Fortune Pai Gow Poker

Some pai gow poker tables offer a side bet called the fortune bet. These tables are easy to identify by the large “Fortune Pai Gow Poker” signs above them. Whether you make the fortune side bet is up to you. You don’t have to make the fortune bet, even if you’re playing at a table that offers it.

If you’re at a table that allows the fortune bet, you can make the bet by placing your chips in the area marked “Fortune Bonus” in your area of the table. You must also have a regular bet on your hand to be able to make the bonus bet. To win the fortune bet, your seven-card hand must contain certain combinations of cards. The payout odds can be quite high, especially for some of the rarer hands. How you decide to split up your hand and how your hand compares to the dealer’s are irrelevant to the fortune bet.

In addition, if you have at least $5 on the fortune bet, you’re eligible to receive an envy bonus. The envy bonus is awarded to you if any player at the table receives a four of a kind or higher, regardless of whether that player has made a fortune side bet. Here are the typical payouts for the fortune side bet:

Because of the envy bonus, the house edge for the fortune side bet is reduced as more players play at your table. Note that the envy bonus payouts are fixed and don’t increase if you bet more than $5. This makes $5 the best amount to bet on the fortune bonus. The table below lists the house edge for the fortune bet for various numbers of total players, including yourself, at the table. This table assumes that you’ve bet exactly $5 on the fortune bonus:

With five or six players at the table, the house edge on the fortune side bet is relatively low, making it an attractive proposition for players seeking high payouts.