Pai Gow Tiles Online
Eventually, there comes a time when you’ve played just about everything in a casino. There’s also times when you want to play slowly, and just have some fun. You might try Pai Gow Poker, but unless you’re a newbie, it’s a totally brain-dead, boring game.
- Pai Gow Tiles Names
- Play Pai Gow Tiles Online
- Play Pai Gow Tiles online, free
- Pai Gow Tiles online, free Game
- Pai Gow Tiles Introduction. Pai gow is the oldest of the casino games. It easily pre-dates roulette and baccarat. How such a complicated game ever got started, I have always wondered.
- The original Chinese game of Pai Gow is played with a set of tiles or dominoes in a complicated series of layouts. However, the online casino version of Pai Gow.
On the other hand, Pai Gow Tiles are really fun. You earn max casino “cred” points while you play the game. You earn double cred points if you’re lo-fan. You’ll find the game in a few casinos in Vegas (Aria, Mirage, Harrah’s, etc.). Before I learned the game, I would just stop by the usually empty table, stare at the tiles, and wonder what kind of game it was. Nowadays, people stop and watch me play.
Other than those two things, online pai gow poker’s straightforward. Most, if not all, online casinos offer it, though it will be harder to find a mobile-friendly version unless the casino runs on HTML. This is especially true for US-facing casinos. Play Pai Gow Tiles Like a Pro in 2020. Learn to play Pai Gow Tiles online plus a lot more in our expert guide! We’ll give you a breakdown of the Pai Gow Tiles hand rankings and how to play, then we’ll show you some of the best online casinos which offer this exciting online game. It’s more complex than it sounds. Given the time, we could provide beginner, intermediate, and advanced strategies. We may do so in the future. In the meantime, there are very few online casinos at which to play Pai Gow Tiles. Most offer Pai Gow Poker because it is far more popular with gamblers. We recommend that you visit Bodog Casino to play Pai Gow Poker.
The game is simple. If you know Pai Gow Poker, then you know the basic rules. Pai Gow Poker is a variant of the original tile game, with cards replacing tiles. The player and banker are each dealt the same number of cards/tiles, which they set into a low and high hand. The player wins if both his high and low hand beats the banker’s. The banker wins if both his hands beat or ties the player’s. Otherwise, the hand is a push.
You’re dealt 4 tiles, which you set into a 2-tile high hand, and a 2-tile low hand. Your high hand must beat your low hand. So, all you need to know are the 2-tile hand rankings, and the best way to balance the strength of your hand.
The Deck
There are 32 tiles in the deck. Here’s a nice diagram of the deck, from Steven Denenberg’s paigow.com. The 16 pairs are arranged in descending order (#1 Gee Joon thru #16 Ng):
The tiles are similar to double-six dominoes, and pretty much look like craps rolls. The only difference is the “hard-6” may look different (Chong). There are two tiles of any given type (rank). The names are useful, because there may be two different types (rank) with the same number of dots. For example, there are two types of tiles with 8 dots: the Yun (hard-8) and the Bot (easy-8). The Yun is ranked higher than the Bot. The individual tile rankings follow the pair rankings above, except the semi-wild Gee Joon tiles become the lowest, not the highest, ranked individual tiles.
Hand Rankings
The ranking of the 2-tile hands are as follows:
- Pair
- Wong (Teen or Day with any 9-point tile)
- Gong (Teen or Day with any 8-point tile)
- High-9 (Teen or Day with any 7-point tile)
- Points (last digit of dot total)
Pairs
The identical pairs are easiest to spot in your hand, but you’ll learn to recognize the Gee Joon pair, and the mixed- 5,7,8,9 pairs (Ng, Chut, Bot, Gow pairs). It’ll come through practice (see my trainer below). I remember the Yun pair as a hard-8, and the Bot pair as easy-8. Then I remember the 7 pairs as Tit (Ace-Six) and Chut (the other ways). There’s no confusion on the Ng (5) and the Gow (9) pair. Note the mixed pairs are the lowest ranked.
Wongs
The next highest hand following a pair is a Wong. The Wong hand consists of the Teen or Day (boxcars or snake-eyes) and any 9-dot tile (Gow).
Gongs
The next highest hand following a Wong is a Gong. The Gong hand consists of the Teen or Day (boxcars or snake-eyes) and any 8-dot tile (Bot or Yun).
High-9s
The High-9 is really a point total of 9 with a Teen or Day kicker.
Points
The lowest hands are the 0 thru 9 point total of the tile’s dots. If the dot total goes over 10, then just use the last digit. The Gee Joon tiles are semi-wild (3 or 6) when used in a point total.
Tie-Breaker (Kicker)
When comparing 2-tile hands with the same rank (e.g., Wong vs. Wong, or points vs. points), you go to the highest tile in the 2-tile hand as the tie-breaker. For example, a Wong with a Teen beats a Wong with a Day. Similarly, two Wongs are equal if they both have Teen, or both have Day. To use a poker term, when two hands are of equal rank, the comparison goes down to the kicker, the highest-ranked tile in the hand.
Simple Strategy
I use a simple strategy taken from the Wizard Of Odds. I’m copying it here for convenience, with some small fixes.
Play the first rule that applies:
One-Way Hand
If there is one play that is obviously the best, which will happen about 38% of the time, then play it. This happens when one play is superior to both alternatives in both the high and low.
Pairs
Split pairs as follows.
- Gee Joon — Split only with 6-4, 6-5, 6-6
- Pair of 2’s or 12’s — Split only with 9-11, or to make 6-8 or better
- Pair of 5’s — Split to make 7/7
- Pair of 6’s — Split to make 7/8 or better
- Pair of 7’s — Split to make 7/7 or better
- Pair of 8’s — Split to make 8/8 or better, and with 9-11
- Pair of 9’s — Split to make 9/9 or better
- Pair of 4’s, 10’s, 11’s — Never split
Wong, Gong, High-9
- If you have both Teen and Day, play the best high hand
- Play the best low hand if 6 or 7 points with Yun kicker or better
- Play Wong or Gong instead of High Nine if the fourth tile is a 4 or 5
- Play High Nine, Gong, or Wong, in that order of preference
Points Only
- Play the best low hand if it is worth 5 or more points
- Play the best low hand if the best high hand is worth 5 points or less
- Play the best low hand if the best high hand is a low 6 points (Chong kicker)
- Play the best high hand with all other combinations
Practice Trainer
Of course the easiest way to learn the game is with some interactive practice. I wrote a simple trainer to let you practice setting hands. Click on the screenshot to try it:
Pointers
When you first try to set a hand, you may be overwhelmed by the unfamiliar tiles in front of you. But, if you follow some simple steps, you’ll quickly get oriented. The easiest thing to see are identical pairs. Then look for your mixed pairs (5’s, 9’s, and 7’s and 8’s). If you have a pair, check if you should split it (see the table above; you’re looking for at least a 7/7 to split), else play it behind.
If you don’t have any pairs, then look for the Teen and Day tiles (boxcars and snake-eyes). If you have one, then check for 7-, 8-, and 9-spot tiles that make a High-9, Gong, and Wong, respectively. Follow the rules for setting hands with Wongs, Gongs, and High-9’s, but remember the idea is to balance the hand by playing the lowest of these hands behind.
If you only have point totals, check if you have the semi-wild (3 or 6) Gee Joon tiles. To get your bearings, find your best high hand. For example, say it’s a 5/9. Usually, you’ll have some other options, hands whose front and back add up to 5+9 = 14. Check for 7/7, since you’d play it (set highest front if 5 or more points). Also check for 6/8, else play the 5/9.
Tutorials
I’ve made some introductory videos that explain the game in more detail:
A Combination of Chinese Tiles and Classic Poker
Pai Gow Poker
The ancient game of Chinese tiles gets an overhaul in this amusing and relatively new variant of the classic Poker game. It might be based on an old and slow paced game, but nothing about it screams dated with the Poker twist it’s received (amongst other things). Since its inception online, Pai Gow, or double-hand Poker, has got faster and simpler. “Win together, lose together!” is the motto of the game as every player plays against the house, unlike in other variations of Poker where the players battle each other and bluff their way to acquire the contents of the pot. The game therefore draws a similarity to the other Casino Poker game, Casino Hold’em, within which every player plays against the house. Traditionally, each player takes a turn as banker thus gaining a small edge when in that position. The American version was created using playing cards instead to make it easy to use for the western player. As a land casino table game, it isn’t one of the most popular and generally is outplaced by Blackjack, Three-Card Poker and Roulette on the casino floor. Online, however, the game is a little simpler to play; it’s a one versus one with the virtual house and, as a result, the game enjoys growing popularity amongst online table game players looking for something that little bit different than the stock games or slots. Overall, it’s an enjoyable and friendly game much like Craps, but a lot less complicated.
Why play Pai Gow Poker?
- It’s a low-risk game
- It’s fun and sociable
- It’s a game of luck as well as skill
The History of Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is established on the century-old Chinese game of tiles or dominoes and when translated means ‘nine’. The game used 32 dominoes to make a whopping 35,960 four-tile combinations – imagine keeping track of all of the possible combinations! In today’s modern version of the game, the dominoes have been replaced by cards, adding to its growing popularity. The old game goes as follows; approximately eight players would arrange four tiles each into two hands, what was known as a “back” and “front” hand. The objective of the game was the same as it is today, to beat both of the banker’s respective hands. The winning bets paid out even money (1:1), however, deciding upon the winner was overly complicated so it never caught on in the western world until much later. During the 19th century, the rules of the game were altered and it once again became extremely popular in China. It made its way onto US soil during the 1980s and was the baby of the American casino owner (of the Bell card club in Southern California) by the name of Sam Torosian in 1985. It was here in California that many Chinese immigrants came to set up home. Pai Gow Poker reared its head along the Las Vegas strip in 1987 and took some time to reach Atlantic City due to some laws of the state. It was initially designed to encourage more Asian players to gamble at American casinos. Nowadays it can be found in many online casinos accessible all over the world.
Playing Online Pai Gow Poker
The contemporary game is played with up to six players and one who acts as banker/dealer. Pai Gow is one of the few card games that uses the joker alongside a standard deck of 52 cards, to give it that extra kick. When playing Pai Gow online, the house or casino takes on the role of the banker. Before the game begins, each player must place a wager. Most online casinos offer a pretty wide bet range on table games to accommodate all bankrolls so you should find something that suits, I’ve seen anywhere from a single credit to 1000 credit stakes available with a multitude of options in between! A roll of the dice determines who will receive their cards first. Each player is then dealt seven cards face down and must arrange his cards to create two Poker hands from the cards given. These consist of a five-card and a two-card hand, termed the “behind” or “big” hand and the “front” or “small” hand, respectively. At this point, only the players can look at their cards, and the dealer cannot. Once you’ve decided upon your two hands, they must be placed face down back onto the table so that the dealer can reveal his cards. No one can touch or rearrange their cards after the dealer has exposed his, so make sure you’re satisfied with your hands before setting them down. Now it’s the dealer’s turn to arrange his cards into his two best hands as specified by the “house way” rules.
Players turn over their cards and begin comparing their individual hands to those belonging to the dealer to win. The players’ “big” hands are compared to the dealer’s “big” hand, and same goes for the “small” hands. It is of the utmost importance that your “big” hand has a higher value than your “small” hand, otherwise your hand will be considered void. With regards to the joker, the semi wild-card plays a dual role in the game, although its use is limited; it can be used as a filler card to complete a straight, flush or straight flush. In the other winning Poker hands (for example, in the case of a royal flush, full house, four of a kind etc.), it is played as an Ace. Your five-card hand is ranked according to standard Poker rules – of course, it goes without saying that the only Poker hand that can apply to the two-card hand is a pair or no pair, after which the highest cards determine the winner. The following are some possible outcomes:
- If both your hands are worth more than the banker’s corresponding hands, then you win and the dealer pays out your bet.
- If only one hand is worth more than the corresponding hand belonging to the dealer, it is considered a tie, or push, and no one wins.
- You lose your wager when each hand of yours is worth less than the banker’s corresponding ones.
- If you both have the same hand values, the dealer automatically wins and you lose the bet.
- Finally, in the case of a push on one hand and a win for the dealer on the other, it is the banker who wins. However, if it were vice versa and the player wins one hand while the other hand is tied, this is regarded as a push and so no money is exchanged.
So, let’s say you were dealt KK, QQ, 10, 8, 5 with no flush. Ideally, you want to keep the cowboys in the big hand (hoping the dealer can’t beat the pair) and the Queens in the second hand to hopefully beat the dealer’s next best hand. It’s against the rules to put your best hand in the smaller of the two hands, so despite the simplicity of play, you will need a strategy. The key thing with this game versus regular Poker is to remember that you have two hands which you need to win with, don’t get blinkered or lasered in on one big hand – you only need enough to beat the dealer with both, they don’t both have to be monsters! To help you out, here are the Pow Gow Poker hand rankings:
Five Aces: Consists of A-A-A-A plus a Joker.
Royal Flush: Consists of 10-J-Q-K-A of the same suit.
Straight Flush: Includes five sequential cards of the same suit, ranked in order. For example, 7-8-9-10-J of Hearts.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank. For example, 2-2-2-2.
full House: Is made up of three matching cards of one value and two matching cards of another value. For example, Q-Q-Q and 6-6.
Flush: Is formed when all five cards are of the same suit, irrespective of their ranking. For example, 2-4-6-9-Q of Diamonds.
Straight: Consists of five cards of different suits in a sequence. For example, 3-4-5-6-7 of different suits, however, in the game of Pai Gow A-2-3-4-5 is the second highest hand.
Three of a Kind: Is made up of three cards of the same rank. For example, 7-7-7.
Two Pair: Is when you have two cards of the same value plus another two cards of another rank. For example, 10-10 and 3-3.
One Pair: Is formed using two cards of the same rank. For example, 6-6.
High Card: Can be any one of the following cards: Ace, King, Queen, Jack.
Pai Gow Tiles Names
If you’re still not sure about how to set cards, in an online game you can choose the ‘House Way’ option to help you.
Beginners’ Tips
Play Pai Gow Tiles Online
Now that you’re up to date with the rules and winning hands of the game, here are a couple of suggestions which could help you become a Pai Gow expert in no time!
- The most basic rule of Pai Gow Poker is that your “big” or “behind” (high) hand must be worth more than your “small” or “front” (low) hand or you will be disqualified from the game. Remember that your low hand is just as important as your high hand. Ideally, you should try to find the right combination of two equally strong hands with the odds of winning both. Remember, you lose if only one hand wins.
- In this variation of Poker, the conventional ranking rules apply, although with one strange anomaly; the A-2-3-4-5 straight (which is called 'the wheel') is considered the second highest straight. Some casinos have dropped this outrageous rule, while others have embraced it, all the more reason to be aware of it.
- Unlike most casino games, in Pai Gow Poker the player may bet against the dealer and other players. This type of wager is known as 'banking”. Unfortunately, this is not offered in online play.
- The turn to act as banker is supposed to rotate around the table, but at some casinos, it zig-zags between the dealer and each player in turn. The player may always decline to bank (which is usually the case), therefore, the option to do so will revert to the next player. A word of advice; when given the opportunity to be the banker you should always take it. When hands are duplicated, the bank wins and the odds move from 1% to 2% in the banker’s favour. In this position, you should bet as much as possible and as little as possible when you’re not playing banker. In brick and mortar casinos the role is passed around between players (sometimes there is a limit to the number of hands you can play in this position).
- A full house should never be played as your high hand.
- If you are given three pairs, the highest-ranking pair should go in the small hand. The other two pairs give the player a sound high hand. In the case of six cards to a flush, the lowest high card should start the flush, leaving the high card to be played in the small hand.
Variations of Pai Gow Poker
You will see that additional features have been added to the base of the game to create the following versions. These variations of Pai Gow are, in fact, quite rare and not easily found online. They are even less common in land-based casinos. Regardless, if you do come across one of these games, be sure to give them a ‘Gow’!
As the name suggests, there are no ties (pushes) in this variant of the game, therefore, the banker always wins if a tie is drawn. As a result, the odds of winning are definitely in the banker’s favour.
Pai Gow Mania: This is the same game, except with two additional side bets, one of which you can make after you view your first three cards, and the second you can make after all your cards have been dealt.
Fortune Pai Gow Poker: In this version, the skill element of the game has been removed as you are required to judge your hand without splitting it. You’re also given an envy bonus, that is, a fixed limit which is paid out when the higher-ranking hands are disclosed. The game sometimes features a progressive jackpot which can be all yours with a seven-card straight flush.
Playing Pai Gow Poker for Real Money
Pai Gow Poker has been developed at many online casinos for both head to head casino play and live dealer play. If you’re a beginner, you can start yourself off with free play until you get used to how the game works. If you’re looking for a big payout, you should check our top five reputable casinos at the top of the page for a safe place for your deposit. It’s an easy game to optimise for mobile use so you should have no problems at all finding a site to play at. We review some of the best sites by game on a regular basis to help with that.
FAQ
Play Pai Gow Tiles online, free
Is there an optimal strategy I can use to win at Pai Gow Poker?
Being a game of mixed elements of luck and skill, seasoned players have come together and created an optimal, yet rather complex, strategy to get you on top and winning. First of all, when you have no pair, straight, or flush, you should play the highest card in your big hand and the next two highest cards in your small hand.
Pai Gow Tiles online, free Game
Two Pair: In a hand where you have two pairs including a pair of Aces, you should split them. If the top pair is K-K, you should also split them except when the other pair is deuces, in this case, play them together and play the two highest remaining cards in the low hand. Otherwise, use these two-pair rules:
- 6-6 and lower, split unless you hold an Ace, then play together with the Ace and the next highest card in the low hand.
- 7-7 through to 10-10, split unless you hold an Ace, then play together with the Ace and the next highest card in the low hand.
- J-J through to A-A, split - obviously with the highest pair in the high hand.
Three Pair: In this scenario, it’s best to play the highest pair in the low hand.
Three of a Kind: Always play your pairs together except when the cards are Aces, then play a pair of Aces in the big hand and a single Ace with the next highest card in the small hand.
Four of a Kind: Like two pair, four of a kind has some guidelines too:
- With 6-6-6-6 or lower, keep them together.
- In the case of, 7-7-7-7 through to 10-10-10-10, you should split them into pairs unless you have an Ace or better to play in the low hand.
- With face cards such as Aces, Kings, Queens, or Jacks, you should always separate them, unless you have another pair to play in the low hand.
Five Aces: You should always split this hand unless you also have a pair of Kings, then you should play the Kings in the low hand.