Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards plus one joker, three dice, a dice cup and a marker. The marker is used to designate the banker, a function that rotates around he table among the players and house dealer. Any player may decline to bank if they wish. When it’s your turn to bank, you will be betting against every other player at the table. You must first put enough money on the to table to cover the bets of all the players. Then, when you win, all of their bets will be yours.
To start to play, the dealer shuffles the cards and deals seven hands of seven cards each face down, in front of the dealer’s tray. The four cards left over are placed in the discard holder. The Banker then shakes the dice to determine which of the seven player positions at the table will receive the first hand. A hand will go to each of the seven positions whether or not there are seven players at the table. A random number generator may be used instead of automatic shuffling device is used, the shuffling device will deal the cards for each hand.
The first thing you’ll do with your seven cards is sort them into a two-card and face-card hand, using normal poker rankings. Your highest possible hand would be: (1) for two cards, a pair of Aces; (2) for five cards, a royal flush. The five-card hand must always outrank the two-card hand. For example, if the two-card hand were to hold a pair of sevens, the five-card hand must hold a pair of eight's or better. The joker can be used on as an Ace, or to complete a straight, a flush or a straight-flush.
To win, your two-card hand must beat the banker’s two-card hand and your five-card hand must beat the banker’s five-card hand. If one of your hands wins and the other one loses, it’s a push. Hands that tie lose to the bank. Wining hands are paid even money, less a 5% commission. Losing hands lose the money wagered.
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Once the dealer exposes the banker’s cards, players cannot touch their cards.
Any player’s hand that is set incorrectly (like a two-card low hand ranking higher than the five-card hand, or ,the player puts three cards in the low hand and four in the high hand) is an automatic loser. Players are responsible for arranging their own hands and should do so with care.
Neither the house bank nor player bank may set an automatic losing hand. The hand must be reset under house rules.
The highest two-card hand is a pair of aces.
The five-card hand must rank higher than the two-card hand.
A Royal Flush is the highest five-card hand.