Pai Gow Poker Strategy: How to Set Your Hands Like a Pro
Basic Pai Gow Poker Strategy
The strategy of pai gow poker comes in setting your hand properly. To win your bet, you must win both your hands. So it’s better to set your seven cards as two average hands rather than as one powerful hand and one low hand. (Remember that low hands are often won just on high cards.) The table below tells you what would be the proper play for each of the hands.
Setting Pai Gow Poker Hands
| What’s in Your Hand | Proper Setting |
|---|---|
| High Card (no pairs, straights, or flushes) | Use the second and third highest cards as the low hand. Use the high card plus the other four cards as the high hand. |
| One Pair (two cards of the same rank) | Use the highest two unpaired cards as the low hand. Use the pair plus the other three cards as the high hand. |
| Two Pair (two sets of pairs, of different ranks) | If you have a single ace, use the ace plus the next highest unpaired card as the low hand. If not, use the lower pair as the low hand and the higher pair as the high hand. |
| Three Pair (three sets of pairs, all of different ranks) | Use the highest pair as the low hand and the two other pairs in the high hand with the remaining single card. |
| Two Pair and a Straight | Set the hand as two pair (above), ignoring the straight. |
| Three of a Kind | Use the three of a kind in the high hand and the next two highest cards as the low hand. Exception: if your three of a kind is aces, then use a pair of aces for the high hand and the third ace plus the next highest card as the low hand. |
| Two Threes-of-a-Kind | Use the lower three of a kind in the high hand. Use a pair from the remaining three of a kind as the low hand. |
| Straight | Use the straight as the high hand and the remaining two cards in the low hand |
| Six-Card Straight (six cards in sequence but not of the same suit) | Use the two highest cards without breaking a straight as the low hand. Use the straight as the high hand. |
| Flush (five cards of the same suit but not in sequence) | Use the flush in the high hand and the two remaining cards as the low hand. |
| Flush and Two Pair (five cards of the same suit but not in sequence) | Ignore the flush. Use the lower of the two pairs as the low hand. Put the higher of the two pairs into the high hand. |
| Full House (a pair and a three-of-a-kind) | Use the pair as the low hand. Use the three of a kind in the high hand. |
| Four of a Kind | If aces, kings, or queens, split them into a pair for each hand. If jacks, tens, or nines with an ace or king, use the four-of-a-kind in the high hand. If jacks, tens, or nines without ace or king, split the four into a pair for each hand. Any other four of a kind: put into the high hand. |
| Straight Flush (five cards in sequence and of the same suit) | Use the straight flush as the high hand. Use the two remaining cards as the low hand. |
| Five Aces (all four aces plus the joker) | Use two aces as the low hand and the three remaining aces in the high hand. |
Counting cards in pai gow poker has no benefit, since the cards are shuffled after each deal. The best betting strategy is to play the streaks. In other words, increase your bets when you’re winning and play the table minimum when losing. A betting strategy that is good for beginners is to place a bet equal to the table minimum and then, if that bet wins, let your original bet stay plus all the winnings. If the next hand wins, increase your bet by one unit (the table minimum) and keep the remainder of your winnings from the second bet. Now you are gambling entirely with the casino’s money. Continue this until you win five hands without losing or when you lose a bet. Once you win five in a row or lose a hand, start over at the table minimum.
Let’s take an example. You start by betting the table minimum, $5. On the first hand you win, so you get to keep your $5 bet plus you win $5. On the second hand, you bet a total of $10 (your original $5 bet plus the $5 you won in hand one). You push hand two; since you neither win nor lose, you still have $10 out to bet. On hand three you bet the same $10 as hand two. You win hand three. Your $10 remains out there for the bet, plus the dealer gives you $10. This time you increase your bet $5 to $15 and keep the remaining $5 (which is what you initially bet in hand one). Now you’re gambling entirely with the casino’s money after just three wins without a loss. If you win five hands without a loss, cut back your bet to $5 and start over. If you bet at the $5 minimum table and reach the start-over point, five wins, you’ll have profited $40 plus a chance to win $5 more on the next hand. Keep in mind if you lose hand two you’ll have lost $10, $5 of your original bet plus $5 you won in hand one. You go to casinos to win money, not to break even. That’s why you let your bet and winnings ride after winning one hand.