Paigow Poker Rules and How to Play
The object of paigow poker is to make two poker hands. One that is a 5 card hand and one that is a 2 card hand. You want to beat the dealers hand with both of your hands. All players are dealt 7 cards face down. The hands are played and ranked as traditional poker hands (with one exception: A2345 is the second highest straight), and the 5 card hand must be higher than the 2 card hand. If both hands are better than the banker’s hand, you win, if both lose, you lose, otherwise it’s a push. The banker wins ties the example is A K vs. A K.
The game is played with a standard 52 card deck plus one joker. The joker can be used as an Ace or to complete a flush, straight or a straight flush. In paigow poker, the only strategic decisions are how much to bet and how to set your hand.
After placing your bet you set your card by placing the 2 card hand over the 5 card hand. The banker designates which hands go to which player by shaking a dice cup with three dice; the banker’s position is 1, 8 or 15 and the hands are passed out counterclockwise. So, if the dealer is the bank and the dice total to 8, the dealer gets the first hand, player 1 gets the second, player 2 gets the third and so on. The dice randomizes the hands because it happens after each deal.
There is a 5% commission on winning bets that you can either put out next to your winning bet, or the dealer will subtract from your payoff.
