Quick answer
All four documents start with pairs and look for the setting that is strong in both hands. They differ on exactly when to split Gee Joon, Teen, Day and the seven, eight and nine pairs, and on how no-pair hands are ranked. At a live table, the posted chart decides.
Compare
Rule by rule
| Parkwest Casino 580 | Star’s Casino | Fallsview | Generic house way | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document | Approved rules, BGC GEGR-002327, August 2025 | Approved rules, BGC GEGA-004486, March 2015 | Casino gaming guide | Teaching method by William E. Brennan, 2010 |
| First check | Obvious best play: if one setting is equal or higher in both hands, play it | Most valuable high hand is a pair | Set pairs first | Two pairs always stay separate |
| Gee Joon pair | Split only with 12, 11 or 10 | Split if the third tile is 6 spots and the fourth is 4, 5 or 6 | No specific chart | Any pair split to make two Strong Hands; otherwise kept |
| Teen or Day pair | Split for 6/8 or better, or with 9 and 11 | Split if the low hand would be 6 or more, or with tiles of 9 or 11 spots | No specific chart | Split to raise the low hand to 3 or more, if possible |
| Seven, eight, nine pairs | 7: split with 2, 10, 11, 12. 8: same, plus 9 and 11. 9: split with 2, 10, 12 | 7s with Teen and Day if the low is 7+; 8s if the low is 7+; 9s if the low is 9+ | No specific chart | Split if the low goes from 3 or less to 7+ while the high stays 9+; eights always split with both ten-point tiles |
| Pairs never split | Not stated as a list | 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11 pairs | Not stated | Not stated as a list |
| No pair | Ranked list for each combined total, with Wong = 11 and Gong = 10 | Wong, Gong, then any two tiles totalling 9 or less, then largest with smallest | Play 12 or 2 with 7, 8 or 9; two small tiles making 7, 8 or 9; otherwise highest with lowest | Make the low hand as high as possible, but include a Strong Hand (High Nine, Gong or Wong) if one is possible |
| Ties and copies | Player-dealer wins when both hands are identical in rank | Player-dealer wins copies and all 0-0 hands | Banker wins copies; all 0-0 ties go to the banker | Not covered |
Common ground
Where they agree
- A pair is the first thing to look for.
- Two pairs go one in each hand.
- A split is only worth it when both hands end up competitive.
- The low hand must never outrank the high hand.
Differences
Where they differ
The biggest differences are in the pair-splitting thresholds. Parkwest splits a Teen or Day pair to make 6/8 or better; Star’s splits Teen or Day when the low hand would be 6 or more. Star’s also lists pairs that are never split. Fallsview gives setting hints rather than a full chart and tells players to ask for the house way.
Worked
One published example
Parkwest shows 12, 12, 3 and 4: keeping the Teen pair leaves a seven-point low hand, and no other setting is as strong in both hands, so the override plays 7/Teen pair. You can enter it in the hand calculator to see the other two splits.
The house-way guide walks through Parkwest’s chart in more detail.