What Do Five Aces Pay in Pai Gow Poker?
Five Aces in Pai Gow poker pays less than you’d expect. Although this is the highest-ranking hand in Pai Gow poker, it does not pay much. There are however ways you could get better payouts on five Aces(more on that below).
Five Aces can only be a hand of four Aces and a Joker. This is the case because unlike other variants of blackjack, Pai Gow is only played with a single deck. Also, unlike other poker variants like Texas Hold’em, Pai Gow poker is played with an additional card, a Joker.
A hand of five Aces is the highest hand in Pai Gow poker, and it beats a Royal Flush.
How to Play Pai Gow Poker
All players have to place their bets before the cards are dealt. After bets are made, the banker and all the players on the table are each dealt seven cards face down. Each player must split their cards into two separate hands. One hand must have five cards, whilst two remaining cards make the other hand. The rule of the game is that the player’s five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand. If you make a two-card hand that outranks your five-card hand, you have committed a foul play, and you automatically lose.
The Objective of Pai Gow Poker
The player’s objective in Pai Gow poker is to beat the banker, and not other players. The banker can be played by the casino’s dealer or another player. Players are offered an opportunity to play the banker in a sequence, but they can decline the offer. The dealer and one player can also play the banker together.
To beat the banker, you must have both your two hands ranking higher than that of the banker. If one hand ranks higher than the banker’s hand and another does not, it becomes a push or tie.
The player loses if both hands are not better than the banker’s hand and when both hands tie with the banker’s hands.
Pai Gow Poker Cards
Pai Gow poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards plus one Joker. The Joker can be used either as an Ace or to complete a straight or a flush hand. Below is how Pai Gow poker hands are ranked:
- High Card – The lowest hand ranking. No cards correspond.
- One Pair – This hand only beats a high card hand. This is a hand with two cards of the same rank.
- Two Pair – Two pair beats one pair. It is a hand with two pairs.
- Three of Kind – Three of kind beats two pair. This is a hand with three cards of the same rank.
- Four of a Kind – Four of a kind is a hand with four cards of the same value. It beats three of a kind.
- Full House – This a hand made up of three of a kind plus a pair. That’s three cards of the same value and two cards of the same value.
- Straight – A straight hand is a hand comprising of five consecutive cards of any suit. A straight outranks all the above hands.
- Flush – A flush is when all the cards have the same suit. A flush beats a straight hand.
- Straight Flush – A straight flush is a hand made up of both a flush and a straight. This means all the cards have to be of the same suit and be sequential. A straight flush beats a flush.
- Royal Flush – Royal flush is a hand made up of an Ace, a King, a Queen, a Jack and a 10 of the same suit. It beats all the above hand rankings.
- Five Aces – This is a hand comprising of five Aces or four Aces and a Joker. This hand is the highest-ranking hand in Pai Gow poker.
Pai Gow Poker Payouts
Winning hands are paid even money subject to a 5% house commission. If you want to increase your winnings you can make Fortune Bonus side bets. To make Fortune Bonus bets, you have to place your chip at Fortune Bonus section placed immediately after the Pai Gow betting square. Fortune Bonus bets are paid based on all your seven cards. If you wager a $5 or more on Fortune Bonus side bet and another player gets a four of a kind or higher, you get Envy Bonus.
Fortune Bonus and Envy Bonus Pai Gow Poker Payouts:
| Pai Gow Hand | Fortune Bonus | Envy Bonus |
| Straight Flush of all 7 Cards without a Joker | 8000:1 | $5000 |
| Royal Flush plus King and Queen – same suit | 2000:1 | $1000 |
| Straight Flush of all 7 Cards with a Joker | 1000:1 | $500 |
| Five Aces | 400:1 | $250 |
| Royal Flush | 150:1 | $50 |
| Straight Flush | 50:1 | $20 |
| Four of a Kind | 25:1 | $5 |
| Full House | 5:1 | |
| Flush | 4:1 | |
| Three of a Kind | 3:1 | |
| Straight | 2:1 |
What Do Five Aces Pay in Pai Gow Poker – Conclusion
Five Aces in Pai Gow poker pays just the same amount as any other hand that won. Although five aces make the strongest hand, it pays even money, like all the other hands.
Five Aces in Pai Gow poker pays better than all the other five hands only when it comes to side bets. The next time you play Pai Gow poker and get a five aces hand, expect an even payout, unless you make side bets which payouts 400:1.
If you have wagered $5 or more and another player is dealt four of a kind your payout will include $250. So, if you make a side bet of $5, for example, and are dealt five Aces, your payout will be $2005 plus $250 Envy Bonus.
