Pai Gow, roughly translates to "make nine". It is an intriguing game brought to Nevada from the Orient, where the Chinese have been betting on Pai Gow for centuries.

Pai Gow Poker History

This variation of poker, called Pai Gow Poker, has its roots in the ancient Chinese game, Pai Gow. However, it has merged with American Poker to evolve into the modern game of Pai Gow Poker. Variations of Pai Gow started appearing around the mid 1800's, but gained popularity in 1986 in the card rooms of California. By 1987, pai gow poker was in the casinos of Las Vegas.

In the following years, Atlantic City also accepted pai gow poker into it's casinos. Although it is a simple game, pai gow poker offers many strategic options. This gives you the option to play conservatively and maximize your playing time for little money, or go for the quick win.

The game of Pai Gow Poker is played with a 53-card deck consisting of a standard 52-card deck with 1 wild card. A blackjack-sized table is used in Pai Gow Poker, with room for six players to play at once.

The original game of Pai Gow, which uses a unique set of dominos, is symbolic, enigmatic, and difficult to learn. While, Pai Gow Poker, on the other hand, uses a regular deck of cards and is based on standard poker hands. It is comparatively easy to learn and play, our casinos wouldn't have it any other way.