Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard 53-card deck of cards. (“53” is not a typo—it’s a 52-card deck with the addition of a joker.)
In most card games, jokers are “wild cards”. They can stand in for any card you need them to.
But in pai gow poker, jokers are only wild for certain situations. Here’s how you can use a joker in pai gow poker:
- You can use it as an ace.
- You can use it to complete a straight.
- You can use it to complete a flush.
- You can use it to complete a straight flush.
The game starts with the players making bets. Then the dealer and the players each get 7 cards.
As with most poker games, even house-banked games. UFABET The standard ranking of poker hands is used, with one exception:
In pai gow poker, an A2345 straight is the 2nd best straight you can have.
After you get your 7 cards. You must “set your hand.” This means you divided your hand into 2 hands—a 5-card hand and a 2-card hand. You have a lot of freedom for setting the hand. But you must follow one restriction:
The 5-card hand must have a better poker hand ranking than the 2-card hand.
Of course, the 5-card hand is treated like a 5-card poker hand. The 2-card hand can only qualify for 2 poker hand rankings, though—a pair or not a pair.
The dealer also sets his hand. But he must follow specific rules set by the casino. This is called “the house way.” It’s comparable to how a blackjack dealer must play his hand in a prescribed manner.