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How To Play Face Up Pai Gow Poker

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The dealer sets their hand FIRST! Players make their decision as to how to play their hands AFTER the dealer exposes their cards.

How To Play Face Up Pai Gow Poker

Game Basics

Face Up Pai Gow Poker is a variation of Pai Gow Poker with an additional bonus wager. Players may bet any amount within table limits, however, a fortune bet of at least $5 qualifies them for envy bonus payouts. Players win the envy bonus when someone else at the table receives a four of a kind or higher.

In Face Up Pai Gow Poker, the dealer’s cards are dealt Face Up prior to player’s setting their hand and winning wagers are not charged commission! However, if the dealer has an Ace high Pai Gow, all Pai Gow wagers are an automatic push.

How To Play

Face Up Pai Gow Poker is played with a traditional deck of 52 cards plus one joker which can be used as an ace, or to complete a straight or flush. Players make a standard Pai Gow wager, with an optional bonus wager to begin a round of play. Players wagering $5 or more on the bonus will receive an “envy” button which qualifies them for an additional envy payout on qualifying hands. Each player is dealt seven cards and must arrange the cards into two hands: a two-card hand and a five-card hand. The five-card hand must always be of higher rank than the two-card hand.

Pai Gow Wager

Players compete against the house hand or the banker hand:

  • Both hands win: player is paid even money.
  • One hand wins and one hand loses: player pushes (tie).
  • Both hands lose: player loses.

Bonus Wager

  • Players with a bonus wager who receive a qualifying hand will win odds on the bonus wager according to the posted pay table.
  • Bonus wagers lose if the player does not receive a qualifying hand during the round of play.

Envy Bonus

  • When at least one player has a four of a kind or higher, all players with an envy button win according to the posted paytable.
  • In the event more than one player has a qualifying hand, all players with the envy button win multiple payouts.
  • A player cannot win an envy bonus for his/her own hand or the dealer’s hand.
  • A player will still be eligible for the Envy Bonus in the event they folded their hand.

Ace High Bonus

Along with the optional Fortune Bonus wager and progressive wager, there will be an Ace High Bonus wager. If the dealer has an Ace-High Pai Gow hand, then the player will receive an odds payout from the below paytable.

Hand Pays
Dealer and Player Ace-High 40 to 1
Dealer Ace-High w/ Joker 15 to 1
Dealer Ace-High No Joker 5 to 1

Rules Of Play:

  1. Fortune Pai Gow Poker Progressive is a $5 optional progressive side bet.
  2. The bet considers the best hand possible among all the player’s cards.
  3. Paytable below:
Hand Pays*
7 Card Straight Flush 100%
5 Aces 10%
Royal Flush $2500
Straight Flush $500
Four of a Kind $375
Full House $20
$5 Progressive Wager.
Original Wager is NOT Returned.

$50,000 aggregate payout does not apply to the base wager, ace high bonus, envy bonus or progressive payouts.

Note: The joker is used as an Ace, or to complete a Straight Flush, Straight or Flush.

Fortune Bonus Hand Payout

Hand Pays Envy
7 Card Straight Flush W/O Joker 8000 to 1 $5000
Royal Flush and Q/K suited 2000 to 1 $1000
7 Card Straight Flush With Joker 1000 to 1 $500
5 Aces 400 to 1 $250
Royal Flush 150 to 1 $50
Straight Flush 50 to 1 $20
Four-of-a-Kind 25 to 1 $5
Full House 5 to 1  
Flush 4 to 1  
Three-of-a-Kind 3 to 1  
Straight 2 to 1