Pai go poker

The game is played using a standard deck of 52 sheets plus one joker . There can be up to six players at the table plus a dealer ; players play against the dealer. Players make bets allowed by table limits.

Each of the game participants is dealt seven cards face down. The player must divide these cards into two parts - “upper” ( English high ) and “lower” ( English low ). Five cards go to the upper hand, two to the lower hand, the combinations are laid out openly to the places marked on the table. At the same time, the combination on the lower hand cannot be stronger than on the upper one (that is, you can’t put a pair down and just a high card up). If you do not follow this rule, you automatically lose. After all the players have made their choice, the dealer also puts out his cards (the dealer follows the fixed rules for splitting cards) and the combinations are compared.

The top combination is compared according to the usual poker hand rating (from royal-flush to the highest card), the low hand comparison is also based on the poker rating, only two combinations are possible - a pair or a high card. If both hands of the dealer beat the player, the player loses. If one of the player’s hands beats the dealer and the second gives in, a draw is declared and the player returns the bet. If both hands of the player beat the dealer cards, the player wins 1 to 1 minus 5% of the bank commission. If a tie is obtained on one of the hands, then it is usually interpreted in favor of the dealer (the player loses this hand).

Separately, it must be said about the joker. The joker can replace any card in a five-card combination (or in a seven-card combination, if a bonus is bet) to make a straight, flush, straight flush or royal flush. If these combinations cannot be compiled, then the joker is considered an ace . On the lower hand, the joker is always considered an ace.

The optimal strategy is to correctly split the cards between the upper and lower hands, in most online and in real casinos, the player can ask the dealer to have their cards split according to the rules of the institution, which are pretty close to optimal. In fact, the table of the optimal strategy for pai go poker is very complex and large, however, there are a number of simple rules that are close to the optimum:

1. There is no combination: leave the highest card on the upper hand, the next two on the lower hand.
2. One pair: leave the pair on the upper hand, the two highest of the remaining cards on the bottom.
3. Two pairs:
   • Do not split if you have a total score of nine or less with a king or ace;
   • Do not split if you have a total of fifteen or less points with an ace;
   • Exception: to separate the sevens and deuces with the king and above;
   • Exception: to separate kings and deuces with an ace;
   • Exception: to split jacks and fours with an ace;
   • Exception: do not separate the sevens and eights (nine) with an ace,
   • Where the points correspond to the face value of the cards (2 - for deuces, 11 - jack, 12 - queen, 13 - king, 14 - ace, that is, jacks and fours give the sum of points 4 + 11 = 15).
4. Three pairs: the older pair - on the lower arm.
5. Three: leave three at the top, two high cards on the lower hand, with the exception of three aces: two aces remain on the upper hand, one on the lower hand.
6. Two triples: from the top three, a pair - to the lower hand.
7. Straights and flushes: we leave straights and flushes if there is no double pair, otherwise we divide according to the rules of two pairs.
8. Full house: split into a triple and a two (if there are two pairs or two triples, we put the older couple down).
9. Four of a kind: square from two to six - do not separate; a square from seven to tens - to divide, if there is no king or higher; square from jack to king - split if there is no ace or higher; Ace square - split if no other pair.

Following this strategy, you will get a mathematical expectation of the game of the order of -2.7%.

• Pai Gow Poker Rules and Optimal Strategy