Atlassino Academy · Other tables · Lesson 7 of 10
Setting the seven cards yourself
Two publishers print a house way for setting seven Pai Gow cards. Here is what each does with no pair, two pairs and bigger hands, and what each setting averages.
Seven Pai Gow cards: 4♣ 4♦ J♠ J♥ A♦ 9♠ 3♣. Two pairs, a low one and a high one, and an ace. How does a printed house way set them?
The short answer
Keep both pairs together in the five-card hand and put the ace and the nine in the two-card hand. Both printed house ways set a low pair with a high pair this way when an ace is among the other cards, and split the pairs when it is not. Against a banker who sets by the B.C. house strategy, keeping the pairs together is worth about the same as, inside the margin of the sample, splitting them.
The house way: both pairs together, the ace and the nine in front
Two-card hand: A♦ 9♠. Five-card hand: J♠ J♥ 4♦ 4♣ 3♣.
The pairs split, the fours in front
Two-card hand: 4♦ 4♣. Five-card hand: A♦ J♠ J♥ 9♠ 3♣.
Both pairs together, the nine and the three in front
Two-card hand: 9♠ 3♣. Five-card hand: A♦ J♠ J♥ 4♦ 4♣.
The same seven cards in all three pictures; only the two cards in the two-card hand change, and the value under each picture changes with them. Each value is what the setting averages for each unit bet against 20,000 banker hands drawn from the cards left: a plus means the setting brings back more than the bet on average, a minus means less, and the figure after ± is the margin of the sample. It is the value of this one hand already dealt, not of the game: over every hand dealt, the game costs the player a share of each bet, which lesson 9.6 works out.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
When I dealt pai gow, the house hand was never mine to set. A printed order set it, the same way on every hand, and I only had to follow it.
A player can set the same seven cards any way that does not foul. The printed order is the place to start, because it makes both hands work instead of one.
Five cards behind, two in front, and the foul
The seven cards are set into two hands: a five-card hand, kept behind, and a two-card hand, put in front. The two-card hand may not rank above the five-card hand; set it higher, and the hand is a foul, which loses the bet.
Can be played
Two-card hand: A♠ Q♥. Five-card hand: 9♦ 9♣ 7♣ 4♦ 2♠.
A foul
Two-card hand: 9♦ 9♣. Five-card hand: A♠ Q♥ 7♣ 4♦ 2♠.
The same seven cards in both pictures. Moving the pair of nines to the front leaves the five-card hand without a pair, and the setting fouls.
Seven cards can be set 21 ways. When the five-card hand holds no straight or flush, the ones that foul are easy to spot: a pair in front with a lower pair or no pair behind, or, when neither hand has a pair, a higher card in front than the highest card behind. A straight or a flush behind outranks any pair in front.
A setting that does not foul can still leave one hand with nothing to do. The five-card hand is compared with the banker’s five-card hand and the two-card hand with the banker’s two-card hand, and lesson 9.6 shows how the two results settle the bet.
Two printed house ways
A house way is a fixed order for setting the seven cards, the same on every hand. Of the documents we could read, two print one: the house strategy in the rules for B.C. casinos, which the dealer uses for the house hand at all times, and the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort, which its dealer has to follow for the dealer’s own hand.
- Rules for B.C. casinosThe house strategythe dealer sets the house hand by it, at all times
- Fallsview Casino ResortThe house waysthe dealer’s hand is set by them, a wrong setting is reset, and the categories are ranked from the lowest to the highest
- Rules for Quebec casinosNo printed house wayin the rules we could read
Two orders, read side by side. They agree on most hands and part on a few. Two documents read is all this says: other casinos may set hands their own way or the same way, and no document we could read tells either.
At Fallsview Casino Resort, a player who asks has the dealer set the hand by its house ways. The rules for B.C. and Quebec casinos say nothing about such a request, which is not the same as saying no.
No pair, one pair, and three kinds of pair
With no pair, both printed house ways keep the highest card in the five-card hand and put the second and third highest cards in the two-card hand. With one pair, the pair stays in the five-card hand and the next two highest cards go to the two-card hand.
No pair
Two-card hand: 10♦ 8♣. Five-card hand: K♠ 7♥ 5♠ 3♦ 2♣.
One pair
Two-card hand: A♠ Q♥. Five-card hand: 9♦ 9♣ 7♣ 4♦ 2♠.
In both hands the strongest thing stays behind, and the next two cards make the two-card hand as strong as it can be without fouling.
Every pair falls into one of three kinds, and both printed house ways use the same three. The kind of each pair decides what happens to two pairs.
| Kind | Ranks |
|---|---|
| Low pair | twos to sixes |
| Medium pair | sevens to tens |
| High pair | jacks to kings (the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort call them face cards) |
| A pair of aces | its own line in the rules for two pairs |
Two pairs: together or split
Two pairs can stay together in the five-card hand, with the two highest other cards in front, or be split: the higher pair stays behind and the lower pair goes to the two-card hand. When the B.C. house strategy splits, the lower pair always goes in front.
| The two pairs | The B.C. house strategy | The house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort |
|---|---|---|
| Low with low or medium | split, unless the other cards hold an ace, or a king with a queen or a jack | split, unless the other cards hold an ace, a king or the joker |
| Low with high | split, unless an ace is among the other cards | split, unless an ace or the joker is among the other cards |
| Medium with medium | split, unless an ace is among the other cards | split, unless an ace or the joker is among the other cards |
| High with medium or high | always split | split |
| Aces with any pair | always split | split |
The house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort split two pairs in the same places as the B.C. house strategy, except in the row marked in the table: a king with no queen or jack beside it keeps two low pairs, or a low and a medium pair, together in the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort and not in the B.C. house strategy. Where the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort name the joker beside the ace, the B.C. house strategy names only the ace; the joker plays as an ace there, which lesson 9.6 explains, so those hands are set the same way.
The B.C. house strategy: split the pairs
Two-card hand: 3♦ 3♣. Five-card hand: K♦ 8♣ 5♠ 5♥ 2♠.
The house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort: keep the pairs together
Two-card hand: K♦ 8♣. Five-card hand: 5♠ 5♥ 3♦ 3♣ 2♠.
The same seven cards: two low pairs, a king, an eight and a two. The B.C. house strategy wants a queen or a jack beside the king before it keeps the pairs together, and the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort keep them together for the king alone. Against a banker who sets by the B.C. house strategy, the B.C. setting is worth less than the other.
Seven cards: 3♣ 3♦ 5♠ 5♥ Joker 8♣ 2♠.
Three pairs, three of a kind and the bigger hands
With three pairs, both printed house ways put the highest pair in the two-card hand. Three of a kind stays in the five-card hand, with one exception both print: three aces are split, and one ace goes in front with the next highest card. For two sets of three of a kind, the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort put a pair from the higher set in front.
Three pairs
Two-card hand: Q♠ Q♦. Five-card hand: 8♥ 8♣ 5♠ 5♦ 2♣.
Three of a kind
Two-card hand: A♥ J♠. Five-card hand: 7♠ 7♦ 7♣ 4♦ 2♣.
Three pairs put the highest pair in front; three of a kind keeps the three cards behind and sends the two highest other cards forward.
For straights and flushes, the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort say this. With no pair, keep behind the straight or flush that leaves the higher two-card hand. With one pair, put the pair in front if the straight or flush can stay behind, except a pair of tens to kings with an ace or the joker, which stays behind.
Both printed house ways have lines for full houses, four of a kind and five aces.
| The hand | The B.C. house strategy, in the lines quoted here | The house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort |
|---|---|---|
| Full house with two other cards | split, the pair in front, in nearly every case | the pair always goes in front |
| Four of a kind, twos to sixes | never split | never split |
| Four of a kind, sevens to tens | split, unless an ace can go in front | split, unless an ace or the joker can go in front |
| Four of a kind, higher | jacks to aces: always split | face cards: always split |
| Five aces | split, two aces in front | split, two aces in front; with a pair of kings, the kings go in front |
The B.C. column holds only the lines of its house strategy quoted on this page, so a line that only the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort show, such as five aces with a pair of kings, is not by itself a difference between the two. Where the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort say “an ace or the joker”, the B.C. line says “an ace”, and the joker plays as an ace there, as with two pairs.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Setting your own hand changes the split, not who keeps the edge. The house way is the order that sets the house hand, and the house keeps its edge whichever way you set yours.
Decide the money and the time for the evening before you sit down, and stop when either runs out. A hand that went wrong is not a reason to put more down: chasing a loss is lesson 10.3.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being entertainment, help is available. 19+ in most of Canada; 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. More on responsible gaming.
The lesson on one card
That is the lesson. Here it is on one card: print it, or keep it on your phone.
| The two pairs | The B.C. house strategy |
|---|---|
| Low with low or medium | split, unless the other cards hold an ace, or a king with a queen or a jack |
| Low with high | split, unless an ace is among the other cards |
| Medium with medium | split, unless an ace is among the other cards |
| High with medium or high | always split |
| Aces with any pair | always split |
No pair: highest card behind, next two in front. One pair: pair behind, next two in front. Three pairs: highest pair in front.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB, QC) · Set a limit before you sit down · Play responsibly · the line for your province is at Helplines by province
Practice: set the hand
Level 1 deals seven cards and shows four ways to set them, and one of the four is a foul. Level 2 deals seven cards and asks how the printed house way sets them; every setting shows what it averages against a banker who sets by the B.C. house strategy, from a sample with its margin. Where the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort set two pairs differently, the answer says so; other hands follow the B.C. house strategy only.
Nothing is bet here, and no banker hand is dealt: each hand stops at the moment you set the seven cards.
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Level 1 · Foul or not
Seven cards
One of these four settings is a foul. Which one?
- Two-card hand J♠ 10♦ · five-card hand A♥ 8♥ 7♣ 3♠ 2♠ The five-card hand (ace high) ranks above the two-card hand (jack and ten), so this setting can be played.
- Two-card hand 3♠ 2♠ · five-card hand A♥ J♠ 10♦ 8♥ 7♣ The five-card hand (ace high) ranks above the two-card hand (three and two), so this setting can be played.
- Two-card hand A♥ J♠ · five-card hand 10♦ 8♥ 7♣ 3♠ 2♠ The two-card hand (ace and jack) ranks above the five-card hand (ten high): a foul, and a foul hand loses the bet.
- Two-card hand J♠ 8♥ · five-card hand A♥ 10♦ 7♣ 3♠ 2♠ The five-card hand (ace high) ranks above the two-card hand (jack and eight), so this setting can be played.
With no pair, straight or flush among the seven cards, a setting fouls exactly when the two-card hand takes the highest card: the five-card hand is then left with a lower highest card than the two-card hand holds. A foul is a two-card hand that ranks above its own five-card hand.
Level 2 · The house way
Seven cards
How does the printed house way set these seven cards?
- Two-card hand Q♣ 10♠ · five-card hand A♦ 9♠ 6♦ 3♥ 2♦ This is the B.C. house strategy: with no pair, the highest card stays in the five-card hand and the second and third highest cards go to the two-card hand. Against a banker who sets by the same strategy, this setting averages −0.657 ± 0.010 of a bet; with Q♣ 9♠ in the two-card hand the seven cards average −0.653 ± 0.009, which is inside the margin of the sample.
- Two-card hand 10♠ 9♠ · five-card hand A♦ Q♣ 6♦ 3♥ 2♦ Averages −0.764 ± 0.007 of a bet, worth less than the house way, with Q♣ 10♠ in the two-card hand. It leaves a stronger five-card hand than the house way does, and a weaker two-card hand.
- Two-card hand 3♥ 2♦ · five-card hand A♦ Q♣ 10♠ 9♠ 6♦ Averages −0.841 ± 0.006 of a bet, worth less than the house way, with Q♣ 10♠ in the two-card hand. It leaves a stronger five-card hand than the house way does, and a weaker two-card hand.
- Two-card hand 10♠ 6♦ · five-card hand A♦ Q♣ 9♠ 3♥ 2♦ Averages −0.786 ± 0.007 of a bet, worth less than the house way, with Q♣ 10♠ in the two-card hand. It leaves a stronger five-card hand than the house way does, and a weaker two-card hand.
The B.C. house strategy: with no pair, the highest card stays in the five-card hand and the second and third highest cards go to the two-card hand. Each value comes from 4,000 banker hands drawn from the cards left, each set by the B.C. house strategy, so each value carries its margin.
Every hand in the practice run is worked out the same way: all twenty-one ways to set the seven cards are listed, the ones that foul are marked, and each of the others is played against a sample of banker hands set by the B.C. house strategy.
How the practice run works
Where the hands come from. The seven cards come from shuffled decks with a fixed seed, so every visitor sees the same hands. Hands with the joker, and hands that reach a line of the house strategy this lesson does not quote, are left out.
What each figure is. All twenty-one settings of the seven cards are listed and the ones that foul are marked. Each of the others is played against 4,000 banker hands drawn from the cards left and set by the B.C. house strategy, and the average for each unit bet is shown with its margin. A wrong answer in level 2 is a setting that averages clearly less than the house way: further below it than twice the margin.
One strip, and no rounds. Every square on the strip is one hand of this lesson. Your first answer fills its square; when the squares of one level are full, the next level begins by itself. Practising a hand you got wrong turns its cross into “fixed in practice” and does not change the count.
Your progress stays in this browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Check yourself
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Five quick ones. Pick an answer, then check it. No timer, no points: just whether it stuck.
Back to the question we opened with. In 4♣ 4♦ J♠ J♥ A♦ 9♠ 3♣ both pairs stay together behind, and the ace and the nine go in front: both printed house ways set a low pair with a high pair this way when an ace is there.
Where to go next, and further reading
19+ (18+ in AB, MB, QC) · Play responsibly · the helplines are further up this page
Further reading
- Rules of Play for Table Games — Poker · BCLCThe House Strategy that B.C. dealers follow when they set the house hand, from no pair to five aces.
- Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · Fallsview Casino ResortA commission-free version of the game and the full list of house ways one casino prints.
How it’s worked out
House ways, numbers, sources and hosts
Where this happens. Every hand on this page is set at a live pai gow poker table with a dealer. The house strategy in the rules for B.C. casinos is a set of rules for a province’s casinos, not a report of what any one room does; the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort belong to that one room and are printed with its Face Up Pai Gow, a different version of the game, which lesson 9.6 describes.
Numbers. Every value is a simulation with a fixed seed: each setting of the seven cards is played against a sample of banker hands drawn from the cards left, each banker hand set by the B.C. house strategy, a paid bet counted after the commission and A-2-3-4-5 counted as the lowest straight, as in the B.C. rules, both of which lesson 9.6 explains. The banker hands are set by the whole house strategy, including lines this lesson does not quote. The pictures use 20,000 banker hands and the practice run 4,000. Each value is printed with its margin, and one setting is called worth more than another only when the gap is larger than twice the margin. Our checks recompute every figure from the engine rather than reading it back from this page.
What is deliberately absent. The joker, equal hands, who banks, the commission and the price of the game are lesson 9.6; choosing a table by the price of an hour is lesson 9.10. No document we could read prints a house way in the rules for Quebec casinos. The practice run says where the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort set a hand differently only for two pairs, where the one difference is a king beside two low pairs, or a low and a medium pair; the joker, which the practice run leaves out, is in the text and the tables. Straights, flushes and two sets of three of a kind are quoted here only from the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort, so the practice run leaves those hands out.
Sources. Every rule and every claim on this page carries a button with the sentence it rests on, the publisher who wrote that sentence and the date we read it.
Hosts. Leo and Maya are illustrated characters. Their backstories, a former dealer and a former floor supervisor, are written for the course: neither is a real person, and neither speaks for any casino. The rules and numbers on this page come from the sources it cites, not from their experience.
No promise. Pai gow poker is played against the house. Setting the seven cards well makes both hands work and keeps a foul away; nothing on this page turns the game in your favour, and nothing here says how an evening at the table would end.
Paid, push or lost
Both the two card and five card hands must be higher in value than the Banker's for the Player to win.
If only one of the Players' hand is higher than the Banker's hand, the result is a push.
If both of the Players' hands are lower than the Banker's hand, the Player loses their wager.
Section 2.0 Pai Gow Poker, 8.3.1 to 8.4.4
If both the player’s hands outrank the Banker’s corresponding hands, the player wins and his bet is paid even money.
If one of the player’s hands outranks the Banker’s corresponding hand and his other hand ranks lower or equal to the Banker’s corresponding hand, it is considered a tie and the player’s bet is a push.
In all other cases, the player’s bet loses.
A foul hand
A hand that is set making the low hand higher than the high hand is a fouled hand and an automatic loser.
Section 2.0 Pai Gow Poker, 8.3.1 to 8.4.4
The five-card hand must rank equal to or higher than the two-card hand, otherwise the player loses his bet.
d) If the Banker sets a foul hand, the hand will be reset according to House Ways.
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
Two printed house ways
The following is a list of Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort's Pai Gow Poker House Ways.
a) The Dealer must set their hand according to the House Ways.
b) If the Dealer does not set their hand according to the House Ways, the hand will be reset.
d) If the Banker sets a foul hand, the hand will be reset according to House Ways.
The House Ways are ranked from the lowest category (1), to the highest (10).
If the hand contains more than one category, the Dealer will use the category that is ranked higher according to these House Ways and the cards will be set according to those rules.
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
The House Strategy shall be used by the Dealer at all times when setting the house hand.
Section 2.0 Pai Gow Poker, 9 House Strategy: 9.1 to 9.6.1, 9.9, 9.10 and 9.13
Asking the dealer to set your hand
c) If requested, the Dealer will set a Player’s hand according to the House Ways.
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
No pair and one pair
NO PAIR: Use the highest card in the high hand then use second and third highest cards in the low hand.
ONE PAIR: Use the pair in the high hand and the next highest cards for the low hand.
Section 2.0 Pai Gow Poker, 9 House Strategy: 9.1 to 9.6.1, 9.9, 9.10 and 9.13
1. NO PAIR – Use the second and third highest ranked cards for the low hand.
2. ONE PAIR – Always use the pair as the high hand and use the highest ranking cards for the low hand.
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
Three kinds of pair
Low Pair = 2's through 6's
Medium Pair = 7's through 10's
High Pair = Jacks through Kings
Section 2.0 Pai Gow Poker, 9 House Strategy: 9.1 to 9.6.1, 9.9, 9.10 and 9.13
3. TWO PAIRS – Pairs will be grouped into three categories:
2's – 6's (low pair).
7's – 10's (medium pair).
Face cards (high pair).
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
Two pairs, in the rules for B.C. casinos
TWO PAIRS: When splitting, always play the lowest pair in the low hand.
Low with Low/Medium: Split unless holding a King/Queen or King/Jack or better, then play two pairs in high hand.
Low with High: Split unless holding an Ace, then play two pairs in high hand.
Medium with Medium: Split unless holding an Ace, then play two pairs in high hand.
High with Medium/High: Always split.
Aces with any Pair: Always split.
Section 2.0 Pai Gow Poker, 9 House Strategy: 9.1 to 9.6.1, 9.9, 9.10 and 9.13
Two pairs, in the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort
Low Pair with Low Pair or Medium Pair – Split unless holding an Ace, King or Joker.
Low Pair with High Pair – Split unless holding an Ace or Joker.
Medium Pair with Medium Pair – Split unless holding an Ace or Joker.
Split All Other Situations – Example: high pair with high pair or any pair with a pair of Aces.
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
Three pairs and three of a kind
THREE PAIRS: Use the highest pair for the low hand.
THREE OF A KIND: Always play in high hand.
Exception: Split three aces, leaving a pair of aces in the high hand.
Section 2.0 Pai Gow Poker, 9 House Strategy: 9.1 to 9.6.1, 9.9, 9.10 and 9.13
Always play the highest pair in the low hand.
Play the three-of-a-kind in the high hand except for the following:
Three Aces – Play one of the Aces in the low hand with the next highest ranking card.
6. TWO THREE-OF-A-KIND – Play a pair of the highest three-of-a-kind in the low hand.
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
Straights and flushes, in the house ways of Fallsview Casino Resort
With No Pair – Play the category (straight, flush, straight flush or royal flush) that gives you the best low hand.
With One Pair – Play the pair in the low hand if the straight, flush, straight flush or royal flush can be preserved in the high hand.
EXCEPTION RULE: If there are a pair of 10's – Kings and an Ace or a Joker, then play the pair in the high hand.
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
Full house, four of a kind and five aces
FULL HOUSE: In virtually all cases a Full House plus two odd cards are split, with the pair in the low hand.
FOUR OF A KIND (with three odd cards):
2, 3, 4, 5, 6's never split, keep in high hand;
7, 8, 9, 10's split, unless there is an Ace to play in low hand;
J, Q, K, A's always split.
FIVE ACES: Split and play two Aces in low hand.
Section 2.0 Pai Gow Poker, 9 House Strategy: 9.1 to 9.6.1, 9.9, 9.10 and 9.13
Three-Of-A-Kind and A Pair – Always play the pair in the low hand.
Three-Of-A-Kind and Two Pair – Play the highest of the pairs in the low hand.
2's – 6's: Never split. Play the four-of-a-kind in the high hand.
7's – 10's: Split unless an Ace or Joker can be played in the low hand, then keep four-of-a-kind in the high hand.
Face Cards: Always split.
10. FIVE ACES
Always split and play two Aces in the low hand.
EXCEPTION RULE: If there are five Aces and a pair of Kings, then the Kings will be played in the low hand.
Fallsview Casino Resort · Playing Face Up Pai Gow Poker — House Ways · read
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