What is No Push Pai Gow Poker?

The game of pai gow poker has a unique set of rules that affect the overall environment of the game. One unique rule in the game is called a push. If you're familiar with blackjack you'll have a general idea of what a push will do to your bet. We'll take a look at a variant of Pai Gow Poker that doesn't have a push. We'll also cover some rules that have been changed and see if they are in favor of the players or for the house.

A push in this poker variant would essentially mean a tie. Since the players and the dealer will have ties every now and then, a decision has to be made on the money wagered. In this type of poker game a push would mean that the dealer wins one hand and the player wins the other hand.

The standard game and the No Push Pai Gow game both use the same rules. The only difference is that the no push variation would have some exceptions to the standard rules being used. The following are the exceptions that you'll find in the no push variation.

First change in the rules for the no push variation is that the dealer always becomes the banker. Next would be that the five percent commission from the standard game is waived. If ever a player wins a hand, the payoff would be even money (which is favorable for the players).

Next change in the rules would be that after seven hands have been played you can expect that there will be four left over cards. The dealer would then take a card and place it in an area for players and the next card will be placed in the banker's area (both of these cards will be faced down). After the dealer sets his hands, then will these cards be set placed face up.

If ever a push comes up then the two cards that were set aside will be used to break it. If the player's card ranks higher then the player wins, but if the banker has a card that is equal to or even higher than that of the player's then the banker wins. If one card turns out to be the Joker, then it takes the value of an Ace.

As it appears, this variant brings up more excitement. So are there any strings attached on the no push variant? The only turn off is that this no push variant has a higher house edge. So the bottom line is that if you're looking for a refreshing change and additional excitement then you can try the no push Pai Gow Poker game variant. Just remember that you'll be facing a higher house edge if you do.