Quote:
Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
What's the house advantage in Pai Gow? I'm generally a blackjack/craps guy, and I have no clue how to play pai gow. Any reason I should learn?
Fuck, now I really wanna go to Vegas.
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Pai Gow Poker - the house takes a cut of your winnings. There is a house edge generally, but the players also have the right to be the dealer once a round and at that time, you get the house odds. It is a derivation of poker. It works like this:
Each player is dealt 7 cards.
Two cards go one poker hand (AA is the best hand) and five cards go in the other. The five card hand must beat the 2 card hand (so if you only have one pair, for example, the pair must be in the five card hand).
The goal is to beat the dealer's hands. If you win either one but don't win both, you push (this is why money doesn't move very fast and it is a good late night game, particularly if you've been losing at blackjack or craps). The (relatively) bad player odds come fro mthe fact that the house wins ties. This is why being the dealer turns the odds.
The house has a set way that it has to arrange its hands but there is no rule as to how you must organize your hands (other than that the five card hand must beat the two card hand), so depending upon how you are feeling you can play conservatively for the push or aggresively for the win. Also, the dealers (or other players) will give you advice if you need help - that is why it is easy to sit down for the first time at a table and play. Especially late at night after losing a bunch of cash at Blackjack. Not that this has ever happened
to me, mind you.
And, of course, if you get 7 cards and have nothing, that is Paigow. All the better if the dealer does it.
Come to Vegas Dec. 16 and we'll play.
