Online Pai Gow Poker for Real Money or Free
This free Pai Gow Poker game runs in your browser with play money, so there is nothing to download and no real money is wagered. You are dealt seven cards and split them into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand, which are then compared with the dealer's. Two options sit above the table: "Bank whenever possible" and "Warn if splitting different than the House Way". Use this free pai gow poker practice game to learn the rules at your own pace.
How to play Pai Gow Poker online for free
Pai Gow Poker online uses a 53-card deck: the usual 52 cards plus one joker. The joker is semi-wild. It may be used as an ace, or to complete a straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush. After a bet is made, the player and the dealer are each dealt seven cards.
The seven cards are split into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. The high hand must be of higher poker value than the low hand. The only poker hand in the two-card hand is a pair or no pair, after which the individual cards decide its value. Standard poker rankings apply with one exception: the A2345 straight, known as the wheel, is the second highest straight.
The dealer sets a hand by the house way, then the two high hands are compared, and so are the two low hands. A tie goes to the banker. Winning both comparisons pays even money less a 5% commission. Winning one and losing one is a push. Losing or tying both loses the wager. The Pai Gow Poker rules page also covers banking, which lets a player bet against the dealer and other players.
Pai Gow Poker pays
Pai Gow Poker has one main bet, so the outcomes of a hand take the place of a pay table. The table below uses the house way strategy with the dealer as banker, from the rules page. A win pays 0.95 because of the 5% commission.
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 0.95 | 0.291195 | 0.276635 |
| Push | 0 | 0.404958 | 0.000000 |
| Loss | -1 | 0.303847 | -0.303847 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.027212 |
House edge
The house advantage depends partly on skill in setting hands, and more on how much of the action is banked. With the dealer banking, the house way gives an expected value of -0.027212, a house edge of 2.7212%. Optimal strategy improves that to -0.025122, or 2.5122%.
When the player banks, the house way gives -0.002540 and optimal strategy gives -0.000442. Banking, compared with not banking, increases expected value by 2.47%. The difference between the house way and optimal strategy is 0.21%. Some casinos do not charge the 5% commission, and with no commission the banker has a 1.30% advantage over the other players.
Pai Gow Poker strategy
Pai Gow Poker is a game of skill, but most hands are obvious to play and the proper strategy for the rest is not difficult to learn. The one firm rule is that the high hand must outrank the low hand. The house way is the method the dealer uses to arrange a hand, and it can vary a little from place to place, though the differences are marginal and happen infrequently. The option "Warn if splitting different than the House Way" can help you compare your choices with it as you practice.
Fuller guidance is on the site. The Pai Gow Poker strategy page has simple, intermediate, and advanced strategies for playing as the banker, against the banker, and combined. There is also advice on when to split two pair, and an analysis of side bets.
Playing Pai Gow Poker online for real money
Play money in this game has no cash value. Real-money Pai Gow Poker is a separate activity offered by casinos, not by this page. Offers listed on the page carry terms worth reading in full, such as wagering requirements, maximum bets, and which games count toward them. Table games often count for less than slots toward bonus wagering, so check how Pai Gow Poker is treated before accepting an offer.
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Free Online Pai Gow Poker FAQ
Yes. This Pai Gow Poker game is free, runs in the browser and needs no download. It uses play money, which has no cash value, so no real funds are wagered. You can use it to practice setting a high hand and a low hand.
No. The game uses play money, and play money has no cash value. It is a way to practice Pai Gow Poker online without wagering real funds. Real-money play is a separate activity offered by casinos, and any offers listed on the page come with terms to read.
With the dealer banking, the house edge is 2.7212% using the house way and 2.5122% using optimal strategy. If the player banks, it falls to 0.2540% with the house way and 0.0442% with optimal strategy. These figures include the 5% commission on wins.
The game uses a 53-card deck: 52 cards plus one joker. The joker is semi-wild. It may be used as an ace, or to complete a straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush. The five-card high hand and the two-card low hand are both set from the seven dealt cards.
The bet is a push, so the wager is returned. A win requires beating the dealer with both the five-card high hand and the two-card low hand. Winning both pays even money less a 5% commission. Losing or tying both hands loses the wager.