• Pai Gow Tiles Names
• Pai Gow Tiles Ranking
• Pai Gow Tiles Rules
• Where To Play Pai Gow Tiles In Vegas
• How To Play Pai Gow Tiles
• Play Pai Gow Tiles For Free

Pai gow (Chinese: 牌九; pinyin: pái jiǔ; Jyutping: paai4 gau2) is a Chinesegamblinggame, played with a set of 32 Chinese dominoes. It is played in major casinos in China (including Macau); the United States (including Boston, Massachusetts; Las Vegas, Nevada; Reno, Nevada; Connecticut; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Pennsylvania; Mississippi; and cardrooms in California); Canada (including Edmonton, Alberta and Calgary, Alberta); Australia; and, New Zealand.

Pai Gow is a Chinese gambling game played with 32 domino-like tiles. “Pai Gow” means “to make nine”. In the game, the player competes against the Banker, a role usually handled by the dealer, by betting on whose tiles will produce a higher score. How to Play Pai Gow Poker. Pai Gow Poker uses a standard deck of 52 cards plus one joker. A maximum of six players sit around the table along with the dealer. The object of the game is quite simple: to beat the banker. The banker can be the dealer, another player at the table, or a player-dealer “team.”.

The name 'pai gow' is sometimes used to refer to a card game called pai gow poker (or “double-hand poker”), which is loosely based on pai gow.

Rules[edit]

Starting[edit]

Pai Gow Tiles Names

Tiles are shuffled on the table and are arranged into eight face-down stacks of four tiles each in an assembly known as the woodpile. Individual stacks or tiles may then be moved in specific ways to rearrange the woodpile, after which the players place their bets.

Next, each player (including the dealer) is given one stack of tiles and must use them to form two hands of two tiles each. The hand with the lower value is called the front hand, and the hand with the higher value is called the rear hand. If a player's front hand beats the dealer's front hand, and the player's rear hand beats the dealer's rear hand, then that player wins the bet. If a player's front and rear hands both lose to the dealer's respective hands, the player loses the bet. If one hand wins and the other loses, the player is said to push, and gets back only the money he or she bet. Generally seven players will play, and each player's hands are compared only against the dealer's hands; comparisons are always front-front and rear-rear, never one of each.

There are 35,960 possible ways to select 4 of the 32 tiles when the 32 tiles are considered distinguishable. However, there are 3620 distinct sets of 4 tiles when the tiles of a pair are considered indistinguishable. There are 496 ways to select 2 of the 32 tiles when the 32 tiles are considered distinguishable. There are 136 distinct hands (pairs of tiles) when the tiles of a pair are considered indistinguishable.

Basic scoring[edit]

The name 'pai gow' is loosely translated as 'make nine' or 'card nine'. This reflects the fact that, with a few high-scoring exceptions, the maximum score for a hand is nine. If a hand consists of two tiles that do not form a pair, its value is determined by adding up the total number of pips on the tiles and dropping the tens digit (if any). Examples:

• 1–3 with 2-3: value 9 (nine pips altogether)
• 2–3 with 5-6: value 6 (16 pips; drop the 10)
• 5–5 with 4-6: value 0 (20 pips; ones digit is zero)

Gongs and Wongs[edit]

There are special ways in which a hand can score more than nine points. The double-one tiles and double-six tiles are known as the Day and Teen tiles, respectively. The combination of a Day or Teen with an eight results in a Gong, worth 10 points, while putting either of them with a nine creates a Wong, worth 11. However, when a Day or Teen is paired with any other tile, the standard scoring rules apply.

Gee Joon tiles[edit]

The 1-2 and the 2-4 tiles are called Gee Joon tiles and act as limited wild cards. When used as part of a hand, these tiles may be scored as either 3 or 6, whichever results in a higher hand value. For example, a hand of 1-2 and 5-6 scores as seven rather than four.

Pairs[edit]

The 32 tiles in a Chinese dominoes set can be arranged into 16 pairs, as shown in the picture at the top of this article. Eleven of these pairs have identical tiles, and five of these pairs are made up of two tiles that score the same, but look different. (The latter group includes the Gee Joon tiles, which can score the same, whether as three or six.) Any hand consisting of a pair outscores a non-pair, regardless of the pip counts. (Pairs are often thought of as being worth 12 points each.)

When the player and dealer both have a pair, the higher-ranked pair wins. Ranking is determined not by the sum of the tiles' pips, but rather by aesthetics; the order must be memorized. The highest pairs are the Gee Joon tiles, the Teens, the Days, and the red eights. The lowest pairs are the mismatched nines, eights, sevens, and fives.

Ties[edit]

When the player and dealer display hands with the same score, the one with the highest-valued tile (based on the pair rankings described above) is the winner. For example, a player's hand of 3-4 and 2-2 and a dealer's hand of 5-6 and 5-5 would each score one point. However, since the dealer's 5-5 outranks the other three tiles, he would win the hand.

If the scores are tied, and if the player and dealer each have an identical highest-ranking tile, the hand is ruled a copy and the dealer wins. For example, if the player held 2-2 and 1–6, and the dealer held 2-2 and 3–4, the dealer would win since the scores (1 each) and the higher tiles (2-2) are the same. The lower-ranked tile in each hand is never used to break a tie.

There are two exceptions to the method described above. First, although the Gee Joon tiles form the highest-ranking pair, they are considered to have no value when evaluating ties. Second, any zero-zero tie is won by the dealer, regardless of the tiles in the two hands.

Strategy[edit]

Pai Gow Tiles Ranking

The key element of pai gow strategy is to present the optimal front and rear hands based on the tiles dealt to the player. There are three ways to arrange four tiles into two hands when no two of them form a pair. However, if there is at least one pair among the tiles, there are only two distinct ways to form two hands.

Using the tiles shown at right, the following hands and scores are possible:

• A and B (0), C and D (0)
• A and C (5), B and D (5)
• A and D (3), B and C (7)

The player must decide which combination is most likely to give a set of front/rear hands that can beat the dealer, or at least break a tie in the player's favor. In some cases, a player with weaker tiles may deliberately attempt to attain a push so as to avoid losing the bet outright. Many players rely on superstition or tradition to choose tile pairings.

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

• Pai gow lore at Wizard of Odds website (Michael Shackleford)

Pai gow is the oldest casino game that’s still played regularly around the world. It’s similar in concept to pai gow poker, which is actually a modern variation on the ancient game played with domino tiles. However, the original pai gow is much more difficult for players to learn, as it uses very unusual scoring and the importance of individual tiles (and the relationship between various tile combinations) takes some time to grasp.

That said, it’s certainly not impossible to pick up this game. Once you understand what’s going on, you don’t even have to fear making mistakes, since you can always have the dealer set the tiles using the “house way,” making sure that you won’t make any serious mistakes. Many online pai gow games also give you this option, which definitely provides a security blanket for new players. Of course, if you want to utilize your own strategy, we can help you with that too!

A full set of 32 Pai Gow Tiles that can be used to play a game. Image Credit: PaiGow.com

Best Online Casinos for Pai Gow

While there are some online casinos that do offer pai gow, they are few in number, and we don’t feel confident in recommending any specific casinos for pai gow. However, if you enjoy the very similar game of pai gow poker, there are many online casinos that do spread this more accessible variation.

Take a look at our online casino reviews to see which casinos offer the best overall value for your gambling dollar. We’ll keep an eye out for casinos that may add pai gow to their suite of games, and update this page with more information if and when it’s available.

Online Pai Gow Rules

The object of pai gow is to make two hands out of four dominos that can beat each of two dealer hands (again, similar to the goal in pai gow poker, with which many players are more familiar). Each player it dealt four dominos out of a set of 32; the dealer is also given four dominos. All dominos are given face down, but players may examine their own dominos.

Each player must then arrange their dominos into two hands of two dominos each. As in pai gow poker, the player must make a high hand and a low hand. However, the scoring of hands in pai gow is extremely complex, especially for new players. The following is a complete guide to scoring pai gow hands; it may be worth reading through this section more than once, until you are sure you completely understand how hands are ranked and scored.

Scoring Pai Gow Hands

The basic scoring of pai gow hands is rather simple to understand. For most hands, you can simply add the total number of pips (or dots) on your two dominos. As in baccarat, only the number in the ones column of the total counts; if you have 21 pips between your two dominos, then you have a hand worth 1 point.

The lowest possible hand is 0 points; the highest possible total for this type of hand is 9 points. It’s also worth noting that the gee joon tiles – one of which features a single red pip and two white pips, the other of which features four red pips and two white pips – can each be counted as either three or six points, depending on which would better serve your hand. Some hands, however, are worth more than nine points.

The first of these hands are known as Gongs. These hands are made up of a combination of any eight point domino with either a two or 12 point domino. These hands can be thought of as being worth 10 points. Scoring above the Gongs are hands known as Wongs. Wongs are made up of combinations of any nine point domino along with either the two or 12 point domino. These hands can be thought of as being worth 11 points. The highest scoring hands – and the ones that inevitably cause the most confusion when scoring hands – are pairs.

The 32 dominos can be split into 16 pairs, all of which score above any non-pair hand, including Gongs or Wongs. However, each pair is ranked separately, and the ranking of the pairs is not simple and follows no obvious pattern. Instead, players must memorize the rankings of all 16 pairs in order to understand which hands are best. The following list ranks all 16 possible pairs from strongest to weakest, with descriptions of the tiles used in each pair:

Ranking of Pai Gow Pairs

• 1. The Gee Joon tiles (the ‘wild’ 3 pip and 6 pip tiles)
• 2. The “Teens” – the 12-point tiles
• 3. The “Days” – the two-point tiles
• 4. The red eight-point tiles
• 5. The four-point 3-1 tiles
• 6. The ten-point 5-5 tiles
• 7. The six-point tiles with pips arranged in a ‘2-2-2’ pattern, with two white dots in the center of each tile
• 8. The four-point 2-2 tiles
• 9. The eleven-point 6-5 tiles
• 10. The ten-point 6-4 tiles
• 11. The seven-point 6-1 tiles
• 12. The six-point 5-1 tiles
• 13. The mismatched nine-point tiles (5-4 and 6-3)
• 14. The mismatched eight-point tiles (6-2 and 5-3)
• 15. The mismatched seven-point tiles (5-2 and 4-3)
• 16. The mismatched five-point tiles (3-2 and 4-1)

Pai Gow Tiles Rules

This makes up the entire ranking order of hands then, from best to worst – the sixteen pairs (in order), the Wongs, the Gongs, and hands worth 9 points down to 0 points. But, of course, it’s not quite that simple. If a player hand ties a dealer hand, the tie is broken by which player has the tile that belongs to the best pair on the following chart. In other words, if the player has a four-point 3-1 tile in their hand, while the dealer’s “best” domino is a seven-point 6-1 tile, then the player would win that hand.

However, there is one exception; the Gee Joon tiles are not used when determining who wins a tie, so they have no value when comparing two equal hands. In the rare case that the best tile in both the player and dealer hands belong to the same pair, the dealer wins the tie. The dealer also wins all ties between hands that are scored as zero points.

Where To Play Pai Gow Tiles In Vegas

Each player arranges their four tiles into two such hands, with the higher scoring hand being the high hand, and the lower scoring hand being the low hand. When all players have arranged their hands, the tiles are flipped over and the dealer arranges their dominos based on the house way. Each player then compares their high hand with the dealer’s high hand, and their low hand with the dealer’s low hand. If both player hands beat the respective dealer hands, the player wins even money on their bet, minus a 5% commission. If both dealer hands win, the player loses their bet.

If the dealer and the player each win one hand, the bet is considered a push. As in pai gow poker, players al have the option of banking in pai gow (this option is usually not available in online pai gow games). The option to bank usually rotates around the table. In order to bank, a player must have enough money to cover all bets made by the other players at the table. The player must also arrange their hands according to the house way. The banker pays a 5% commission on their net win after collecting bets and paying out winning players.

Online Pai Gow for Real Money

Online pai gow games for real money are few and far between, with the game not being supported by most of the popular casino platforms – which in turn means that most major casinos simply don’t have the game on offer. However, it’s not unheard of! If you do find a casino that is spreading this game, expect to play with a standard 5% commission, but without the option to bank.

Online Pai Gow Strategy

Whenever you are looking at four dominoes with which to make two pai gow hands, there are (at most) three different hands you can make. This makes pai gow strategy seem quite simple; there are few options, and therefore few ways to go wrong. However, designing a system that plays most or all hands correctly is difficult, as many decisions will be very close. In general, the toughest decisions to make usually come down to choosing between making one very strong hand and one very weak hand, or making two moderately strong hands.

Obviously, if both hands can be quite strong, that play is easy to make; if both hands must be weak, then you’re in trouble no matter what you do. The following strategy is based heavily on one taken from The Wizard of Odds, where it is known as the “J.B. Easy Strategy.” Full credit goes to their site for coming up with several excellent strategies for pai gow, all of which outperform the house way methods used in most casinos. We’ve tried to add some clarifications in where possible, as some pai gow terminology can be confusing to new players.

The way to use this strategy is to look down the chart and utilize the first rule that applies to your hand. Of course, if there is only one way to play the hand which results in the best high and low hands (such as when you have two pairs), play the hand the obvious way. Otherwise, start from the top and work your way down:

Pai Gow Strategy Card

• Never split a pair of fours, tens or 11’s.
• Only split a Gee Joon pair if you also hold 6-4, 6-5, or 6-6.
• Only split a pair of twos or 12’s if you hold 9-11, or if you can make two hands of 6/8 or better.
• Only split a pair of fives if you hold 2-12.
• Only split a pair of sixes if you hold 2-11, 2-12, or 11-12.
• Only split a pair of sevens if you can make two hands of 7/7 or better.
• Only split a pair of eights if you can make two hands of 8/8 or better, or if you hold 9-11.
• Only split a pair of nines if you can make two hands of 9/9 or better.
• Play a Gong or a Wong with a low hand of 0 or 1.
• Play a “Low 8” Gong – that is, one that contains an eight other than the red eight – if your low hand is a 2, 3, 7 or 8.
• If you have a 2 or 12, play a 5/7, 6/7 or 7/7 if possible.
• Play a High Nine – that is, one that contains a Teen or Day tile.
• Play any Low 8 Gong.
• If the best total you can make between your two hands is 3-5 points, play the best low hand possible.
• If the best total you can make between your two hands is 6 points, play 3/3 if you can; otherwise, play the best high hand possible.
• If the best total you can make is 7 points, play the best high hand possible.
• If the best total you can make is 8 points, play 5/5 if possible; otherwise, play the best possible high hand.
• If the best total you can make is 9 points, play the best high hand if it is worth 7 points or more; otherwise, play the best low hand.
• If the best total you can make is 10-12 points, 14 points, or 16 points, play the best low hand if it is a 5, 6 or 7; otherwise, play the best possible high hand.
• If the best total you can make is 13 or 15 points, play the best possible low hand.
• If the best total you can make is 17-21 points, play the best possible high hand.

How To Play Pai Gow Tiles

Pai Gow Tiles Odds

If you play by the house way, the house edge as a player in pai gow is around 2.37%, though that figure can vary slightly depending on exactly what method your casino uses to play the game. However, if you use the strategy outlined above, you can actually reduce that edge to about 1.90%.

A perfectly optimal strategy would result in a 1.60% house edge for the casino. As the banker, the house edge is around 0.46% when using the house way method, which is usually required. If you are allowed to use any strategy you prefer as the banker, then it is possible to cut this edge down significantly; the house edge would be 0.10% using the strategy above, and an optimal strategy would actually result in a small edge for a banker even after the 5% commission!

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It’s also interesting to note that pai gow features a very high percentage of pushes. Depending on the exact strategies being used by the banker and the player, the percentage of pushes will typically range from about 40.5% to 41.5%.