pai gow

[E-town-guy]

I've never played the game but assumed it had the same odds as most other table games, i.e. they favored the house. Though recently I heard someone say that a good player can win at the game; I also saw a book online titled something like "how to win money at pai gow". My question is can someone win money at the game in the long run or is it just as bad as every other table game?

[Mikeaber]

Originally Posted by E-town-guy

I've never played the game but assumed it had the same odds as most other table games, i.e. they favored the house. Though recently I heard someone say that a good player can win at the game; I also saw a book online titled something like "how to win money at pai gow". My question is can someone win money at the game in the long run or is it just as bad as every other table game?

I am not trying to be a smart-a$$, but I think that http://www.wizardofodds.com/ is the first place you should check with inquiries such as this one. The Wizard states a house edge of 2.75%. I had a book given me a couple of years ago called "Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling." It quotes the house edge at 2.84% based on Wong's calculations. Of course, both quotes assume perfect table strategy.

In comparrison, where Blackjack is averaging around a .5% house edge (AVERAGE I said!) and Bacarrat is around .60% with the 4% commission and somewhere between 1% and 2% with the 5% commission (commission on the banker bet), you can see that Pai Gow is one of the run of the mill "circus" games. Might be fun for a change if you don't mind that kind of odds. Let-it-ride is up there with Pai Gow with a house edge of something on the order of 3.51%

[zengrifter]

Originally Posted by E-town-guy

I've never played the game but assumed it had the same odds as most other table games, i.e. they favored the house. Though recently I heard someone say that a good player can win at the game; I also saw a book online titled something like "how to win money at pai gow". My question is can someone win money at the game in the long run or is it just as bad as every other table game?

You can have a good advantage at Pai Gow, but not the house-banked casino versions - only in private and poker-room versions when and where you are the superior player. zg

[E-town-guy]

Thanks smart ass Mikeaber and Zengrifter. I have no idea how to play the game and was just curious about the odds. I did look at Wizardofodds site and saw that the house has an edge due to a commission but I wasn't sure if that was standard at all casinos or that all casinos have a similar commission rate. Nonetheless I'm convinced the game, in its casino form, is more of a sucker game.

Thanks

[Mikeaber]

I've played it on a computer simulated table. Never could get anywhere with it <LOL>