• Here is a question I never thought I would have to ask: Define Pai Gow Poker? Do you mean traditional Pai Gow Poker, where all the cards are dealt face down, or the new type of PGP where the cards are dealt face up and the rules are different?
• There are four big differences in Face Up Pai Gow Poker according to the Wizard of Odds: Dealer cards dealt face up. No 5% commission. Dealer ace-high pai gow is an automatic push.
• Face Up Pai Gow Played with a fully exposed dealer hand, Face Up Pai Gow poker in Las Vegas has no commission on winning hands (all main wagers push when the dealer has an ace high “pai-gow” hand)—and the player has the option of making a bonus side bet, which pays up to 30-to-1 when the dealer and the player’s hand both have an ace.
• Pai Gow How to Play Poker Casino Games Software Baccarat Keno Craps Sic Bo See all Casino Game Guides. The card belonging to the dealer which is face up is known as the ‘upcard’.

Dealing the game. Pai Gow Poker has an interesting deal method. After the cards are shuffled, the dealer places them into seven face-down piles comprised of seven cards—one for each player and the dealer—with four unused extra cards that are placed in the discard pile, or muck.

• Appendices
• House Way Strategies
• Miscellaneous

Introduction

This section contains my analysis of the following pai gow poker side bets:

Dealer Bonus

Please see my page on the Dealer Bonus for information on that side bet.

Fortune Pai Gow Poker

Please see my page on the Fortune side bet for information on that side bet.

Jackpot Pai Gow Poker

'Jackpot' is a side bet I noticed at the Rio in November 2005. The game was closed at the time so the top prize was not evident, but according to the Shufflemaster web site it is alternatively $25,000, $50,000, or $100,000.

The following table shows the probability and return for each possible event. A $100,000 for the top win is assumed and a $5 bet, for a win of 20,000 to one. The table also assumes the player will always set his hand to maximize the value of the side bet, at the possible cost of his pai gow poker bet. The lower left cell shows a house edge of 2.21%, which for a side bet is pretty good.

Jackpot Pai Gow Poker Return Table

Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
Natural Royal plus Pair of Aces*	20000	12	0.00000008	0.001557
Five Aces plus Pair	400	72	0.00000047	0.000187
Royal Flush plus Pair	200	1560	0.00001012	0.002024
Five Aces	200	1056	0.00000685	0.00137
Royal Flush	100	24560	0.00015933	0.015933
Straight Flush plus Pair	60	11748	0.00007621	0.004573
Four of a Kind plus Pair	40	57648	0.00037399	0.01496
Straight Flush	30	173084	0.00112288	0.033686
Four of a Kind	20	249824	0.00162073	0.032415
Full House plus Pair	12	150480	0.00097624	0.011715
Flush plus Pair	8	489260	0.00317406	0.025393
Straight plus Pair	6	1155536	0.00749652	0.044979
Full House	6	4024560	0.02610925	0.156655
Flush	4	5631420	0.03653372	0.146135
Straight	3	10145388	0.06581799	0.197454
Three of a kind	2	7470676	0.04846585	0.096932
Nothing	-1	124556196	0.80805571	-0.808056
Total	154143080	1	-0.022088

* Both royal flush and pair of aces must be natural (no joker) for highest win.

If the top prize is less than $100,000, or the player bets more than $5 on the side bet, the return will be slightly less. The next table shows the house edge according to various other wins for a natural royal plus pair of aces according to the win on a to one basis.

House Edge by Highest Win

Natural Royal plus Aces Pays	House Edge
20000	2.21%
10000	2.29%
5000	2.33%
4000	2.33%
3000	2.34%
2000	2.35%
1000	2.36%

Emperor's Challenge

Emperor's Challenge is a side bet I noticed at Hooter's Casino in Las Vegas in April, 2006. The following return table shows the probability and return of all possible outcomes. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.171%.

Emperor's Challenge Return Table

Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
Natural 7-card straight flush	5000	32	0.00000021	0.001038
Wild 7-card straight flush	1000	196	0.00000127	0.001272
Five aces	500	1128	0.00000732	0.003659
Royal Flush	150	26092	0.00016927	0.025391
Straight Flush	50	184644	0.00119787	0.059894
Four of a Kind	25	307472	0.00199472	0.049868
Full House	5	4188528	0.02717299	0.135865
Flush	4	6172088	0.04004129	0.160165
Three of a kind	3	7672500	0.04977518	0.149326
Straight	2	11034204	0.07158417	0.143168
9 high pai gow	40	31080	0.00020163	0.008065
10 high pai gow	5	248640	0.00161305	0.008065
J high pai gow	2	963480	0.00625056	0.012501
Nonpaying hand	-1	123312996	0.79999048	-0.79999
Total	154143080	1	-0.041714

I hear that in Washington State the player must bet at least $5 to qualify for the pai gow hands.

Progressive Pai Gow Poker

The Falls View casino in Niagara Falls Ontario offers 'Progressive Pai Gow Poker'. This is basic pai gow poker with an added $5 side bet.

The following table shows the return table based on a breakeven meter of 20536.05 bet units, which for a $5 bet is $102,680.24. The house edge at all other times is 11.5428% less 1.1242% for every $10,000 in the meter.

Progressive Pai Gow Poker Return Table

Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
Natural Royal Flush or Five Aces + pair	20536.05	336	0.000002	0.044764
Wild Royal Flush + pair	200	1260	0.000008	0.001635
Straight Flush + pair	50	11748	0.000076	0.003811
Four of a Kind + pair	40	57648	0.000374	0.01496
Full House + pair	12	150480	0.000976	0.011715
Flush + pair	8	489260	0.003174	0.025393
Straight + pair	4	1117388	0.007249	0.028996
Natural Royal Flush or Five Aces	2053.6	5304	0.000034	0.070664
Wild Royal Flush	100	20360	0.000132	0.013209
Straight Flush	25	173084	0.001123	0.028072
Four of a Kind	20	249824	0.001621	0.032415
Full House	6	4030416	0.026147	0.156883
Flush	4	5663712	0.036743	0.146973
Straight	2	10071516	0.065339	0.130677
Three of a kind	2	7544548	0.048945	0.09789
Nothing	-1	124556196	0.808056	-0.808056
Total	154143080	1	0

Pai Gow Insurance

Pai gow 'Insurance' is a side bet that I noticed at the Red Rock casino in August, 2008. It appeared along with the Emperor's Challenge side bet. A 'pai gow' in pai gow poker is a hand with seven singletons, where no straight or flush is possible. This side bet wins if the player had a pai gow, the lower the highest card, the more it pays. The following return table shows the details. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.35%.

Pai Gow Insurance

Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
9 high pai gow	100	31080	0.000202	0.020163
10 high pai gow	25	248640	0.001613	0.040326
J high pai gow	15	963480	0.006251	0.093758
Q high pai gow	7	2719500	0.017643	0.123499
K high pai gow	5	6386940	0.041435	0.207176
A high pai gow	3	14430780	0.093619	0.280858
Loser	-1	129362660	0.839238	-0.839238
Total	154143080	1	-0.073457

Lucky 8's

Please see my page on the Lucky 8's for information on that side bet.

Pai Gow'd

Pai Gow'd is a side bet I noticed at the Four Queens on December 26, 2011. It is exactly like Pai Gow Insurance, explained above, but with a modified pay table. The lower right corner of the odds table below shows a house edge of 6.44%.

Pai Gow'd

Play Face Up Pai Gow

Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
9 high pai gow	100	31080	0.000202	0.020163
10 high pai gow	50	248640	0.001613	0.080652
J high pai gow	10	963480	0.006251	0.062506
Q high pai gow	7	2719500	0.017643	0.123499
K high pai gow	5	6386940	0.041435	0.207176
A high pai gow	3	14430780	0.093619	0.280858
Loser	-1	129362660	0.839238	-0.839238
Total	154143080	1	-0.064384

The Jokolor is a side bet mentioned on page 85 in the a document titled Rules of casino games in Great Britain (1124K). The side bet wins if the player has a joker and/or all cards of the same color. The following table shows the house edge is 3.90%.

Jokolor

Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
Six cards same color plus joker	30	460460	0.002987	0.089617
Seven cards same color, without joker	10	1315600	0.008535	0.085349
Any hand with joker	5	19898060	0.129088	0.645441
Loser	-1	132468960	0.85939	-0.85939
Total	154143080	1	-0.038982

This side bet is paired with pai gow poker games, including EZ Pai Gow, offering the G3 electronic side bet wagering. As far as I can tell at the Rampart casino, it is just titled the 'Bonus Bet.'

Bonus Bet Return Table

Event	Dynasty Pays	Envy Bonus	Combinations	Probability	Dynasty Return	Envy Bonus
Natural 7-card Straight Flush	8000	$ 5000	32	0.000000	0.001661	0.000208
Royal Flush + Natural AQ Suited	2000	$ 1000	72	0.000000	0.000934	0.000093
Wild 7-card Straight Flush	1000	$ 500	196	0.000001	0.001272	0.000127
Five Aces	400	$ 250	1128	0.000007	0.002927	0.000366
Royal Flush	150	$ 50	26020	0.000169	0.025321	0.001688
Straight Flush	50	$ 20	184644	0.001198	0.059894	0.004791
Four of a Kind	25	$ 5	307472	0.001995	0.049868	0.001995
Full House	5	$ 0	4188528	0.027173	0.135865	0.000000
Flush	4	$ 0	6172088	0.040041	0.160165	0.000000
Three of a Kind	3	$ 0	7672500	0.049775	0.149326	0.000000
Straight	2	$ 0	11034204	0.071584	0.143168	0.000000
Losing combinations	-1	$ 0	124556196	0.808056	-0.808056	0.000000
Total:	154143080	1.000000	-0.077656	0.009268

The next table shows the overall house edge according to the number of players, including yourself, and various bet amounts. Note that the high edge is lowest at a bet of $1. This is because the win for the Envy Bonus is the same, regardless how much the player bets.

Face Up Pai Gow Poker Online

Bonus Bet House Edge

Players	$1-$4 bet	$5 bet	$10 bet	$15 bet	$25 bet
6	7.77%	3.13%	5.45%	6.22%	6.84%
5	7.77%	4.06%	5.91%	6.53%	7.02%
4	7.77%	4.99%	6.38%	6.84%	7.21%
3	7.77%	5.91%	6.84%	7.15%	7.39%
2	7.77%	6.84%	7.30%	7.46%	7.58%
1	7.77%	7.77%	7.77%	7.77%	7.77%

This is a progressive side bet found with G3 electronic betting units. The player may bet $1 to $25. All jackpot wins are the same, regardless of bet size, so I would never bet more than $1. As usual with progressive bets, wins are on a 'for one' basis. That means you don't get your original bet back, even if you win. To be consistent with other pages on this site, the following page is on a 'return basis,' meaning what the player can expect to get back for his bet, based on a $1 bet.

G3 Progressive

Face Up Pai Gow Locations

Event	Pays	Combinations	Probability	Return
7-card Straight Flush	Jackpot	$ 228	0.000001	0.000000
Five Aces	0.1×Jackpot	$ 1,128	0.000007	0.000000
Royal Flush	$500	$ 26,092	0.000169	0.084636
Straight Flush	$100	$ 184,644	0.001198	0.119787
Four of a Kind	$75	$ 307,472	0.001995	0.149604
Full House	$4	$ 4,188,528	0.027173	0.108692
All other	0	$ 149,434,988	0.969456	0.000000
Total	154,143,080	1.000000	0.462719

The bottom right corner shows a return of 46.27% on all fixed wins. The value of the progressive is 22.11% for each $100,000 in the meter. To reach 100% the meter would need to be $243,011.06.When I saw this bet at the Rampart casino on March 17, 2011, the meter was at $207,361, for a return of 92.12%. This was probably unusually high, because the Rampart has had a truck with a big sign in the back drive around Summerlin promoting the large jackpot.

My Pai Gow Poker Offerings

Pai Gow Poker Coverage Dealer Probabilities: Shows the probability the dealer will form any given hand orless. Useful for making accurate strategy decisions. When to split a two-pair: My advice on when to split a two pair. Side Bets:Analysis of various side bets such as Fortune, Jackpot, and Emperor's Challenge. No Push Pai Gow Poker: My analysis of this PGP variant. Pai Gow Mania: My analysis. Washington State Pai Gow Poker: In Washington often there is no commission charged if the player makes the Fortune bet. I address this rule variant in my 'Ask the Wizard' column. Play Pai Gow Poker: Play my new and improved game.

House Way for...

Written by:Michael Shackleford