Pai Gow Moments

As I promised in the last post, I will pick up exactly where I left off in the House Way description of Dicedealer.com:

Make the low hand as high as possible. This includes playing the high domino in the low hand when given the choice. Exceptions:
 
If the low hand does not have a value of at least long 3 (a total of 3 with the long domino or higher) and a 7 or higher is possible in the high hand then make the high hand as high as possible. This includes playing the high domino in the high hand when given the choice.

If the two hands total 8-9 or more then play the high domino in the high hand.
2, 5, 6, 12: play 7, high 8.
High 8, low 8, high 4, any 7: play 2, high 5.
High 10, low 10, high 6, any 7: play 6, high 7.
High 10, low 10, high 6, low 8: play 6, high 8.
High 10, low 10, high 6, any 9: play 6, high 9.
High 10, high 8, 11, low 7: play 7, high 9.
High 4, low 4, gee (mixed 6), 5: play high 7, 9.
2 or 12, any 6, 5, gee: play 7, 9.
High 6, low 6, 11, gee: play 7, high 9.
High 8, low 8, any 7, 9: play high 5, 7.

At first glance, these combinations may seem to be too many and too complicated for one to understand and remember.  Through practice and use, it is not impossible.

In one of our posts, we talked about the House Way.  This is the means by which the house is expected to play.  The problem is, some casinos have different House Ways.  Here is one common way casinos follow this rule.  It would do you good to know about it.  I have lifted this version of the House Way from Dicedealer.com, where you can actually play pai gow tiles online.

Always keep pairs together except:
Split supreme pair with 6-4, 6-5, or 6-6.
Split 2s or 12s to make 6-8 or better. Also split with 9&11.
Split 9s with any two of 2,10,12.
Split 8s with any two of 2,10,11,12. Also split with 9&11.
Split 7s with any two of 2,10,11,12.
 
Play 2 or 12 with a 7,8, or 9. With both a 2 and 12 play the 12 in the high hand. Play high 9 over wong and gong and gong over wong except:
 
Play wong over gong when fourth tile is 11.
Play wong over high 9 when fourth tile is 11.
Play gong over high 9 when fourth tile is any 4 or when third and fourth tiles are low (mixed) 8 and 5.

Due to space constraints, I would have to spread this topic into two posts.  Don’t worry, I will make sure that the next post will pick up exactly where this one has left off.  In the meantime, do go over these rules and tips again and again until you think that you know them by heart.  Then you can move on to the next half.

In the past few posts we have been looking at strategical points as presented by Fortune Palace.  Here is the last installment, which talks about the House Way and the Bonus Bet as offered in their casinos.  Enjoy!

The House Way

The House Way is the set of instructions each casino gives its dealers on how to set their seven card hands. Most online casinos offer a House Way button so that you can automatically take advantage of this set of rules.

What’s important here is understanding that the House Way isn’t set to win all the time, but to keep losses down so that the casino wins in the long term. In other words, the House Way is a safety option, probably best suited to new players and low-risk punters.

Another important point is that some House Way buttons (ie at Golden Palace) automatically play the hand once it’s set. Others (Spin Palace, Ruby Fortune) set the hand but give you the option of whether to play it that way or not. This may not seem much but it affects your overall strategy.

The Bonus bet

If you bet on the bonus, then you’ll win up to 8000 times your stake if your seven cards contain a bonus hand (Straight or above). The payouts are big, but don’t come anywhere near the odds against, so the house edge is substantial.

This won’t suit low and medium risk punters. However, if you’re a high-roller, and prepared to take the risk, the Bonus bet adds enormously to the fun and excitement of Pai Gow Poker.

It’s the way we play!

Here is the second installment of Fortune Palace’s Optimal Pai Gow strategy.  With this post, hopefully you will be able to complete and apply this optimal strategy for winning at pai gow poker.

2 pair:
Always split, unless:
1. Two pairs of 6s or below - don’t split.
2. The hand contains an ace - play the ace behind.

3 pair:
Always play the highest pair in front.

3 of a kind:
1. If three Aces, play a pair of Aces behind and Ace high in front.
2. Otherwise, play the three of a kind behind and the remaining high cards in front.

Straight, flush, straight flush:
Set the back as whichever hand gives the better front.

Full house:
Set the three of a kind behind and the pair in front.

2 sets of 3-of-a-kind:
Split the higher set into a pair and a single  - play the pair in front and play the smaller 3-of-a-kind behind. For example, with K,K,K,10,10,10,5 you should play K,K and 10,10,10,K,5.

Four of a kind:
1. If 2 to 6, play it behind.
2. If 7 to 10, split into pairs, unless a pair or an ace and a face card can be played in front.
3. If J to K, split into pairs, unless the hand also contains a pair of 10s or higher.
4. If Aces, split into pairs, unless a pair of 4s or higher can be played in front.

Royal flush:
1. Play behind.
2. If Royal flush with two pair, split as per two pair rule.
3. Split, if an A, K or a pair can be played in front and a straight or flush behind.

Five Aces:
1. Split, unless a pair of Ks can be played in front.

For every game there is more than one way to win.  The same thing goes for pai gow poker.  Many players have come up with their own strategy – both experts and budding players alike.  In order to be good at pai gow poker, you either have to adopt one existing strategy or if you’re that good, come up with your own winning one.  Here is one strategy presented by Fortune Palace for its players.  They call it the optimal pai gow strategy.

Basic Strategy

The temptation for players of Pai Gow poker is to see hands in straight poker terms. The secret to winning Pai Gow poker is in remembering that you have to win both hands in order to win the bet. The player’s basic strategy in Pai Gow poker is therefore to set the two-card hand (front) as high as possible, whilst still leaving a higher five-card hand (back).

If this isn’t possible, and would leave you with two weak hands, set a ’stopper’ or ‘blocker’ by setting the back hand as high as possible and leave a weak front hand. This won’t win, but will hopefully stop the bank winning, giving you a chance to bet again.

If your hand is just single cards (ie nothing - no pairs, straights, flushes) all you can do is set your 2nd and 3rd highest cards as the front.

If you have a single pair, put the highest two single cards as your two-card hand eg if your hand is K,10,10,9,5,3,2, split them into K,9 and 10,10,5,3,2.

These rules cover the majority of hands you’ll be dealt.

(to be continued)

On the outset, it may seem to a beginner that pai gow is merely like a game of dominoes.  Or maybe once one begins to grasp the basic rules, you would think of poker or similar card games.  In reality, though, pai gow is a unique game on its own.  Here are some tips to get you started.

Once you get your tiles, the first thing that you should look for is a pair.  In pai gow, pairs have the highest ranking.  It should be no problem spotting them as you should just look for tiles with the same markings.  If you do not have pairs among your 4 tiles, the next thing that you should look for is a Teen or a Day tile with a 7, an 8, or a 9.  One winning possibility with these tiles would be one Teen or Day tile with a 7 – this would form a High 9.  An 8 with a Teen or a Day would form a Gong.  A Teen or Day tile with a 9 would form a Wong.

Of course, not all hands that you get will yield a pair of any of the combinations above.  When this happens, just bear in mind that the dots on the tiles represent the numerical value of the tile.  In pai gow, when the dots are more than 10, the numerical value is the number when the 1 is dropped.  With no High 9s, Wongs, Gongs, or Pairs, the number which is closest to 9 wins.

The Denenberg Strategy is a technique that you can use to improve your game.  This was developed Steven Deneberg and is available at Paigow.com.  To learn the strategy, you need to sign up to become a member this web site.

This strategy is very easy to learn as it is quite similar to the basic strategy.  Its edge is that it tells you how to maximize the value of your high hands.  It also tells you when you can maximize the value of your low hands and when to split pairs, and more.  If you have no problems understanding the basic strategy – which I assume you already know – then you will not have any problems with the Denenberg Strategy.

Based on tests, it has been showed that the Denenberg Strategy decreases your losses when playing pai gow.  For example, with the traditional strategy, you are expected to lose about $1.49 for every $100 that you wager.  With the Denenberg Strategy, the house advantage is cut by half, increasing your expected return by 0.68%.

One good thing about the Denenberg Strategy is that you do not have to know the whole thing before playing it at the table.  That means you can learn it in stages and then apply what you know.  This will still be beneficial to you and you can just apply the different stages of the strategy as you learn them.  As you continue to learn the strategy, you can practice what you know.  Paigow.com also offers a practice area wherein you can hone your skills until you know the Denenberg Strategy by heart.

Pai Gow, a tile-game similar to the card game Black Jack, is a betting game. What makes Pai Gow different from other gambling games is that you place a bet before you receive your tiles and, after you have seen your cards and created possible pairs or hands, you are not allowed to change, neither increase nor decrease your bet. In simplest terms, you place a bet, you are given four tiles, you play these tiles and, depending on how you arranged your pieces, you either win or lose the amount you have bet.

Everyone involved in Pai Gow, from the player to the dealer or bank, can win or lose money, and this is done two ways: through bets, and commissions.

Making money through bets is fairly simple. You place a bet and after all the tiles are received, you can win or lose your bet. If both your pairs beat the hands held by the dealer, you win back your bet, and also get the amount the bank / dealer has wagered. If both your pairs lose to the pairs of the dealer, it goes without saying that the money you wagered. In case only one of your pairs beat the tiles of the dealer, both of you are in a situation called “Push”. In this instance, the money does not remain on the table and added to the succeeding pot, but goes directly to the dealer.

Commissions of a players winnings, is another way money can be made by playing Pai Gow. Commissions, however, are only applied to games played in Casinos. The standard commission charged by casinos in the United States is 5% of your winnings. For example, you bet a hundred, and won, you do not receive double your hundred (200) but your bet and 95% from the house (195). The commission is only taken from winnings. For draws (push situations) and loses, the house / dealer will not take any additional 5% from you. If you’re playing at home with friends, there is no need to give 5% of the money you won from the bank as commission, not unless it is something everyone has agreed upon.

You also do not need to be a player to make money on Pai Gow. As a spectator, you and your friend can place bets on the tiles held by another player or on the dealer. However, instead of the money going to the player or the bank, the money just changes hands between you and your companion.

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.