Once all players have placed their bets, the dealer shuffles the deck and deals out seven cards to each player. For example, a pair of aces would be the strongest two-card hand, and a king-high would be a weak one. There are no flushes or straights in the two-card example. A royal flush is the strongest one, followed by a straight flush, four-of-a-kind, full house, flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, two-pair, one-pair, and high card.įor the two-card hand, the best you can have is a pair or the highest card. In Pai Gow Poker, the hand rankings follow the traditional poker rankings for the five-card hand. If only one of them beats the dealer, it’s a push (a tie), and if both hands are lower, you lose. Your goal is to have both of them outmatch the corresponding hands of the dealer. The five-card hand, or the “back” one, must be higher-ranking than the two-card hand, also known as the “front” or “top” hand. One hand should contain five cards and the other two. The aim is straightforward: create two poker hands from the seven cards you’re dealt.
Seven players, including the dealer, participate in each game. The joker acts as a wildcard and can be used as an ace or to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush. Unlike traditional poker, Pai Gow Poker uses a deck of 53 cards – the standard 52, plus a joker.
