Fortune Pai Gow Poker Review
Stroll through any brick-and-mortar casino in Las Vegas and you’re sure to find lots of Pai Gow Poker tables. But did you know that there are many variations on the traditional card game that was created in the United States back in 1985 as an answer to the Chinese game played with a set of 32 dominoes?
Well, our Fortune Pai Gow Poker review introduces you to one of the most popular variants. Developed by the talented team at High 5 Games, this online version of Fortune Pai Gow Poker sees you take on the house for jaw-dropping wins of up to 8,000x your stake.
What sets this variant apart from a standard game of Pai Gow Poker is the optional Fortune Bonus side bet. It takes all seven of your cards into consideration and pays when you make a Straight or better.
Continue reading our review of Fortune Pai Gow Poker to discover what other twists this exciting variant has in store for you.
Familiarize Yourself With the Rules
The rules of Fortune Pai Gow Poker will be familiar to those of you who like to play Pai Gow Poker online or at land-based casinos. Like the original game, Fortune Pai Gow Poker uses a 52-card deck and a joker.
It’s a battle between you and the house to create two winning poker hands out of seven cards. Once you’ve been dealt your cards, the first step is to select two of them to make your low hand. As you can probably guess, the five remaining cards make up your high hand.
However, it’s vital to ensure that your high hand beats your low hand. For example, if you select a pair of sixes as your low hand, you must have a pair of sevens or higher in your high hand.
The house’s cards are then revealed. Both your low hand and high hand must outrank the house’s corresponding hands to win. If only one of your hands beats the house, a push is declared. If neither of your hands outranks the house’s hand, you will lose your stake.
The most interesting aspect of Fortune Pai Gow Poker is that the Fortune Bonus side bet considers your best hand based on all seven cards. Your side bet wins if a Straight or better can be made. Luckily for you, a Joker is included in the deck to help you out. It acts wild when it substitutes for a card to create a Straight, Flush, Straight Flush, or Royal Flush. Otherwise, it substitutes as an Ace.
Take Your Virtual Seat From 0.10 Credits
While Fortune Pai Gow Poker by High 5 Games doesn’t provide the immersive experience that a live casino game delivers, it will still make you feel like you’ve stepped up to a table at a land-based casino.
The Fortune Pai Gow Poker table itself features a silhouette of a dragon printed on the green baize, a nod to the game’s Asian roots. There are low and high sections for both you and the house, as well as the dealer’s shoe and stacks of casino chips. A small circle indicates where you should place your main stake, with a Fortune Bonus section positioned to the right. It’s bright yellow, you simply can’t miss it!
Our Fortune Pai Gow Poker review team was pleased to discover that High 5 Games has provided a generous spread of betting options. Those of you playing on a budget can take a seat at the virtual tables from as little as 0.10 credits. If you have a larger bankroll, you can stake up to 100 credits per game. The maximum bet for the Fortune Bonus stands at 30 credits, which we think is very reasonable.
Assuming you play Fortune Pai Gow Poker online optimally, the theoretical return-to-player (RTP) stands at 97.47%. The RTP of the Fortune Bonus is substantially lower at just 92.23%.
Pocket up to 8,000x Your Stake
Now that you know the rules and how much it will cost to take your virtual seat, it’s time to discover how much you can win by checking out the Fortune Pai Gow Poker pay table.
Assuming you take advantage of the Fortune Bonus, which is the main reason to play Fortune Pai Gow Poker online over Pai Gow Poker, you could win up to 8,000x your stake. That is the jackpot prize on offer for land a seven-card Straight Flush. A Royal Flush with suited royals pays 2,000x your stake, while a seven-card Straight Flush with Joker will boost your bankroll with a generous 1,000x your stake.
Five Aces, a Royal Flush, and a Straight Flush are worth 400x, 150x, and 50x your stake respectively. Any Four-of-a-Kind is worth 25x your stake. Our reviewers noticed a sharp decrease in how much is on offer for the four remaining poker hands. A Full House is only worth 5x your stake, while a Flush is worth just 4x your stake. Any Three-of-a-Kind or Straight will see you secure 3x and 2x your stake respectively.
You will find other exciting table games to play for free below.
Beat the House to Win a Fortune
It’s safe to say that our reviewers had a blast playing Fortune Pai Gow Poker online. The Fortune Bonus enhances how much you can win to make your session even more exciting. While none of our reviewers managed to scoop one of the biggest prizes on offer, they were lucky enough to create a Straight Flush on more than one occasion. Fingers crossed you have more luck when you take on the house.
Play Fortune Pai Gow Poker for free on this page to get to grips with the Fortune Bonus before you split the seven cards you are dealt for real money at one of our recommended online casinos.
