Many casinos are aware of the recognition 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 usage of the dealer and the table. To combine the aspects of poker with those of typical table games played against the home, casinos have invented a range of poker variations that 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 must be stronger than your two card hand. In the event 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 may split them into a, A, 9, 8, 7 and 3, 3, or perhaps 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. In the event that you are not sure the optimal way to set your hand, you may ask the dealer to help you. There is one joker in the deck, that may be employed in your hand to complete a straight or perhaps a flush, or being an Ace. The joker is not wild, you can't use it to pair any card within 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 is a tie and nobody wins. The home gets its edge by charging a five percent commission on winning bets.

In Pai Gow you also have 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 (if the amount you put up just isn't enough, the house will pick up the place you left off). If 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 might consider if you like poker but are searching for a far 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 online fantastic casino online sites as well as in any live casino.