Pai Gow Poker Terminology
Ante - Your initial bet that you are wagering. You must
place this bet before you receive your cards.
Banker - The person who will be taking on bets for the hand. In a live casino, players take turns being the banker. In online casinos, the dealer is always the banker.
Commission - This is what the casino will take away from your winnings if you win both hands against the dealer. The normal commission for pai gow poker is 5%.
Copy Hand - When the player and the bankers hands are of identical rank. The banker wins a copy hand. Example: both dealer and player have the same straight in the high hand, or the same two cards in the low hand.
Dragon Hand - When one player is missing from a pai gow poker table, the dealer can deal a hand for the empty spot. This is called the Dragon hand. Another person is allowed to bet on the hand and play with two hands at the same time.
Dealer - The person that deals the cards. The dealer is not always the banker in live casinos and must play his hand according to the House Way.
Dice - Used to roll a number and see which person will be dealt their cards first.
Five Aces - you get all four aces and the joker card in your hand.
Foul Hand - This happens if you make your split and the low hand is able to beat the high hand. In this case, both hands lose.
Flush - receiving five cards of the same suit out of the seven cards in your hand, such as five Clubs.
Full House - getting a three of a kind and a pair in the seven cards you were dealt.
High Card - when you do not receive a pair or better and get 7 singletons in your hand.
High Hand - also called Highest hand. This is the five card hand that you split from the seven cards you were dealt.
House Advantage - the casinos have a 5% advantage because of the commission they take from winnings, plus a 2.5% advantage for the banker for winning copy hands.
House Way - this is how the dealer will play his cards according to the rules of the casino. This can vary slightly from casino to casino.
Joker - the Joker card can be used to complete a straight or flush if you have four cards to the straight or flush in your hand. Otherwise this card is valued as an Ace.
Loss - this is when the banker wins both the high and low hands.
Low Hand - also called Second Highest hand. This is the two card hand that you split from the seven cards.
Pair - cards of a matching rank, such as two Kings.
Player - any person that is playing their hand against the banker.
Push - this happens when the player and banker both win one of the two hands
RNG - random number generator. Either this or dice is used to determine which person will be dealt the cards first.
Royal Flush - receiving the 10,J,Q,K,A of the same suit.
Singleton - a card that does not match any other card in your hand, such as one Ace.
Split - this is the action you take to separate your low hand from you high hand.
Straight - receiving five cards of consecutive rank among the seven cards in your hand, such as 2,3,4,5,6.
Straight Flush - receive five consecutively ranked cards of the same suit.
Three of a Kind - also called Trips. This is when you receive three cards of the same rank, such as three Jacks.
Three Pairs - getting three sets of matching cards in the seven you were dealt.
Two Pairs - having two sets of matching cards in the seven you were dealt.
Win - this is when the player wins both the high and low hand.
Wheel - The second highest straight in pai gow poker. This happens when you get A,2,3,4,5 in your high hand.