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Dealer Bonus
Introduction
The Dealer Bonus is a simple pai gow poker side bet based on the value of the dealer's hand. I first saw it at the Red Rock in Las Vegas on May 26, 2016.
Rules
The Dealer Bonus is a side bet based on pai gow poker. Briefly, pai gow poker is played with a 53-card deck, including a partially wild joker. The joker can be used to complete a straight or flush. Otherwise, it is counted as an ace. The player and dealer are each given seven cards. The Dealer Bonus is based on the value of the dealer's seven cards. Following is the pay table. Only the highest qualifying hand pays.
Dealer Bonus
| Event | Pays |
|---|---|
| 7-card straight flush | 500 to 1 |
| Royal flush plus royal match | 500 to 1 |
| Five aces | 500 to 1 |
| Royal Flush | 150 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 to 1 |
| Full House | 4 to 1 |
| Flush | 3 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 2 to 1 |
| Straight | 2 to 1 |
| Nine high in low hand | 5 to 1 |
Analysis
Following is my analysis of the Dealer Bonus bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.72%.
Dealer Bonus
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-card straight flush | 500 | 228 | 0.000001 | 0.000740 |
| Royal flush plus royal match | 500 | 72 | 0.000000 | 0.000234 |
| Five aces | 500 | 1,128 | 0.000007 | 0.003659 |
| Royal Flush | 150 | 26,020 | 0.000169 | 0.025321 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 184,644 | 0.001198 | 0.059894 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 307,472 | 0.001995 | 0.049868 |
| Full House | 4 | 4,188,528 | 0.027173 | 0.108692 |
| Flush | 3 | 6,172,088 | 0.040041 | 0.120124 |
| Three of a Kind | 2 | 7,672,500 | 0.049775 | 0.099550 |
| Straight | 2 | 11,034,204 | 0.071584 | 0.143168 |
| Nine high in low hand | 5 | 3,844,650 | 0.024942 | 0.124710 |
| Loser | -1 | 120,711,546 | 0.783114 | -0.783114 |
| Total | 154,143,080 | 1.000000 | -0.047154 |