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To play Pai Gow Poker, wager on the hand, receive seven cards, and divide them into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. Your five-card hand must rank higher than your two-card hand. You then compare each hand with the dealer’s corresponding hand: winning both wins the main wager, losing both loses it, and winning one while losing the other usually pushes. The exact Joker, tie, and hand-setting rules depend on the casino, so check its posted rules before using any strategy chart.
How a Pai Gow Poker hand works
- Place your main wager. A table may also offer side bets, but their availability and terms vary. Treat each wager separately and check its rules before betting.
- Receive seven cards. The Nevada Gaming Control Board’s rules for its STAX progressive offering describe a 53-card deck: a standard deck plus one Joker. The bank—often represented by the dealer—also receives seven cards.
- Set two hands. Arrange five cards as your high hand and two as your low hand. The five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand. If the front hand is stronger, your hand is fouled and may lose under the table’s rules.
- Compare each hand separately. Your high hand is compared with the bank’s high hand, and your low hand with its low hand. Under the cited Nevada rules, winning both wins the main wager, losing both loses it, and winning one while losing the other pushes. Tie or copy-hand treatment can depend on the game and venue.
The California-approved Casino Real rules document likewise describes a push when the comparisons split and says a copy hand goes to the player-dealer in that game. Do not assume every table resolves ties the same way.
What beats what?
Five-card hands
Rankings depend on the governing rules. For the Pennsylvania-regulated game in 58 Pa. Code § 645a.6, five-card hands descend from five aces, royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, to pair. The code ranks A-2-3-4-5 as the second-highest straight and sets special ordering rules for straight flushes. Check the casino’s own ranking list if you are playing elsewhere.
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Two-card hands
A two-card hand is either a pair or two unmatched cards. A pair beats a non-pair; when neither hand has a pair, compare the high cards, then the next card if needed. The local rules determine how exact ties are settled.
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The Joker
The Joker is not necessarily fully wild. Nevada’s cited STAX rules allow it to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush, or to act as an Ace when used alone. Pennsylvania’s code permits it as an Ace or to complete a straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush. Those formulations differ, so read the posted rule sheet for the variant you are playing.
How to split seven cards sensibly
The goal is to make two valid hands while preserving a strong five-card hand. A common starting principle is to keep a complete, strong five-card combination behind when possible, while avoiding a two-card hand so weak that it gives away the low comparison unnecessarily. This is a decision framework, not a guaranteed optimal strategy: the best split depends on the exact seven cards, the rules, and the table’s house way.
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- First identify the strongest five-card combination available.
- Check whether setting it behind leaves a pair or useful high cards in front.
- Confirm the high hand still outranks the low hand; never sacrifice this ordering requirement.
- For two pair, four of a kind, or other awkward combinations, consult the specific casino chart rather than applying an assumed universal rule.
- If you are unsure, ask the dealer to explain the table’s house way before wagering.
House way is not universal
A “house way” is the rule or procedure the dealer/bank follows when setting its seven cards. Player charts may also be property-specific. Casino Real’s approved chart uses a pair-in-front principle with a complete hand behind when possible, and includes rank-dependent exceptions for two pair and four of a kind. The chart published for MGM Grand by Wizard of Odds differs on some two-pair and four-of-a-kind decisions; that page says its chart came from a 2002 procedure document and was last updated August 3, 2026. Treat both as named examples, not interchangeable current rules for every casino.
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Before using a chart, verify that it matches the casino, game variant, and rules in force. Conventional Pai Gow Poker, face-up games, and progressive versions may not use identical procedures or wagers.
What to check at the table
- Joker treatment: whether it acts as an Ace and which combinations it can complete.
- House way: how the dealer sets the bank’s cards and whether a player strategy chart is specific to this table.
- Ties and copy hands: how exact ties are resolved in each hand and what happens when both hands match.
- Wagers and payouts: the main-wager terms, commission or rake if applicable, and any side bets or progressive wagers.
- Game type: whether the table is conventional Pai Gow Poker or a variant.
The sources cited here do not establish a universal house edge, current availability, minimum bet, or commission across casinos. Those details must come from the specific venue’s current rules and table signage. A progressive paytable for one offering is not a general measure of Pai Gow Poker odds.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Practice before playing for money
You can practice with a standard 53-card deck that includes a Joker: deal seven cards, set the high and low hands, and check that the five-card hand outranks the two-card hand. Practice helps make the mechanics familiar, but it does not remove the importance of the local Joker rule, house way, or tie procedure.
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