Casino Guide, casino strategy
Pai Gow Strategy
The odds
We could quote the straight probabilities of drawing different back and front hands, but that`s not particularly meaningful. Since Pai Gow is a game of skill the odds are difficult to pin down. Suffice it to say that if you follow an optimal playing strategy you`re going to win about 3-in-10 hands, lose about the same, and push about 4-in-10.
Assuming an optimum play strategy, the largest play advantage is to the dealer/banker because copies go to them. In fact, noted Pai Gow expert Stanford Wong has been quoted as saying that being dealer/banker as often as possible has the most significant impact on a winning strategy. The appeal of multi-player games is clear.
Strategy
Now the complexity of Pai Gow really shows. For the sake of discussion, lets call any pair of 2`s through 6`s a "low pair", 7`s through J`s a "medium pair", and Q`s through A`s a "high pair". To avoid confusion we`ll call the two-card hand the "front" hand and the five-card the "back" hand.
No Pair:
- Back hand: the highest card; Front hand: the next two highest cards.
One pair:
- Back: the pair; Front: next two highest cards.
Two Pair:
- Pair of A`s and any other Pair: Back: high pair; Front: other pair.
- Two High Pair: Back: best pair; Front: other pair.
- High Pair and Medium Pair: Back: high pair; Front: medium pair.
- High Pair and Low Pair with A or K: Back: both pair; Front: A or K.
- High Pair and Low pair without A or K: Back: highest pair; Front: low pair.
- Two Medium Pair with A or K: Back: both pair; Front: A or K.
- Two Medium Pair without A or K: Back: best pair; Front: other pair.
- Medium Pair and Low Pair with A or K: Back: both pair; Front: A or K.
- Medium Pair and Low Pair without A or K: Back: medium pair; Front: low pair.
- Two Low Pair with A or K: Back: both pair; Front: A or K.
- Two Low Pair without A or K: Back: best pair; Front other pair.
Three Pair:
- Back: second and third highest pair; Front: highest pair.
Three of a Kind:
- Three A`s: Back: pair of A`s; Front: A and next highest card.
- All others: Back: three of a kind; Front: two highest remaining cards.
Three of a Kind twice:
- Back: lower three of a kind; Front: highest pair.
Full House:
- With second Three of a kind: play the highest pair to Front hand.
- With second Pair: Back: full house with low pair; Front: highest pair.
- Pair is 2`s with A or K: Back: full house; Front: A or K.
- All others: Back: three of a kind; Front: the pair.
Straights, Flushes, Straight Flushes and Royal Flush:
- With no pair: Back: lowest full hand; Front: two highest cards.
- With one or two Pair: Back: lowest full hand; Front: two highest cards, pair or otherwise.
- With Three of a Kind: Back: full hand; Front: pair.
- With Full House: Back: three of a kind; Front: pair.
- With Three of a Kind twice: Back: lower three; Front: highest two.
Four of a Kind:
- With Three of a Kind: Back: four of a kind; Front: pair from the tree of a kind.
- With a Pair: Back: four of a kind; Front: pair.
- Four A`s: Back: pair of A`s; Front: pair of A`s.
- J`s through K`s with an A: Back: four of a kind; Front: the A.
- J`s through K`s without an A: Back: one pair from the four; Front: the other pair.
- 7`s through 10`s with A or K: Back: four of a kind; Front: A or K.
- 7`s through 10`s without A or K: Back: one pair from the four; front: the other pair.
- 2`s through 6`s: Back: four of a kind; front: highest remaining two.
