Now let us become versed in some different kinds of poker other than Texas holdem, 7 card stud, 5 card draw and omaha high. Yes, pai gow poker. Now you might be thinking that double-hand sounds a bit Chinese; well you’re right, this game is a blending of the Chinese game pai gow and our very own American poker
Certainly this is not one of the highly popular types of poker but still widely played. It can be played by up to seven players. It’s played with one deck of cards, plus a joker. Interestingly, the Joker can only be used as an ace, or to complete a straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush. The important aspect here to always remember is aside from the usual ranking of hands we have one more winning hand which is "Five Aces" (five aces including the joker). Astonishingly, five aces is greater than all other hand yes, even a royal flush. Every gambler is given 7 cards. These cards are arranged to create 2 hands; a 2 card hand and a 5 card hand. The five card hand must rank higher or be equal to the 2 card hand.
After setting up the 2 hands, the cards are laid on the table with the faces down. Once on the table, you are no longer allowed to switch them. The croupier will flip over their cards and assemble his hands. Each players hand is played against the croupier’s hands. Should the player wins 1 hand and loses the other, this is known as "push" and absolutely no cash is lost or won. If dealer wins both hands then the bettor looses their bet and vice versa. Now if there is a tie, the croupier wins everything. Once the hand is competed, the very next person clock-wise becomes the croupier and the next hand is given out.