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Pai Gow Poker uses seven cards to make two hands: a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. Under the Pennsylvania rules described here, your high hand must rank at least as high as your low hand, and you win the main wager only by beating the dealer in both corresponding hands. You can make more informed hand-setting choices, but no strategy guarantees a win. Rules vary by jurisdiction and table, so check the posted rules before you play.
How a Pai Gow Poker round works
- Receive seven cards. The dealer and each player receive seven cards under the table’s procedures.
- Set two hands. Arrange your cards into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. The high hand must be equal to or higher in rank than the low hand. Pennsylvania’s regulation states this setting requirement in Pennsylvania Code § 645a.11.
- Compare each hand. Your high hand is compared with the dealer’s high hand, and your low hand with the dealer’s low hand. Under the cited Pennsylvania rules, beating the dealer in both wins the base wager; losing both loses it; winning one and losing the other pushes.
Setting a hand incorrectly can cost you the wager. Follow the table’s posted instructions and ask the dealer to explain the procedure before placing a bet if anything is unclear.
How to rank the cards
The Pennsylvania ranking from strongest to weakest is five aces, royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and pair. High cards break ties within a hand class. The rules also recognize ace-low straights and specify their ranking; consult the table’s rules for the exact local treatment.
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Pennsylvania’s rules include one joker. It counts as an ace or can be used as a card that completes a straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush. It is not an unrestricted wild card under those rules. Other jurisdictions or variants may handle the joker differently, so verify the rule at your table. The ranking and joker provisions are in Pennsylvania Code § 645a.6.
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How to set your seven cards sensibly
The central decision is how to divide the cards without making the five-card hand weaker than the two-card hand. Since the main wager generally requires you to win both comparisons, concentrating all your strength in one hand can leave the other too weak to win. A sound approach is to consider both hands together rather than simply placing the strongest possible five cards in the high hand.
- Identify your strongest legal five-card combinations. Note any made poker hands, such as a straight or full house, and the pairs available for the low hand.
- Keep the ranking constraint intact. Before settling on a split, compare the resulting five-card and two-card hand ranks. The high hand cannot rank below the low hand.
- Consider the balance between the two comparisons. Evaluate whether using a card or pair in one hand leaves the other with a realistic chance to beat the corresponding dealer hand. There is no universally optimal setting chart established by the cited rules.
- Ask about the house way. Casinos may provide a house way—a prescribed method for setting hands. Ask the dealer or consult the posted instructions before play, and follow the rules in effect at that table.
These steps help you make a legal, deliberate split; they do not predict the dealer’s cards or assure a win.
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What happens to the wager
For the Pennsylvania base game, a winning wager pays 1:1, with a 5% vigorish (commission) taken from the amount won. The commission applies to winnings, not the original wager, under the cited rule. These are Pennsylvania rule terms, not a universal payout schedule. Check the table’s posted rules for its commission and settlement details. See Pennsylvania Code § 645a.3.
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Do not assume a rule or option applies everywhere just because it appears in one jurisdiction’s regulations. Before betting, check the posted rules for:
- How the joker is used and how special or tied hands are resolved.
- The house way for setting hands.
- The base-game payout and how any vigorish is calculated.
- Whether optional side bets are offered and their individual paytables.
- Whether player banking is permitted. Pennsylvania rules allow it only when the operator’s approved submission provides for it; it is not available at every table, and its availability does not guarantee a profit.
Side bets are separate wagers with their own terms; they do not change the basic requirement for winning the main wager. Pennsylvania’s provisions for side bets and player banking are in § 645a.3 and § 645a.4.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Practice before playing
You can practice splitting seven cards at home with a standard playing-card deck that includes a joker; a casino deck is not needed. For practice, deal seven cards, form a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand, and check that the high hand is at least as strong. Remember that joker rules in a home exercise should match the specific table you plan to play.
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