Pai Gow Strategy Tips
While Pai Gow poker does contain some of the same elements as traditional poker, the strategies are very different.
There is no bluffing or raising in Pai Gow poker, no need to read or deceive opponents. Strategies in Pai Gow, some obvious, some not so obvious, are as follows.
Pai Gow Poker Strategy Tip No. 1: Setting Your Hand
In Pai Gow poker, you must set your hand so that your five-card hand is stronger than your two-card hand. Beyond that, you are on your own -- except you aren't really on your own, because you can ask the dealer to set your hand for you. If you're not sure, you should by all means take advantage of this option.
If you would prefer to set your hand yourself, keep in mind that in general you want to try to create a two-card hand that is as strong as possible. For example, if dealt a full house, it is usually better to break it up and put the pair in the two-card hand with the trips in the back.
Pai Gow Poker Strategy Tip No. 2: Banking
In many live casinos that spread Pai Gow, each player in turn has the option to "bank," essentially to play against the other players and book all bets. Any player who has the opportunity to do this should take advantage of it, and players should bring enough money to the table that they can afford to be the bank.
Banking is an advantage because the dealer/banker wins a copy hand, which may lead to more overall wins. For example, if the player holds AA KK 22 8 and the banker holds AA 999 4 5, the banker would win, since he wins the bank hand and ties the front hand. If the positions reversed, this would be a push, since the front hand tie always goes to the banker.