Part I: Games & Gaming · Card Games — Poker & Variants

Pai Gow Poker

PokerREPORTED

A casino card game combining elements of traditional Chinese Pai Gow (played with dominoes) with American poker. Each player and the dealer receive seven cards, which must be split into a five-card “high” hand and a two-card “low” hand. The five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand. The player wins if both hands beat the dealer’s corresponding hands; loses if both lose; pushes if one wins and one loses.

In practice

Played with a 53-card deck (standard 52 plus one Joker). The house typically takes a 5% commission on winning hands, though commission-free variants exist. Pai Gow Poker is a relatively slow game, dealing 30-40 hands per hour. Players may “bank” the hand, acting as the dealer against other players.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary, 1,090 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.