Casino Player Magazine Guide Details Pai Gow Poker Hand-Setting Rules and Joker Usage

Casino Player Magazine has laid out core instructions for new players approaching Pai Gow Poker. The game requires splitting seven cards into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand, with the objective of beating the dealer on both.

Core Hand-Setting Guidelines

Every casino follows its own house way for arranging hands, and players should learn the specific rules in advance. The guide identifies one frequent error: overloading the five-card hand while leaving the two-card hand too weak. Both hands must generally prevail to win the bet.

With no pair, the two highest cards go to the low hand and the rest form the high hand. A single pair normally stays in the five-card hand, with the next two highest cards making the low hand, unless the leftovers are so poor that splitting the pair produces better balance. Two pairs often warrant splitting if both are strong enough to support a competitive low hand; when one pair is low and the other high, keeping them together can be preferable.

Three of a kind usually remains intact, except when splitting allows a very strong five-card hand plus a markedly improved two-card hand. The joker functions as an ace or completes a straight or flush but is not fully wild.

Practical Play and Common Pitfalls

The article stresses favoring two solid hands over one standout hand, given the frequency of pushes and ties. Rather than chasing a single spectacular combination, the focus stays on setups that give two respectable chances against the dealer.

Casino Player Magazine advises learning the basic treatments of pairs, two pairs, straights, flushes and the joker before sitting down. This foundation lets players set hands intelligently without memorizing every seven-card possibility, supporting longer sessions and greater confidence at the table.