Pai Gow is an ancient Chinese game played in different variations worldwide. The game is played with 32 Chinese dominoes and is composed of two hands, a front and a back. The aim of the game is to create two hands of equal strength.
In the Philippine version of Pai Gow, players have to make two hands from their 7 dominoes. The five-domino hand, known as the front hand, must have a higher value than the two-domino back hand. The highest possible value of a two-domino hand is 9 and the highest possible value for a five-domino hand is 32. As per traditional Pai Gow rules, straights, flushes, three-of-a-kind and straights of the same suit are all considered two separate hands.
The game usually starts when the banker draws four dominoes, known as the House way. The players then have to make two hands that beat the banker's. After forming the hands, the players have to place a bet. If the player's hands beat the bank's, they get double the amount of their bet. If only one of the hands beats the banker, the bet is considered a push and the money is returned to the player. If both of the hands are weaker than the bank's, the player loses the bet.