How To Play Face Up Pai Gow Poker

Gaming | 6 MINS

Face Up Pai Gow Poker lets you see the dealer's hand before setting your own, replacing the 5% commission with an Ace-high push rule. Below you'll find the complete face up pai gow poker rules, how to play face up pai gow optimally, the face up pai gow house edge and odds, and the full Ace High, Fortune Bonus, and Progressive pay tables.

What Is Face Up Pai Gow Poker?

Face Up Pai Gow Poker is a variant of traditional Pai Gow where the dealer's hand is set face-up before you arrange your own seven cards. If you're learning how to play face up pai gow, the key advantage is visibility, you can see exactly what you need to beat on both the five-card high hand and the two-card low hand before committing to your arrangement.

The game uses a 53-card deck (standard deck plus one Joker, which completes a straight, flush, or straight flush, or acts as an Ace). Instead of the traditional 5% commission, the face up pai gow poker rules use an Ace-high push rule, all players push when the dealer's high hand is Ace-high. Optional Ace High Bonus, Fortune Bonus, and Progressive Bonus wagers provide additional payout opportunities.

What Are the Face Up Pai Gow Poker Rules?

The face up pai gow poker rules follow the same hand-setting structure as traditional Pai Gow. Create two poker hands from your seven cards: a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. The five-card hand must outrank the two-card hand. To win, beat both of the dealer's hands. Win one and lose the other, and it's a push.

The key difference: after the dealer sets their hand face-up for all to see, you set your own hand with full knowledge of the target. This makes every hand-setting decision in face up pai gow poker a solved problem, there is a mathematically correct way to arrange your cards against the visible dealer hand.

What Is the Face Up Pai Gow House Edge?

The face up pai gow house edge is approximately 1.82%, making it one of the most player-friendly games on the casino floor. The elimination of the 5% commission (replaced by the Ace-high push rule, which activates approximately 8% of the time) gives players a better return compared to traditional Pai Gow Poker's 2.84% edge.

What Are the Face Up Pai Gow Odds?

The face up pai gow odds are favorable compared to most table games. The 1.82% house edge puts face up pai gow in the same range as well-played blackjack. Pushes remain frequent, roughly 40% of hands, keeping bankroll volatility low.

Because you can see the dealer's hand, optimal play in face up pai gow yields consistent results. Setting your hand correctly against the visible dealer hand every round is the single most impactful factor in maintaining the low face up pai gow odds.

What Do the Ace High, Fortune, and Progressive Bonuses Pay?

Ace High Bonus: Insures against the dealer holding Ace-high. Pays 6 to 1 through 30 to 1 depending on specifics. Collected if the dealer has any other hand.

Ace High Pay Table

Hand	Pays
Dealer and Player Both Ace-High	30 to 1
Dealer Ace-High (including Joker)	15 to 1
Dealer Ace-High (No Joker)	6 to 1

Fortune Bonus: Pays on the best seven-card hand, from 2 to 1 up to 2,500 to 1. Wagers of $5+ earn an Envy button.

Fortune Bonus & Envy Pay Table

7-Card Hand	Fortune Pays	Envy Pays
7-Card Straight Flush (no Joker)	2,500 to 1	$1,000
Royal Flush + Royal Match	1,000 to 1	$750
7-Card Straight Flush (with Joker)	750 to 1	$250
5 Aces	250 to 1	$100
Royal Flush	125 to 1	$50
Straight Flush	50 to 1	$20
4 of a Kind	25 to 1	$5
Full House	5 to 1	,
Flush	4 to 1	,
3 of a Kind	3 to 1	,
Straight	2 to 1	,

Progressive Bonus: A $5 wager on the sensor. Uses all seven cards, paying from $20 (Full House) up to 100% of the meter.

Progressive Pay Table

Hand	Payout
Seven Card Straight Flush	100% of the meter
Five Aces	10% of the meter
Royal Flush	$2,500 (500 for 1)
Straight Flush	$500 (100 for 1)
Four-of-a-Kind	$375 (75 for 1)
Full House	$20 (4 for 1)