Learning the Pai Gow Poker Rules

Many people would argue that poker is the most popular casino game. There are actually many variations of the game. You have Texas Hold'em which is the most popular poker version. You have 7-card stud poker and 5-card stud poker. You have Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo and then you have Pai Gow Poker.

The name basically signifies where the game originated. This modern version of poker, however, is actually a combination of the old Chinese Pai Gow game and the American version of poker. Arguably, Pai Gow poker is not the most popular version of poker, but there are still many people who play the game. If you want to take a break from playing Texas Hold'em or Omaha, you should consider learning the Pai Gow Poker rules, so you can start playing this poker version instead.

The game accepts up to seven players. You only need one deck of 52 cards. This game, however, includes the joker which is used in various ways. It can take the place of an Ace. It can complete a straight, a flush, a royal flush or a straight flush. This game basically accepts the usual hand rankings; however, it has an additional hand rank and that is "Five Aces". The Five Aces is a hand that includes the five Ace cards and the joker. This is the highest hand rank in Pai Gow Poker. Yes, it beats the usual hand rankings including the Royal Flush. This is one of the twists in the Pai Gow Poker rules.

The game starts with the players receiving seven cards each. They will then arrange these cards to make two hands - a five-card hand and a two-card hand. The former hand must have a higher rank or must be at least of the same rank as the latter hand. To win the game, your hands must have higher rankings than your opponents' hands.

Once you are finished arranging your hands, you will then have to place them on the table facing down. Once you have done this, the Pai Gow Poker rules state that you can no longer pick up your hands or touch them. At this juncture, it will be the dealer's turn to pick up his cards to make his own hand. Once the dealer is finished, all of the players will compare their hands to the dealer's hands. Now, if a player's hand is higher in rank but the other is lower in rank than the dealer's hands, then this situation results to a push and the player will not win anything. A player only wins if both of his or her hands are higher than the dealer's hands.

The Pai Gow poker rules are fairly simple. Once you have learned them, you can immediately start playing the game.