Online Pai Gow Poker Glossary

Any Seven – Wager that the very next roll will result in a seven.

Banker – This is the person who is betting against all of the players at the table. The banker typically has to rotate every turn or every other turn. You may need a larger bank roll to take a full table’s worth of action, but if you can afford it, this is a great way to play. The banker has the advantage because he or she wins all copies.

Bug – A slang term for the Joker – the game’s (semi) wild card.

Copies – The technical term for either a low hand or a high hand that exactly matches the banker’s corresponding hand. The banker always wins in the case of a copy.

Commission – The 5% fee that the casino takes out of all winnings paid by the bank. This is how the casino can profit from a game that does not have a built-in house edge.

Dragon Hand – The term for a hand that is dealt to an empty seat. The dealer must always create seven stacks of cards – enough for six players and the dealer to each receive one. When a seat is empty, the appropriate stack of cards is still dealt as a hand.

Hand Behind – A term for the five-card Pai Gow Poker hand. It earned this name because of its position behind the two-card hand on the table.

Hand in Front – A term for the two-card Pai Gow Poker hand. It earned this name because of its position in front of the five-card hand on the table.

High Card – This is the highest card in a player’s hand. Typically only referenced when the player’s hand is worth less than a pair.

High Hand – The five-card Pai Gow hand. Named for sitting “higher” on the table.

House Way – The set of rules that all dealers must follow when constructing their two Pai Gow Poker hands. This is the system they will advise when players ask them for help.

Joker – This is the card that is almost always used as the wild card in Pai Gow Poker. While it may sometimes be completely wild, more often than not it can only be wild to complete a Straight, a Flush, or a Straight Flush. If it does not have an opportunity to create one of these hands, then it is treated as an Ace instead.

Low Hand – The Pai Gow Poker hand that only has two cards. Sits “lower” on the table.

Push – Technical term for a tie. In Pai Gow Poker, this occurs when one of your hands beats the banker’s corresponding hand, and the other loses (or ties). This results in your bet being returned to you and nothing further happens.

Random Number Generator – The piece of software that allows an online casino to fairly and randomly draw cards from a digital deck.

Wild Card – This is the card that can represent any other card to make the best possible hand. It is typically represented by the Joker, and its addition make the deck have fifty three cards.