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

Pai Gow Poker

Poker

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 — 1,157 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.