Pai Gow Poker is a modern game with ancient ancestry. Founded on the ancient Chinese domino game and the current American adaptation of poker, Pai Gow poker marries the east with the western in a great game for new gamblers.

Pai Gow is a poker game that pits the gambler vs. the croupier, unlike almost all other poker games that gamblers play with other gamblers. By gambling against the dealer, starting players do not need to fret about any other, more experienced players taking their money.

An additional Pai Gow benefit is the generally leisurely game pace, rookies can take their time and strategize while not needing to make hasty decisions.

It’s also easier to wager on for an extended time with just a little amount of money seeing as, to not win, both of your hands needs to be under both of the dealer’s hands.

Pai Gow uses 53 cards; the regular 52-card common deck and one joker. The gambler is given 7 cards face up and the house receives seven cards face down.

A five card hand and one two card hand have to be put together from the seven cards dealt, the five card hand has to be stronger than the two card hand. To win, a player needs both of his hand totals to be higher than the houses.