Most casino enthusiasts have heard of 5 card draw poker or Texas Hold’em poker. What most people don’t realise is that there are actually many different types of poker games that you can play at land based casinos and online. While all of the games are based on the same set of poker rules, there are significant differences that attract different types of players. One of the more popular types of games that you will find at an online casino is Pai gow poker. This version of the game incorporates the use of a joker and requires players to create two separate poker hands.
How Pai gow Poker Works
It is important to note that land based casino Pai gow poker and online Pai gow are slightly different. In land based casinos, there are a number of players around the table and each player take a turn at being the banker. Players can also skip over being the banker and play against the other players. With online Pai gow, a player plays directly against the dealer/computer at all times. The game is played with a standard set of 52 cards with one joker. The joker is use as a wild card and can substitute for other cards to make up a winning poker hand.
Starting the Game
With Pai gow poker, the game begins each player placing their bet on the table. In the online version, the player places their bet by clicking on their chips. The dealer will then deal each player seven cards. The dealer then also deals himself 7 cards facing down. The aim of Pai gow is to create two poker hands, one with five cards and the other with two cards. The rules state that the five card poker hand must be of higher ranking than the two card hand in order to win your bet. Players can use the standard poker hand combinations for the 5 card hand and a single pair for the two card hand.
Playing Both Hands
With Pai gow poker, once the player or players have set their cards into their respective hands, the cards are shown. The dealer will then flip his cards over and set his cards into the highest hand ranking possible starting with the 5 card hand. If both of the player’s five card hand and two card hand rank higher than the dealer’s hand, the player wins their bet. If either of the dealer’s hands rank higher than the player’s, then there is a push. The dealer wins all ties and if both of the dealer’s hand rank higher than the player’s, then the player loses their NRL bets.
Winning a Hand
In the land based casino version of Pai gow poker, the player that is acting as the banker will win the bet on behalf of the dealer. This means the player will win all ties. If there is a push, the same player acts as the banker on the next hand. In the online version of Pai gow, the computer will calculate if the player or the dealer has the higher hand and will pay out according the amount bet.