Pai Gow poker is somewhat different from normal poker, though the winning hands a player can get are almost the same. The game is played with 53 cards, which is the standard 52 card deck plus one joker, which can be used as an ace, or to complete a staight, a flush or a straight flush.
On each deal the dealer plays against the other players. Before the deal, each of the other players puts up a stake.
As the game begins, seven cards are dealt to each player. All players other than the dealer then look at their cards and divide them to form two hands (a two card hand and a five card hand). The values of the five card hands are the same as in normal poker, with one exception: A-2-3-4-5 is the second highest type of straight or straight flush, ranking between A-K-Q-J-10 and K-Q-J-10-9. Five aces is the highest hand, beating a straight flush. For the two card hand, any pair beats any two unmatched cards, but no other combinations are possible.
The player must arrange the cards so that the five card hand is higher than the two card hand (so if the two cards were a pair of aces, the five card hand would have to contain two pairs or better). Players are not allowed to discuss their hands at any stage.
The players place their two hands face down, and when all players are ready, the dealer's seven cards are exposed. The other players may not touch their cards from this point on. The dealer forms the seven exposed cards into a five card hand and a two card hand in the same way as the players.
All the players' cards are then exposed. The results of the dealer's and each player's cards is determined by comparing the player's 5 card hand with the dealer's 5 card hand and the player's 2 card hand with the dealer's 2 card hand.
If the player wins both hands the dealer pays out the amount staked by the player.
If the dealer wins one hand and the player wins the other no money changes hands. This is called a "push".
If the dealer wins both hands the dealer wins the player's stake.
If either hand is tied, the dealer wins that particular hand. So if the dealer wins one hand while the other is tied, or if both hands are tied, the dealer wins. If one hand is tied and the player wins the other it is a push, and no money changes hands.
