it’s yours to play for free. Just click on the download link to install the games on your computer. Once you know how to play pai gow poker using the free version, we know you’ll feel confident in switching to real money mode, because it is identical to the free version.
And here’s a secret to learning as fast as possible: have the game installed and running while you go through this information, and follow along to get a real feel for this popular card game.
History of Pai Gow Poker: A Blend of Ancient Tradition and Modern Strategy
Pai Gow Poker stands as a unique and intriguing game in the casino landscape. It merges ancient Chinese domino traditions with the familiar mechanics of American poker. This fascinating hybrid offers a distinct challenge and a different pace compared to other card games. Its evolution from a centuries old game to a popular casino staple is a testament to its enduring appeal and strategic depth.
Pai Gow Variations
The roots of Pai Gow Poker trace back to the ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow. This original game uses a set of 32 dominoes, not cards. “Pai Gow” literally translates to “make nine” or “card nine,” referring to the highest possible value in the game. Historical records suggest Pai Gow dominoes have been played in China for over a thousand years. Its origins are often linked to the Song Dynasty, around the 10th or 11th century. This makes it one of the oldest gambling games still enjoyed today.
Traditional Pai Gow involved players arranging their four dominoes into two hands of two dominoes each. One hand was the “front” hand, and the other was the “back” hand. The goal was for both hands to beat the banker’s corresponding hands. The ranking of domino hands in traditional Pai Gow is complex. It involves specific pairs, “wong” (a pair of nines), “gong” (a pair of eights), and other combinations. The game requires significant skill, memory, and an understanding of intricate hand rankings. This complexity often made it challenging for newcomers to learn quickly.
The transition from dominoes to cards, giving birth to Pai Gow Poker, occurred much later. This innovation is largely credited to Sam Torosian, a casino owner in Bell Gardens, California. In the mid 1980s, Torosian, along with his business partner, Frank Riolo, sought to create a new game for their casino. They aimed to develop a game that would appeal to their Asian clientele, who were familiar with traditional Pai Gow, while also attracting mainstream American gamblers who understood poker.
Game Objective
The idea was brilliant in its simplicity: take the two hand concept of Pai Gow and apply it to a standard 52 card deck plus a joker. The joker typically acts as an ace or to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush. Players receive seven cards and must divide them into a five card “high” hand and a two card “low” hand. The crucial rule, known as the “Pai Gow rule,” dictates that the five card hand must rank higher than the two card hand. This rule is fundamental to the game’s strategy and sets it apart from other poker variants.
Sam Torosian introduced Pai Gow Poker at his Bell Card Club in 1985. The game quickly gained popularity. Its slower pace, compared to games like blackjack, appealed to players who enjoyed longer sessions and less volatile swings. The ability to “push” (tie) with the banker on one hand, and win or lose on the other, meant that games often resulted in pushes, preserving bankrolls and extending playtime. This characteristic made it particularly attractive to players seeking extended entertainment rather than rapid, high stakes action.
The success of Pai Gow Poker in California casinos led to its expansion. It soon found its way to the glittering casinos of Las Vegas. Its unique blend of strategy, combined with a relatively low house edge for skilled players, cemented its place on casino floors across the United States and eventually worldwide. The game’s appeal also grew due to its social aspect. Multiple players often sit at a table, and the role of the banker can rotate among them, adding an interactive element.
Pai Gow Poker Bonuses
Over the years, Pai Gow Poker has seen minor variations and side bets introduced to enhance its appeal. These often include bonus bets based on the strength of a player’s initial seven cards or specific hand combinations. Despite these additions, the core mechanics of splitting seven cards into two hands, with the five card hand outranking the two card hand, remains the heart of the game.
The enduring popularity of Pai Gow Poker speaks to its successful fusion of cultural heritage and modern gaming appeal. It bridges the gap between ancient Eastern strategy and Western card game familiarity. This creates a distinctive and engaging experience for players. From its domino origins in ancient China to its card based evolution in American casinos, Pai Gow Poker continues to be a beloved and strategic game for countless enthusiasts worldwide. Its history is a rich tapestry, reflecting innovation and adaptation in the world of gambling.
How To Play
The first thing you’ll find when you learn how to play pai gow poker, is the reason that it is also sometimes referred to as double handed poker. Both you and the dealer are dealt seven cards, and the ranking of the cards and hands is identical to traditional poker, but this is where the similarities end.
At this point, you must divide your cards up into two separate hands; one with five cards and the other with the remaining two. Since the dealer’s cards are dealt face down, you don’t yet know what you’re up against, but when you see how to play pai gow poker, you will now have the opportunity to shift your cards around into the best scoring hands possible.
The whole idea with this type of poker is to make the two best hands possible, the only rule being that the two card hand cannot beat the five card hand. This is where the “highest” and “second highest” areas of the table come in to play. Usually these hands are referred to as the front and the back hands; the back (five card hand) being set out closest to you, or behind the second highest.
Another thing about how to play pai gow poker is that there is only one opportunity to place a bet, and no opportunity to better your hand once you’ve arranged the front and back hands.
When you are learning how to play pai gow poker with our online casino software, you will quickly learn how the different game controls operate. In order to start a game, first you click the “New Game” button. This causes it to change into a “Deal” button, but before you start the card deal, you must place your bet.
This is a very simple process, since there is only one bet to make, similar to playing a hand of Blackjack. To do this, just click on the desired chip amount and it will appear in the “Bet” area of the table. If you wish to bet a multiple of the chip amount, just click the chip amount as many times as you want to multiply your bet amount by. For example, if you want to bet $200, click on the $100 chip twice, giving you 2x$100, or a $200 bet. Note, though, that there is a maximum bet limit of $300 per hand.
Pai Gow Poker Tips For Beginners
If you are just learning how to play pai gow poker for the first time, you may decide to change your bet. If this is so, all you have to do is click on “Clear Bets”, which will cancel your current bet giving you the opportunity to start over. If you are satisfied with the amount of your wager, you may then click on the “Deal” button, which starts the dealing process.
Once the cards have been dealt, you will notice that the “Deal” button now says “House Way”. By clicking on this button, the software will arrange your cards for you, in a way that gives you the best possible hand. It arranges your hands according to the same rules that the dealer (the House) must use when arranging their hand. The rules that the dealer uses are explained in detail on our Pai Gow Poker Rules page, and there are stipulations about how different ranked hands must be split into the front and back hands.
Please keep in mind that you need not click the House Way button. You may wish to arrange your hands in your own way, remembering to make certain that the front hand does not out rank the back hand. If you make an error in this procedure, you will be prompted by the software that you cannot arrange your hands in this way. Using the House Way button is a good way to start learning how to play pai gow poker because you can see how the software arranges your hands, and learn from that. Once your hand is arranged, simply click “Done”, and the dealer’s hands are revealed, and the outcome of your bet is shown.
We’re pleased to provide you with lots of information about how to play pai gow poker, and hope that you’ll decide to download and play the pai gow poker game available here. Please keep browsing this site, gathering knowledge and experience along the way and don’t forget that there are many other pages containing information on other aspects of the game of pai gow poker, as well as helpful articles we’ve gathered to give you the player’s point of view of this interesting game. If you take the time to click on the download link and install the games on your computer, you’ll be learning how to play pai gow poker in no time. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll definitely feel comfortable switching over to real money play, and be on the road to big casino winnings.