Double-hand Poker is a current game with ancient ancestry. Based on the ancient Chinese domino game and the current American variation of poker, Pai Gow poker marries the far east with the wild west in a great game for new gamblers.
Pai Gow is a poker game that pits the player versus the croupier, not like most other poker games that players bet against other players. By wagering against the dealer, starting players don’t have to be concerned about any other, more advanced people taking their money.
An additional Pai Gow edge is the generally leisurely game play, rookies can take their time and strategize without having to make hasty decisions.
It’s also much simpler to wager on for a long time with only a tiny bit of money since, to not win, each of your hands has to be under both of the dealer’s hands.
Pai Gow uses 53 cards; the regular 52-card common deck and a single joker. The player is assigned 7 cards face up and the casino is given 7 cards face down.
One 5 card hand and a 2 card hand must be made from the seven cards, the five card hand must be stronger than the 2 card hand. To win, a player needs both of his hand totals to be larger than the casino’s.