Face Up Pai Gow
Is played on a table just like the one in the picture below. There is a maximum of 7 player’s including the Player Banker, there is a minimum of 2 players to start the game, one of whom is a Player Banker.
Face Up Pai Gow Poker Rules & Procedures
Standards of Play
Face Up Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard 52 card deck, including a Joker, for a total of 53 cards.
The rank of each card used in Fortune Pai Gow Poker, in order of highest to lowest rank, shall be: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Ace also may play as the lowest card in the straight Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. The Joker may be used as any type of card to complete a straight, flush, straight flush, or must otherwise only be used as an Ace.
The hand rankings for the game of Face Up Pai Gow Poker, in order of highest to lowest are as follows:
| Hand Dealt | Hand Requirements |
|---|---|
| 7 Card Straight Flush (no Joker) | A hand that consists of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking that does not utilize a joker. An ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, and 8 is the highest ranked 7 card Straight Flush (No Joker) hand and a 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and ace is the lowest ranked 7 Card Straight Flush (No Joker) hand. |
| Royal Flush + Royal Match | A hand that consists of ace, king, queen, jack, and 10 suited and king and queen suited. |
| 7 Card Straight Flush (With Joker) | A hand that consists of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking that utilizes a joker. An ace king, queen, jack, 10, 9, and 8 is the highest ranked 7 Card Straight Flush (With Joker) hand, with one of those cards being substituted with a joker, and a 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and ace is the lowest ranked 7 Card Straight Flush (With Joker) hand, with one of those cards being substituted for a joker. |
| Five Aces | A hand that consists of five cards containing all aces. |
| Royal Flush | A hand that consists of an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of the same suit. |
| Straight Flush | A hand that consists of five cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking. A king, queen, jack, 10, and 9 is the highest ranked Straight Flush and a 5, 4, 3, 2, and ace is the lowest ranked Straight Flush. |
| Four of a Kind | A hand that consists of four cards of the same rank. Four aces is the highest ranked Four of a Kind and four 2’s is the lowest ranked Four of a Kind. |
| Full House | A hand that consists of a Three of a Kind and a Pair. Three aces and two kings is the highest ranked Full House and three 2’s and two 3’s is the lowest ranked Full House. |
| Flush | A hand that consists of five cards of the same suit, but that are not in consecutive ranking. An ace, king, queen, jack and 9 is the highest ranked Flush and a 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 is the lowest ranked Flush. |
| Straight | A hand that consists of five cards that are in consecutive ranking, but that are not the same suit. An ace, king, queen, jack and 10 is the highest ranked Straight and a 5, 4, 3, 2 and ace is the lowest ranked Straight. |
| Three of a Kind | A hand that consists of three cards of the same rank. Three aces is the highest ranked Three of a Kind and three 2’s is the lowest ranked Three of a Kind. |
| Two Pairs | A hand that consists of two pairs. Two aces and Two kings is the highest ranked Two Pairs and two 3’s and two 2’s is the lowest ranked Two Pairs. |
| One Pair | A hand that consists of two cards of the same rank. Two aces is the highest ranked Pair and two 2’s is the lowest ranked Pair. |
| High Card | A hand that consists of five cards that do not make any of the hands listed above. An ace, king, queen, jack, and 9 is the highest ranked High Card hand and 7, 5, 4, 3, and 2 is the lowest ranked High Card hand. |
Dealing Procedures:
Using a Shuffle Master: The cardroom dealer will begin by pushing the green button and placing the first pile of cards to the left of the Button and continuing until all 7 spots are dealt in.
Hand-dealing: The dealer will begin dealing to the left of the button, the dealer will deal one card to each player or spot, starting to the left of the button in a clockwise rotation. Once every player or spot receives one card, then the dealer will start all over until they are have received 7 cards.
Wagers shall be settled in a clockwise manner around the table, starting with the player with that “Action” button. Furthermore, all wagers shall be settled from seat to seat in the following order: Face Up Pai Gow game wager, then the Bonus Bet wager, if applicable.
Number of Players in the Game:
Face Up Pai Gow Poker is played on a table which seats a maximum of seven players.
Action Button: If a player wants the action button in play, then the dealer will call the floor and get permission, then the dealer will do a high card to determine where it starts. The action button will move to each position (clockwise) every hand. And that determines where the first hand will be dealt.
1 player, Action Button: If there is only one player at the table and they want the action button in play, they need to call the floor (Oxford Downs Supervisor) and they will put it in play. There are 2 options on where the action button will start. One being done with a high card or the player may start it where they want it. As long as there is only 1 player playing at the table (not the player Banker) they can request it be removed and put back in at will.
Betting:
Players may place wagers bearing in mind the posted table minimum and maximum. Players must make a Face Up Pai Gow Poker game wager and will then have the option to make a Open Face Bonus Bet wager as well.
Dealer Tip Bets
Any Bet outside of the circle, square or Diamond will constitute as a Dealer Tip Bet. If any of the Dealer bets win, the Dealer will pay the spot accordingly and then the Dealer will take the Tips and tap the tray’s top left corner of the imprest tray and then drop them into their toke box.
Round of Play:
Each player puts up any bets they wish to place for the next hand/ Players have the option of placing a Fortune Bonus Bet wager at this time as well. The cardroom dealer will then follow the dealing procedures and standards of play, as described above.
Once the cards have been distributed, the Banker’s hand will be set first by the Dealer (house way). Then each player shall set their hands by arranging the seven cards into a two-card hand and a five-card hand. The two-card hand is placed above the five-card hand, and the five card hand much rank higher than the two-card hand, according to the ranking of hands.
If a Player is playing Multiple hands, they must set 1 hand first and then proceed to the next one, then so on and so on.
When all the players’ hands have been set. The dealer will start left of button and expose each player’s hand to determine the winner’s, loser’s or tie hands.
The Player’s hand does not have to beat the DP hand in order to win the Bonus bet.
| Hand | House Way |
|---|---|
| No Pair | The second and third high cards will be placed in the Low hand; the highest and all remaining cards will be placed in the High Hand. |
| One Pair | Use the highest two single cards in the Low Hand; place the pair and all remaining cards in the High Hand. |
| Two Pairs | If high pair is Aces, Kings, Queens – always split. If high pair is Jacks, 10’s, 9’s, – split unless Ace is front. If high pair is 8’s, 7’s, 6’s – split unless King is front. If high pair is 5’s, 4’s, 3’s – split unless Queen in front. |
| Three Pairs | Put highest pair in front. |
| Three of a kind | If Aces – always split. If Kings and below – never split. If two sets of three of a kind – split highest set. |
| Straight, Flush, Straight Flush | With no pair – always play the complete hand. With one pair – always play the complete hand. With two pairs – play according to two pairs strategy. With three of a kind – play complete hand in back, pair in front that will leave any complete hand behind. |
| Full House | Put the highest permissible pair in front. |
| Four of a kind | If Aces, Kings, Queens – always split. If Jacks, 10’s, 9’s – split unless King in front. If 8’s, 7’s, 6’s – split unless Queen in front. If 5’s and below – never split. If 4 of a kind with a pair – play complete hand behind. |
| Five Aces | Put pair of Aces in Front. |
Once the Designated Player’s hands are set according to the “House Way”, each player’s hand is exposed, in turn, and compared to the Designated Player’s hands to determine the winner’s, loser’s, or tie hands.
If a Designated Player or a Guest hand is set wrong (not house way) but is not fouled, once action as started, then that hand must remain set that way.
If a Designated Player’s or a Guest hand is set fouled, then hand must be reset to house way.
Each Player’s five card hand will be compared to the Designated player’s five card hand, and each player’s two card hand will be compared to the Designated Player’s two card hand, in turn, starting with the “Action” button, to determine the winner according to the following criteria:
- Face Up Pai Gow Poker game wager wins if the two-card hand and the five-card hand held by the player ranks higher than the Designated Player’s two card hand and five card hand. Winning Open Face Pai Gow Poker game wagers are paid 1 to 1.
- Face Up Pai Gow Poker game wager loses if the two-card hand and the five card hand held by the player ranks lower than the Designated Player’s two card hand and five card hand.
- Face Up Pai Gow Poker game wager “pushes” if one of the hands held by the player ranks higher than the Designated Player’s corresponding hand, and the player’s other hand ranks lower than the Designated Player’s corresponding hand. In this case, neither the player nor the Designated Player wins or loses; the wager is a “push” and is returned to the player.
- If one hand is identical in rank to the Designated Player’s hand, it is a “copy hand.” The Designated Player wins all “copy hands.”
You are only allowed to play one hand at a time.
Once the standard Pai Gow Poker wagers are settled (win, lose, tie/push), the dealer will determine if the player’s hand qualifies for the Bonus Bet.
The Bonus bet considers the best hand possible among the player’s seven cards and does not take into consideration how the five card hand and two card hand were divided.
The dealer than collects all losing Bonus Bet wagers and pays all winning wagers, and distributes them to the designated player as described herein. The cards are collected, shuffled and a new round begins.
The Designated Player position rotation is offered in a clockwise motion every hand among all eligible Designated Players.
The Bonus:
Ace High Bonus:
If Both Player and Dealer have ace high Pai Gow: Pays 40-1
Dealer has ace-high Pai Gow with a Joker: Pays 15-1
Dealer has ace-high Pai Gow: Pays 5-1
Neither player nor dealer has ace-high Pai Gow: LOSS
The Bonus Bet takes into consideration the seven cards dealt as a player’s hand and not the high/low hands arranged by the player. The Designated Player pays these bets: In the event that the seven cards dealt to a player that placed a Bonus Bet wager is a qualifying hand, as shown below, the Bonus Bet wager shall win. The player shall then receive a monetary payout based on the bonus hand that the player was dealt and the amount wagered by the player. Any other combination of seven cards dealt, other than the hands shown below, shall lose.
The Joker can be used as an ace, or to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush on the Bonus Bet.
The Designated Player may pay qualifying Bonus Bet wagers from his or her own chip stack only if the Designated Player’s seven card Open Face Pai Gow Bonus hand. Wagers are collected or paid, to the extent that the Designated Player’s wager covers. Once the Designated Player’s wagers not covered by the Designated Players shall be returned to the respective players.
Bonus Bet Pay Table
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7 Card Straight Flush | 5,000 to 1 |
| Royal Flush + Royal Match | 2,000 to 1 |
| 7 Card Straight Flush with Joker | 1,000 to 1 |
| 5 Aces | 400 to 1 |
| Royal Flush | 150 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 |
| 4 of a Kind | 25 to 1 |
| Full House | 5 to 1 |
| Flush | 4 to 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 3 to 1 |
| Straight | 2 to 1 |
House Rake:
Rake is collected before cards are dealt. It is paid by the Designated Player, at a rate determined by the cardroom and posted at the table.
