The game of pai gow poker was created in 1985 in the United States by Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club.
Betting positions are assigned a number from 1 to 7, starting with whichever player is acting as banker that hand, and counting counter-clockwise around the table.
A number from 1 to 7 is randomly chosen (either electronically or manually with dice), then the deal begins with the corresponding position and proceeds counter-clockwise.
If a player is not sitting on a particular spot, the hand is still assigned, but then placed on the discard pile with the four unused cards.
In some casinos, such as the Golden Nugget and Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, an extra "dragon hand" is dealt if a seat is vacant.
In the two-card hand it always plays as an ace, except in several southern Californian casinos where the joker is wild.
In casino-banked games, the banker is generally required to set his hand in a pre-specified manner, called the "house way", so that the dealer does not have to implement any strategy in order to beat the players.
California casinos typically charge a flat fee per hand (such as 5 cents or one dollar) to play, win or lose.
To offset the player advantage due to the face up cards, any dealer Ace high Pai Gow results in a table push.
[3] Sam Torosian, owner of the Bell Card Club in Los Angeles, conceptualized the game of Pai Gow Poker in 1985.
The game quickly became popular and by the late 1980s was being played on the Las Vegas Strip, and eventually worldwide.