Pai Gow Poker

chipper · 01-03-11, 12:24 AM

Too many pushes... gives me too much time to sit at the table, get drunk and lose all my money

!

ok now what · 01-03-11, 12:31 AM

Love it. Slow, lumbering, invovled game. Great if you want to kill a couple hours. There is the get drunk factor, though

warriorfan707 · 01-03-11, 12:32 AM

Have had some good runs and some not so good runs, its a game to bet big when you are running well

urge2kill · 01-03-11, 02:16 AM

I only play it if I want to kill time without losing much money. I never win big and never lose big.

peppy1996 · 01-03-11, 07:51 AM

The game doesn't interest me.

MonkeyF0cker · 01-03-11, 08:06 AM

I play it from time to time. There is actually a way to make it a long term profitable game. I don't play any bonuses though.

Poker_Beast · 01-03-11, 08:23 AM

I have played it a few times. To slow for me. Cabo has good luck with it though.

philswin · 01-03-11, 09:27 AM

The best "drinking game' in the casino. Slow game with lots of pushes. Order the free drinks, its best if you are sitting at at table where everyone is having a good time. They do not have the bonus play in the Pennsylvania casinos, but have played it in NJ, dont bet it or keep those bets small not good payback on bonus.

milwaukee mike · 01-03-11, 09:45 AM

i love this game
without paigow poker i would probably have 100,000 more to my name - there have been quite a few times online and in casinos where i lost $1000 playing $100-200/hand

ronald · 01-03-11, 11:42 AM

Originally posted by warriorfan707

Have had some good runs and some not so good runs, its a game to bet big when you are running well

How can you have spent so much time on a gambling forum, made close to 4000 posts, and still make absolutely stupid statements like this one.

Each hand is independent from the last. The deck is reshuffled and has no memory.

warriorfan707 · 01-03-11, 02:26 PM

Originally posted by ronald

How can you have spent so much time on a gambling forum, made close to 4000 posts, and still make absolutely stupid statements like this one.

Each hand is independent from the last. The deck is reshuffled and has no memory.

you just dont understand

Play the game long enough and you will see the wins come in streaks for some reason you donkey

milwaukee mike · 01-03-11, 03:49 PM

Originally posted by warriorfan707

you just dont understand

Play the game long enough and you will see the wins come in streaks for some reason you donkey

strangely enough i agree with both of you
the deck "shouldn't" have a memory but everything goes in streaks

(even though i love statistics) in my experience it has usually been better to bet bigger when i'm rolling, even though that makes no logical sense in a game like paigow

the best way to play paigow (or any other game with a house advantage) is NOT to play but we all have to have some fun in our lives

philswin · 01-03-11, 04:16 PM

I am sure if you charted out wins/loss streaks over a large population of hands you would have a statistical normal variation of win streaks and loss streaks. If you are trying to make a big hit bet big then walk away, if you want to grind it out get free drinks and hang out for a while bet small and consistant. Pai Gow house edge is due to the 5% commision they take on winning hands and copy hands. It played properly has a 1.460% house edge, compared to Blackjack .28% (depending on rule variations) Single zero roulette has 2.70% house edge. An attractive thing about PaiGow is it is a slow played game and the house edge will not kill you. You push 41.48% of the time, you win 28.61%, and the banker wins 29.91%

milwaukee mike · 01-03-11, 10:30 PM

great points philswin

often here in milwaukee i will bet 200 on one hand, if i win then i quit. paigow at least gives me another chance 41% of the time on a push, so i only lose that one big bet less than 30% of the time.

like all games except counting cards in blackjack, add up the house edge and how many bets you are going to make and that's your expected loss. all comes down to value of entertainment, if you plan on playing $100/hand paigow for 20 hands then the expected loss is $29 - and usually you get a chance to quit ahead after winning the first hand or a couple in a row down the road

fun game but i wish it was never invented, since i can count cards pretty well in blackjack and should never be playing pai gow

thezbar · 01-03-11, 10:36 PM

Slow game. Lots of luck involved. I've played it but its not my cup of tea. Best way is one on one if you can bank every other hand. Some houses still allow it. Cuts the house edge. Good drinking game also.

philswin · 01-03-11, 10:48 PM

Order some free drinks, accumulate some comp dollars, register play for free play offers, coupons to restauraunts, and points to upgraded cards (that can bring numerous free offers such as VIP lounge, hotels, local events, giveaways etc.) and you can get yourself close to EV neutral. But at the end of the day the key is to have a good time.

Kaabee · 01-12-11, 03:12 PM

this game to me is unplayable without the fortune side bet. yes i know the house edge on it. way too boring without it though.

warriorfan707 · 01-12-11, 03:14 PM

Originally posted by milwaukee mike

great points philswin

often here in milwaukee i will bet 200 on one hand, if i win then i quit. paigow at least gives me another chance 41% of the time on a push, so i only lose that one big bet less than 30% of the time.

like all games except counting cards in blackjack, add up the house edge and how many bets you are going to make and that's your expected loss. all comes down to value of entertainment, if you plan on playing $100/hand paigow for 20 hands then the expected loss is $29 - and usually you get a chance to quit ahead after winning the first hand or a couple in a row down the road

fun game but i wish it was never invented, since i can count cards pretty well in blackjack and should never be playing pai gow

I feel this post 100%

bracerman · 01-13-11, 11:56 AM

Won a lot my 1st time playing, and unfortunately got hooked for while, easily losing the winnings back and way more. HA is just too big to play on a regular basis or for any large maount of money.

Like others have said, if you want to low roll and have good time, great way to get some good bang out of the free drinks and comps.

The Bonus bet, like in most games, is a sucker bet. 8% HA I believe.

milwaukee mike · 01-13-11, 04:30 PM

just lost 274 points playing paigow in the sbr sportsbook

remember what i was saying about wishing this game was never invented

ryanjep · 01-13-11, 04:43 PM

great game if you want to play for long periods of time

TheJewBear · 01-13-11, 05:25 PM

If you want to waste time, drink, and gamble why not play a small regular poker game. Take a hundo or two to a low limit game and sit there for hours...now that's bang for your buck at the casino!

warriorfan707 · 01-13-11, 05:42 PM

Originally posted by milwaukee mike

just lost 274 points playing paigow in the sbr sportsbook

remember what i was saying about wishing this game was never invented

I didnt realize they have pai-gow in the sbr casino

Tackleberry · 01-13-11, 05:55 PM

Originally posted by TheJewBear

If you want to waste time, drink, and gamble why not play a small regular poker game. Take a hundo or two to a low limit game and sit there for hours...now that's bang for your buck at the casino!

lol this was my approach last time I was in Vegas. Would find a table with a good mix of personalities sit down for a few hours, usually make a few bucks and walk away absolutely ripped. It was great.

Ochocinco85mvp · 01-13-11, 06:00 PM

Ive never really understood....nor played

easywinner · 01-14-11, 03:52 AM

Is there anyway you can get a +EV or lower the house advantage to a very minuscule amount so you're basically even in this game? What if you only played as the banker and sat out the the hands where it wasn't your turn to be banker, or if the casino requires you to play a player hand to be able to be the banker next just play the 1 player hand before your turn to be banker each time? I've read that there are no commission Pai Gow Poker tables and that when you play as the banker with more than 2 people at the table you have a +EV. I've never actually played this game before but I've recently been intrigued by Baccarat and have noticed Pai Gow Poker nearby as well. No commission Baccarat is like my new favorite game so i might have to try out the no commission Pai Gow Poker too. I'm only into the games where you limit the house edge as much as possible or even have the edge.

azgrabi1 · 01-14-11, 10:05 AM

Im done playing blackjack. Its kicked my ass way too many times. What a load of crap.

mrmarket · 01-14-11, 10:10 AM

Originally posted by easywinner

Is there anyway you can get a +EV or lower the house advantage to a very minuscule amount so you're basically even in this game? What if you only played as the banker and sat out the the hands where it wasn't your turn to be banker, or if the casino requires you to play a player hand to be able to be the banker next just play the 1 player hand before your turn to be banker each time? I've read that there are no commission Pai Gow Poker tables and that when you play as the banker with more than 2 people at the table you have a +EV. I've never actually played this game before but I've recently been intrigued by Baccarat and have noticed Pai Gow Poker nearby as well. No commission Baccarat is like my new favorite game so i might have to try out the no commission Pai Gow Poker too. I'm only into the games where you limit the house edge as much as possible or even have the edge.

Go read optimal strategy for pai gow poker by Stanford Wong. I think Mike Caro has some books on the subject too but i cannot comment on their quality.

mrmarket · 01-14-11, 10:11 AM

And lol @ seasoned gamblers believing in streaks. That is your monkey brain assigning patterns. Step your game up boys!

philswin · 01-14-11, 10:19 AM

Good Points - You can also just flip your hand over and the Dealer will help you set your hand the House Way

bracerman · 01-14-11, 10:20 AM

Originally posted by easywinner

Is there anyway you can get a +EV or lower the house advantage to a very minuscule amount so you're basically even in this game? What if you only played as the banker and sat out the the hands where it wasn't your turn to be banker, or if the casino requires you to play a player hand to be able to be the banker next just play the 1 player hand before your turn to be banker each time? I've read that there are no commission Pai Gow Poker tables and that when you play as the banker with more than 2 people at the table you have a +EV. I've never actually played this game before but I've recently been intrigued by Baccarat and have noticed Pai Gow Poker nearby as well. No commission Baccarat is like my new favorite game so i might have to try out the no commission Pai Gow Poker too. I'm only into the games where you limit the house edge as much as possible or even have the edge.

Depends on the casino. A casino nearby used to allow the player to bank every other hand if none of the other players wanted to. That is the optimal way to lower the house edge, but now your variance sky rockets and you have to be able to cover all the bets at the table. Also, if you can find an empty table and play heads up with the dealer you can usually alternate being the bank. Problem there is the game moves a lot quicker, so your play time decreases.

easywinner · 01-14-11, 08:01 PM

Originally posted by bracerman

Depends on the casino. A casino nearby used to allow the player to bank every other hand if none of the other players wanted to. That is the optimal way to lower the house edge, but now your variance sky rockets and you have to be able to cover all the bets at the table. Also, if you can find an empty table and play heads up with the dealer you can usually alternate being the bank. Problem there is the game moves a lot quicker, so your play time decreases.

As I've stated previously I've never played this game before. Do you just have to be able to cover the bets on the table like if there are $300 in bets placed that hand you must have $300 in your possession, or do you actually pay them or take them as the banker depending on if they win or lose? What is the point of this, you must be able to cover all the bets on the table rule to be able to be the banker? Thanks.

bracerman · 01-14-11, 08:13 PM

Originally posted by easywinner

As I've stated previously I've never played this game before. Do you just have to be able to cover the bets on the table like if there are $300 in bets placed that hand you must have $300 in your possession, or do you actually pay them or take them as the banker depending on if they win or lose? What is the point of this, you must be able to cover all the bets on the table rule to be able to be the banker? Thanks.

It sounds the way it is. If you bank, you are essentially playing as the house. The tied hand rule goes in your favor. The only profit the casino makes is the 5% commission on winning bets.

After you announce that you want to bank, the house will let the other players place their bets and ask how much you want them to play against you, usually the max allowed is the amount of your last bet. The dealer will then add up the bets on the table and you have to cover this amount in your betting spot. After the hand plays out, the dealer will pay the winning hands from your stack and you get back the remaining amount + the losing bets.

xchungsy · 01-20-13, 08:12 AM

love pai gow you can play for hours and lose only $5 or be up $5