Pai Gow Poker Strategy

Girl with poker card An optimal strategy for playing Pai Gow poker does exist, but may be too tiresome to memorize. Here we present a basic strategy that is easy to remember and comes close enough to the ideal.

The basic strategy in Pai Gow poker is to form the highest two-card hand (in front) possible – keeping in mind that the five-card hand (behind) must still be higher in value. With very few exceptions, the following ten easy-to-remember points will help you play like a pro:

If you have absolutely nothing to work with, set your second- and third-highest cards in front. (In very few cases this is not the best strategy – but the margin of error is not much to worry about.)
If you have only one pair, always set the pair behind and the two highest remaining cards in front. (These first two strategies will apply to about 90% of your hands, so get them down good.)
If you have two pair, you also have some thinking to do. Either you play two pair behind and set your two highest remaining cards in front, or you set the higher of the pairs behind and the lower one in front. The decision depends highly on the values of your remaining cards. If you can make a strong hand in front from your remaining cards while keeping the two pair behind, then that should be your strategy. Meanwhile, if your remaining cards are low, you’d probably do best to split the pairs. A good rule of thumb is to always split pairs if you have no remaining cards higher than a jack.
If you have three pair, always set the highest pair in front.
If you have three of a kind, set the three of a kind behind and the two highest remaining cards in front. The big exception to this is when you are holding three aces. Always split three aces, playing a pair of aces behind and an ace-high in front. If you are holding three kings and your remaining cards are jack-high or less, you might also split the kings as well.
If you have a straight or a flush or both, or even a straight flush, always play whichever straight-or-better hand behind will give you the best hand in front. But note: if you also have the option of playing two pair (or even three, if you have the joker), do that instead, and following the strategy outlined above.
If you have a full house, set the three of a kind behind and the pair in front. The only exception to this is when your remaining cards are very high and the pair is very low. In this case, you might keep the full house behind, and set the two remaining high cards in front.
If you have two three of a kinds, always set the lower one behind, and play one pair from the higher one in front.
If you have four of a kind, use the strategy for two pair, but think more carefully about splitting.
If you’re holding any better combination of poker hands – a full house and a pair, a four of a kind and a three of a kind, etc. – you’d be hard pressed to foul that hand up. But if you do want to play it safe, just remember the basic strategy: do whatever it takes to make the highest hand in front possible. With a full house and a pair, play the higher pair in front and a full house behind. With a four of a kind and a three of a kind, split the four of a kind to play a pair in front and a full house behind. With four of a kind and a pair, play the pair in front unless the pair is very low and the four of a kind is very high, in which case you should split the four and play two pair behind and a higher pair in front. Finally, if you happen to be holding all four aces and the joker, play a pair of aces in front – unless both your remaining cards are kings. In that case, play the pair of kings in front, the four aces and the joker behind, and take a bow – you’ve made history.

An other poker-based casino game that's a lot of fun is video poker