Pai Gow Moments

Pai Gow is an old Chinese gambling game. It is mainly played with the use of dominos. It should not be confused with its derivative, Pai Gow Poker, which is played with cards. Here are some commonly used terms in Pai Gow.

Banker – the designated person who does not place a bet but all players bet against him. Each participant’s high and low hands are compared against the banker’s high and low hands. The banker collects and benefits from all the bets that he wins, but he is also responsible for playing off the bets to all participants who beat the banker’s high and low hands. Each person around the table can take his turn at being the banker at some point. It is important to note that the banker is not the same as the dealer.

Day – the tile with a double one

Dealer – the person who shuffles and stacks the tiles. Much like the dealer in poker and other card games.

Dice – there are three dice used in Pai Gow. They are not rolled but shaken in a cup. They introduce and additional element of chance as well as avoid cheating.

Gee Joon – the 1-2 or 2-4 tiles. Also known as wildcards.

Gong – a pair that consists of a Day or Teen and an eight. This is worth ten.

Hand – a group of tiles. A hand is composed of two tiles each.

High hand – the hand which has a higher value.

Identical pair – a pair of tiles which are identical in appearance. There are 11 identical pairs in Pai Gow.

Low hand – the hand which has a lower value.

Pair – two tiles grouped together (According to the rules of Pai Gow). Pairs are not necessarily of the same value. There are sixteen pairs in Pai Gow.

Teen – the tile with a double six

Tie – a situation wherein you and the banker have the same exact hands. In the event that a tie happens, the winnings go to the banker.

Tiles – the main material with which you play Pai Gow. They are rectangular in shape, about 1 inch wide and 2 inches tall. They are usually black with white and red dots on one side. The other side is uniformly black so that a tile can be overturned without the other players seeing the number of dots on it.

Wong - a pair that consists of a Day or Teen and a nine. This is worth eleven.

Pai Gow is fast becoming one of the favorite gambling activities in the US, both online and offline. In fact, derivatives such as Pai Gow Poker have been created due to this popularity. With other card games and gambling activities, one of the reasons for their popularity and widespread acceptance is the existence of a number of professional players.

These professional players add glitz and glamour to the game. Take for example Texas Hold ‘em Poker and Blackjack. The prolific names in these card games add to the excitement of the whole thing. Legends have been created and continue to influence the worlds of these card games.

As Pai Gow is not as established or widely known as Texas Hold ‘em Poker and Blackjack, it comes as no surprise that there aren’t too many professional Pai Gow players as of yet. Try doing a search on Google or Yahoo for “professional Pai Gow players” and the chances are that you would come up with almost nothing.

However, there are some professional gamblers who do dabble in Pai Gow. Take for example Bill Zender, one of the most notable figures in the world of blackjack. He is also involved in the business of casinos and has authored several books as well. In addition to all these, he is also considered a professional Pai Gow player. More so, he also plays Pai Gow Poker.

He claims that he prefers playing Pai Gow gives you a great game where the money is good and steady. More so, he says that in Pai Gow, there is no heat. What does he mean by that? He was probably referring to the fact that in Pai Gow, you play against each other and not the house.

In any case, it is quite a pity that there aren’t more professional Pai Gow players out there. This is a very interesting and exciting game, comparable to poker and al its variants. Perhaps one reason for this is the fact that there is a lack of publicity. Then again, it could be the lack of professional players that is causing the lack in publicity. It’s something like the chicken or the egg – which came first?

Anyway, the fact remains that despite the lack of people who play Pai Gow professionally, the game still deserves attention, which, I believe, a lot of people are realizing right now. Who knows, there might be more emerging Pai Gow players in the near future?

Although Pai Gow is generally about creating pairs, grouping two tiles with each other is not that easy to do. Remember that in Pai Gow, having tiles with identical markings does not necessarily constitute a strong hand.

To excel or win in Pai Gow, many players use “strategies”: some of which are new – developed only in recent years an example of which is the Denenberg Strategy, the others are more traditional. Most Pai Gow players and casinos offering this game prefer to use the “traditional strategy” or variations of this. Strategy playing in Pai Gow involves knowing how to create pairs and which pairs you, at all times, should strive to create. It is important to note, however, that before a Pai Gow player decides to focus on perfecting his strategy, he must first be very well acquainted with the pairings or divisions and the names of these.

Basically, there are two general PaiGow strategies (though with numerous variations, these players learn through experience and trial and error) and these depend on the tile that you have been dealt with. In the eventuality that you are given four tiles and you are unable to create any pair with them, then look for what are termed as “Only Acceptable” divisions. If you cannot see any pairings that fall under the Only Acceptable division then look for what are called “Best High Division” and “Best Low Division”.

If you have been lucky enough to receive tiles where you can create pairs, remember that you should never split pairs of tiles that have 4, 5, 6, 10 or 11 spots on the tile face. If you have a pair of 7 split these if you have a Teen and the value of your low hand after the split is 7 or higher. Split an 8 pair if the value of your low hand is 7 or higher. Split a pair of 9s if the total value of your low hand is equal to or higher than 9, and finally, split a Teen or Day set if after the split, your low hand will either have a value of at least six, or if you have tiles that has 9 or 11 spots.

Determining how and when to split your tiles is indeed quite tricky. Therefore, it is really recommended that a Pai Gow player fully understand the pairings and the names that go with each pair first, before he even attempts to master strategies: be it modern or traditional ones.

The game of Pai Gow is a little complex and may take some time before you become adept with the rules. Basically, it starts by placing bets and then the dealer or bank distributes four tiles to all of the players, including himself. When you get your tiles, you are to create two hands, one called a high hand and the other a low hand, by making combinations.

If you were dealt with a less than desirable set of tiles, you are, unfortunately, unable to replace the tiles or draw more tiles. You are constrained to make the most out of the tiles you have with you. Since the main purpose of the game is to have a pair of hands that are high in value. To increase your chances of winning the game, you should make both your high and low hands strong (high value).

While you (and everyone else involved in the game) are deciding on the best pairing for your set of four tiles, the faces of the tiles should not be shown to anyone. When everyone is content with the way they have arranged their tiles, it is only then that the tiles, including the tiles of the dealer, are turned up. Incidentally, if you are having trouble remembering the value of the hands, keep in mind that the names of the highest valued pairs are followed by either a “wong” or a “gong”. If none of your pairs have a wong or a gong in the name, then count the dots, tiles with a total of 9 are ranked as the highest.

When all the tiles are exposed, you then compare your high hand followed by your low hand with those of your opponent (who is basically just the dealer / banker) respectively. To win a game of Pai Gow, both your high and low hands should beat the high and low hands of the other players. If one hand loses to another, no money exchanges hands and the situation is called a “push”. If you lose in both hands, you naturally, lose the game (and your wagers).

Although the game can be played by several players, you should only concern yourself with your tiles and that of the dealer. Your aim (and the aim of the other players) is to have a combination that is strong enough to beat the hands of the dealer. In cases of ties, unfortunately, the bets go to the dealer.

PaiGow, which roughly translates to “make nine” or “nine card” in Cantonese, is a game that is quite similar to the popular dominoes. The game originated in China and is played using a set of Chinese dominoes. It is primarily a gambling game and surprisingly, even in predominantly Chinese communities, the game is mostly played in underground casinos. The game, however, is widely accepted and played openly in selected casinos in cities in Macau and China, as well as in casinos in the United States (Las Vegas, Nevada, Atlantic City and New Jersey). It is also played in some card rooms in California and even casinos found in Australia, the Land Down Under.

A complete Pai Gow set should have 32 “named” tiles which make up 16 pairs; and dice. The standard dimension of each tile is about 1 inch wide by 2 inches tall. These are usually black in color with the markings (seen only on one side of the tile) in either white or red.

There are between two to twelve spots on each Pai Gow tile and these are arranged in different patterns and come in different colors. Players of Pai Gow should, not only take note of the total spots in each tile, but the arrangement as this is critical in the game. The different colored spots, however, have no bearing on how the game is played.

A number or rank is assigned each pair of tiles. The rank of the pair of tiles does not depend on the number of spots on the tile face. In Pai Gow, a pair of tiles with more spots is ranked lower and is less valuable than a pair of tiles with lesser number of spots. The main object of a Pai Gow game is to have a hand (through the rankings of your tiles) that is higher than those of your opponents.

Pai Gow may be played by a minimum of two and a maximum of eight players and a dealer. It is a betting game thus, players put in their bets even before the tiles are dealt.

The game of PaiGow, however, should not be mistaken for the Americanized version which is called Pai Gow Poker. The game was created jointly by Sam Torosian and Fred Wolf. Unlike the authentic PaiGow, Pai Gow Poker (also known as Double Hand Poker) is played by six individuals, plus the dealer, with a regular deck of cards and a Joker.