Let us learn a different type of poker other than hold’em, 5 card stud, 5 card draw and Omaha. Yes, double-hand poker. Now you have to be wondering that pai gow sounds a bit Chinese; yes you’re right this game is a blend of the Chinese game double-hand and our very own Yankee poker. Certainly this isn’t one of the most well-liked styles of poker but still it is widely wagered. It is usually played by up to seven gamblers.

It’s wagered with 1 deck of fifty two cards, plus a joker. Curiously, the joker can be employed only as an ace, to complete a straight, a flush, a straight flush, or a royal flush. The essential element here to remember is aside from the usual rating of hands we have one more winning hand that is "Five Aces" (5 aces such as the joker). Remarkably, 5 aces defeat all other hands including royal flush.

Each and every gambler is dealt 7 cards. The cards are arranged to form two hands; a two card hand and a 5 card hand. The 5 card hand has to rank greater or be equal to the two card hand. Finally each of your hands have to rank higher than both of your competitors hands (both five and two card hands). Additionally the two card hand can just have 2 combinations; one pair and high card.

After the cards are arranged in to two hands, they’re positioned on the table face down. Once you place them down, you may no longer handle them. The croupier will turn over their cards and make their hands. Each players hand is compared to the croupier’s hands. If the player wins one hand and manages to lose the other, this is identified as "push" and no money is exchanged. If croupier wins equally hands then he/she captures the gamblers wager and the opposite way round. Now what if there’s a tie, the only benefit with the croupier here is he/she is victorious on all ties.

Soon after the hand is played, the following person clock-wise becomes the croupier and the next hand is wagered. The big disadvantage to this game is that there is no talent involved and you rely too much on fortune. Also the odds are bad compared to betting with a pot.