As casino fans may know, Pai gow strategy is based on a logical deduction of the optimal setting for your tiles. Because the aim of the game is to make two hands of increasing strength you can often find that there are a number of options with four tiles.

Indeed, there are essentially three ways to arrange four tiles and it’s important that you make the right combination to give yourself the best chance of scooping both the front and rear hands.

In some betting circumstances it’s beneficial to play for a push. In situations like this you will often find that your options consist of either making two mediocre hands or one 0 (weak hand) and one strong hand. Using this tactic can be a wise one as it certainly won’t win you the pot, it will likely result in a push and you receiving your bet back. However, if you decide to follow this strategy then you must be confident that your rear hand will be strong enough to beat the dealer. If this isn’t the case then you are better off choosing to make two mediocre hands.

Another tactic you can use is to not go for the most obvious strong hand and instead pick two above average ones. While this has the potential to lose you both hands – on account of the fact you aren’t super strong in either spot – it often gives you the best overall chance of scooping the pot. This is because while it’s likely a strong hand will scoop the rear, it most important to focus on winning the front hand. Indeed, in order to scoop any pot you must first beat the dealer at this point.

Pai gow strategy is one that requires you to think through various combinations of tiles. Sometimes the correct move will be obvious, but often times it will be a close call between making one strong hand or two average ones.