Pai Gow Strategies
Here are some basic strategies if you have the following hands:
High Card:
If the players hand consists of cards that don’t play off each other, the best
bet is to your second and third best cards as the two card hand. This is known
as 2-carding.
1 Pair:
If you only have one pair, leave them in your 5-card hand.
2 Pair:
2 pair hands is where most people make their mistakes, reference the manual for
a chart showing what to do in each situation, or use the “By the Book”
function when a 2-pair hand arises.
3 Pair:
It’s best to put the highest pair in the 2-card hand.
3 of a Kind:
If holding less than Queens, they should be kept in the five card hand. If not,
split the third card off to the two card hand.
Straight:
Keep all the cards together unless it is a 6 card straight, then move the
highest card to the 2-card hand.
Flush:
Played the same as a straight
Straight and a Pair:
If there is a pair that is part of a straight, it should be split, unless the
straight is very high and the pair is 10 or higher.
Flush and 1 Pair:
This should not be broken up unless the 5-card hand has a 9-9 or better and the
2-card hand has an A-J or better.
Full House:
The 5-card hand should have 3 of a kind and the 2-card hand should have a pair,
unless the Full House is low and there are high single cards. Four of a Kind:
If there are K’s and A’s they should be split into two pairs.
Straight Flush:
Same strategy as Straight here.5. Hand Rankings
The rankings in Pai-Gow are the same as traditional Poker rankings with the
exception of the following two situations.
1. A-2-3-4-5 is considered the second highest Straight Flush.
