Unlike payouts in craps and roulette, which change based on the type of bet you make, Pai Gow Poker payouts are simple to remember: you’re paid even money if you win. It doesn’t matter if you’re holding a pair, full house, or royal flush.
JeffR
When I play, I rarely play this bet. If I do, it's only on a whim. Yet I'm constantly told the following:
'The only way you are gonna make money on this game is to bet the bonus.'
The Wizard (and the math) tells me this is a sucker bet. I do see people hit it frequently (of course I never do). What's your opinion on this bet?
'The only way you are gonna make money on this game is to bet the bonus.'
The Wizard (and the math) tells me this is a sucker bet. I do see people hit it frequently (of course I never do). What's your opinion on this bet?
Wulfgar1224
When I play, I rarely play this bet. If I do, it's only on a whim. Yet I'm constantly told the following:
'The only way you are gonna make money on this game is to bet the bonus.'
The Wizard (and the math) tells me this is a sucker bet. I do see people hit it frequently (of course I never do). What's your opinion on this bet?
I don't make that bet and I've never encountered a situation where I would've won anything. I think bets like that are a casino's way of decimating your bankroll. But, it is gambling. You could always get lucky and hit the big jackpot. It really is a personal preference.
DJTeddyBear
'The only way you are gonna make money on this game is to bet the bonus.'
This statement refers to most games that pay more-or-less even money, where there are side bets.
The -ahem- truth in that statement comes from the side bet's potential large payout. Yeah, if you hit one of the higher payouts, you're a happy camper and have made the money they're talking about. But it comes at the cost of a high house edge.
But it is also false. You can make money just playing the basic game. With a good string of luck, and pressing your bets, you can do quite well without playing the side bet.
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁 Note that the same could be said for Religion. I.E. Religion is nothing more than organized superstition. 🤗
rdw4potus
I don't make that bet and I've never encountered a situation where I would've won anything. I think bets like that are a casino's way of decimating your bankroll. But, it is gambling. You could always get lucky and hit the big jackpot. It really is a personal preference.
Never? Anything? The Fortune bet pays 2:1 on a 5 card straight. How many hands of PGP have you played that you've never had a 5 card straight in a 7 card hand that includes wilds?
'So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened.' - Maurice Clarett
ahiromu
I bet $50-100 and will bet $5 on the fortune, never stepping it up at all. The possibility of hitting it big is worth 40c per bet.If I find myself betting $25 or less per hand, I will most likely not be playing the side bet. I'm ok throwing away money on a side bet as long as it's a very manageable amount, betting $25 or more on the fortune is a very quick way to ruin.
Its - Possessive; It's - 'It is' / 'It has'; There - Location; Their - Possessive; They're - 'They are'
gordonm888
The Fortune side bet provides the pai gow poker players a possibility of winning a large jackpot - something that many gamblers like. With 5 dollars on the Fortune side bet, there's an adrenaline rush turning your 7 cards over and checking whether you've made a royal or straight flush, or 4-of a kind or some other large hand. Fortune Pai Gow Payouts
However, if you're a grinder who is trying to reduce the house edge as much as possible, paying the Fortune side bet is a large leak in your game. I don't usually play it - but everyone at the table will tell me that 'you should have made the fortune bet' whenever I do hit a big hand. I do tend to play the fortune bet when the pit boss is watching, for camouflage and better comps.So many better men, a few of them friends, were dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things lived on, and so did I.
ddloml
It's like playing a slot. You're betting a buck or two for a chance at a bigger payout. I will regularly get straights, flushes and trips, so that keeps the small bets going. It's nice to get some kind of return when you get the trip 9's on the bottom with a J-10 top for a push on the main game. If I'm playing PGP for a four hour session or longer, I will usually hit one 4OAK or a SF for the 25-1 or 50-1 payout. It's too bad that you don't get rated as highly for comps with the side bet as when playing a slot with a similar return.
Deucekies
Some places in Washington state will waive the 5% commission if you put $5 or more on the Fortune bonus. At some point, the $5 bonus becomes a better option than paying the commission on a win.Pai Gow Poker Side Bet Payouts
Casinos are not your friends, they want your money. But so does Disneyland. And there is no chance in hell that you will go to Disneyland and come back with more money than you went with. - AxelWolf and Mickeycrimm
cmc0605
As good as wizards math is, his work has a lot of stuff in the form 'this game has two bets, x and y, and x has a lower house edge so you should not play y'
It doesnt follow and its a value judgment. Most people thinking of none other than +ev dont want to play x either. Or, if a bet that only hit 1 in a 1000 hits but paid 1005:1 were available, I probably wouldn't play that either. And even some high house edge bets lose less in absolute terms because you can bet $1 on the fortune and usually $15-25 minimum on the game. Other people want more than a pat on the back when they get a royal, or want the thrill of having something more than even money accessible next hand.
You need to figure out why you are gambling, what you want out of it, what risk you can tolerate, how often you go (if you gamble once a year you should pay little attention to the detailed math of such things) and dont let statements of mathematical fact become value judgments.
It doesnt follow and its a value judgment. Most people thinking of none other than +ev dont want to play x either. Or, if a bet that only hit 1 in a 1000 hits but paid 1005:1 were available, I probably wouldn't play that either. And even some high house edge bets lose less in absolute terms because you can bet $1 on the fortune and usually $15-25 minimum on the game. Other people want more than a pat on the back when they get a royal, or want the thrill of having something more than even money accessible next hand.
You need to figure out why you are gambling, what you want out of it, what risk you can tolerate, how often you go (if you gamble once a year you should pay little attention to the detailed math of such things) and dont let statements of mathematical fact become value judgments.
beachbumbabs
Administrator
I play PGP and always bet the fortune. I've had great wins with it, but have also experienced the slow drain on the BR that others mention. My ideal PGP game is one that lets me play 2 hands, bet the fortune on both, and bet the main game at least 4:1 with the fortune bet, raising my main bet a bit with each win. Doing that, one hand tends to pay for the other, and if the bonus is not hitting, I lose very slowly. However, if the fortune is hitting, my BR goes up quickly.Administrator
I do get a charge from the side bet potential before looking at the hands, no question. Also, playing 2 hands, I see both the Joker and the fortune bet twice as often, so they're that much more fun with more frequent hits. I've played PGP a couple times where the fortune was not available, and did not enjoy the game nearly as much, so I tend to play something else unless the fortune is available. I also am not fond of the Dragon hand in lieu of a second hand, because the fortune bet is not available on the Dragon.
The very best odds? No. The best entertainment in the casino IMO? Pretty much.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.