Online Pai Gow Poker is an Americanized version of a Chinese gambling game. It is offered in most online casinos. Online Pai Gow poker is played with a deck of 53 cards, the 53rd card being the joker. The objective of online Pai Gow poker is to make a better set of hands than the dealer.

The player first places his wager by clicking on the chips of the desired denomination. The player then clicks on the “deal button”. He is dealt seven cards face up and the dealer is dealt seven cards face down. The player has to prepare two hands, one of five cards and the other of two cards.  The hands are judged according to poker hand rankings. The two-card hand has to have a lower hand ranking than the five-card hand. The joker becomes a wild card in order to achieve a straight, a flush or a straight flush. Otherwise it is used as an ace. The player clicks on the two cards that he wants in the two-card hand. These cards get highlighted. The player then clicks on the “split” button to split the hands as per his selection.

In online Pai Gow poker almost simultaneously several steps then automatically take place. The dealer’s cards are turned face up and arranged into a five-card hand and a two-card hand as per a specified procedure referred to as the “house way”. The player’s five-card hand is matched with the dealer’s five-card hand and the player’s two-card hand is independently matched with the dealer’s two-card hand. The screen shows which hand wins in each case. In the event the dealer’s hand ties with the player’s hand the dealer wins. If the player wins both hands then his payout is at 1:1 less a commission charged by the online casino. This commission is usually 5% but varies from online casino to online casino. If the player wins one hand and loses the other then the bet pushes and the player’s wager is given back to him. If the player loses both the hands then he gets nothing. The payouts are automatically made. The player can then click on the “rebet” button, which automatically places the same wager and deals the cards. Or the player can follow the procedure described earlier.

Online casinos display the player’s current balance. When players place their wager the balance automatically decreases. If the player wins or the deal ends in a push the player’s balance is appropriately increased. Most online casinos also display the status of the current wager. When the wager is placed the box displays the wagered amount. After the deal is over the box displays how much the player has won or lost.

Listing of online casinos where you can play Pai Gow Poker at:

• Golden Casino
• Rushmore Online Casino
• Online Vegas
• Platinum Play Casino