The history of Pai Gow poker lies in China, and the phrase Pai Gow literally means 'make nine'. It is possible to play Pai Gow using either cards or dominoes (in China, there is not much difference between cards and dominoes).

In the early Chinese dynasties, dominoes were used while modern versions use cards. It was its beauty that attracted audiences to it in Nevada and California. Prior to the game of Pai Gow, two Chinese gambling games were attributed to its development.

It is said that poker is basically an adaptation of two different Chinese card games. The two Chinese card games that Pai Gow is thought to be adapted from are called yu-p'u and yeh-tza. Some people consider both games to be card games, while some others consider yu-p'u to be something like modern poker dice.

Yeh-tza is considered to be a card game because of the meaning of its name (translated to English, it becomes leaves). And as many authors consider the relation between leaves and cards to be apparent, it was taken for granted that yeh-tza was a card game.

As Pai Gow is similar to poker, many players have learnt to enjoy Pai Gow as a recreational card game and are pretty enthusiastic about the game. It has grown in popularity in various casinos and is a great source of amusement and fun. It was in the 1800s that Pai Gow poker was played in the US. Since then, the game has changed a bit.

In the late 20th century that the game got transformed to the current form of Pai Gow poker which is a merge of the ancient Chinese game Pai Gow and the modern game of poker. Pai Gow poker is also known as double hand poker and was created in America by the team of Sam Torosian and Fred Wolf somewhere in the late 1900's. As Wolf was a casino owner, he found it easy to feature the game of Pai Gow poker in his casino.

Pai Gow poker became an instant hit in the US within a few years of its exposure. Pai Gow started being featured in Las Vegas casinos in 1986 and from there; it proceeded to the Atlantic City casinos.

Even the online casinos have started offering this variation of poker with its demand growing day by day. This is because most casual gamblers (with a limited bankroll) prefer playing Pai Gow poker in online casinos instead of taking flights to Las Vegas and spending money in hotels there.

Pai Gow poker is an easy game to learn and play and is thus a game that is suitable for both beginners and seasoned players. The advantage of playing Pai Gow poker over other games is that a small bankroll is sufficient for a player to last a long time in the game as it is a rather slow moving game. This is a game that is great for a change in poker games where you find some variety in the way poker is played.

The object of Pai-Gow poker is to make two winning poker hands to beat the banker's two hands. The player is dealt seven cards to be made into a five card hand, (which then becomes the high hand), and a two card hand (that becomes the low hand). These hands are then played and ranked as customary poker hands.

The only exceptions to this are: Ace, two, three, four, and five is the second highest straight, and the five card hand, which is the high hand, must be higher than the two card hand, which is the low hand. If the high hand and the low hand are better than the banker’s hands, you win. If you lose on both hands, you lose the game, otherwise it is a push. The banker always wins hands that are tied, such as king queen vs king queen.

This game uses all 52 cards, and one joker. The joker can be used as an Ace to make a flush or a straight. In Pai-Gow poker the only plan needed is how much to bet and how to set your hand. In the event you get stumped and don’t know what to do, you can show your hand to the dealer and they will tell you how the house would set the hand. Pairs usually win the two-card hands, and two pair usually wins the five-card hands, the only guesswork is when to split two pairs. This decision also depends on the house rules for splitting pairs. A hand that has no pairs is called a Pai-Gow.

This game is known as a relatively easy game to both learn and to play, making Pai-Gow suitable for both beginners as well as seasoned players. Pai-Gow poker is a slow moving game, which has the added advantage that a small bankroll can last a player long time. Pai -Gow is an interesting break from the usual game of poker, and is said to be an acquired taste. If you’re looking for a change in poker games or just a break from the usual, you might like to give it a try.