How To Play Pai Gow Poker
Pai Gow Poker is one of the most relaxed, social, and beginner-friendly games on the casino floor, and once you understand the simple idea behind it, you can sit down and play your first hand with confidence. The goal is to take the seven cards you're dealt, split them into two separate poker hands, and beat the dealer's two hands at the same time. Rounds are slow, ties are common, and a single buy-in tends to last a good long while, which is exactly why so many guests fall for it.
At Palms Casino Resort, Pai Gow Poker is one of the fastest-growing table games in Las Vegas, played across 4 tables with low table minimums and limits up to $5,000. You'll also find Face Up Pai Gow and the biggest multi-casino-linked Pai Gow progressive in town. This guide walks you through every rule, the joker, how to "set" your hand, and the two Palms variations worth knowing before you play.
What Is Pai Gow Poker and How Does It Work?
Pai Gow Poker is a comparing card game in which each player competes individually against the dealer, using a standard 52-card deck plus one joker. Every player is dealt seven cards and must split them into two hands: a five-card hand (called the "high," "big," or "back" hand) and a two-card hand (called the "low," "small," or "front" hand). The objective is to arrange those seven cards so that both of your hands beat the dealer's two corresponding hands.
That "both hands must win" rule is the heart of the game. If your five-card hand beats the dealer's five-card hand and your two-card hand beats the dealer's two-card hand, you win. If you win one hand but lose the other, the result is a push, nobody wins, and your bet is returned. And if the dealer wins both, you lose your wager. Because a split decision happens so often, Pai Gow Poker produces a high frequency of pushes, which is a big part of why it feels slow, low-volatility, and easy on a bankroll.
What's the Difference Between Pai Gow Tiles and Pai Gow Poker?
It's worth clearing up a common point of confusion before you sit down. The name comes from pai gow, a traditional Chinese gambling game played with a set of 32 dominoes, or "tiles." Learning how to play pai gow tiles means learning to rank pairs of Chinese dominoes, an older, very different game with its own ranking system and centuries of history.
Las Vegas Pai Gow Poker is a playing-card variation of that traditional Chinese gambling game. It keeps the core concept (splitting your deal into a high hand and a low hand to face the dealer) but swaps the dominoes for poker cards and standard poker hand rankings. This guide is entirely about pai gow poker: the card game you'll find on the Palms casino floor. If you already know poker hand rankings, you're most of the way to knowing how to play pai gow poker.
The poker version is far younger than its ancient ancestor. Pai Gow Poker was created in 1985 by Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club in California, who blended the high-hand/low-hand structure of the tile game with a standard 53-card deck. It caught on quickly and spread to Las Vegas by the late 1980s, where it became a casino-floor staple, and where the face-up and progressive variations you'll read about below later took shape.
How Do You Play Pai Gow Poker, Step by Step?
Every round of Pai Gow Poker follows the same calm rhythm. Here is exactly what happens, in order:
- Place your bet. Set your chips in the betting area before the deal. Each table posts its minimum and maximum on a small sign, and this is also when you'd add any optional side bet.
- The deal. Everyone, including the dealer, receives seven cards, dealt in seven face-down stacks. In the traditional version, dice or a random number generator determine which player receives the first stack.
- Set your hand. Arrange your seven cards into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand, following the one rule that matters most (covered next). Place the two-card hand in front, closer to the dealer.
- The dealer sets their hand. The dealer arranges their own seven cards according to fixed casino rules known as the "house way," so there's no guesswork or judgment on the dealer's part.
- Compare both hands. Your five-card hand is compared to the dealer's five-card hand, and your two-card hand to the dealer's two-card hand.
- Settle the bet. Win both hands and you win. Win one and lose one, and it's a push (your bet returns). Lose both, and you lose your wager.
That sequence repeats every hand. Because you're setting your own cards and so many rounds end in a push, the pace is famously unhurried, and a single seat can stretch a buy-in across a long, conversational session.
How Do You Set a Pai Gow Poker Hand?
"Setting" your hand simply means deciding which five cards form your high hand and which two form your low hand. There is one ironclad rule: your five-card hand must outrank your two-card hand. In poker terms, your back hand has to be higher than your front hand, so if your two-card hand is a pair of kings, your five-card hand must be at least a pair of kings or better.
Breaking that rule is called a "foul." If you set your hands backwards so the two-card hand outranks the five-card hand, the hand is dead and automatically loses. Dealers will usually catch and warn a new player before money changes hands, but it's the one mistake to stay aware of as you learn.
The five-card hand uses standard poker rankings: high card, pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush. The two-card hand can only ever be a pair or two high cards (no straights or flushes count in a two-card hand). The art of the game lies in how you split borderline holdings, which is where strategy comes in.
| Cards Dealt | 7 cards to each player and the dealer |
| High Hand | 5 cards (back) using standard poker rankings |
| Low Hand | 2 cards (front), a pair or two high cards |
| Core Rule | The 5-card hand must outrank the 2-card hand |
| To Win | Both of your hands must beat the dealer's |
How Do the Joker, Pushes, and Commission Work?
Three details set Pai Gow Poker apart from other poker games, and understanding them rounds out the rules.
The Joker
One joker is added to the deck, making 53 cards in play. The joker is a partial wild card: it can be used as an Ace, or to complete a straight, a flush, or a straight flush. It can't stand in for just any card you'd like. Outside of completing those hands, it always counts as an Ace. This single wild card is why a five-aces hand (four Aces plus the joker) is the strongest possible holding in the game.
One ranking quirk catches new players off guard: the "wheel," A-2-3-4-5, is ranked as the second-highest straight in most Nevada casinos (just below A-K-Q-J-10 and above K-Q-J-10-9) rather than the lowest straight as it is in many other poker games. It's a small rule, but worth knowing when you're comparing straights against the dealer.
Pushes and Copies
Ties are central to Pai Gow Poker. When your hand and the dealer's hand are exactly equal, for example when you both hold the same two-card high cards, it's called a "copy," and the dealer wins copies. That small edge, combined with the frequency of split decisions (winning one hand, losing the other), is the main reason pushes are so common and the game runs at a gentle, low-volatility pace.
The Commission
On a standard Pai Gow Poker table, the house collects a commission of about 5% on every winning bet. So a winning $20 wager pays $20 minus a $1 commission. This is how the casino keeps a modest edge on an otherwise even game, and it's exactly the wrinkle that the Face Up variation, covered below, removes.
What Is a Good Pai Gow Poker Strategy?
A sound pai gow poker strategy comes down to one question on every hand: how should you split your seven cards so that both hands have the best chance to win? The goal is rarely to load up one monster hand, it's to balance the two so neither is wasted. These general guidelines form a reliable beginner pai gow betting strategy:
- No pair? Put your highest card in the five-card hand and your next two highest cards in the two-card hand.
- One pair? Keep the pair in your five-card hand and place your two highest remaining cards up front in the two-card hand.
- Two pair? Usually split them, so the higher pair stays in the five-card hand and the lower pair goes to the two-card hand, unless the pairs are low, in which case keeping both back can be better.
- Three of a kind? Keep it together in the five-card hand, with two exceptions noted by experienced players for three Aces, where the pair of Aces can be split to the front.
- A straight or flush plus a pair? Keep the five-card hand intact and use the pair up front when it's strong enough.
If you'd rather not memorize splits, you can always ask the dealer to set your hand "the house way," the same fixed method the dealer uses on their own cards. It's a perfectly legitimate request, it keeps you from fouling, and it produces a mathematically sensible split every time. Used consistently, sound pai gow strategy paired with the house way gives Pai Gow Poker a house edge of roughly 2.5% to 2.8% before any side bets, which is competitive with many games on the floor. As with any casino game, no strategy guarantees a win, these are approaches to manage the odds, not to beat them.
How the Dealer Sets the House Way
The "house way" is the fixed, published rule the dealer must follow when setting their own seven cards, so there's no judgment or choice involved, which is why the dealer's hand is always set the same way for any given combination. Knowing the logic helps you read the table and mirror it on your own cards. The exact house way can vary slightly from casino to casino, but the standard pattern looks like this:
| No pair | Highest card stays in the five-card hand; the next two highest go to the two-card hand |
| One pair | Keep the pair in the five-card hand; the two highest leftover cards go up front |
| Two pair | Usually split, with the higher pair in the five-card hand and the lower pair in the two-card hand (low pairs may stay together) |
| Three of a kind | Keep together in the five-card hand (three Aces are split, with a pair up front) |
| Straight or flush with a pair | Keep the five-card hand intact and play the pair up front when it's strong enough |
| Four of a kind | Split or keep based on rank, so high quads are split to put a strong pair up front |
Because the dealer follows this same rule on every hand, you can always ask for your own cards to be set the house way and get a consistent, sensible split.
What Is Face Up Pai Gow?
Face Up Pai Gow is a popular variation in which the dealer's seven cards are dealt fully exposed before you set your own hand. Seeing exactly what you have to beat takes the guesswork out of how to set your cards, since you know precisely how strong your high and low hands need to be, which makes it especially appealing to newer players and a genuine differentiator on the Palms floor.
The headline feature of how to play Face Up Pai Gow is the trade-off built into its rules: there's no commission on winning hands. Instead of the casino taking roughly 5% off every win, all main wagers simply push whenever the dealer has an Ace-high "pai gow" hand (a hand with no pair, no straight, and no flush, the weakest possible holding). That structure is why Face Up Pai Gow is known for a low house edge and is a favorite among value-minded guests. The Face Up Pai Gow house edge lands in a similar range to standard Pai Gow Poker, but you keep more of each win because there's no per-hand commission to pay.
Face Up Pai Gow also offers an optional Ace-High bonus side bet; it pays out when both the dealer's hand and the player's hand are Ace-high "pai gow" hands, and pays an outsized amount for that specific matchup, according to the pay table posted at the table. We go deeper on this variation in our upcoming Face Up Pai Gow guide.
| Dealer's Cards | Dealt fully exposed before you set your hand |
| Commission | No commission on winning hands |
| Push Rule | All main wagers push on a dealer Ace-high "pai gow" hand |
| Bonus Side Bet | Optional Ace-High bonus pays an outsized amount when dealer and player both hold Ace-high "pai gow" hands, according to the pay table posted at the table |
What Is the Fortune Progressive Side Bet?
The Fortune progressive is an optional side bet you can place alongside your main wager at the start of a hand. It pays out based on the strength of your seven cards regardless of whether you beat the dealer, so even a hand that ends in a push or a loss can win the Fortune bonus if it contains a qualifying combination like a straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, or the coveted five Aces.
The higher the hand, the bigger the payout, and the very top combinations can hit the progressive jackpot. Palms offers the biggest multi-casino-linked Pai Gow progressive in town, meaning the jackpot is fed by play across multiple casinos, so it starts higher, climbs faster, and hits more often than a single-table progressive. For guests chasing serious win-big opportunity on a small wager, the Fortune Pai Gow bonus is the headline draw. As always, the side bet carries its own house edge and is best treated as entertainment, never as a strategy to come out ahead.
How to Play Pai Gow Poker in Vegas at Palms
Playing Pai Gow Poker in a Las Vegas casino works exactly as described above, with a few practical notes for your first live session. Buy in by placing cash on the table (not into the dealer's hand) between rounds, and the dealer will exchange it for chips. Wait for a break in the action to join, place your bet, and set your seven cards into a high hand and a low hand. If you're ever unsure how to split, just ask the dealer to set it the house way.
At Palms, you'll find Pai Gow Poker across 4 tables with low table minimums and limits up to $5,000, plus Face Up Pai Gow and the Fortune progressive on the same floor. It's one of the fastest-growing table games in Vegas, and the slow pace makes it one of the friendliest spots for a newcomer to settle in. Every hand you play also earns Club Serrano points, the loyalty program shared with sister property Yaamava' Resort & Casino. If your stakes run higher, the High Limit Room offers a more private setting.
Beginner Tips and Table Etiquette
A handful of habits will help you look and feel like a regular from your first session:
- Don't foul your hand. Always confirm your five-card hand outranks your two-card hand before you set it down. When in doubt, ask for the house way.
- Lean on the dealer. Dealers set Pai Gow Poker hands the same fixed way thousands of times, so they're an excellent, allowed resource for learning good splits.
- Pace yourself. The game is slow and push-heavy by design. That's a feature: it stretches your buy-in and gives you time to learn.
- Treat side bets as extra. The Fortune progressive and Face Up bonus are fun long-shots, not core strategy. Budget for them separately from your main wager.
- Set a budget. Decide what you're comfortable playing with before you sit down, and treat any winnings as a bonus. Pai Gow Poker is entertainment first.
Pai Gow Poker Glossary
Keep this short glossary handy for the terms you'll hear most often at the table:
- High hand (back hand): your five-card hand, which must be the stronger of your two hands.
- Low hand (front hand): your two-card hand, set in front toward the dealer.
- Setting: arranging your seven cards into a five-card and a two-card hand.
- Foul: an illegal set where the two-card hand outranks the five-card hand; it loses automatically.
- House way: the fixed method the dealer uses to set hands, which you can request for your own cards.
- Joker: a wild card used as an Ace or to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush.
- Push: a tie where you win one hand and lose the other; your bet is returned.
- Copy: an exactly equal hand against the dealer, which the dealer wins.
- Commission: the roughly 5% the house takes on winning bets in standard Pai Gow Poker.
- Five Aces: four Aces plus the joker, the best possible hand in the game.
- Fortune bonus: the optional progressive side bet that pays on the strength of your seven cards.