Pai Gow is a gambling game in which each round stands independent; the rules are adapted here to make it a scoring game.
Also Known As:
Make Nine
Players
three to eight
Woodpile
One sets of Chinese dominoes is used. Each player begins with one hundred points.
The Ante
Before the deal each player sets their wager. Wagers are in increments of 10 points with a maximum wager of 50.
After all players have wagered the house offers one player the opportunity to be the bank and cover the wagers; the offer rotates around the table from hand to hand. The choices offered are to cover the whole bank, to split 50-50 with the house, or to decline the bank.
The Deal
Each player is dealt four dominoes.
The Play
The player offered the bank for the first hand is chosen at random; in subsequent hands the offer to be banker rotates around the table. During each hand players are trying to beat the banker.
Players must split their four dominoes into two pairs; a high pair and a low pair. After splitting their hands into pairs, each player compares his hands to the banker's hands to determine whether the player or the banker won.
The highest possible hand is the 4-2 & 2-1 pair, called Gee Joon (supreme pair). The other hands are ranked in four categories: Bo (pairs), Wongs (nine paired with heaven or earth), Gongs (eight paired with heaven or earth), and other hands. There are twenty ranking hands (Gee Joon, Bos, Gongs, and Wongs, listed following) in total.
Bo
4-2 & 2-1: Supreme (depending on the source, this is either the highest of the pairs or in a category by itself higher than the pairs)
6-6 & 6-6: Heaven
1-1 & 1-1: Earth
4-4 & 4-4: Man
3-1 & 3-1: Goose
5-5 & 5-5: Plum Flower
3-3 & 3-3: Double Three
2-2 & 2-2: Board
6-5 & 6-5: Axe
6-4 & 6-4: Partition
6-1 & 6-1: Long Leg Seven
5-1 & 5-1: Big Head Six
6-3 & 5-4: Jaap Gow (Mixed Nines)
6-2 & 5-3: Jaap Bart (Mixed Eights)
5-2 & 4-3: Jaap Chut (Mixed Sevens)
4-1 & 3-2: Jaap Ng (Mixed Fives)
Wongs
6-6 & 6-3/5-4
1-1 & 6-3/5-4
Gongs
6-6 & 6-2/5-3/4-4
1-1 & 6-2/5-3/4-4
Other Hands
If a hand does not fall into one of the other categories listed previously, its value is determined by summing the pips on both dominoes and subtracting multiples of ten to get a value between zero and nine. If used in one of these hands, the 4-2 and 2-1 are wild and count for either 3 or 6.
The banker's hands are compared to each other player's hands. Each player compares his high hand to the banker's high hand, and his low hand to the banker's low hand. If both the player's hands beat the banker's hands, the banker pays one point to the player. If both the banker's hands beat the player's hands, the player pays one point to the banker. Any other result is a tie.
If two high hands or two low hands are tied, the tie is broken by comparing the highest dominoes in the hands, except in the case of a tie between two non-ranking hands where the count is zero - the banker always wins ties of zero.
The player offered the opportunity to be banker is first compared to the house, and the hand is settled based on whether the player beats the house.
If the player chose to cover the bank or split the bank with the house, the player then becomes the banker whose hand all other players must beat. If the player's hand fails to beat the banker's hand the banker collects the player's wager; otherwise the banker pays out to the player the amount wagered.
Play continues until all players go bust or until one or more players make 200 points.
Scoring
Points are transferred between the banker and each player each hand based on whether the banker or the player holds a higher hand.
Victory
Any player who has over 200 points at the end of a round wins. It is possible for multiple players to go over 200 and win in the same round.
Variations for At-Home Play
Pai Gow may be played as a banking game with no house. Give each player the same number of poker chips before the game begins.
A player is picked at random to be banker for the first round. The banker states the limit on wagers players may make for the round; players then set chips in front of them indicating their wager for the round.
Play is otherwise as described above.