Pai Gow Poker

General

Pai Gow Poker is "the marriage" between Pai Gow, a Chinese game of dominoes, and a 7-card Stud Poker. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck plus a single joker (53 cards in total), using poker hand rankings. The Joker can only be used to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush, otherwise it is treated as an Ace.

The goal of Pai Gow Poker is to make two poker hands that beat the Dealer's hands. In Pai Gow Poker, the main strategic decisions are how much to bet and how to set your hand. The simple basic strategy for setting your hand is to make the highest two-card hand that is less than your five-card hand.