Safari Casino Pai-Gow
Poker is played and programmed according to Atlantic City Poker
rules.
Authority: New
Jersey Casino Control Commission.
Rule Exceptions:
none.
The objective of
Pai-Gow Poker is for both of the player's two hands (denoted the
high and low hands) to rank higher than both of the banker's two
hands. The player receives seven cards and makes two traditional
poker hands - one of five cards (the high hand), another of two
(the low hand). The rankings of the two hands are based upon a
basic poker ranking. Thus, the highest two-card hand is two aces
and the highest five-card hand is five aces (four aces + the
joker).
The player begins
by placing a wager on the Pai-Gow table. To do this, click on the
chips at the bottom center of the game screen. This will
automatically select the minimum bet amount. The wager amount can
be increased by left-clicking on the chips at the bottom center of
the game screen. The wager amount is decreased by right-clicking
on the chips.
Once the wager is
placed, the player presses the "Deal" button. The dealer
deals the player seven cards face up and himself seven cards face
down. One standard deck of 52 cards plus one joker is used.
The joker is not
wild but can be used only as an ace or as a card to complete a
straight, a flush, a straight flush or a royal flush.
After the player
has his seven cards, he must form two hands. The low hand must
contain two cards and the high hand five cards. To do this, the
player must select the two cards that he wishes to be in the low
hand by left-clicking on them. Cards may be unselected by clicking
them again. Selected cards will shift up out of the line of
player's cards on the game screen.
Note:
When forming hands, the rank of the five-card high hand must be
higher than the rank of the two-card low hand. If this is not true
a messagebox will be displayed asking the player to re-split their
hand. Once the player has set both hands, pressing the
"Done" button will end the hand. The dealer will split
his cards according to fixed house rules and will then compare the
player's hand rank with his own. To win the wager, the player's
low and high hand must both rank higher than the dealer's low and
high hand, respectively. If one of the player's hands is higher in
rank than the dealer's and the other is lower or equal, this is a
tie and the player's wager is returned. Otherwise, the player's
wager is lost. If both hands are identical, the dealer also wins.
The hand rankings
are as follows (from highest to lowest):
 |
| Hand |
Description |
|
| Four
aces + Joker |
A,
A, A, A, Joker |
|
| Royal
Flush |
A,
K, Q, J, 10 (all same suit) |
|
| Straight
Flush |
K,
Q, J, 10, 9 (all same suit) to A, 2, 3, 4, 5 (all same
suit) |
|
| Four
of a Kind |
Any
four of the same number or face cards |
|
| Full
House |
[Three
of a Kind] + [any pair] |
|
| Flush |
Any
combination of cards but all same suit |
|
| Straight |
A,
K, Q, J, 10 to A, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
|
| Three
of a Kind |
Any
three of the same number or face cards |
|
| Two
Pairs |
[One
Pair] + [One Pair] |
|
| One
Pair |
Any
two of same number or face cards |
|
| High
Card |
None
of the hands listed above. Your highest card, ranked from
highest to lowest as follows: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2 |
|
Note:
When comparing two high hands or two low hands which are of
identical poker and hand rank, the hand which contains the
highest ranking card shall be considered the higher ranking
hand. If the two hands are of identical rank after this
comparison, the hands are considered a copy hand and the dealer
wins.
Every time a player
wins a hand he/she is paid even money less a 5% commission. No
commission is collected on losing hands or ties. Thus, a $10
winning wager will return $19.50 (player's $10 wager plus $10 in
winnings minus the $0.50 commission).
$5 minimum bet.
$300 maximum bet.
You may also set
your table bet limit below the maximum specified limit by
selecting Bet Options from the Game Menu. The Modify Table Bet
Limit window will appear on the screen. To reduce your maximum
table bet limit type in the new limit in the appropriate box and
confirm it by typing your PIN in the box below. Click on the OK
button to complete the update. Please be aware that you can modify
your table bet limit no more than once per week (Friday 12:00 AM
EST) and that using the Modify Table Bet Limit function affects
the bet limit for all games and not just the game that you are
currently playing.
|
| Keyboard
Entry |
Action |
|
| 0 |
Repeat
last bet |
|
| Enter |
Deal,
Done |
|
| 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |
Toggle
Status of the Cards
(from left to right using numbers above alphabetic
keyboard) |
|
| Del
and . |
Remove
Bets |
|
| Up
Arrow |
Increase
bet by $1 |
|
| Down
Arrow |
Decrease
bet by $1 |
|
| "<Shift>
+ Up Arrow" |
Increase
bet by $10 |
|
| "<Shift>
+ Down Arrow" |
Decrease
bet by $10 |
|
To activate numeric
keyboard shortcuts use the keypad to the right of the keyboard
except to toggle cards 1 - 7 in which case the numbers above the
alphabetic keyboard. For keyboards without keypads, you must use
the "Fn" key plus the shortcuts above (e.g. Fn + Enter).
Note:
You may turn on/off
the Sound, Voice and Animation during the game by clicking on the
"Settings" button located in the lower left-hand area of
the console. The setting is turned on when the checkbox is checked
and it is turned off when the checkbox is unchecked.
For further
information on Pai-Gow poker, please consult the following
references:
Tamburin, Henry. Reference
Guide to Casino Gambling, Research Services Unlimited, 1993.
Wong,
Stanford. Optimal Strategy for Pai Gow Poker, Pi Yee Press,
1992.
|
