Pai Gow Poker House Rules

Pai Gow Poker House Way Rules
Rules Of Pai Gow

For our final article in our How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game series we’ll look at some of the odd rules, mistakes and exceptions that can pop up over the course of a poker game. Familiarize yourself with these oddities and you’ll be able to deal with 90% of the issues that arise during your home game. Pai gow poker (also called double-hand poker) is a version of pai gow that is played with playing cards, instead of traditional pai gow's Chinese dominoes.The game of pai gow poker was created in 1985 in the United States by Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, plus a single joker.It is played on a table set for six players, plus the dealer. The player wins both hands and wins their bet. The dealer wins both hands and the player loses their bet. The player wins one hand and the dealer wins the other, in which case the hand is a push and no money exchanges hands (except the commission–more on this later). Fortune Pai Gow Poker is a poker game that uses a standard deck of 52 cards, with the addition of a single joker. The player is dealt a hand of seven cards and must make two hands (one of five cards and one of two). The players hands must beat the house's hands to win. Players start out by placing a bet in the main bet area on the table.

Paigowdan

This is a topic whose time has come.
For eons, Pai Gow poker house ways have varied from casino to casino, causing confusion, gripes, and even altercations among players and dealers, and among dealers and other casino personnel. The amount of lost time, money, and good will is considerable, and some think that it would just be better if one standard, reliable, and accurate Pai Gow Poker house way finally became adopted as an industry standard, or at least within one operator. Pretty much static, stable, and reliable for the game, like a full house always beating a flush in Hold 'em poker, or the Baccarat drawing method never changing on the players or dealers.
Last night I played Pai Gow Poker at the Cannery, and got a doozy of a hand an hour into play, - the infamous full house with a straight/flush, upon which bad advice was heaped profusely by all. The hand was this: As (*joker) Qs Qh Qd 7s 2s.
The best play is to play the Ace-high flush with a pair of Queens on top, but everyone said 'You gotta play the full house with a pair of aces up.' No, I don't. The pair of queens up is about as strong as a pair of aces up, but the Ace-high flush is way stronger than trips. Funny thing, the dealer had a 6-high straight with no top, and the correct setting was the only way I could have won. ($50 bet, and $5 each bonus and insurance). A rare situation, but you see it if you play often. The Ace-high flush with Queens on top is 90% EV, and the full house is 82%, a big difference. NO ONE could figure out that the flush with queens was the stronger combo, it was like a mystery to them.
And so the development of Pai Gow poker house ways is a mystery among industry personnel; there's a running joke that house ways either come from some guy in a raincoat in the parking lot of Palace station, or from a shift manager's dart board. And there's a ton of truth to this. Ask anyone in the industry where their house way came from or how it was developed, and they wouldn't have a clue or an honest answer. No one in the industry analyzes house ways, they just fax them from one house to another, saying, 'Here...try this one.' Seriously. And it's ridiculous, and it has got to stop.
When I developed EZ Pai Gow, I also developed a house way that was actually designed to be mathematically accurate and efficient, to be included with the product as a best practices recommendation, as well as readable and sensible to dealers and players. But most houses simply said 'nah, screw that, I don't want to retrain the dealers if it isn't necessary, even if we lose a little house edge here and there with what we got. Besides, any new house way has to come down to us from the corporate table games guy, high above us, like manna from heaven when it appears - not that they know what's going on either.'
This is what I heard, both as a dealer and as a game designer afterwards. In any case, I did sit down with an accurate Pai Gow poker EV table of the two-card sides and five-card sides and some data, and discussed some points on Pai Gow Poker house way development with my mathematician, and kept all the notes that lead to two house ways (an 'Easy, Plain English' one that's very deal-able, and a more detailed one for online and computer apps).
I did focus on the house way being strong and accurate for the house, but then, the players will also follow it, as the way the play is the house way they're exposed to. I also learned some interesting things about optimizing it, and the areas of efficiency in operating Pai Gow poker games:
1. In the casino, what is not known to them, but should be practiced, is selecting less aggressive and less volatile house ways that have the same EV strength, as it is better to push more hands and collect on a few wins, than to have wins and loses that just cancel each other out; as such it is just useless chip mucking. This is particularly true for commission-free Pai Gow poker games like EZ Pai Gow, because no commission is made on churning wins against loses. Simply put, it is better for the dealer to push four hands and win two, than to win four hands and lose two hands back - for the SAME net two wins. In one case, the dealer goes to the rack six times for two wins, and the other case, the dealer goes to the rack two times for the two wins.
2. The other area is that the dealer wins hand copies, and for this reason the house ways should explicitly mention and favor AK/AQ tops instead of splitting close hands based on whether the top is any ace or not. The deliberate use of fostering two-card side copies is a house technique in designing Pai Gow poker house ways, and yeah, it is used in some house ways.
3. In return, what is discarded here is the dealer 'protecting' his high-card Pai Gow hands, by playing the 2nd & 4th cards up as disallowed or verboten; this move is particularly blatant and off-putting, and makes the casino house seems overtly stingy and greedy on the game, while the more accurate settings on high hands of two pairs and better are deemed fair and discreet for dealer and player alike to use.
4. More accurate game logic. If you truly examined and analyzed such things as four of a kind handling, you'd see some REALLY bad math represented in the hand cut-over break points. You should keep four jacks or 10's together with ANY ace-low, and four 7's to 9's with any King top, etc. Also noticeable is the lack of accurate handling in straights and flushes, aside to say 'play the best two-card side' (generally correct), and 'if you have two pairs, then always play as a two-pair hand' (quite often incorrect, but just sloughed off here and inserted into the house way). The addition of two simple clauses to the two-pair handling makes the two-pair logic immensely stronger: keeping all two pair hands with AK, and keeping low two pair with a King top.
Anyway, below is the best two house ways I have developed at this point, (the second one coming later to avoid overload), and it has gone a LONG way above the typical casino house way in both accuracy and in addressing the elimination of 'churned wins-against-loses,' etc.:
Gow

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Pai Gow: Highest card in five card hand, 2nd and 3rd strongest on two card side.
One pair Rules

: Always play pair in five card side, with next two strongest cards up
Two pairs:
a. Always split Ace-high two pairs.
b. Always split jacks and 7’s or better, except when having an AK for the top.
c. Always keep two-pairs 6’s and less with any King or better top, else split.
d. Split all other two pairs without an ace, but keep together with an ace.
Three pairs: always play the highest pair in the two-card side
Three of a kind, simple (no flush or straight with it):
a. Three Aces always split 2-and-1, as a pair of aces for the five-card side.
b. All other three of a kinds (Kings and less) never break up.
Two three of a kinds: split off a pair from the higher group for the top.
Straights and/or flushes:
a. Straight or flush with one pair: If the pair is Jacks or better, and the top is Ace-face or better, play as one pair if the straight or flush has a queen or less top. (In other words, play the damn straight or flush with the King up, - if you only have a one pair hand with it.)
b. Straight or flush with two pairs: Always play the straight or flush if it has an AQ or better top, else use two-pair rule
c. Straight with Flush: play the one with the highest two-card side.
d. Straight or flush with three of a kind: always play it as a straight or flush with pair or ace up. (Play 9888765 as 98765/88, and AA*2459=A2*45/A9) Gow

e. Straight or flush with full house: Play as flush or straight if it has 8’s or better for the top or the pair is better than the full house pair, else treat as full house, below.
Straight flush or Royal Flush: Always handle as straight and/or flush, above.
Full house:
a. If you have a full house with an extra pair, then play the higher pair up;
b. If your full house’s pair is 5’s or less, keep with AK, else split.
Four of a kind with a pair:
a. Split four Aces or Kings 2 & 2 with a pair of 3’s or 2’s, to play Aces or Kings on top, else keep all other four of a kind hands together with any pair for the top.
Four of a Kind with no pair:
a. Always split four Aces 2 & 2.
b. Keep ALL four of a kinds together with an AJ, AQ or AK top, including 4 Kings.
c. Always split four Kings or Queens with an A-10 or less.
d. Keep four Jacks or 10’s with any Ace top, else split 2 & 2.
e. Keep 7’s through 9’s together with any King or better top, else split 2 & 2.
f. Keep 6’s and lower with a Queen or better top, else split 2 & 2.
For four of a kind with a three of a kind, split a pair from the higher group for top.
Five aces: Always play a pair of aces up.

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes - Henry David Thoreau. Like Dealers' uniforms - Dan.

Deucekies

Suggestion:
Five aces: Keep five aces down when you can play KK up.

Pai Gow Poker House Way Rules

Casinos are not your friends, they want your money. But so does Disneyland. And there is no chance in hell that you will go to Disneyland and come back with more money than you went with. - AxelWolf and Mickeycrimm

Paigowdan

Suggestion:
Five aces: Keep five aces down when you can play KK up.

Yes, true, but I purposely omitted it as a personal gripe of mine, because it is just SOOOO rare, and would return so little in terms of real-world difference, I wished to exclude that hand. In house way design, unless you can pick up 0.1% or better when the house way is only off 0.4% or so, then less is really more. This change would pick up 0.00001% or so.
I have an image in my mind's eye of a dealer looking at the house way and palm-slapping her forehead.
I have other improvements in a slightly more detailed house way (still one page) that I'll add;
I also have a player non-banking strategy that addresses house copies against you. Not all that much can be done against a good house way, but some tricks work.

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes - Henry David Thoreau. Like Dealers' uniforms - Dan.

Deucekies

True story about less being more.
A thought I had. I think it's true at most casinos that when a player needs help setting a hand, dealers are only allowed to quote houseway. To that end, it seems to me you don't want a houseway that's TOO optimal because that's how most players are going to be playing.
(I feel like a bad person when I have to tell a player with 6655732 that 'Houseway is 7-3, sir.' Yes, that's actually our houseway. Never split two pair 6s or lower.)

Rules Of Pai Gow

Paigowdan

Good point! This is why I had to take out the Pai Gow high-card maneuver of protecting the dealer's Pai Gow hand, it was just SOOOO greedy and cheap-ass and bad-will in nature for the extra tenth of a percent, it HAD to go. I mean, the player would be playing at the table, and get stuck with an Ace-high Pai Gow, - and the dealer would try to openly beat him by manipulating his OWN Pai Gow to sleaze-out a win. For a dealer to protect his Pai Gow hand is just too shameless.

Quote: Deucekies

(I feel like a bad person when I have to tell a player with 6655732 that 'Houseway is 7-3, sir.' Yes, that's actually our houseway. Never split two pair 6s or lower.)

And you're right - the split 6's and 5's will beat a number of dealer hands while the topless two pairs will only push or lose. I once coached a player who had a flush with a straight (that had an AJ top), and playable also as Aces and jacks. He asked me how I'd play it, and I said AJ top with King-high straight, in case I get two low pairs, trips, a lower straight, or a full house with a higher pair. Sure enough, I got Ax/5522x and he won and tipped me well. Surveillance called down to the pit and said I was coaching players, and I went to the shift office for a warning.

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes - Henry David Thoreau. Like Dealers' uniforms - Dan.

98Clubs

I'd like to share a top-down ranking. I well know the suits won't go for it, but the Players may see the value in this to simplifiy their own decisions. This has been gleaned from a lot of the work done by JB, the Wiz, and open discussions here with Dan.
The House Way: 'Front hand' or 'front' is the 2-card hand. 'Back' or 'in back'Ã¯Â¿Â½ is the 5-card hand.
....a.) Decisions are made top to bottom. If a decision fails, move to the next-lower decision.
....b.) If the decision matches, then the EXCEPTIONS and/or STEPS are tested.
....c.) A Royal-Straight-Flush is a Straight-Flush in these tests.
....d.) Ace-Face refers to Ace-Jack, Ace-Queen, and Ace-King only.
1.) Five Aces: A Pair of Aces plays to the front hand.
2.) Quad + Triple: Play the high Pair in front.
3.) Quad + Pair: The Pair plays in front
4.) [Straight-Flush, Flush, or Straight]: Play these STEPS as follows from top to bottom;
....a.) Play best [choice] with a pair in front
....b.) Play as Three Pairs (see 9. below)
....c.) Play a Straight-Flush with Ace-Face in front
....d.) Play as Two Pair (see 10. below)
....e.) Play best [choice] with Ace-other in front
....f .) Play as One Pair TT or better with Ace-Face in front
....g.) Play the best two non-choice cards in front
5.) Quads: TTTT = Four Tens, split = Pair + Pair. Play these STEPS as follows from top to bottom;
....a.) AAAA KKKK QQQQ : Always split.
....b.) J J J J TTTT 9999: Ace with best non-quad plays to front, else split.
....c.) 8888 7777 6666: King or Ace with best non-quad plays to front, else split.
....d.) 5555 4444 3333 2222: DO NOT SPLIT, play the best two non-quads in front.
6.) Full House + Pair: Higher of the two Pairs plays to front hand.
7.) Full House or Two Triples: Play as low Triple in back, the remaining Pair in front,
....EXCEPT Play Ace-Face in front of any Full House having the Pair ranked 22 or 33.
8.) One Triple: Best two non-triples play to front,
....EXCEPT AAA splits as Ace with best non-triple in front of AA with remainders.
9.) Three Pairs: Play the highest Pair to front.
10.) Two Pairs: Split = High pair in back, Low pair in front. Play these STEPS as follows from top to bottom;
....a.) High Pair QQ KK AA: Always split.
....b.) High Pair 99 TT J J: Play Ace to front, else split
....c.) High Pair 66 77 88: Play King or Ace in front, else split.
....d.) High Pair 55 or less: Play Queen or better in front, else split.
11.) One Pair: Play best two non-pair to front hand.
12.) High Card (Pai Gow): Play the 2nd and 3rd highest ranks in front, all other cards in back.
I think both perspectives have their value, and opportunities. The Cat & Mouse aspect of the game remains intact either way.
*** EDIT... PLAYER as BANKER EXCEPTIONS Below ***
EXCEPTIONS for PLAYER as BANKER listed by Rule Above
3.) If the Quad is 8 ranks or more higher than the Pair, then split the Quad.
5.) QUADS are rewritten
....a.) AAAA Always Split
....b.) KKKK QQQQ JJJJ: Play Ace-Other Face to front, else split
....c.) TTTT 9999: Play Ace to front, else split
....d.) 8888 7777: Play King or Ace to front, else split
....e.) 6666 5555: Play Queen or better to front, else split
....f .) 4444 3333 2222: DO NOT SPLIT, play best two remainders to front
8.) Add the following rule as 8b.):
....Split KKK as above in 8a.) UNLESS an Ace or Queen can play to front
10.) Use Poker Hand ranking for the two pairs and determine as follows;
....a.) QQ77 to AAKK: Always Split
....b.) JJ66 to QQ66: Play Ace-Face to front, else split
....c.) 8855 to JJ55: Play Ace-other to front, else split
....d.) 5544 to 8844: Play King or Ace to front, else split
....e.) 5533 or less: Play Queen or better to front, else split
12.) EXCEPTIONS to Ace-High Pai Gow: Protect a bad hand
....a.) If the the 3 highest ranks in the 7-card hand are AKQ, play the 2nd and 4th high ranks to front.
....b.) If the 2nd high rank in the 7-card hand is a 9 or 8, play the 3rd and 4th high rank to front.
....c.) Play the 2nd and 4th highest ranks to maintain an 8 or better in the 5-card hand.

Deucekies

Incidentally, in what situations is playing the 2nd and 4th card up as a player mathematically better than playing the 2nd and 3rd card up? Have you quantified it? Are there ever times where playing 3rd and 4th would be better? A876432 as the lowest ace-high?

Paigowdan

Yes, this has been quantified by many; in cases where the Pai Gow hand has a large gap between the 3rd and 4th highest card, it is better to play the hand as 2nd and 4th in the low hand, putting the 3rd highest card in the 5-card side to protect it in case the dealer also has a Pai Gow hand. The hand AKJ6432 is better plated as K6/AJ432 than KJ/A6432, because the A6432 five-card side would be clobbered when facing another Ace-high Pai Gow, whereas the AJ432 setting would most likely provide a saving push or surprise win IF facing another Pai Gow. If a casino house decides to fine-tune playing to protect Ace-high Pai Gow hands, players would revolt.

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes - Henry David Thoreau. Like Dealers' uniforms - Dan.

Paigowdan

The top-down way is good for programming a PGP simulator, but is slow and cumbersome for human play. The suits just have to be 100% satisfied, in order to accept and adopt a house way, and in the order from weakest to strongest.

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes - Henry David Thoreau. Like Dealers' uniforms - Dan.

JB
Administrator

There are many situations where you don't play the 2nd & 3rd highest cards in the low hand. Trying to describe this aspect of PGP strategy accurately would be very difficult, but here are some example hands (against the Foxwoods house way, when the dealer is banking):

Cards in Low Hand	Example Hand	Low Hand
2nd and 4th	A♠ K♦ 10♥ 9♦ 7♣ 3♣ 2♣	K♦ 9♦
2nd and 5th	A♦ K♠ 8♠ 6♥ 4♣ 3♦ 2♣	K♠ 4♣
2nd and 6th	A♦ Q♠ 9♥ 8♥ 6♦ 5♣ 2♣	Q♠ 5♣
2nd and 7th	A♦ J♦ 7♥ 6♦ 4♣ 3♣ 2♣	J♦ 2♣
3rd and 4th	A♦ 10♥ 8♣ 6♦ 4♣ 3♣ 2♣	8♣ 6♦
3rd and 5th	A♥ 9♥ 7♦ 6♣ 4♣ 3♣ 2♣	7♦ 4♣
3rd and 6th	A♥ 9♦ 8♥ 6♦ 5♥ 3♦ 2♣	8♥ 3♦
4th and 5th	A♦ 9♥ 8♦ 6♣ 4♣ 3♣ 2♣	6♣ 4♣
4th and 6th	A♥ 9♥ 8♣ 7♦ 5♣ 4♣ 2♣	7♦ 4♣

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