Pai gow poker apps let you play the slow, push-heavy card game where you split seven cards into a five-card hand and a two-card hand, then compare both with the dealer’s. It is one of the gentlest table games on a budget. This guide explains hand setting on a touchscreen, the joker, the 5% commission, the house way button and the odds.
You split seven cards into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand; the high hand must beat the low hand.
Win both hands and you’re paid evens minus 5% commission; win one and it’s a push; lose both and you lose.
Pushes are very common, roughly four hands in ten, so a session costs less per hour than most table games.
Most apps have a House Way button that sets your cards using the casino’s own rules.
The commonly quoted house edge is about 2.7% when playing against a dealer who banks.
Deck
52 cards plus one joker
Hands to set
Five-card high, two-card low
Winning both hands
Evens minus 5% commission
Win one, lose one
Push
Ties on a hand
Go to the dealer
House edge
About 2.7% (commonly quoted)
What pai gow poker apps offer, and where the game comes from
Pai gow poker was created in California in the 1980s as a card version of pai gow, a Chinese game played with dominoes. It kept the original idea of dividing your tiles, here cards, into two hands that must both beat the banker’s. That structure produces lots of pushes, which is why it has a reputation as a slow, social game.
In UK apps it is less common than blackjack or roulette. Where it appears, it is usually a digital RNG table under Table Games, sometimes with a bonus side bet. Lobbies vary, so search before you deposit.
How to play pai gow poker on a touchscreen
Choose a chip and tap the main bet circle. Add a bonus side bet if the table has one.
Tap Deal. You receive seven cards face up; the dealer gets seven face down.
Tap two cards to move them into the low hand box. The other five form your high hand.
Check the hand labels; the app warns you if the high hand doesn’t outrank the low hand.
Or tap House Way to let the game set your cards using the casino’s standard rules.
Tap Confirm. The dealer’s cards are revealed and set by the house way, then both hands are compared.
The joker and hand rankings
The 53rd card is a joker with limited powers, sometimes called the bug. It counts as an ace, or it can complete a straight, flush or straight flush. It can’t be any card you like.
Five-card high hand: standard poker rankings, with five aces (four aces plus the joker) usually the top hand.
Two-card low hand: only pairs and high cards count, so the best low hand is a pair of aces.
A-2-3-4-5: on most tables this is the second-highest straight; check the help screen.
Copies: if your hand exactly matches the dealer’s, the dealer wins that hand.
Commission, pushes and how bets settle
Your two hands vs dealer
Result
Net on £10
Win high and win low
Paid evens minus 5% commission
+£9.50
Win one, lose the other
Push
£0
Win one, copy on the other
Push
£0
Lose both (or lose one, copy the other)
Lose
–£10
Foul hand (low beats high)
Usually re-set or lost; check rules
Varies
The 5% commission and the dealer winning copies are the two sources of the house edge. Some digital tables use a commission-free version with an adjusted rule instead; the help screen explains which you’re playing.
House Way: let the app set your hand
House Way is the casino’s rulebook for splitting cards, and the dealer’s hand is always set this way. In apps a House Way button applies the same rules to your cards in one tap. It’s close to the best possible setting for most hands, so tapping it is a sound choice if you’re unsure.
A few basic principles behind most house ways:
With no pair, put the highest card in the high hand and the next two highest in the low hand.
With one pair, keep the pair in the high hand and the next two highest cards in the low hand.
With two pairs, split them in many cases, putting the lower pair in the low hand, especially with high pairs.
Keep straights and flushes together in the high hand when possible, using the remaining cards for the best low hand.
Odds and what pai gow poker costs per hour
Roughly four in ten hands end in a push, and the rest split fairly evenly between wins and losses, with the commission tilting things toward the house. The commonly quoted edge is about 2.7% of your bet.
Bet per hand
Hands
Total staked
Average cost
£2
50
£100
About £2.70
£5
50
£250
About £6.75
£10
100
£1,000
About £27
Because so many hands push, your balance tends to move slowly, which some players enjoy. It still declines over time on average. A deposit limit and a session timer keep a slow game from turning into a long one.
Bonus side bets on pai gow tables
Some versions add a side bet paid on the strength of your seven cards before you split them, for example trips or better, with large payouts for hands like five aces or a seven-card straight flush. These bets are independent of the main result and usually carry a higher house edge. Keep them small, and check the paytable first.
Pai gow poker on iPhone, Android and tablet
Portrait: seven cards fit in one row on most modern phones, with the low hand box above or below.
Landscape: gives each card more room and makes tap-to-swap easier on small-screen phones.
Tablets: show both hands, the dealer’s cards and the paytable at once; see our Android tablets guide.
Data: digital tables use little data once loaded, so they’re fine on mobile data.
UK rules that apply to pai gow poker apps
Pai gow tables available in Great Britain follow the same design rules as other non-slot casino games: no autoplay or turbo since 17 January 2025, and at least 5 seconds per round. The £5 and £2 stake caps cover online slots only. Free demo play requires age verification first, and credit card deposits are banned. Our UK casino app rules guide has the full list.
Finding pai gow poker in an app
Search Pai Gow; some apps spell it Paigow. If nothing appears, check Table Games and Poker categories. Many UK apps don’t carry it at all, so ask live chat rather than assuming a fault. Our finding games guide covers search and filters.
Where to play pai gow poker on mobile
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Frequently asked questions
How do you win at pai gow poker?
You win a hand when both your five-card high hand and your two-card low hand beat the dealer’s matching hands. You’re then paid evens minus a 5% commission, so a £10 win pays £9.50. If you win one hand and lose the other, it’s a push and your stake is returned. Losing both, or losing one and tying the other, loses the bet. Over time the house edge applies, so treat it as entertainment. Our table games guide compares similar games.
What is the house way in pai gow poker?
House way is the casino’s fixed set of rules for splitting seven cards into high and low hands. The dealer always uses it. In apps, a House Way button applies the same rules to your hand in one tap, which is a reliable option if you’re not sure how to split. It isn’t always the mathematically perfect setting, but it is close for most hands. The help screen often describes the house way in full, as our paytable guide shows.
What does the joker do in pai gow poker?
The joker can be used as an ace, or to complete a straight, flush or straight flush. It can’t stand in for any other card. For example, joker with K-Q-J-10 makes an ace-high straight, and joker with a pair of aces makes three aces. In the low hand it nearly always counts as an ace. The game usually places it for you if you choose House Way. Our casino app glossary explains other terms you’ll meet at the table.
Why does pai gow poker have so many pushes?
Because you need to win both hands to win the bet and lose both to lose it. Splitting the result across two hands means one win and one loss is very common, and that’s a push. Roughly four in ten hands end that way. This makes pai gow poker slow-moving, with smaller swings in your balance than most table games. It doesn’t remove the house edge, which comes from the commission and the dealer winning copies. Our volatility glossary page explains why swings matter.
What is a foul hand in pai gow poker?
A foul hand is one where your two-card low hand ranks higher than your five-card high hand, which breaks the rules. In a land-based casino this usually loses the bet. In most apps the software doesn’t let you confirm a foul hand and shows a warning instead, asking you to re-set the cards. Check the help screen in your app for the exact rule. Tapping House Way avoids the problem entirely, as covered in our beginners’ guide.
Is pai gow poker available in UK casino apps?
In some, but it is less common than blackjack, roulette or three card poker. Where it is offered, it is usually a digital table game rather than a live dealer table. Availability depends on which game suppliers each casino uses and can change. Search the app for Pai Gow before depositing, and if nothing appears, ask live chat. Our casino app reviews describe each app’s game sections in more detail.
Is pai gow poker good for a small budget?
It tends to stretch a budget further than faster, more volatile games, because so many hands push and wins pay close to evens. That means your balance moves slowly. It still has a house edge of about 2.7%, so losses are likely over time, and a long session can cost as much as a short one at a faster game. Set a budget and time limit first. Our budget guide shows how to do this on a phone.
Can I play pai gow poker for free?
Only where an app offers a demo version, and only after your age has been verified. UK rules have required verification before free-to-play games since 2019. Once verified, a demo is a useful way to practise splitting hands without the pressure of real stakes. Social pai gow apps on the stores don’t pay real prizes and aren’t regulated as gambling. Our demo mode verification page explains why apps ask for ID first.
Gambling can be addictive. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. Get support from GamCare or NHS gambling support, or block yourself from all UK-licensed gambling sites with GAMSTOP.
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