Learning the strength of the different hands is, therefore, one of the most important parts of the pai gow 101. Put another way, you’ll win if your hand(s) are stronger than the dealer’s. However, just like every other version of poker out there, the ranking of each hand is the key to victory. Let’s start with (another) of pai gow’s odd gameplay features – the player and the dealer both play with two hands each. As we’ll see throughout this guide, the Joker turns pai gow from just another poker variant into something truly unique among casino games. It’s also one of the precious few casino games that contain a use for the Joker in the rule-set, either as a Wild card or as a way to complete certain hands. The original pai gow was actually a domino-based pastime, making this game’s evolution one of the more unusual stories in casino lore. However, it’s possible to learn the basics of pai gow in a matter of minutes, even if you’ve never encountered the rules of poker before. dealer aspect of Casino Hold’em, the hands of Texas Hold’em, and the overall simplicity of 3 Card Poker. Played with a standard deck of playing cards, pai gow poker is a little intimidating at first glance, as it seems to share commonalities with all sorts of casino games, both ancient and modern. While pai gow in its original form did appear in Song Dynasty China, dated somewhere around the turn of the first millennium, pai gow poker is an American invention.

Given that most poker-style games seem to have originated somewhere in the United States, the idea of a variation coming from ancient China might seem a little strange – and, well, you’d be right.

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