A Fun Game Called Pai Gow

Hey there! Let me tell you about Pai Gow – an exciting game that uses dominoes and can be played with up to 8 people. The aim of the game is to beat the banker by having the best pairs in your hand and winning your bid. Let’s dive in!

Remember, Pai Gow is a betting game, so it’s important to play responsibly. If you’re not playing at a proper casino, you can set up your own game with friends or even have one of the players take on the role of the banker. Before starting, it’s a good idea to agree on the bid amounts, such as the maximum, minimum, and standard bets.

Getting Started

First things first, each player needs to make their bid. Once the bids have been placed, it’s time to deal the hands and get the game going.

The domino tiles are shuffled and divided into piles. Each pile has four tiles stacked on top of each other, and there are a total of 8 piles. To determine who gets their hand first, you can do it in a fun and random way, like rolling three dice and seeing who gets the highest number.

I’m going to tell you about a game called “House.” It’s a game where players take turns being the bank. If a player doesn’t want to be the bank, it goes to the next player in a counterclockwise direction.

How to Play

Once everyone has their tiles and the bank has been chosen, it’s time to make pairs. Each player and the bank each get 4 tiles. They use these tiles to make 2 pairs. The pairs are then compared to the bank’s pairs. If both of a player’s pairs are better than the bank’s pairs, the player wins. If neither of a player’s pairs are better than the bank’s pairs, the player loses. If a player has one pair that’s better than one of the bank’s pairs, it’s a draw and the player gets their bet back.

Ranking the Pairs

Memorizing the rankings of Pai Gow can be a bit tricky. Unlike other games, there isn’t a numerical order to follow, so you have to rely on written lists or commit the pairings to memory.

The highest-ranking pair in Pai Gow is known as the Gee Joon. It’s made up of the tiles [4-2] and [2-1]. These two tiles are special – they’re called wild cards. When you’re making pairs, you can use them as if they were a 3 or a 6.

Bo

So here’s the thing: some pairs in Mahjong are extra special. They’re called Bo pairs, and they have tiles with the same number of pips on them. Let me break it down for you:

• Heaven – [6-6], [6-6]
• Earth – [1-1], [1-1]
• Man – [4-4], [4-4]
• Goose – [3-1], [3-1]
• Plum Flower – [5-5], [5-5]
• Double Three – [3-3], [3-3]
• Board – [2-2], [2-2]
• Hatchet – [6-5], [6-5]
• Red Ten – [6-4], [6-4]
• Long Leg Seven – [6-1], [6-1]
• Big Head Six – [5-1], [5-1]
• Jaap Gow – [6-3], [5-4]
• Jaap Bart – [6-2], [5-3]
• Jaap Chut – [5-2], [4-3]
• Jaap Ng – [4-1], [3-2]

After the Bo pairs, we have something called Wongs. These are pairs made up of a nine-tile and either a double 6 or a double 1. Check out their ranks:

• Wong – [6-6], [6-3]
• Wong – [6-6], [5-4]
• Wong – [1-1], [6-3]
• Wong – [1-1], [5-4]

And finally, we have the Gongs. These are the pairs that come after the Wongs. Their ranks aren’t specified, but they’re still important to keep in mind.

Hey there! Let me tell you about the Wongs. They’re like the cool cousins of the Mahjong world. They come in different combinations, with an 8-tile paired with a double 6 or double 1. Here are their ranks: ([6-6], [6-2]), ([6-6], [5-3]), ([6-6], [4-4]), ([1-1], [6-2]), ([1-1], [5-3]), and ([1-1], [4-4]). They’re quite the interesting bunch!

Scores

If none of the stuff I just said applies to you, no worries. Just add up the numbers on your tiles for your pair’s score. But remember to drop the tens place! Let’s say your pair is ([6-1], [3-1]). Add up those pips, and you get 11. Drop the tens, and you’re left with a score of 1 for your pair. Easy peasy!

Tile Value

If there’s a tie in a pairing, we move on to compare the rank of individual tiles. The tiles rank from high to low in the following order: Teen [6-6], Day [1-1], Yun [4-4], Gor [3-1], Mooy [5-5], Chong [3-3], Bon [2-2], Foo [6-5], Ping [6-4], Tit [6-1], Look [5-1], Gow [6-3] and [5-4], Bot [6-2] and [5-3], Chut [6-1] and [5-2], Luk [4-2], Ng [4-1], Ng [3-2], and Saam [2-1].

THE ROUND ENDS

After comparing pairs, the banker pays out any winning bets. Once the bets are settled, we collect the tiles and start a new round.

I’m Amber (They/Them), an Austin writer and gaming enthusiast. I consider myself a gaming expert, with a passion for dogs, plants, and D&D.

I’m Amber (They/Them), an Austin writer and gaming enthusiast. I consider myself a gaming expert, and I adore dogs, plants, and D&D.