How to play pai gow

If you're trying to learn pai gow as a beginner, you'll already be well aware it can seem a little complicated at first. Don't worry, though, once you get the hang of the basics, you can gradually add more features to your game. For example, there are a whole range of special domino combinations that can score you big points - but let's take it one step at a time. 

The premise of pai gow can be broken down to this: You shuffle the dominoes face down on the table. You then give four dominoes to each player, still face down. Each player then splits the four dominoes into two pairs and tries to make the best hand out of it. 

How do they do this? Well, by counting up the pips on the dominoes. However, the scoring isn't straightforward. You only care about the last number. So, if you have 9 total pips, perfect! You score 9 points.

But, if you have 12 pips, you score 2 points. 18 pips will award you 8 points, and so on and so forth.

Once you've made your two hands, you compare them to the dealer's two hands. If you beat both of the dealer's pairs, then you get paid 1:1, or you basically double your wager. If you lose both hands against the dealer, you lose your wager. If you win one, but lose one, no-one gets the wager and it remains on the table for the next round.

Winning pai gow strategies 

As pai gow isn't a game of pure luck, there are some things you can do to strategise your time while you play. Some of them are easier to remember than others, so take your time and make sure to figure out which ones work for you before you commit to them.

Aim for pairs

One of the best strategies for pai gow is to try and go for pairs. Not just any old pair, however, the dominos need to be exactly the same if you want to score the big points. If you can manage to pull this off, you can score yourself a big 12 points. 

If you can't beat 'em, push 'em

You get two chances to win in pai gow: one for each of the pairs. However, that also means you've got two chances to lose, too. This can be avoided, though, if you can get a push. This is when you win one hand and lose the other, meaning no one wins the wager and it remains on the table.

So how do you do this?

Say you have a particular combination of dominoes. If you put them one way, you'll score 5 and 5. However, if you rearrange them, you'll score 3 and 7. In this case, it might be advantageous to prioritise getting just one good hand to ensure you don't lose both hands and your wager outright.

7, 8, 9 - can they win every time?

If you can get a score of 7, 8 or 9, you're in for a good time. This can be done in a few different ways, but there are some you really want to look out for. For example, if you can use the 6-6 or 1-1 tiles for this, that can open up a lot of opportunities for the other hand. This is a great one to consider whether you're going for a push or the win!

Get studying!

There are a lot of special tile combinations in pai gow, it would be a lie to say anything otherwise. Not only that, but each of them have their own special name and ranking on the hand leaderboard. For example, even though 1-1 and 1-1 might not have as many total pips as say, 3-3 and 3-3, it does actually rank higher than it. This means that if you're playing by full pai gow rules, the 1-1 and 1-1 pair, known as Earth or Day, is actually the third-strongest hand in the game.

That being said, if you're just starting out, there's no shame in keeping a ranking of the hands open next to you while you play. As long as you don't make it too obvious what you're going for, of course!

Don't sweat it

Pai gow is one of those games that is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. If you get given a hand that doesn't seem the most optimal, don't worry too much about it. Sometimes, you need to just accept the loss and prepare yourself mentally for the next round.

In more casual settings, you'll find that most players will base most of their tile pairings on superstitions, traditions, or even just gut feelings. At the end of the day, it's a game of dominoes, and as long as you remember to enjoy your time with it more than anything, you'll have the best chance of having a good experience with it.