# Pai Gow Poker Hand Rankings: Which 7-Card Splits Are Legal

> Learn Pai Gow Poker hand rankings, legal seven-card splits, joker rules, payouts, and the special A-2-3-4-5 straight with a worked example.

- Source: https://toolsgambling.com/blog/pai-gow-poker-hand-rankings
- Publisher: ToolsGambling
- Published: 2026-10-26
- Updated: 2026-10-26
- Cite as: "Pai Gow Poker Hand Rankings and Legal Splits", ToolsGambling, https://toolsgambling.com/blog/pai-gow-poker-hand-rankings

Pai Gow Poker is a card game played against the dealer in which each player gets seven cards and splits them into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. Across 200,000 random deals, the average was 17.9 legal splits out of the 21 possible; a split is legal only if the high hand is strictly stronger than the low hand. **Pai Gow Poker hand rankings follow standard poker order for the five-card hand; the two-card hand can only be a pair or high card.**

That average comes from **200,000 random deals, 52 cards**. The assumption that affects it most is conservative: splits where the two hands tie in rank, such as the same top card K and the same second card 9 in both hands, are not counted as legal. Such splits occur about 0.1 times per deal, roughly 0.6% of the 17.9 average; if a house accepts them, the count rises slightly. WSGC does not regulate this case.

## What is Pai Gow Poker, and how does it differ from Pai Gow Tiles?

Pai Gow Poker uses playing cards, while Pai Gow Tiles is a different game: **32 tiles, 16 ranked pairs**. For that game, use the [Pai Gow Tiles strategy guide](https://toolsgambling.com/blog/pai-gow-tiles-strategy); its rankings do not apply to the card game.

In Pai Gow Poker, you compare your high hand with the dealer’s high hand and your low hand with the dealer’s low hand. You do not compare your five cards against the dealer’s two cards. Each hand has its own corresponding opponent.

Your task is therefore different from simply finding the best five cards in a seven-card holding. Keeping a powerful high hand may leave your low hand weak. Moving useful cards into the low hand can improve that side of the comparison, but the resulting split must still satisfy the high-hand requirement.

## 53 cards and the deal

The game uses **53 cards: 52 ordinary cards plus one joker**, and each player receives seven cards. The dealer usually banks the game and must bank at least every other hand; a player may also bank, then playing against the dealer and the other players. The [Washington State Gambling Commission’s Pai Gow Poker Game Rules, rev. 10/2013](https://wsgc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/102_pai-gow-poker.pdf), also require the five-card hand to outrank the two-card hand. That version is the source for the wheel, push, dealer-tie and commission rules used below.

Keep the game’s deck separate from the calculation conditions. Our main check uses a standard deck without a joker. The limited joker-as-ace comparison discussed later does not model all the joker’s permitted uses.

When you inspect your seven cards, first identify repeated ranks, then look for possible straights and flushes. After that, consider which two cards could form the low hand. That order is a checklist, nothing more.

## How to split seven cards legally

A legal split puts exactly five cards in the high hand and two in the low hand, with the **high hand strictly stronger than the low hand**. You must use all seven cards, and no card can appear in both hands.

Check a candidate split in this order:

1. Set aside two cards as the low hand.
2. Identify the combination formed by the remaining five cards.
3. Compare the high hand’s strength with the low hand’s strength.
4. Change the split if the high hand does not outrank the low hand.
5. Only then assess how the two hands might perform against the dealer.

For example, a low hand containing a pair of aces requires a high hand with at least two pair. A high hand containing only a pair of kings cannot support that low hand. Calling the five-card holding the “high hand” does not automatically make it stronger.

When neither hand has a pair, compare the highest cards first and then the next cards if needed. Do not stop at the first card when both hands share that rank.

The following results all come from **200,000 random deals, 52 cards**, using the assumptions stated above. The displayed average is rounded to one decimal place.

| Measure | Result |
|---|---:|
| Possible five-card/two-card splits | 21 |
| Deals with at least one legal split | 100% |
| Deals without a legal split | 0 of 200,000 |
| Average legal splits | 17.9 of 21; 17.88 before rounding |
| Strongest legal high hand is a pair or better | 82.6% |
| Strongest legal high hand is two pair or better | 39.0% |
| Strongest legal high hand is high card only | 17.4% |

These figures describe available combinations, not betting results. The strongest legal high hand also need not provide the most suitable balance between the two hands.

## Five-card hand rankings

The high hand uses **standard five-card ranks**, from royal flush down to high card, subject to the joker and straight exceptions below. The ranking order is the familiar one from video poker. The site’s [video poker calculator](https://toolsgambling.com/poker/video-poker-calculator) is a Jacks or Better hold trainer; it does not evaluate a seven-card split into two hands.

Read this table from strongest to weakest. The wheel note concerns the ordering of straights, not an additional hand category.

| Rank | What it contains | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit | Highest standard five-card hand |
| Straight flush | Five consecutive cards of one suit | Beats four of a kind |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of one rank | Beats a full house |
| Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair | Beats a flush |
| Flush | Five cards of one suit | Beats a straight |
| Straight | Five consecutive cards | Beats three of a kind |
| Three of a kind | Three cards of one rank | Beats two pair |
| Two pair | Two separate pairs | Beats one pair |
| One pair | Two cards of one rank | Beats high card |
| High card | No higher combination | Compare the highest cards first |

**Wheel note:** Washington’s rules, rev. 10/2013, allow an exception for some games: the A-2-3-4-5 straight ranks above a king-high straight and below A-K-Q-J-10.

Four aces and a joker played as an ace make five aces. The cited WSGC provisions do not say where that combination ranks, so check the table’s own rules.

Within the same category, the ranks of the cards matter. A higher pair beats a lower pair. When the main combination is equal, the remaining cards may be needed to settle the comparison.

This table ranks a completed high hand. It does not tell you which two cards to remove from your seven cards: you still need to evaluate the low hand and check whether the entire split is legal.

## Two-card hand rankings

The low hand has only two categories: **pair and high card**. “Any pair beats any two unmatched cards,” as explained by [pagat.com, updated 1 December 2016](https://www.pagat.com/partition/paigowp.html).

| Low hand | How to compare it |
|---|---|
| Pair | Compare the rank of the pair; every pair beats an unmatched hand |
| High card | Compare the top card, then the second card if the top cards tie |

A low pair therefore beats an unmatched ace-high hand. Two high cards of different ranks remain a high-card hand, even if they share a suit or are consecutive.

Do not apply five-card categories to this hand. Two suited cards do not make a flush, and two consecutive cards do not make a straight.

When your seven cards contain two pairs, splitting them between the hands may strengthen the low hand. However, if this leaves only a lower pair in the high hand and a higher pair in the low hand, you have an improper split.

## The joker and the A-2-3-4-5 straight

The joker may act **as an ace or complete a straight or flush**. It is not unrestricted: you cannot assign it any rank merely because that would create a useful pair.

For each candidate hand, identify the joker’s role. If it is not completing a straight or flush, treat it as an ace under the Washington rules used here.

The joker-as-ace variant of the check—**200,000 random deals, 53 cards**—reported two pair or better at **38.9%**, with an average of **17.9 legal splits**. The difference from the main run (39.0% against 38.9%) is within sampling noise for two samples of 200,000 deals, about ±0.3 points. This limited variant does not evaluate the joker’s full ability to complete straights and flushes.

Washington’s rules, rev. 10/2013, allow an exception in some games: the **A-2-3-4-5 straight (wheel)** beats a king-high straight but loses to A-K-Q-J-10. You cannot assume that treating the ace as low determines where this straight ranks.

CardPlayer’s guide, updated 26 August 2025, at cardplayer.com instead calls it the second-lowest straight. The disagreement depends on the house and rule version; this article follows the dated Washington version. Check the applicable table rules rather than importing a straight ranking from another poker game.

## Payouts: push, ties to the dealer, and commission up to 5%

You win **even money only when both of your hands beat the corresponding dealer hands**. One win and one loss produces a push, while a tie in either individual comparison counts for the dealer under Washington’s rules, rev. 10/2013.

Resolve each hand separately before deciding the result of the bet:

| High-hand comparison | Low-hand comparison | Bet result |
|---|---|---|
| You win | You win | Even-money win before commission |
| You win | Dealer wins | Push |
| Dealer wins | You win | Push |
| Dealer wins | Dealer wins | Loss |

A push returns your stake without a win or loss. It is not the same thing as tying an individual hand.

The same Washington rules allow **commission up to 5% on winning hands**. This is an upper limit in the cited rules, not a claim that every table charges the same rate.

For a round-number example, a **\$10 win pays \$0.50 commission (5% of \$10), leaving a net win of \$9.50**. This assumes exactly 5% commission; no additional rounding is needed. The returned original stake is separate from the net win because it was already your money.

## Worked example: 18 legal splits out of 21

For the player’s **K♠ K♥ 9♣ 7♦ 4♠ 3♥ 2♣**, enumeration finds **18 legal splits out of 21**. The sample banker has high **Q♠ J♥ 8♣ 6♦ 4♥** and low **8♦ 5♣**. Three splits are improper because the high hand is weaker than the low hand; of the 18 legal splits, **12 win both hands, 6 push, and none lose**. This is an educational comparison with the banker from the example, not a casino house way; the results change with another banker.

![Schematic of the example: of 21 splits of seven cards, 18 are legal, 12 win both hands, 6 push and 3 are improper splits](https://toolsgambling.com/media/article/2026/10/d4e7a119bf1ac88fb105ad36e0f277fe.webp)
*Educational calculation for one example: a sample banker, not a casino house way.*

| Calculation result | Number of splits | Meaning |
|---|---:|---|
| Win both hands | 12 | Both player hands beat their corresponding banker hands |
| Push | 6 | One player hand wins and the other loses |
| Loss among legal splits | 0 | No legal split produces a loss in this comparison |
| Improper split | 3 | High hand is weaker than low hand |
| Total legal | 18 | Permitted divisions of these cards |
| Total checked | 21 | All five-card/two-card divisions |

Read these counts as different ways to arrange one holding, not as a sequence of played deals. They are counts for this one holding, not a forecast.

The example separates two checks. First, remove improper splits. Then compare each remaining high hand and low hand with the matching banker hand. Reversing that order can make an attractive comparison look usable before you notice that its split violates the rules.

## The dealer’s house way and its limits

The **house way is each casino’s predetermined policy for setting the dealer’s cards**, and it must be posted under Washington’s rules, section 8. It is not an optimal strategy for the player.

The policy gives the dealer a consistent way to divide a holding. It does not establish that you should always divide the same cards in the same way.

Before playing, check:

- Where the house way is posted.
- How it divides pairs and stronger combinations.
- Where the A-2-3-4-5 straight ranks.
- How the joker may be used.
- What commission applies to a win.

Do not treat a split as correct merely because it resembles something a dealer would do. Assess legality, both hands’ strength, and the comparison rules separately: no split guarantees a profit.

## FAQ

### Can you make a flush in the low hand?

No. Two cards of the same suit are ranked by their card values, not as a flush. The low hand can only be a pair or high card.

### Do you have to keep the strongest possible combination in the high hand?

No. A split is legal because of the relationship between the high hand and low hand, not because it preserves the strongest possible five-card combination. You need to consider both hands.

### Can the joker represent any missing card?

No. Under these rules, the joker acts as an ace or completes a straight or flush. You cannot assign it another rank simply to make a pair.

### Do 18 legal splits mean 18 separate bets?

No. They are ways to divide the same seven cards. You choose one split before comparing your hands with the dealer, rather than playing every option at once.

### Is the frequency of legal splits a probability of winning?

No. Legality only describes whether a division of the cards is allowed. A win probability also requires the opponent’s cards, their setting rules, and the rules for comparing hands.