Red dog

 This is a game of chance more than skill. It is a variation of the in-between game. All cards are ranked as in poker.

To start, the player places an initial wager on the table and then the dealer draws two cards face up. If the two dealt cards are consecutive then the hand is a push. If the two cards are equal a third card is dealt. A matching third card pays 11:1, otherwise the hand is a push.

If the two cards are neither consecutive nor equal the dealer announces the spread, that is, the number of card values in between the dealt cards. For example a 4 and 10 would have a spread of 5.

The player then must decide whether or not the third card dealt by the dealer will fall in-between the values of the first two cards and is given a chance to increase the wager up to the amount of the initial wager.

Then a third card is dealt. If it matches or is outside the first two cards the player loses. If it is in between the first two cards the player wins as follows:

1 card spread: pays 5:1

2 card spread: pays 4:1

3 card spread: pays 2:1

4 or more card spread: pays 1:1

Based on statistical probability, it is suggested that a player should only raise the bet when the spread between the two initial cards is seven or greater, where the player’s edge is 54%. The player’s edge rises to 85% when the spread is 11 and lowers to 8% when the spread is only one.

Pai gow poker:

Game summary

Pai Gow Poker is a 온라인바둑이 mixture of the ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow with classic American poker. It’s played with a standard 53 card deck, including a Joker. The Joker can only be used as an Ace, or to complete a Straight or a Flush.

The game is one-to-one, the player (or players) plays against the banker, each competing to make the best possible hand. Due to a rather slow pace and a lot of ties pai gow poker is less intense than most casino games and a modest bankroll can usually last a long time.

An interesting element of Pai Gow Poker is that any Player can request to be the Banker. In this instance, all Players compare their hands to the new Banker rather than the Dealer. The new Banker wins all ties, pays any winners from their own pocket, and collects any losing wagers. However, the Casino still collects a 5 percent commission on any winning hands as in Baccarat (Punto Banco) and Mini-Baccarat.

One 52-card deck is used plus one Joker, which can only be used as an Ace or to complete a Straight or any Flush.

How to play Pai Gow Poker

After individual wagers are placed in the circle in front of the Players, the Dealer then rolls the dice to determine which Player is dealt cards first. Next, the Players are each given seven cards with which to make two separate poker hands.

The cards are arranged into two hands: a 2-card hand and a 5-card hand. The five cards must be placed in the Highest Cards section and the remaining two cards must be placed in the Low Cards section. The five-card hand must always be the highest-scoring hand. If you place the highest-scoring cards in the Low Cards section, you will lose automatically.

The highest 5-card hand is a royal flush and the highest 2-card hand is Aces. With a Joker, the highest 5-card ranking hand is four Aces and a Joker.

The 5-card hand must be higher than the 2-card hand. For example, if the 2-card hand is a pair of fours, the 5-card hand must contain a pair of fives or better.

The object of the game is for the player to have both hands to rank higher than those of the banker. If the player wins on one hand but loses on the other, it’s a push and no money changes hands. If one hand ranks the same as the banker’s hand, it’s a tie but in this case the banker wins. Winning hands are paid even money, less a 5% commission. Losing hands lose the amount wagered.

Pai Gow Poker Hand Rankings

Five Aces – A-A-A-A-Joker.

Royal Flush – 10-J-Q-K-A of the same suit.

Straight Flush – Five cards of the same suit ranked in order (for example, 6-7-8-9-10 of hearts).

Four-of-a-kind – Four cards of the same rank (for example, 5-5-5-5) The highest-ranked cards would win should the dealer and player both have four-of-a-kind.

Full House – Three-of-a-kind and one pair. Ties are broken by the highest-ranking three-of-a-kind (for example, K-K-K-7-7 beats a 10-10-10-A-A).

Flush – Five cards of the same suit, regardless of ranking (for example, 5-8-9-Q-K of spades).

Straight – Like the ‘Straight Flush’ above but not of the same suit. That is, five cards of different suits ranked in order.

Three-of-a-kind – Three cards of the same ranking (for example, Q-Q-Q).

Two Pair – Two sets of pairs.

A Pair – Two cards of the same value.

High Card – If no one has at least a pair, then the highest-ranking card (highest in value) of each player’s five-card hand decides the winning hand.

Pai Gow Payoffs

You must win both hands outright to receive a payout. All winning wagers are paid out at even money (1 to 1) – less commission. The house wins if both of the dealer’s hands are winners, or if one hand wins and the other hand is a draw. Any other combination results in a push.

There is a 5% commission on all player wins, which will be deducted from your payout. Thus, a $10 winning wager will return $19.50 (player’s $10 wager plus $10 in winnings minus the $0.50 commission). No commission is collected on losing hands or ties. So, apart from the commission, the payoffs on all winning wagers are basically at even money.