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How to Play Pai Gow Poker

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How to Play as the Banker in Pai Gow Poker

How to Set Your Hands in Pai Gow Poker

To do well at pai gow poker, you have to set your hands properly. This section provides a simple, overall strategy that you can use to set most hands, along with more detailed strategies that cover specific hands that you might be dealt when playing pai gow poker.

A Simple Pai Gow Poker Strategy

The following simple guidelines will keep you from making the most costly mistakes when playing pai gow poker and won’t require you to remember any more detailed strategy. When setting your hands:

Within the rules, make the best two-card hand possible. This means, for example, that two pair should usually be split between your two-card hand and your five-card hand so that each has one pair.
Don’t foul. Remember that your five-card hand must always be higher than your two-card hand.
Don’t break up a straight or flush unless doing so gives you two pair.
Don’t break up three of a kind unless you have three aces.
Be willing to break up higher hands, such as full houses and four of a kinds. In pai gow poker, exceptionally high hands don’t win much more often than three of a kind.

Optimal Pai Gow Poker Strategies for Specific Situations

The following strategies are tailored to the seven cards you hold in your hand. The strategies are organized according to all the possible pai gow hands. So the strategy for three of a kind, for instance, would apply when you have a three of a kind within your seven cards. The strategies explain how you should split up the cards you’re holding between your two-card hand and your five-card hand. Using these strategies will give you a leg up on other players who prefer to rely on intuition.

Pai Gow Strategy Terminology

The pai gow strategies explained here use a few specific terms and definitions:

Twocard: To place cards in your two-card hand.
Fivecard: To place cards in your five-card hand.
Singleton: An unpaired card.
Ranks: For making certain playing decisions, you’ll need to assign a numerical value to the rank of a card. For 2s through 10s, the numerical value is equal to the card’s rank. For example, the value of an 8 is simply 8. For face cards and aces, use the following values: J=11, Q=12, K=13, A=14. These values are most often used in comparing two ranks. For example, the rank of an ace, 14, is 10 greater than the rank of a 4.

Five Aces Pai Gow Strategy

Twocard a pair of aces, fivecard three aces. And consider yourself extremely lucky: you’ll get five aces only once in 136,612 hands.

Royal Flush or Straight Flush Pai Gow Strategy

Though these are phenomenal hands in regular poker, they’re not significantly more valuable than a straight in pai gow poker. Play these hands using the recommendations in Straight Pai Gow Strategy, later in this section.

Four of a Kind Pai Gow Strategy

How you should play four of a kind in pai gow poker depends on your three other cards. Here’s what to do depending on what you have in addition to your four of a kind:

If you have three of a kind in addition to your four of a kind: Twocard the highest pair possible, and fivecard the remaining cards.
If you have a pair (plus a singleton) in addition to your four of a kind: Twocard the pair unless the rank of the four of a kind exceeds the rank of the pair by 8 or more, then split the four of a kind. For example, four Qs and two 3s (and some singleton) is best played by twocarding a pair of Qs and fivecarding the remaining cards. The reason is that the rank of the Qs (12) exceeds the rank of the 3s (3) by at least 8 points.
If you have three singletons in addition to your four of a kind: The best strategy depends on the rank of your four of a kind. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Four 2s through 6s: Twocard the highest singletons, and fivecard the four of a kind.
- Four 7s through Js: Usually you should split them: twocard a pair and fivecard a pair. If you have a K or A singleton, however, twocard the highest singletons and fivecard the four of a kind.
- Four Qs through As: Always twocard a pair and fivecard a pair.

Full House Pai Gow Strategy

Twocard the pair and fivecard the three of a kind. If you have more than one pair, twocard the higher pair. For example, the best way to play QQQTT77 is to twocard TT and fivecard QQQ77.

Flush Pai Gow Strategy

Usually, you shouldn’t break up a flush. That is, you should fivecard the flush and twocard the remaining cards. If you have a six- or seven-card flush, fivecard the lowest flush possible and twocard the remaining cards. The only scenarios in which you should break up a flush are if you have:

A flush and a full house: Ignore the flush and follow the advice in Full House Pai Gow Strategy, above.
A flush and two pair: Ignore the flush and follow the advice in Two Pair Pai Gow Strategy, below.
A flush and one pair: If you can keep both the flush and the pair, fivecard the flush and twocard the pair. If keeping the flush means breaking up the pair, break up the flush only if A) the pair is 9s or higher, B) keeping the flush means twocarding a jack-high or worse, and C) keeping the pair means twocarding an ace-jack or better. For example, the best way to play is to twocard and fivecard .

Straight and Flush Pai Gow Strategy

If you have a choice between fivecarding a flush or fivecarding a straight, you should usually fivecard the flush. If fivecarding the straight instead allows you to twocard an extra J, Q, K, or A, however, then fivecard the straight. For example, the hand

is best played by fivecarding

and twocarding

Straight Pai Gow Strategy

In most situations, you shouldn’t break up a straight. That is, you should fivecard the straight and twocard the remaining cards. If you have a six- or seven-card straight, fivecard the lowest straight possible and twocard the remaining cards. The only times you should break up a straight are if you have:

A straight and a full house: Ignore the straight and follow the advice in Full House Pai Gow Strategy.
A straight and two pair: Ignore the straight and follow the advice in Two Pair Pai Gow Strategy.
An ace-high straight and one pair: If you can keep both the straight and the pair, fivecard the straight and twocard the pair. If keeping the straight means breaking up the pair, break up the straight only if the pair is 10s, Js, or Qs. In that case, fivecard the pair and twocard AK.

Three of a Kind Pai Gow Strategy

The best way to play this hand depends on the rank of your three of a kind, as follows:

Three As: Fivecard a pair of As, twocard an A and the highest remaining card.
Three Ks: Usually, you should fivecard a pair of Ks and twocard a K and the highest remaining card. However, fivecard three Ks and twocard the highest remaining cards if you have a J-T combination or higher.
Three 2s through three Qs: Fivecard three of a kind and twocard the highest remaining cards.

If you’re dealt the rare hand of two three of a kinds, fivecard the lower three of a kind and twocard the higher pair.

Three Pair Pai Gow Strategy

Twocard the highest pair and fivecard the remaining two pairs and singleton.

Two Pair Pai Gow Strategy

Because two pair occurs so often, this is the most important strategy decision. Usually, you should split two pair: twocard the lower pair and fivecard the higher pair. But in certain situations you should fivecard both pairs. To decide when to keep the two pairs together, first add the rank of each pair to get a single total. For example, the total value of a pair of 7s and a pair of Js is 7 + 11 = 18. Here’s how to use this value to play two pair properly:

If you have an ace singleton in addition to the two pair: Fivecard both pairs if their total value is 15 or less and twocard the ace and the next highest singleton. Otherwise, twocard the lower pair and fivecard the higher pair.
If you have a king singleton in addition to the two pair: Fivecard both pairs if their total value is 9 or less and twocard the king and the next highest singleton. Otherwise, twocard the lower pair and fivecard the higher pair.

For example, the best way to play AJ88662 is to twocard AJ and fivecard 88662. The total value of the two pair is 8 + 6 = 14. This is less than 16, and you have an ace singleton, so it’s correct to keep the pairs together.