Casino rules
pai gow rules
Pai gow poker: splitting seven cards into two hands
Pai gow poker gives you seven cards to split into two hands — a five-card hand and a two-card hand — and you must beat the dealer's matching hands to win. The catch: your five-card hand must rank higher than your two-card hand. Win both and you win; win one each and it's a push; lose both and you lose.
It uses the standard poker rankings, so it's worth knowing which hands beat which first. Below is how to set your hands and why pushes are so common.
Splitting into two hands
You arrange your seven cards into a five-card "high" hand and a two-card "low" hand. The only firm rule is that the five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand — so your best pair can't go in the two-card hand if it would beat your five-card hand. A standard 53-card deck with one joker is used; the joker acts as an ace or completes a straight or flush.
Beating the dealer
Both of your hands are compared with the dealer's two hands. Win both to win the bet, win one and lose one for a push (stake returned), and lose both to lose. Because splitting the win is so common, pai gow has a lot of pushes — which makes it a slow, low-volatility game.
The 'house way'
If you're unsure how to split, the dealer sets their own hand by a fixed method called the "house way", and you can usually ask for your hand to be set the same way. It's a sensible default that avoids the common beginner mistake of making the two hands badly balanced. For a faster poker-style game, see our poker walkthrough.
How to play pai gow poker, step by step
- Place your bet and get seven cards You're dealt seven cards to arrange.
- Set your five-card hand Make your strongest valid five-card poker hand.
- Set your two-card hand It must rank lower than your five-card hand.
- Compare with the dealer Both hands are matched against the dealer's two hands.
- Settle Win both to win, split for a push, lose both to lose.
Frequently asked questions
How do you win at pai gow poker?
Split your seven cards into a five-card and a two-card hand, where the five-card hand ranks higher. You win only if both of your hands beat the dealer's; winning one each is a push and losing both loses the bet.
Why are there so many ties in pai gow?
Because you often win one hand and lose the other, which is a push (stake returned). That makes pai gow a slow, low-volatility game with frequent ties.
What is the 'house way'?
The fixed method the dealer uses to set their own hand. You can usually ask to have your seven cards set the same way, which is a reliable default if you're unsure.