Pai Gow Poker in Singapore is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, along with one Joker. The objective of the game is to form two poker hands: a five-card hand (high hand) and a two-card hand (low hand) that are stronger than the dealer’s hands.
Each player, including the dealer, is dealt seven cards. Players must divide their seven cards into high and low hands to win. The high hand must always be stronger than the low hand.
When creating the high hand, standard poker hand rankings apply. The strongest hand is a royal flush, followed by a straight flush, four-of-a-kind, full house, flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, two pairs, one pair, and finally, the high card. Note that the Ace can be used as both the highest and lowest card in a straight.
The low-hand rankings differ slightly from the high-hand rankings. The best possible low hand is a pair of aces, followed by any other pair, and then the highest individual card. The Joker can be used to complete a flush or a straight, but it acts as an Ace if not used in that way.
After players set their hands, the dealer reveals their cards and sets their hands according to the “house way,” a specific set of rules. The dealer’s hands must follow the same ranking rules as the players’. If both of the player’s hands are stronger than the dealer’s corresponding hands, the player wins. If only one hand is stronger, it’s a push, and if both of the player’s hands are weaker, the player loses.
Ties are common in Pai Gow. If the player’s high hand ties with the dealer’s high hand and the player’s low hand ties with the dealer’s low hand, it’s a push, and the player’s bet is returned. If only one hand ties, it’s a push for that specific hand, and the other hand is determined by the strength of the remaining unmatched hands.