You won’t have the opportunity to be the bank in Pai Gow Poker when you play pai gow at online casinos. The casino software is designed so that the house also functions as the banker. The advantage is that there’s less to think about and you’ll have less of your bankroll at risk (we’ll explain why in a moment). The drawback is that you’ll lose out on the chance to slice the house edge.

If you play in a live Pai Gow Poker game, you’ll find yourself given the opportunity to bank every few hands or so, depending on exactly how the game is structured. Some casinos rotate the chance to bank around the table, while others have the casino bank every other hand in between the player opportunities to bank. Invented back in the 1980s, Pai Gow Poker is another popular form of banked poker, giving players a chance to try their luck and skills against the casino. If you happen to be familiar with Chinese Poker, you’ll quickly get a feel for this game as the rules of Pai Gow poker are quite similar. Without a doubt, Pai Gow Poker is among the most exciting casino games on offer. However, understanding the basics of the game could be tricky, even for the ordinary gambler. Fortunately, with our Pai Gow Poker Glossary, players will be able to familiarise themselves with the card game in no time. Pai Gow Poker House Way Once the players indicate to the dealer that they are done sorting their hands the next phase of the game begins. At this stage the banker will start the house rules. The dealer and the player compare cards to see who has a better hand. Banking in Pai Gow Poker means to play your hand against the hands of the other players at the table. It's commonly seen at land-based casinos and not so common online. It doesn't come as a surprise though, it's known that the rules of online Pai Gow Poker differ ever so slightly.

Pai Gow Poker Banking Rules And Regulations

On this page, we’ll explain what it means to be the bank in Pai Gow Poker. A lot of live casinos allow players to bank, so we’ll make sure you’re prepared to take advantage of the opportunity.

Why You Should Be The Bank In Pai Gow

Normally, you’re playing against the house rather than against the other players at your table. When you’re the banker in Pai Gow Poker, the other players become your opponents. You’ll pay their winnings from your bankroll, which means you’ll have more of your money at risk during each hand. But, because you’ll be collecting their losses, it also means you can scale your winnings.

The reason experts recommend that you be the bank in Pai Gow Poker is because the rules shift slightly in your favor. For example, as a player, you lose ties. As the banker, you win ties. Also, you normally pay a 5% commission whenever you win both hands. When you bank, you’ll still pay the 5% commission to the house, but it’s based on your net winnings from the hand. Those advantages seem small, but they shave the normal 2.66% edge to 1.46%.

Pai Gow Poker Banking Rules For Beginners

As a side note, you can request the house to co-bank with you. They’ll pay 50% of the other players’ winnings, but they’ll take 50% of their losses (i.e. your winnings). They’ll also force you to split your cards the “house way” which you can learn the strategy for splitting two pair that they house uses when playing pai gow.

Where To Enjoy Playing Pai Gow Poker Online

Very few, if any, online casinos let you be the bank in Pai Gow Poker. The software is designed to only accommodate one player: you. Because you’re the only player, there’s nobody to bank against. That said, we have found Bodog Casino to offer one of the most engaging playing experiences online. Their Flash gaming environment allows you to play Pai Gow Poker through your browser without logging in (unless you’d like to make real money bets).

Visit Bodog Casino and spend a few minutes playing Pai Gow Poker in your browser. You’ll understand why thousands of online gamblers prefer Bodog to other casino sites.