Dear Mark,
In pai gow poker, do you ever recommend being the banker? Hector A.
Pai gow poker is played with up to six players and the banker, each being dealt
seven cards. There is no draw. You (skillfully, of course) arrange your cards
into two poker hands, one of five cards and the other of two. To win, both your
five-card hand and your two-card hand must beat the banker's corresponding hands.
Winning one hand and losing the other is a push or tie, where you neither win
nor lose.
Typically, the dealer banks the game, but in pai gow poker, any player can be
the banker. A small plastic marker called a "chung" is placed on top
of dealt cards indicating who the banker is. If you wish to be a banker, Hector,
all you have to do is tell the dealer before the cards are dealt that you want
to bank the game, and he will automatically place the chung in your betting
circle.
The advantage to being the banker is that you win copies. A "copy"
occurs when a player and the banker have the same two-card hand, or the same
five-card hand. For example, both the player and the banker have an ace and
a seven as their two-card hands, creating a tie or copy.
The disadvantage to being the banker is that you must have the bankroll to book
the action of all the players at the table. If your hand is a loser, you have
to pay all the winning bets, including the dealer's. Additionally, you can only
be the banker for one hand, after which the bank reverts to the dealer for the
next hand. Finally, as far as the five percent commission for each winning bet
is concerned, the house still gets its take whether you're the banker or not.
So, Hector, is it smart to be the banker, even though, as just another player,
BUT playing perfect basic strategy, you can lower the casino edge to 2.5%?
Absolutely. Since the banker wins all ties, you might as well take advantage
of being the bank and grinding away at the house edge even further. However — pay
attention now — if your bankroll is limited, bank the game only when you are the
lone player at the table.
The reason for playing against the dealer is that the dealer's wager will be
only the amount of your last bet. Consequently, you won't be at the risk of
losing any more money than you would be as a regular player. Better yet, if
you request it, the dealer will bet only the table minimum.
Dear Mark,
I read your article about the chicken tic-tac-toe game and I wanted to let you
know that I happened to be a winner against a chicken. My husband and I were
in Florida this winter and went to the Coconut Creek Casino in Coconut Creek.
I played the game and won $5,000.00. My husband wanted to take the chicken instead
of the money and cook it but the manager said no. Instead, he did give me a
stuffed toy chicken. I have him sitting in my den, reminding me of the good
times we had in Florida. Mary S.
Whichever it is, Mary, an out-of-this-world recipe for chicken or simply
that you lived through the depression (Hoover's "chicken in every pot and
a car in every garage"), I'd still take the $5,000 and run.
Gambling quote of the week: "People who deny that the laws of
probability exist are generally very unintelligent. So although I have some
skepticism, it's on a different level than the person on the street. Their skepticism
is based on ignorance. Mine is based on philosophical bewilderment."
Poker Player Mike C. Poker Faces: The Life and Work of Professional Card Players
(1982)
