What Are the Odds in Pai Gow Poker?

Pai Gow Poker is a popular casino game that is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, plus one Joker. The object of the game is to make the best possible five-card hand and two-card hand, using any combination of the seven cards dealt to you.

The Joker can be used as an Ace, or to complete a Straight, Flush or Straight Flush.

The highest hand in Pai Gow Poker is a five-Aces hand, which can only be beaten by a Straight Flush. The second highest hand is a Royal Flush, followed by a Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair and Pair.

To start the game, each player must place a bet within the table’s limits. Once all bets are placed, each player is dealt seven cards face down.

The dealer then sets his or her hand according to the house rules and turns the remaining four cards face up for all to see.

PRO TIP:Pai Gow Poker is a game of skill, so it’s important to understand the odds of each hand. Knowing which hands are more likely to win can help you make better decisions and increase your chances of winning.

Now it’s time for each player to look at his or her cards and arrange them into two hands: a two-card hand and a five-card hand. Thefive-card hand must be higher in rank than the two-card hand; if not, it’s an automatic loss (known as a “foul”). Once all players have arranged their hands, they reveal their two hands to the dealer who then sets his or her hands according to the house rules.

If any player has a higher ranking hand than the dealer in both the five-card and two-card hands, that player wins even money on his or her bet; if not, the dealer wins. In case of a tie (known as “copying”), all bets push.

If at any time during the game you have less than seven cards (due to folding or being dealt only two cards preflop), you may ask the dealer for “cards” in order to receive more from the deck. You may do this as long as there are sufficient cards remaining in the deck to deal you more.

What are the odds in Pai Gow Poker? The odds depend on what kind of bet you place – whether it’s a standard bet, bonus bet or side bet. For example, the odds of hitting a Royal Flush are about 1 in 650,000 when playing with a standard 52-card deck; however, if you’re playing with 53 cards (including the Joker), your odds increase to about 1 in 498,000 since there are more potential combinations you can make with a Joker included.

Bonus bets usually offer worse odds than standard bets; however, side bets often have much better odds (e.g., 1 in 10) since they focus on specific outcomes that are more likely to occur.