Pai Gow Tiles

Jan 30, 2016 The concept is the same as pai gow poker, where both player and banker make high and low hands, and then compare against each other. What makes pai gow difficult is there is order of hands and tiles seems largely random, and is difficult to memorize. What I love about pai gow is that for bankroll preservation, there is nothing that beats it.

By H. Scot Krause

There are ten different shuffles for Pai Gow Tiles. The House Way is the basic shuffle, dealt from the left. You can also specify House Way Right. You can only specify the shuffle when you are banking. The game of Pai Gow Tiles which originated in Ancient China, is played in most oriental countries. Pai Gow is a game of Chinese dominoes. Literally translated, it means Cards-Nine. The game is played with dominoes and is the forerunner of American dominoes. There are 32 dominoes used in Pai Gow which are mixed or shuffled by the. Pai Gow Tiles The object of the game of Pai Gow Tiles is to make a two-tile high hand and a two-tile low hand that ranks higher than the player-dealer’s two-tile high hand and two-tile low hand. Pai Gow Tiles is played with 32 Chinese dominoes or ‘tiles’, which form 16 possible pairs. Tile Values and Rankings.

History of Pai Gow Poker

The game of Pai Gow originated in China more than a century ago and was played at that time with tiles, like Dominoes, and dice. The Chinese word origin meant “make nine.” The conversion to a poker game happened around 1985 in a California Card Room.

Today, Pai Gow Poker is a table game, increasing in popularity in many casinos around the country. While it is a poker game, it is far less intimidating than sitting down at a live poker room game. One main difference is that in Pai Gow Poker you are playing against the dealer’s hand only, while in a live poker game you are playing against all the other players at the table and not the dealer at all (who gets no hand to play and only deals the cards.)

Another major difference is you are playing a seven-card hand, splitting your dealt cards (there is no re-draw) into two hands; your best 5 card hand (high hand) and your best 2 card hand (low hand), therefore your 2 card hand cannot be higher than your 5 card hand. As an example you cannot use an ace in your 2 card hand with a king high in your 5 card hand. We will get more into how to set your hand later.

After betting (more on how to bet later) and setting your 2 hands, you place them face down in the two appropriate spaces on the table layout in front of you and wait for the dealer to reveal his/her cards. The challenge is to beat both the high and low hand of the dealer’s.

If you win both, you win, usually minus a “commission” paid to the house. However, there are variations of the game like “No Commission Pai Gow” and “Face-Up Pai Gow” (both games played with some slightly different rules) where the dealer’s hand is laid out face up giving you an edge in setting your own hand. If you win one and lose the other it’s a “push” and you save/keep your original bet. If you lose both ways, then you lose your bet.

That was a rather quick synopsis of the game. Now we will look at how to play. As with any table game, you buy-in by laying your money on the table (along with your player’s club card.) We will use $10 as the table minimum and our buy-in is $100 for this example. The dealer will exchange your $100 for chips, giving you 20 $5 chips unless you ask for something different. You might want some smaller $1 chips for side bets—more about those later. You place $10 (2 chips) on the wager spot in front of you.

Set

There can be as few as one player and a maximum of six players because the game uses one 52-card deck, plus a joker, and 7 hands with 7 cards (including the dealer’s) equals 49, the max number of hands you can get from a single 53-card deck. Two decks are actually utilized, one being shuffled in an auto-shuffler machine while the other deck is in play.

Pai gow tiles odds

The deal is determined by a button (sometimes dice are used) that the dealer presses to assign a random order in which the first hand will be dealt. As an example, let’s say the number 2 comes up. The player seated in the number 2 spot at the table will receive his/her cards first. All 7 cards are dealt out to each player at once; the first 7, the next 7 and so on until all players have received their hands. Now you can look at your cards and determine how to set your 2 hands.

Once you have set your cards and returned them to the table face down and all players have done the same, the dealer will reveal his/her hand and set it according to house rules, placing their 2 card hand on top and their best 5 card hand beneath it. Then the dealer will turn each of the players’ cards over and either collect on losers, knock the table for a push, or pay the winners.

If you beat the dealer on both hands, the bet is paid off as even money, minus the commission. The commission is generally 5%, so in our example of a $10 bet, if you win you would receive $9.50 plus your original $10 bet back for a total of $19.50. The commission is due primarily to the relatively low house edge in Pai Gow. The house edge in this game can vary on how you play and set your hand, but following some basic strategy the house edge is about 2.7% to 2.9 %, not too bad for a novelty table game. It is possible to also lower the house edge by “banking,” whereby the player may bet against the dealer, and other players at the table. For more on banking, see below.

Setting Your Hands

Once you have your 7 cards, you must decide on how to set your 2 hands. Standard poker ranking rules apply to Pai Gow with one twist. Called “the wheel,” the A2345 straight is the second highest straight in most Pai Gow games. As it is not observed everywhere, you may want to ask about this strange rule when you sit down to play. Obviously, three of a kind, a straight, flush, four of a kind, straight flush or royal flush within your 7 cards should be held together as your high card hand and play your 2 best remaining cards as your low hand.

Notice that a full-house should be played differently. The three of a kind should be played as your high hand and the pair played as your low hand. If the dealer has a straight or higher, you will lose your high hand, but you have a good chance to win your low hand with a pair. Obviously, you want to win both the high and low to be paid, but you may want to protect your bet and win at least one of the two hands. While a full house might also accomplish the same thing (winning your high hand against the dealer) if your other two cards are very low cards, you will most likely lose your low card hand and still end up with a push. In a face-up game it becomes apparent what to do against the dealers hand.

Another dilemma is when you have two pair. Most experts agree that if you have two low pairs, like 8’s and 3’s, keep them together for your two pair high hand and put your remaining best two cards into your low hand. But if you have high pairs, like kings and jacks, you may want to split them hoping to beat the dealer both ways. Three pair is easy. Keep your lowest two pair together for your high hand and your highest pair as your low hand. This is actually a very good hand and it has a good chance to win both ways.

Finally, if you are in doubt about how to set your hand there is no harm in asking the dealer. They will tell you how to set it according to house rules; the way they (the casino) would set your hand. You can usually also ask other players at the table for their opinion.

Using The Joker

The joker card is wild in some ways. It is sometimes referred to as a “bug” because of its quirky use. It can only be used as an ace or as any card in a straight or flush, including a straight flush or royal flush.

What is a “Pai Gow?”

I was once sitting at a table when a guy walks up, plops down his money and says, “I want a Pai Gow!” The table laughed. He was serious but obviously didn’t understand the game at that point. Unlike Blackjack where the name implies a great hand, the opposite is true for Pai Gow.

A Pai Gow is the worst hand possible. A “nothing-burger.” It is a 7-card hand of little or no value in terms of poker ranking hands. The worst possible Pai Gow hand would be a 9 high with all 7 cards.

Pai Gow Poker Side Bets

A downside to Pai Gow is that a royal flush is worth no more monetarily to your bet than a single ace when you are playing against the dealer’s hand. In other words, a royal flush will still only get you even money (less the commission) and you would still have to win your low hand to collect on it! And essentially you have the same result holding an ace high in your high hand and say, a king high in your low hand, against a dealer’s king and queen high in the same positions. The payout is the same. This is where side bets become of interest.

The game of Pai Gow Poker itself plays fairly slowly, especially with a full table of players, so you have plenty of time to set your hand and chat among players. But it can be a little boring. The side bets bring some real fun and excitement to the game and also some strategy changes in setting your hands.

The most popular side bet is known as Progressive Fortune Pai Gow. If you have made the side bet for this you could win all or part of the progressive jackpot bonuses for specific hands, like a royal flush (with or without the joker,) 5 aces, etc., as listed on the payout table posted on the table. The highest hand, receiving the top prize progressive jackpot, is for a 7 card straight flush (no joker.) If you are betting the required amount, the dealer will place an “Envy” button above your hand, meaning you are entitled to a cut of the jackpot if anyone at your table hits one of the bonus hands listed.

Pai gow poker betting boxes

Fortune Pai Gow is another variation side bet on the game. Players can place a bet on making hands of three of a kind or better and get paid according to pay table posted. This is where setting you hand may also change wherein you can use cards from all 7 cards to make straights, flush’s, etc.

Emperors Challenge is another commonly found side bet allowing players a sort of “insurance” bet when you have a 7 card Pai Gow hand. The lower your Pai Gow, the higher your payoff if you make that bet. You may also find other side bets. Check the table before you play.

Banking in Pai Gow Poker

One way to gain and advantage in Pai Gow is to bank whenever you have the opportunity to do so. Ask the dealer how and when you may bank. You must have enough chips on the table to pay off all potential winning bets based on the number of players at the table and how much they are all betting. Some casinos will let you “co-bank” with them if you don’t have enough to cover all bets. You reduce the house edge when you bank to about 1.5%.

As the banker, the 5% commission you pay on winnings is handled differently than as one of the regular players at the table. As an example, as just a regular player at the table, if you were to play five hands and won three of them, losing two of them, you would pay the 5% commission due on your three winnings bets. However, if you become the banker, the commission you pay is only on your net winnings at the end of the hand being played. So, if you were to win three hands (and lose two) you would be ahead by one bet, and only have to pay commission on that one bet.

Overall, the game usually plays fairly even, with a lot of pushes! You won’t win a lot playing straight bets without side bets or banking, but unless you just get a horrible run of cards (which can happen in any poker game) you shouldn’t lose a lot either! Good luck and have fun!

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  • House Way Strategies
  • Player Strategies
  • Miscellaneous

Pai Gow Tiles

On This Page

Introduction


Pai gow is the oldest of the casino games. It easily pre-dates roulette and baccarat. How such a complicated game ever got started, I have always wondered. Indeed, pai gow is a difficult game to learn. The concept is the same as pai gow poker, where both player and banker make high and low hands, and then compare against each other. What makes pai gow difficult is there is order of hands and tiles seems largely random, and is difficult to memorize.

What I love about pai gow is that for bankroll preservation, there is nothing that beats it. The pace is slow at about 30 hands per hour, and 41% of hands result in a push. If you are a pale-face, like me, you'll impress the dealer and some other players that you even understand it. However, some Asians immediately leave the table when I sit down, as if I'm unlucky. Don't be scared to try the game, even if you know nothing about the rules. You can always ask the dealer to set your hands according to the 'house way.' Better yet, keep reading to learn more about the game.

Rules


Following are the primary rules when it comes to pai gow. Each casino may have some its own fine points when it comes to player banking and prepaying the 5% commission.

  1. Pai gow is played with a set of 32 dominoes displayed below.
  2. Each player and dealer will be given four tiles.
  3. The player will separate his tiles into low and high hands. The player does not need to specify which is higher, as this will be obvious.
  4. Each pair of tiles will have a ranking order as follows:
    • Pair: There are 16 pairs, as shown in the image above. The tiles are pictures in rank order, starting at the upper left, and reading like a page to the bottom right.
    • Wong: This is a 2 or 12 tile with any 9 tile.
    • Gong: This is a 2 or 12 tile with any 8 tile.
    • 9 to 0 points (the more the better): For all other 2-tile hands, the total number of dots will be taken, and the terminal digit is used to determine the number of points (as in baccarat). For example, a 10 and 9 tile is worth 9 points; a 4 and 7 tile is worth 1 point.
  5. An exception to the above rule is that the two tiles in the highest ranking 'Gee Joon' pair are semi-wild and are worth either 3 or 6 points, whichever results in a higher total. For example, when combined with a 4-point tile, a Gee Joon tile counts as 3 points to make a 7-point hand, instead of counting as 6 points to make a 0-point hand.
  6. The player's high hand will be compared to the dealer's high hand, and the player's low hand compared to the dealer's low hand (as in pai gow poker).
  7. If both player and dealer have a Wong, Gong, or 1 to 9 points, the tie will be broken according to which hand has the higher-ranked high tile.
  8. If the high tile does not break the tie then the win will go to the banker.
  9. A 0-0 tie always goes to the banker.
  10. When using high tiles to break a tie, the rank order is the same as the pair order (see picture above), except the two tiles in the highest 'gee joon' pair are ranked lowest individually and will therefore never be a hand's high tile.
  11. If the player wins both hands he will win even money, less a 5% commission. If the player wins one and loses one then his wager will push. If the dealer wins both then the player will lose his wager.
  12. At most casinos, the turn to be banker rotates around the table. At some casinos, such as Foxwoods, the turn to be banker zig-zags between the player(s) and dealer, meaning that the dealer must bank at least every other hand.
  13. The player may invoke his turn to bank whenever it is his turn, although most players decline.
  14. The banker plays against every other player at the table and the dealer. The dealer will wager the same amount the player wagered the last time the dealer was the banker. More often than not, other players will sit out the hand when another player is banking, letting him or her take on the dealer alone.

Strategy

My assistant and I have spent lots of time studying and developing pai gow strategy. Here are the strategies we have come up with so far:
  • Wizard Basic Strategy (added Oct. 25, 2017)

A reader known as Charlie combined various parts of these strategies to create a nearly optimal strategy he could fit on a sheet of paper. He was nice enough to share it with us.

For a graphic version, click the image above for a larger version. I also have a PDF version (149K).

We also have the following strategy charts showing the correct play for every possible combination under three banking scenarios:

Tiles

The next table shows the possible outcomes and house edge under various strategies, banking or not banking, and whether prepaying the commission. The table assumes the player is playing against the Foxwoods house way and a 5% commission. If the player prepays the commission, which is sometimes allowed, the house edge is reduced by 0.07%.

Pai Gow House Edge

Your
Strategy
Banking?Prob.
Win
Prob.
Loss
Prob.
Push
House
Edge
House WayNo29.21%30.18%40.61%2.44%
House WayYes30.18%29.21%40.61%0.53%
Wizard Basic StrategyNo???1.98%
Wizard Basic StrategyYes???0.08%
Wizard WayNo29.07%29.5%41.43%1.88%
Wizard WayYes30.03%28.55%41.42%0.02%
J.B. SimpleNo29.29%29.72%41.00%1.90%
J.B. SimpleYes30.18%28.76%41.06%0.10%
J.B. Advanced Strategy without exceptionsNo29.37%29.74%40.89%1.84%
J.B. Advanced Strategy without exceptionsYes30.26%28.77%40.97%0.03%
OptimalNo29.42%29.60%40.98%1.66%
OptimalYes30.21%28.52%41.27%-0.20%

Inefficiencies in the standard casino house way cost the casino about 0.75% compared to optimal house strategy. If both player and dealer played optimal strategy, the house edge to the player when banking would be 0.54%, and when not banking 2.38%. For more on this topic see JB's optimal house strategy comparison table (24K). To see an enormous document on the actual optimal house strategies see JB's optimal house strategy charts (735K). I'm quite sure this is the first time it has ever been put in writing.


The perfect hand, seen at the Peppermill
in Reno. The odds are 1 in 35,960.

Prepaying the Commission

More Pai Gow Tiles Videos


Some casinos let the player prepay the 5% commission. For example, betting $105 to win $100. This lowers the overall commission to 1/21, or 4.76%. The effect on the house edge is a reduction of 0.07%. This is an option the player should always invoke when available, yet many don't.

Betting 10% Extra as Banker

Some casinos let the player bet up to 10% more than he wagered against the dealer the last time the dealer was the banker. Assuming the player is banking every other hand, this lowers the combined house edge between banking and not banking by 0.07%.

Co-Banking

The player may make a back wager on the player acting as banker up to the amount he bet against the dealer the last time the dealer was banking. However, the player will forfeit his own turn to bank if he invokes this option. This rule will not have an effect on the overall house edge if the player is trying to maximize his action as banker (which he should), but can make the game more enjoyable if playing with friends. Rather than sitting out a hand where your friend is banking you can co-bank with him, so you're always in the game.

Calculator

My pai gow calculator will tell you the expected value and/or strategy for any hand, with lots of other features including the effect of tiles known to be held by other players or your opponent.

Power Ratings

Pai Gow Tiles Names

The following table shows the power ratings for each hand. There are four columns of power ratings, according to whether the hand is high or low, and whether the player is acting as banker or not. The power ratings are on a 0 to 100 scale, which represents the probability an opponent playing the Foxwoods house way will beat that hand.

A practical application of this table is to add the two power ratings for the three ways to set a hand, and set it the way with the highest power rating sum.

Power Ratings in Pai Gow

HandLow Hand
Not Banking
High Hand
Not Banking
Low Hand
Banking
High Hand
Banking
Gee joon10099100100
6/6 pair1009810099
1/1 pair1009710098
4/4 pair1009610097
1/3 pair1009510096
5/5 pair1009410095
3/3 pair1009310094
2/2 pair1009210093
5/6 pair1009010092
4/6 pair1008910090
1/6 pair1008810089
1/5 pair1008710088
Mixed 9 pair1008610087
Mixed 8 pair1008510086
Mixed 7 pair1008410085
Mixed 5 pair1008310084
Wong with 6/61008010083
Wong with 1/1997810080
Gong with 6/699739978
Gong with 1/199679973
9 with 6/698619967
9 with 1/197549861
9 with 4/497539754
9 with 1/396509753
9 with 5/596499650
9 with 3/395479649
9 with 2/294459547
9 with 5/694449445
9 with 4/693439444
9 with 1/592429343
8 with 6/690409242
8 with 1/189399040
8 with 4/488388939
8 with 1/387358838
8 with 5/586358735
8 with 5/684338635
8 with 4/684328433
8 with 2/382318432
7 with 6/682318231
7 with 1/181308231
7 with 4/481298130
7 with 1/279288129
7 with 5/578267928
7 with 3/376257826
7 with 2/275247625
7 with 5/672227524
7 with 4/671217222
7 with 3/669207121
6 with 6/668196920
6 with 1/167186819
6 with 4/466176718
6 with 5/561156617
6 with 3/360156115
6 with 5/659146015
6 with 4/656135914
6 with 1/655125613
6 with 3/654125512
5 with 4/452115412
5 with 1/351105211
5 with 5/549105110
5 with 3/34894910
5 with 2/2478489
5 with 4/6458478
5 with 1/6447458
5 with 1/5437447
5 with 3/6427437
5 with 2/6406427
4 with 6/6406406
4 with 4/4375406
4 with 1/3335375
4 with 5/5314335
4 with 3/3304314
4 with 2/2294304
4 with 1/6273294
4 with 1/5263273
4 with 3/6253263
4 with 2/6243253
3 with 6/6243243
3 with 1/1232243
3 with 4/4222232
3 with 1/3212222
3 with 3/3201212
3 with 2/2191201
3 with 1/6181191
3 with 1/5181181
3 with 2/6171181
3 with 3/4171171
2 with 6/6160171
2 with 1/1160160
2 with 4/4140160
2 with 1/3140140
2 with 3/3120140
2 with 2/2120120
2 with 1/6110120
2 with 3/4110110
1 with 1/3100110
1 with 5/590100
1 with 3/38090
1 with 2/27080
1 with 5/66070
1 with 1/55060
Zero0050

The following graph shows how often the House Way will make each type of hand out of all 35960 combinations.


Suzie with a rare two pair.

The House Way


I'm proud to provide the following pai gow house ways. Most of them were rewritten into my own words. The one from the MGM is taken directly from their own rules and procedures on the game:

  • MGM Grand (PDF -- 1,180 K)
  • Marina Bay Sands (Singapore) (PDF -- 483K)

Where to Play


The following is a list of games I am aware of in the U.S.. I'm sure there are some I don't know about. Feel free to tell me if you are aware of others.

  • Las Vegas: Aria, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Encore, Harrah's, Lucky Dragon, MGM Grand, Mirage, Palace Station, Palazzo, Paris, Rio, Venetian, and Wynn. The Treasure Island and Mandalay Bay don't staff a table on a regular basis any longer, but may open one if a whale requests it.
  • Atlantic City: Most, if not all, casinos.
  • Connecticut: Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods.
  • Indiana: Hammond Horseshoe, Southern Indiana Horseshoe.
  • Lake Tahoe: Harrah's.
  • Maryland: Horseshoe Baltimore. (unconfirmed)
  • Pennsylvania: Sands Bethlehem, Mount Airy Casino in Mt Pocono (unconfirmed), Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs near Scranton (unconfirmed), Sugar House Casino in Philadelphia (unconfirmed), Valley Forge Casino near King of Prussia, and Parx Casino near Bensalem (unconfirmed).
  • Reno: Peppermill, Silver Legacy.

Play for Fun


Pai gow is a game that cries out for a way to practice before making a fool of yourself and blowing your money in a casino. For this reason please try my pai gow game.

Internal Links

  • The Legend Behind Pai Gow — The story behind the game.
  • Bonaza Pai Gow — Side bet seen at the Crown Casino in Melbourne.
  • Pair Fortunes — Side bet seen at the Palace Station in Las Vegas.
  • Pai Gow Game.
  • Pai Gow Calculator.

Pai Gow Tiles For Sale


External Links


  • Pai Gow rules in Macau at WizardOfMacau.com.
  • Where to play Pai Gow at Harrah's properties.

Acknowledgements

  • Pai Gow Without Tears by Bill Zender. The author kindly gave me a copy of his booklet to help with my research on pai gow. If you are interested in the book it may be purchased from the Gambler's Book Club for $20.00.
  • A Detailed Study of Pai Gow by Dr. John M.Gwynn, Jr. This study appears in the book Finding the Edge (Edited by Olaf Vancura, Judy A.Collins, and William R. Eadington).
  • The many people who supplied me with house ways, which are not easy to get.
Pai gow tiles practice
Written by:Michael Shackleford