Pai Gow Poker is a classic casino table game that is popular in Las Vegas. It is a slow-paced game that doesn’t require the deep strategic thinking required by other games like Blackjack. However, it is still challenging enough to keep players engaged and entertained. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, plus one joker. The player’s goal is to create two separate poker hands, one with five cards and another with two cards, that beat the dealer’s two hands.
The first step in playing pai gow poker is placing bets. After the bets have been placed, a dealer deals each player and the banker seven cards. The dealer then shuffles the cards and places them into seven piles of seven cards, with four unused extra cards that are discarded in the “muck” pile. The dealer then reveals the hand. If the player wins both the high and low hand, they win their bet. However, if the dealer wins both hands, they win their ante bet and the player’s bet is returned.
If the player wins one hand and the dealer loses the other, it is considered a push. This is because the game rules state that a tie goes to the dealer. Therefore, the player must beat both of the banker’s hands to win his or her bet.
In addition to the basic game of Pai Gow Poker, many casinos offer side bets on the game. These side bets are designed to increase the player’s chance of winning. These side bets vary from casino to casino, so it is important to know the rules of these side bets before you play.
Unlike other poker games, Pai Gow Poker isn’t played against the house. Instead, each player tries to defeat a banker, which is typically the house dealer. The players are dealt seven cards and then construct two different poker hands, a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. The player’s two-card hand must be higher than their five-card hand. The player and the banker then compare their hands.
Players can also choose to bank one of their hands, although this is rare. This is because the dealers dislike this, as they will then be playing against the players for both of their hands. As a result, casinos invented versions of the game that don’t allow players to bank. This includes the new face up pai gow poker, which is faster and has a lower house edge than traditional pai gow poker. The house takes less than 5% on each hand, which makes this game a popular choice for many gamblers.