Many casinos are aware of the popularity of poker. Unfortunately, poker is a game played against other players and not the house, so the casinos have little involvement in regular poker, other than to charge a rake (a percentage of each pot) for the utilization of the dealer and the table. To combine the elements of poker with those of typical table games played against the house, casinos have invented a range of poker variations which are played like traditional table games, player vs. the casino.

One such variation is Pai Gow. In Pai Gow Poker, after each player puts up a wager of their choosing they may be dealt seven cards. Your objective is to make your very best five-card and two-card poker hand. As a rule, your five card hand has to be stronger than your two card hand. In the event that you are dealt A, A, 9, 8, 7, 3, 3, you may not split your hands into 9, 8, 7, 3, 3 and AA. You could split them in to a, A, 9, 8, 7 and 3, 3, or possibly a, A, 3, 3, 7 and 9, 8. As long as your five-card hand beats the two-card hand, you can arrange them however you like. If you are not sure the optimal way to set your hand, you can ask the dealer to help you. There is one joker in the deck, which is often used in your hand to complete a straight or a flush, or as an Ace. The joker is just not wild, you're not able to use it to pair any card in your hand other than the Ace.

When you have set your hand, the dealer also sets his hand. If both of your hands beat both of the dealer hands, you win an amount equal to your initial bet. If both of the dealers' hands beat both of yours, you lose your bet. If one hand wins as well as the other loses, it's really a tie and no-one wins. The home gets its edge by charging a five percent commission on winning bets.

In Pai Gow you also possess the option of being the "Banker". If you decide to be the Banker, you put up a amount of money to cover (or "Bank") all of the bets on the table (should the amount you put up is not enough, the house will pick up where you left off). In case you are the Banker, you play against all Players. Your five percent commission is calculated after all wins and losses are tabulated. Being the Banker affords an extremely slight edge because if your hands "copy" (are exactly the same) a Player's hand, you win.

Pai Gow is definitely an interesting variation of poker and one you could consider if you like poker but are searching for a more traditional casino game than regular poker, or just one that provides an added dimension to the game. You may find Pai Gow at certain safe online gambling site casino sites and in any live casino.