Pai Gow Poker is named after the Chinese domino game Pai Gow which plays like a completely different game. Pai Gow Poker is commonly referred to as simply "pai gow," which is misleading, since "pai gow" is different in the rules, the betting and the game play mechanics!

Pai Gow Poker is played with a 53-card deck, including a joker rather than dominoes and has more in common with poker than the Chinese game. Although it can be played with a several players, the game is not played against each other like a traditional game of poker.

The game is played player vs the house, each player against the banker, each competing to make the best possible hands. Due the rules and the scoring mechanism, Pai Gow Poker is slower than most poker games and a small bankroll can usually last a player a long time.

The rules of Pai Gow Poker

The rules are very similar to poker but there are a couple of main differences. First of all, every player who wants to be dealt in, has to place a wager or an ante. After this, the cards are dealt – seven to each player out of a deck of 53 cards including the joker. The players then get an opportunity to look at their cards and arrange them.

The house arranges their cards in the house way, which is a set way of arranging the hands (this method is also recommended to most players because it is the safest way of playing, with the highest probability of winning against the house). Each player then arranges his seven cards into a five-card hand (the high hand) and a two-card hand (called the low hand).

The five-card hand is ranked as in poker, with the face value card being the lowest scoring, and the highest scoring being a royal flush. The joker can be used as a wild card in a limited fashion. It can be used to fill in for a flush or a straight, otherwise it acts as an ace. It cannot act as a card to form a pair, three of a kind or four of a kind.

The two card hand is ranked according to whether it is a pair or a high scoring card. After the cards are arranged a further bet can be placed. The players cards are then shown. The player's five-card hand is compared to the banker's five-card hand with the higher hand winning. 

The player's two-card hand is also compared to the banker's two-card hand, with the better hand winning. If the banker wins both hands, then the bet and the ante is lost. If the player wins both hands, the the bet and the ante are won, less 5% of the dealers commission. If one player wins, and the other loses, then the result is a draw, and the ante and the bet is returned to the player. In the event of identical hands then the casino normally wins.