Pai Gow - Poker - LaVie Resort & Casino Manila

LaVie Pai Gow Poker is a Western take on the Chinese domino game Pai Gow, played with a 53-card deck that includes one Joker. You make two poker hands from seven cards and try to beat both of the Dealer’s hands. Optional wagers include the LaVie Bonus, which pays on qualifying hands regardless of the Dealer’s cards, and the Progressive Jackpot, which offers separate jackpot prizes for specified hands.

The Basics

Deck: one standard 52-card deck plus one Joker (53 cards).
Players: up to 5 or 6 betting positions, depending on the table.
Your goal: split your 7 cards into a 5-card High Hand and a 2-card Low Hand and beat the Dealer's High Hand and Low Hand.
The Joker: is wild only to complete a Straight, Flush, Straight Flush or Royal Flush. Otherwise, it counts as an Ace. An Ace and a Joker are therefore treated as a pair of Aces, while a pair of Aces and a Joker are treated as Three of a Kind (Aces).
Card order: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The Ace can also play low in A-2-3-4-5 Straights and Straight Flushes. Suits have no rank.

Table Layout

Each position has a circle for the Standard wager, a circle for the LaVie Bonus wager, and two card boxes: H (High Hand, 5 cards) and L (Low Hand, 2 cards). The Dealer’s H and L boxes are in the centre. The optional Progressive Jackpot wager is placed on the designated betting sensor.

How to Play

Place your wagers. When the Dealer calls “Place your bets, please,” place chips on the Standard wager (required). You may also place a LaVie Bonus wager and a PHP 100 Progressive Jackpot wager on the designated betting sensor. Betting closes when the Dealer calls “No more bets.” Wagers cannot be changed once the cards are dealt.
The deal. Starting from the Dealer's left and going clockwise, each betting position and the Dealer get 7 cards face down.
Set your hands. Arrange your 7 cards into a 5-card High Hand (box H) and a 2-card Low Hand (box L). Your High Hand must rank equal to or higher than your Low Hand.
Dealer reveals. Once all hands are set, the Dealer turns over the house cards and sets them according to the House Way.
Compare. Going from the Dealer's right to left, your High Hand is compared with the Dealer's High Hand, and your Low Hand with the Dealer's Low Hand. Bets are then paid or collected.

Good to Know

Foul Hand: If your Low Hand outranks your High Hand, the Dealer resets your cards according to the House Way.
Absent player: If you have placed a wager but are not present to make a decision, the Dealer sets your hand according to the House Way.
Playing more than one position: This is allowed if no other player is excluded, but you may look only at the hand in the box designated for your seat. The Dealer sets the other hands according to the House Way.
You're responsible for where your chips are placed, even if the Dealer helps you.

Hand Ranking

The tables below rank the strength of completed 5-card and 2-card hands from highest to lowest. They are used to determine which hand or card combination outranks another. They do not tell a player or Dealer how to divide seven cards into the High and Low hand. The rules for dividing the seven cards are called the House Way and are separate from these rankings.

High Hand (5 cards), highest to lowest

Hand	What it is	Example
Five Aces	Four Aces plus the Joker	A♠ A♥ A♣ A♦ Joker
Royal Flush	A-K-Q-J-10, same suit	A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♥
Straight Flush	Five in sequence, same suit	Q♠ J♠ 10♠ 9♠ 8♠
Four of a Kind	Four cards of the same value	9♠ 9♥ 9♣ 9♦
Full House	Three of a kind plus a pair	K♠ K♥ K♦ A♣ A♥
Flush	Five of the same suit, not in sequence	J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 5♦ 2♦
Straight	Five in sequence, any suits	A♥ K♠ Q♣ J♣ 10♦
Three of a Kind	Three cards of the same value	9♦ 9♥ 9♣
Two Pairs	Two different pairs	J♠ J♦ 6♣ 6♦
One Pair	Two cards of the same value	10♣ 10♥
High Card	None of the above; highest card wins	A♠ K♦ J♣ 4♥ 2♠

When two hands are the same type, the higher cards win, then the next-highest card, and so on. For example, 8-8-Q-10-2 beats 8-8-J-9-7, and A-K-J-4-2 beats A-K-10-6-3.

Low Hand (2 cards), highest to lowest

Hand	What it is	Example
One Pair	Pair of Aces is highest, pair of 2s is lowest	A♦ A♣
High Card	Two different cards; higher card wins, then the second card	J♠ 3♣

Winning, Losing & Ties

You win: Both your High Hand and Low Hand beat the Dealer’s corresponding hands. The Standard wager pays 0.95 to 1 after a 5% commission.
You lose: Both the Dealer’s High Hand and Low Hand beat your corresponding hands. Your Standard wager loses.
Standoff (push): You win one hand and lose the other. Your bet is returned.
Copy Hand: If either of your hands is exactly equal in rank to the Dealer’s corresponding hand, it is a “copy,” and the Dealer wins that hand.

LaVie Bonus & Envy Bonus

LaVie Bonus

An optional side bet placed before the deal, alongside a Standard wager.
It pays on the best hand you can make from your seven cards, regardless of the Dealer's hand.
It loses if your cards do not make a qualifying hand (Straight or better). See Payouts.

Special hands

Hand	What it is	Example
Seven-Card Straight Flush (no Joker)	All seven cards in sequence, same suit, without the Joker	J♥ 10♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥
LaVie Match	Royal Flush in the High Hand plus a suited K-Q in the Low Hand. The Joker may complete the Royal Flush but not the K-Q.	A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣ + K♦ Q♦

Envy Bonus

If any other player with a Standard wager gets a Seven-Card Straight Flush (no Joker) or a LaVie Match, every seated player who has a LaVie Bonus wager receives an Envy Bonus.
If more than one such hand appears in the same round, each qualifying player receives only the highest Envy Bonus.
Envy Bonuses are paid after all other bets are settled.
No Envy Bonus is paid when: the Dealer has one of these hands; or you have a Seven-Card Straight Flush (no Joker) yourself. If you have a LaVie Match, you qualify only if another player has a Seven-Card Straight Flush (no Joker).

Payouts

Wager	Pays
Standard wager (win)	0.95 to 1

LaVie Bonus (based on your seven cards)

Winning hand	Pays	Envy Bonus
Seven-Card Straight Flush (no Joker)	2,500 to 1	15,000
LaVie Match	1,000 to 1	2,500
Seven-Card Straight Flush (with Joker)	500 to 1	–
Five Aces	250 to 1	–
Royal Flush	100 to 1	–
Straight Flush	50 to 1	–
Four of a Kind	20 to 1	–
Full House	5 to 1	–
Flush	4 to 1	–
Three of a Kind	3 to 1	–
Straight	2 to 1	–

Table minimum and maximum bets are displayed at each table. Bets are accepted in gaming chips only.

Glossary

Standard wager: The required main bet for each round.

High Hand: Your 5-card hand. Must rank equal to or higher than your Low Hand.

Low Hand: Your 2-card hand.

Setting: Splitting your 7 cards into a High Hand and a Low Hand.

House Way: The fixed method the Dealer uses to set hands.

Foul Hand: A hand set with the Low Hand ranking above the High Hand. Reset by the House Way.

Copy Hand: A hand equal in rank to the Dealer's. The Dealer wins copies.

Standoff: A push: one hand wins, one loses, and your bet is returned.

LaVie Bonus: Optional side bet paid on your seven cards, regardless of the Dealer.

Envy Bonus: Paid to LaVie Bonus players when another player hits a top hand.

Optional Progressive Jackpot

Players may participate in the optional Pai Gow Progressive Jackpot by placing a PHP 100 wager on the designated betting sensor. This game has a separate progressive jackpot link from other poker games, including LaVie Hold ’em and Three Card Poker.

High Jackpot