The game has managed to remain a favorite of gamblers, especially at online poker sites. Pai Gow poker first hit casino floors back in the 1980s and became a pioneer for all of the poker-based table games that we see today. Not only does it add another card to the deck, but there are also strict rules for using the joker card. Winners come on about 21 percent of hands, so this is a high-volatility game, trading frequent losses for a chance at big wins – just the opposite of the steady-as-she-goes main pai-gow game.Knowing how to use the joker in Pai Gow is an important part of winning strategies for this popular casino game. Assuming a $5 Fortune bet, the bonus is $5 if another player has four of a kind, jumping to $20 on a straight flush, $50 on a royal, $250 on five Aces, $500 on a seven-card straight flush with the joker, $1,000 on a royal flush accompanied by a suited King-Queen and $3,000 for a straight flush with no joker. And the top prize of a 5,000-1 bonanza is for a seven-card straight flush that does not include the joker. The jackpot is 2,000-1 on a five-card royal flush accompanied by a suited King and Queen. A seven-card straight flush that includes the joker pays 1,000-1. In addition, there are big jackpots on three seven-card hands. Payoffs start at 2-1 on five-card straights, increasing to 3-1 on three of a kind, 4-1 on a flush, 5-1 on a full house, 25-1 on four of a kind, 50-1 on a straight flush, 150-1 on a royal flush and 400-1 on five Aces.

But each additional player reduces the edge by 0.92 percent, so that at a full seven-player table, it’s 2.3 percent – lower than the 2.5 percent on the base game. There are several pay tables available, but in the one I’ve seen most, the house edge is 7.8 percent if you’re playing alone. The game carries an “envy bonus,” meaning that when someone wins big, other players get something extra, too. That depends partly on how many players are at the table. That’s about a 4.8 million-to-1 shot, but hey, we can dream.Ī reader’s email asked about the house edge, and whether the Fortune bet was worth making. The Fortune Pai-Gow side bet injects a little excitement for jackpot hunters, including a big payoff of 5,000-1 on a seven-card straight flush that does not include the joker. Pai-gow poker is known as an even-keel, extended play kind of game.

Pai gow bonus payout