Hi Guys, Just looking for a little info on Pai Gow Poker. Do they still play it at NYNY or would the Luxor be my best bet for low limit games? Also, how does it work in terms of the banker...is the dealer always the banker? If so, can someone confirm what the following outcomes result in (from a players perspective): 1. Tie/Lose (Player Lose) 2. Win/Lose (Push) 3. Tie/Tie (Push) 4. Win/Win (Player win) 5. Lose/Lose (Player Lose) Any others that I've missed? My question is really if the dealer is the banker all the time, then surely they've got a significant advantage given that two outcomes (1 & 5 above) results in the banker winning, but only one outcome (4 above) results in the player winning? I appreciate the majority of hands will push, but just wanted to double-check. Thanks in advance.
I played $15 Pai Gow at NYNY in August so they definitely have it. From what I remember, dealer is always the banker (I think this is right but no one at the table asked to be banker either) and they have the dragon hand.
It's simpler than that because there are no ties. If both the dealer and player have identical (low or high) hands, the dealer wins that hand. Win/Win is a win, Win/Loss is a push, Loss/Loss is a loss. Because of this feature (ties go to the dealer) it is advantageous to be the banker, because you get to win the ties. Of course, you have to have enough cash to cover all the bets you'll be fading and you have to want to have that extra action. The dealer always deals the cards, but you can be the banker and play against the dealer and all the other players for that hand. There is a pattern (different at different places) that determines how often it becomes your turn to have the opportunity to bank. It's quite common to see tables where no one ever banks. You'll also see superstitious players that will refuse to play if you become the banker. I never have found out if they don't want to win money from me or lose money to me. Not sure what the objection is.
I don't see anyone banking too often where I go (Boulder Station & Aliante). If I'm playing one-on-one with the dealer, I do often ask to bank every other hand (the most they'll let you do). Rather than winning ties, I usually do it because I'm getting crap cards & the dealer is getting good hands..
I was went to both last Sat- Luxor had 2 or 3 tables with alot of spots, and I think both were $15. I think NYNY had only one table open at $25 and was very crowded I could not get an open seat. Also they are kind of hidden at NYNY I had to walk around the casino a couple times to find them ....although the Vodka and Cokes I was drinking prob didn't help that situation!
Pai Gow Poker is one of my favorite games. On the strip I've played at Mandalay Bay and Bellagio. Mandalay Bay has all their Pai Gow Poker in the Lotus room, with the other Asian games. You can definitely bank there, and usually people will pull back if you do. The tables are always set at $25 min, which is pretty typical of the strip. Your money lasts a lot longer at Pai Gow than something like blackjack, so keep that in mind. Bellagio had a table with the Dragon side bet, which is nice. As far as real low minimum I can't really speak to it. Even downtown I see primarily $15 tables. I know Pai Gow Poker at the D is $15 min. A $5 Pai Gow table seems like it would not be really profitable for the casino. I can't imagine it going lower than $10 (that would put commission lower than .50).
The GF wants to stay at Mandalay to use their pool in the Spring....so I will prob hit up that Lotus room then. It sounds like a nice place to play some Pai Gow while she is sitting by the pool! Downtown Grand has one Pai Gow table that is $5 min even on the weekends. I played on Friday night a couple of weeks ago and most of the table was betting between $10 and $30 with 5 on the Bonus Bet. There were some people playing $5's and they were charged a quarter commission for a win.... I think they make alot on the side bets so prob do the low limits to lure players in..since their clientele seems to not be the hardcore gamblers found in most of the other places Downtown. But Downtown Grand is a nice little place with low limits, friendly dealers and light on the cigarette smoke- which is hard to find Downtown!
Most or all of the Station Casinos have $5 minimum PaiGow all day. Aliante does too, although they can sometimes close the table on the graveyard shift and move the dealer over to a Blackjack table if they need another table open. But they will usually reopen PaiGow for me if I come in at 6AM and they don't need 2 Blackjack tables open at that point (meaning that during the week at 6AM there's maybe 1 person playing in the pit and they can easily reopen Pai Gow).
I like commission free pai gow poker, the Palace Station has this game.But if house gets 9 high then it's a push.
9 high on the 2 card hand, right? There are two versions of Commission Free PGP, that one and one where it's a push if the dealer has a Queen high Pai Gow. I played the Queen high version last night at Caesars Windsor for hours and I loved it! It's so much cleaner without having to deal with commission, and they often go 150+ hands without a queen high push hand (there is a tracker on the display screen that lists how long it's been since the last one).
The side bet at Caesars Windsor for when the dealer gets the Queen High Pai Gow pays 50-1. In addition to that one, they have two other side bets on those tables. All massive sucker bets.
Oh yeah. I actually like commission free pai gow cause I never get $1 chips so I never play any bonus bets. On regular I usually will just play a buck here or there. Once night I was playing pai gow with 21 year old on her birthday. She dropped a grand on the tables and was playing $25 a hand on the bonus and I think 100 on regular hand.
In June we (group of 5) were at Ballys staring at an empty $20 Pai Gow Poker table. We had two new players in our group that weren't comfortable learning at that limit, as they were playing earlier in the day at the D for $10. We asked the pit boss if he'd lower the limit to $10. He did without thinking twice. We played, drank, and had a good couple of hours. They offered banking but the marker was passed counter-clockwise around the table, so you could only bank every six or seven hands.