Pai Gow and the Losing
Chicken
28 June 2004
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
In Pai Gow Poker, do you ever recommend being
the banker? Hector A.
Pai Gow Poker is played with up to six players
and the banker, each being dealt seven cards.
There is no draw. You (skillfully, of course)
arrange your cards into two poker hands, one of
five cards and the other of two. To win, both
your five-card hand and your two-card hand must
beat the banker's corresponding hands. Winning
one hand and losing the other is a push or tie,
where you neither win nor lose.
Typically, the dealer banks the game, but in Pai
Gow Poker, any player can be the banker. A small
plastic marker called a "chung" is placed on top
of dealt cards indicating who the banker is. If
you wish to be a banker, Hector, all you have to
do is tell the dealer before the cards are dealt
that you want to bank the game, and he will
automatically place the chung in your betting
circle.
The advantage to being the banker is that you
win copies. A "copy" occurs when a player and
the banker have the same two-card hand, or the
same five-card hand. For example, both the
player and the banker have an ace and a seven as
their two-card hands, creating a tie or copy.
The disadvantage to being the banker is that you
must have the bankroll to book the action of all
the players at the table. If your hand is a
loser, you have to pay all the winning bets,
including the dealer's. Additionally, you can
only be the banker for one hand, after which the
bank reverts to the dealer for the next hand.
Finally, as far as the five percent commission
for each winning bet is concerned, the house
still gets its take whether you're the banker or
not.
So, Hector, is it smart to be the banker, even
though, as just another player, BUT playing
perfect basic strategy, you can lower the casino
edge to 2.5 percent? Absolutely. Since the
banker wins all ties, you might as well take
advantage of being the bank and grinding away at
the house edge even further. However-pay
attention now-if your bankroll is limited, bank
the game only when you are the lone player at
the table.
The reason for playing against the dealer is
that the dealer's wager will be only the amount
of your last bet. Consequently, you won't be at
the risk of losing any more money than you would
be as a regular player. Better yet, if you
request it, the dealer will bet only the table
minimum.
Dear Mark,
I read your article about the chicken
tic-tac-toe game and I wanted to let you know
that I happened to be a winner against a
chicken. My husband and I were in Florida this
winter and went to the Coconut Creek Casino in
Coconut Creek. I played the game and won
$5000.00. My husband wanted to take the chicken
instead of the money and cook it but the manager
said no. Instead, he did give me a stuffed toy
chicken. I have him sitting in my den, reminding
me of the good times we had in Florida. Mary S.
Whichever is it, Mary, an out-of -this-world
recipe for chicken, or, simply that you lived
through the depression (Hoover's "chicken in
every pot and a car in every garage"), I'd still
take the $5,000 and run.
Gambling quote of the week: "People who deny
that the laws of probability exist are generally
very unintelligent. So although I have some
skepticism, it's on a different level than the
person on the street. Their skepticism is based
on ignorance. Mine is based on philosophical
bewilderment." Poker Player Mike C. Poker Faces:
The Life and Work of Professional Card Players
(1982)
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