Chinese Culture >> Chinese Society Traditions >> Pai Gow
Introduction to Pai Gow
By: Will Win
I'll admit it. I like playing Pai Gow, but it can be lonely.
Walk through just about any Vegas casino and you'll do some work to spot the Pai
Gow table(s). This "Americanized" version of an ancient Chinese game isn't as
popular as it should be.
Pai Gow is growing among gamblers, but in the real world of limited floor space,
it still takes a backseat to Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, and even Three-Card
Poker. I think many players stay away, because the name of the game confuses
them. Pai Gow just sounds intimidating, but it isn't.
I'll submit to you that learning to play Pai Gow is fairly straightforward and
simple. If you learn to play, I'll bet that you'll be having a lot of fun with
the game right out of the gate.
The Pai Gow Table
Pai Gow is played on a table that's similar to Blackjack. So, if you play
Blackjack, this should make it more comfortable for you to start. The game has
six seats for six players and the dealer spot, which is at the top of the table
just like Blackjack.
Each player's spot has three game areas, which are vertically one after the
other. The first game area is where you put your wagers and this spot is on the
top. Next, you have two areas for your cards. You see, once you get your cards,
you'll split them into two hands-this is where the magic happens.
The two card areas in Pai Gow are for your highest hand-bottom game area-and the
2nd highest. These are two hands that you'll create. This is where strategy
plays in and we'll go over all of this in other Pai Gow articles on this site.
Right now, let's just concentrate on some simple basics and build a good
foundation for enjoying this fun game.
Quick Play Information
I'm not going to run down play in detail here, but I will in other articles on
this site. Let's go over the general play flow of Pai Gow.
Pai Gow is played with a regular 52-card deck, like Blackjack can be, but
there's one change. Pai Gow uses one joker card. If you've played poker or video
poker, you're already set, because the winning hands work pretty much the same
way-we'll go over this and the couple of differences in another article.
Even though there are other players in the game (possibly), everyone is playing
against the dealer-just like in Blackjack. You're betting that your hands will
beat the banker's hands.
Ah, now here's where we need to pause. I said the banker's hand. Unlike
Blackjack, players can get the opportunity to be the banker. As a player, you
can accept or decline when it's your turn to be the bank. But, again, I'll go
over this in more detail in another article.
Get Excited
I hope you're curiosity is up just a little. Pai Gow is an exciting game to play
and I'll be teaching all the ins and outs on this site.
About the Author:
Will Win is a professional gambler, ex casino dealer and author. For the best Online Casino Visit www.casino-magic.org
.