§ 645a.6. Pai Gow Poker rankings.
(a) The rank of the cards used in Pai Gow Poker, in order of highest to lowest, shall be: ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an ace may be used to complete a straight flush or a straight formed with a 2, 3, 4 and 5 but may not be combined with any other sequence of cards (for example: queen, king, ace, 2 and 3). The joker shall be used and ranked as an ace or may be used as any card to complete a straight, a flush, a straight flush or a royal flush.
(b) The permissible Poker hands at the game of Pai Gow Poker, in order of highest to lowest rank, shall be:
(1) Five aces, which is a high hand consisting of four aces and a joker.
(2) A royal flush, which is a high hand consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of the same suit or a king, queen, jack and 10 of the same suit and a joker.
(3) A straight flush, which is a high hand consisting of five cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, with ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being the highest ranking straight flush; king, queen, jack, 10 and 9 being the second highest ranking straight flush; and 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 being the lowest ranking straight flush.
(4) A four-of-a-kind, which is a high hand consisting of four cards of the same rank, with four aces being the highest ranking four-of-a-kind and four 2s being the lowest ranking four-of-a-kind.
(5) A full house, which is a high hand consisting of a three-of-a-kind and a pair, with three aces and two kings being the highest ranking full house and three 2s and two 3s being the lowest ranking full house.
(6) A flush, which is a high hand consisting of five cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the hand which contains the highest ranking card, as provided in subsection (a), which is not in the other hand, shall be considered the higher ranking hand.
(7) A straight, which is a high hand consisting of five cards of consecutive rank, regardless of suit, with an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 being the highest ranking straight; an ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being the second highest ranking straight; and a 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 being the lowest ranking straight.
(8) A three-of-a-kind, which is a high hand containing three cards of the same rank, with three aces being the highest ranking three-of-a-kind and three 2s being the lowest ranking three-of-a-kind.
(9) Two pair, which is a high hand containing two pairs, with two aces and two kings being the highest ranking two pair hand and two 3s and two 2s being the lowest ranking two pair hand.
(10) A pair, which is either a high hand or a low hand consisting of two cards of the same rank, with two aces being the highest ranking pair and two 2s being the lowest ranking pair.
(c) When comparing two high hands or two low hands that are of identical hand rank under subsection (b), or contain none of the hands listed in subsection (b), the hand that contains the highest ranking card under subsection (a), which is not in the other hand, shall be considered the higher ranking hand. If the two hands are of identical rank after the application of this section, the hands shall be considered a tie.
(d) If the certificate holder offers the optional Fortune Bonus Wager under § 645a.7(e)(1) (relating to wagers), the following seven-card hands shall have a rank higher than a hand of five aces, as described in subsection (b)(1), and be used to determine the amount of the Fortune Bonus Wager payout or Envy Bonus payment to a winning player:
(1) A seven-card straight flush with no joker, which is a hand consisting of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, with no joker used to complete the straight flush.
(2) A royal flush plus Royal Match, which is a seven-card hand consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack and a 10 of the same suit, with or without a joker, with one of the following:
(i) An additional ace and king of a same suit if offering Emperor’s Challenge Pai Gow Poker.
(ii) An additional king and queen of a same suit if offering Fortune Pai Gow Poker.
(3) A seven-card straight flush with joker, which is a hand consisting of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking with a joker being used to complete the straight flush.
(e) If the certificate holder offers the optional Emperor’s Treasure Wager under § 645a.7(e)(2), the following seven-card hands shall have a rank higher than a hand of five aces, as described in subsection (b)(1), and shall be used to determine the amount of the Emperor’s Treasure Wager payout or Envy Bonus payout to a winning player:
(1) A seven-card straight flush with no joker, which is a hand consisting of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, with no joker used to complete the straight flush.
(2) A royal flush plus ace and king suited, which is a seven-card hand consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack and a 10 of the same suit, with or without a joker, and an additional ace and king of the same suit without a joker.
(3) A seven-card straight flush with joker, which is a hand consisting of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking with a joker being used to complete the straight flush.
(f) If a certificate holder offers the optional Progressive Payout Wager under § 645a.7(e)(4), the following seven-card hands shall be used to determine the amount of the progressive payout to a winning player:
(1) Seven-card straight flush is a hand consisting of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, with or without a joker.
(2) Five aces, which is a hand consisting of four aces and a joker.
(3) A royal flush, which is a hand consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of the same suit or a king, queen, jack and 10 of the same suit and a joker.
(4) A straight flush, which is a hand consisting of five cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking.
(5) A four-of-a-kind, which is a hand consisting of four cards of the same rank.
(6) A full house, which is a hand consisting of a three-of-a-kind and a pair.
(g) If the certificate holder offers the optional Dynasty Bonus Wager under § 645a.7(e)(5)(ii), in addition to the hands described in subsection (b), the following hands shall also be used to determine the amount of the Dynasty Bonus or Envy Bonus payout to a winning player:
(1) An ace/five natural straight flush and a natural ace/queen suited, which is a hand consisting of an ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5, without a joker, and an additional ace and queen of the same suit without a joker.
(2) A seven-card natural straight flush, which is a hand consisting of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, without a joker used to complete the straight flush.
(3) A natural royal flush and a natural ace/king suited, which is a hand consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack and a 10 of the same suit, without a joker, and an additional ace and queen of the same suit without a joker.
(4) A seven-card straight flush, which is a hand consisting of seven cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, with a joker used to complete the straight flush.
(5) An ace/five natural straight flush, which is a hand consisting of an ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5, without a joker.
Authority The provisions of this § 645a.6 amended under 4 Pa.C.S. § § 1202(b)(9)—(23) and (30), 1205, 1206(f) and (g), 1207(1) and (2), 1208(1)(iii), 1209(b), 1212, 1213, 13A02(1) and (2), 13A11, 13A12—13A14, 13A15 and 1802 and Chapter 13.
Source The provisions of this § 645a.6 amended December 12, 2014, effective December 13, 2014, 44 Pa.B. 7683; amended June 12, 2015, effective June 13, 2015, 45 Pa.B. 2829. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (375866) to (375869).
Cross References This section cited in 58 Pa. Code § 645a.7 (relating to wagers); and 58 Pa. Code § 645a.11 (relating to procedures for completion of each round of play).
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.
