Pai Gow
Pai Gow is a very unique form of Poker. Although there are certain similarities to regular five-card draw Poker, Pai Gow is quite different. It may not be the most popular form of Poker, but it can be quite fun and most casinos - live and online - include it in their game selection.
Origins
The Pai Gow Poker is based off of the old Chinese game of Pai Gow, which was traditionally played with tiles. There are plenty of similarities between Pai Gow and regular Poker, such as a basic hand ranking structure, so for an experienced Poker player it shouldn't be hard to learn Pai Gow.
Hand Rankings
The ranking system used in Pai gow is similar to the one used in basic Poker. The strongest combination is a Royal Flush, followed by a straight flush, four of a kind, a full house, a flush, a straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and a high card. The main difference in hand rankings is that Pai Gow also allows for five of a kind. This is possible due to the Joker, which can also be used to complete flushes, straights or full houses.
Gameplay
In Pai Gow, a player is dealt seven cards, all of which will be used. Two hands are formed from these seven cards, a two-card front and a five-card back hand. Evidently, the best possible front hand will be a high pair, such as a pair of Aces, becase straights and flushes can only be made with the back hand. At the same time, the rules of Pai Gow dictate that the back hand must be stronger than the front hand.
In Pai Gow, the player plays against the house, and not against other players. To learn more about Pai Gow, click here.