How many tiles are used?
A standard Pai Gow set contains 32 Chinese dominoes. Each player and the banker receive four.
How do you win?
Your low hand and high hand must both beat the banker’s matching hands. If you win one comparison and lose the other, the wager pushes.
What is the best hand?
Gee Joon, made with the 1–2 and 2–4 tiles, is the highest pair.
Does a nine beat a pair?
No. Every recognized pair outranks Wongs, Gongs, High Nines and ordinary point hands.
What happens on an exact tie?
Under common casino rules, an identical or copy hand goes to the banker. Confirm the posted table rules.
What is house way?
It is the casino’s fixed method for setting the banker’s tiles and, when requested, a player’s tiles.
Should you always keep a pair together?
No. Keeping a pair is the usual starting point, but published house ways split selected pairs when the other two tiles can produce two stronger, more balanced hands.
Is Pai Gow Tiles the same as Pai Gow Poker?
No. Pai Gow Tiles uses 32 Chinese dominoes. Pai Gow Poker uses playing cards and different hand rankings.
Can Gee Joon be wild?
When separated, each Gee Joon tile may count as three or six to make the better point total. Together they form the highest pair.
More answers
Check a specific hand in the hand calculator, see the exact numbers on the odds page, or compare the game with its card cousin in Pai Gow Tiles vs Pai Gow Poker.