Pai Gow originated in China as a form of dominoes with tile like pieces, and is believed to be hundreds of years old. The term Pai Gow literally means "make nine" and in the ancient version of the game, the dominoes on the board were divided into military and civilian players. Not a lot is known about the evolution of the game, and how it came to be played in glitzy western casinos. The form of Pai Gow poker that's played these days is a blend of traditional Pai Gow and poker.

It was the team of Sam Torosian and Fred Wolf who were responsible for the introduction and promotion of Pai Gow poker to main stream gambling. Wolf, a casino owner introduced the game at his California casinos. Its popularity led to it appearing at casino tables in Las Vegas. There was one major change that Pai Gow made as it transformed itself from a Chinese treasure to an American favorite - it replaced its dominoes with cards.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

In Pai Gow, a player must manage two hands of cards instead of one. Just as in regular poker, players must place a bet before beginning the game. The dealer will then go ahead, and deal seven cards to each player. Each player will arrange these into sets of two hands - five cards in one and two in the other.

The dealer too will receive awards, and he too will have to arrange these into two hands.

The hand with five cards is called the high hand, and the hand with two cards is called the "low hand." The high hand needs to be higher than the low hand for the player to qualify. The player wins if both his hands are higher than both he dealers' hands. If only one of his hands is higher than the dealers, it's considered a tie. If both the dealer's hands and your hands are the same, the dealer wins.

Like many other poker games, Pai Gow too has found its way online. In online Pai Gow the machine will give you the option of arranging your cards automatically. Simply press "House way" and your cards will be arranged by the machine.

There are some basic differences between Pai Gow and other forms of poker. The number of cards in a deck in this game is 53, the last card being a Joker or wild card which can be used as an ace.

Online versions of Pai Gow poker have more interesting variations that pit the player against the value of his own hand. As an online poker game, Pai Gow is finding increasing favor among gaming aficionados.