Pai Gow Poker House Ways. House Way is a Pai Gow Poker term referring to the way “the house” is required to set their hand. Pai Gow players are often surprised to learn that the actual “house way” is different from casino to casino. In some cases these differences are not small either. The house takes 5% commission on all winnings. A live Pai Gow Poker table will often have quarters of half dollars on the table to cover the commission on wagers that are not divisible by $20. Pai Gow Poker is an unusual game as it allows players to bank. The policy on player banking varies from one house to another.

• Pai Gow Poker House Odds Genesis Open
• Pai Gow Poker House Odds How To Play

Introduction

The following is the house way for the MGM Grand. It was taken from a document on the procedures of the game, dated 2002.

NO PAIR

Use the highest card in the high hand, then use the second and third highest as the low hand.

ONE PAIR

Always use the pair as the high hand and use the highest ranking cards for the low hand.

TWO PAIRS

Pairs will be broken into three groups (when splitting, always play the lowest pair in the front hand).

• 2's thru 6's — Low Pair
• 7's thru 10's — Medium Pair
• Jacks thru Aces — High Pair

Play the two pair as follows.

• NEVER SPLIT ANY TWO LOW PAIRS (6 OR UNDER).
• LOW PAIR — MEDIUM PAIR: Split unless holding an Ace, then play two pair in high hand.
• LOW PAIR — HIGH PAIR: Split unless holding an Ace, then play two pair in high hand.
• MEDIUM PAIR — MEDIUM PAIR: Split unless holding an Ace, then play two pair in high hand.
• MEDIUM PAIR — HIGH PAIR: Always split.
• HIGH PAIR — HIGH PAIR: Always split.
• PAIR OF ACES AND ANY OTHER PAIR: Always split.

THREE PAIRS

Always play the highest pair for the low hand.

THREE-OF-A-KIND

Always keep, unless Aces, then play one of the Aces for the low hand.

(TWO) THREE-OF-A-KIND

Play Pair of the highest Three-of-a-Kind for the low hand.

ALL STRAIGHTS, FLUSHES, STRAIGHT FLUSHES AND ROYAL FLUSHES

• WITH NO PAIR
  When given a choice to play either a straight, flush, straight flush or royal flush, play the category which will allow the highest two cards to be played on the low hand.
  
• WITH ONE PAIR
  
  • Play pair in front hand if a straight, flush, straight flush or royal flush can be preserved in high hand.
    
  • With Ace or Joker and pair of 10's, Jacks, Queens or Kings — play Ace or Joker in front hand and pair in high hand, unless a straight or flush can be maintained with an Ace in the low hand.
  
  
• WITH TWO PAIR
  Use two pair rule. (With two low pair, play straight or flush unless you can play two low pair in the high hand with at least an Ace in the low hand. )
  
• WITH THREE PAIR
  Use three pair rule.
  
• WITH THREE-OF-A-KIND
  Play pair in front hand.
  
• WITH FULL HOUSE
  Use full house rule. Example: (A Heart, Joker, J Heart, J Spade, J Club, K Heart, 2 Heart, play: Ace, Joker/J, J, J, K, 2)
  
  • Three-of-a-Kind and pair: Always split and play pair in front hand. Exception: When the hand contains a pair of 2's, an Ace, King and Three-Of-A-Kind, you will play A, K as low hand and the pair of 2's and three-of-a-kind (full house) in the high hand.
  • Three-of-a-Kind and two pair: Play highest of the pairs in front hand.
  • Three-of-a-Kind and Three-of-a-Kind: Play highest of Three-Of-A-Kind as a pair in front hand.
  
  

FOUR-OF-A-KIND

• 2's thru 6's: Never split, play in high hand.
• 7's thru 10's: Split unless an Ace can be played in the front hand, then keep four in high hand.
• Face Cards and Aces: Always split.

FOUR-OF-A-KIND WITH A PAIR (OR THREE-OF-A-KIND)

Always play Four-of-a- Kind in the high hand. (The only exception will be four Aces which will always be split.)
Four Aces and a pair: split four Aces, except if you have a pair of Kings and four Aces in back.

FIVE ACES

Always split and play two Aces in front hand. The only exception will be if you also have a pair of Kings in front and five Aces in back.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• The bank cannot set an automatic loser!
• The 'A-2-3-4-5' is the second highest straight.
• The Joker will be used as an Ace or may be used to fill a straight, flush, straight flush or a royal flush.
  When the Joker is used to fill a Flush, the Joker will be used as the highest value card not already held in the hand.
  Example: Ace, Joker, King, 7, 5 will be played as Ace, King (Joker='Queen') 7, 5 in the flush.

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Written by:Michael ShacklefordThe house would almost always play the flush with a pair of Kings up.
It's the strongest 5-card side (in this case the flush) that can field a pair for the top, over all other hands. The bonus, if the player had this hand, would pay on the full house.It looks like the Atlantic City casinos' house ways specifically refer to the full house rule in this case. I think that would put the Aces up, with three kings down. Barona's house way has an exception for when all 7 cards can be used, and that clearly would put the kings up with a flush down. The house ways from Vegas casinos that are available on the Odds site don't seem to address this situation at all. I'm sure Dan is right about how they'd play the hand.

The only reason why I would see them playing A* top is because that guarantees the house does not lose.
If the house way would be:
KK
AKJ6* flush
what if the hand was:
AJ6222*
would they play
22
AJ62* flush

There's a list of various house rules here. The houses that always play the full house rule (Atlantic City) would play AA/222xx. The houses that always play 5 card 'complete' hands with a pair up (Barona, apparently Las Vegas) would play 22/flush.

It looks like the Atlantic City casinos' house ways specifically refer to the full house rule in this case. I think that would put the Aces up, with three kings down. Barona's house way has an exception for when all 7 cards can be used, and that clearly would put the kings up with a flush down. The house ways from Vegas casinos that are available on the Odds site don't seem to address this situation at all. I'm sure Dan is right about how they'd play the hand.

Thanks. Note that because a lot of house ways are designed to be so easy for the dealer to deal, that they don't always break out rare hand types, like 'flush or straight with full house,' (which can ony be formed with the joker),
- or have an overriding rule of 'flush or straight with a pair top, always play' - a rule that should be included, but not always, as you want a 'flush lock' on the 5-card side if you can field a pair for the top. A dealer facing players will always pick up wins from all player straights, three of a kinds and lesser flushes with no top.
This hand is so rare, and either play so strong, that it would hurt the house way little to simplify the rule to 'full house: always play as full house, with pair on top.'

This hand is so rare, and either play so strong, that it would hurt the house way little to simplify the rule to 'full house: always play as full house, with pair on top.'

Not the exact hand, but one I was dealt one time was: Joker,2c,3c,4c,Ac,3s,3d.
one set: Ac,2c,3c,4c,Joker HIGH; 3s,3d LOW
other set: 3s,3d,3c,2c,4c HIGH; Ac, Joker LOW
The house way on THAT hand was the other set, since A-A was the low. I set it that way, as I learned all but one of the Aces was out. If I had set it the other way, I would have pushed, since the dealer had two pair. Nice bonus though.That is SOME hand, an A-5 straight flush in clubs with a pair of 3's for the top. WOW....
The way to play it is straight flush with a pair of 3's, with the SF lock on the bottom, instead of trip 3's with the AA lock on top.

Pai Gow Poker House Odds Genesis Open

Both settings are just monsters, again both at 80% EV, no setting - either way - is 'wrong.'
Wong says that the best play with a full house or flush with pairs is to play the flush with 10's or better on top, else play the full house split, as you will ALWAYS have either a pair of Aces on top, or trip aces bottom.
For the house dealer or banker facing many opponents, the best play is to play the flush bottom with any pair top, as facing many players you'll beat many trips and straights and lower flushes.
For a non-banking player, who only plays head on one-to-one, play the top aces pair on top or the top trip aces on bottom, but some houses (mainly AC) use the 'just split the full house' set.

That is SOME hand, an A-5 straight flush in clubs with a pair of 3's for the top. WOW....

Pai Gow Poker House Odds How To Play

Yeah, it was. I'm pretty fast when it comes to setting hands. I prefer to play two hands at once (when banking is not an option or another player is playing too much to bank against), and I usually set both hands faster than the average player can set one. Most dealers ask if I'm a dealer, and I say that I'm not...
Anyways, I saw the straight flush instantly, then saw the threes. It took me a bit to decide how to set the hand, until I opted for AA in the low. I agree, if I had 10s or higher, I would have played it that way, and as it turned out, I made the right choice.
The only hand I've had any stronger was a long time ago I got 4 5s with KK up.Ahh..but the straight flush paid really well on the bonus, more so than quads. Just LOVE getting an envy hand....