The Daily Star Casino's online game of Pai Gow Chinese Poker: Play here!
It won't come as much of surprise to any of you to learn the biggest gamblers on the planet are Chinese. What you may not have heard of is a Chinese poker card game called Pai Gow which is an interesting cocktail of Oriental dominos and American style poker. It first appeared in Vegas casinos during the mid nineteen eighties and online Chinese poker has now established itself as a firm favourite and a nice break between games of Omaha and Texas Hold'em.
WELCOME TO PAI GOW
Your task in Chinese poker or Pai Gow is to create two poker hands from the seven cards you are dealt: A two card hand and a five card hand. You will be playing against the dealer who acts of course as the banker as this is a casino game (if you want to play it on dailystarpoker.com press the CASINO button when you arrive on the site). The dealer will form a high and low hand and you will do the same. If you defeat the dealer with both your hands the bank will pay you even money. If only one of your hands is victorious the dealer returns your stake.
HIGH AND LOW
The most important strategy of the game is how you split your cards into the two hands. The value of your “high” hand must of course be higher than your “low” hand. There is a “joker” in a Pai Gow pack but it isn't strictly a wild card although it can be used as an ace or to complete a straight or a flush, so it comes in very handy as a flexible friend.
PAI GOW CHINESE POKER TIPS Let's say you're dealt one pair within your seven cards. What you do is incorporate the pair into your five card hand and use your two highest ranked cards to make up your two card hand. Should you find yourself lucky enough to be dealt three pairs from your seven cards make your highest pair your two card hand. If it's just not your day and you don't receive a pair at all in your seven cards make your five card hand incorporate your highest ranked card and comprise your two card hand with your next two highest ranked cards. You begin to get the picture. Pai Gow Chinese poker online is a great game when you catch up with its quirks and makes an interesting, occasional change of pace from Omaha or Texas Hold'em.
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ALL THE ACES poker column:
Wednesday, October 12, 2005: Pai Gow Chinese Poker Online
