Should You Place A Fortune Bet In Pai Gow?

By John Grochowski on Friday June 5, 2015

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Pai-gow poker is known as an even-keel, extended play kind of game. The Fortune Pai-Gow side bet injects a little excitement for jackpot hunters, including a big payoff of 5,000-1 on a seven-card straight flush that does not include the joker. That’s about a 4.8 million-to-1 shot, but hey, we can dream.

A reader’s email asked about the house edge, and whether the Fortune bet was worth making. That depends partly on how many players are at the table. The game carries an “envy bonus,” meaning that when someone wins big, other players get something extra, too. There are several pay tables available, but in the one I’ve seen most, the house edge is 7.8 percent if you’re playing alone. But each additional player reduces the edge by 0.92 percent, so that at a full seven-player table, it’s 2.3 percent – lower than the 2.5 percent on the base game.

Payoffs start at 2-1 on five-card straights, increasing to 3-1 on three of a kind, 4-1 on a flush, 5-1 on a full house, 25-1 on four of a kind, 50-1 on a straight flush, 150-1 on a royal flush and 400-1 on five Aces.

In addition, there are big jackpots on three seven-card hands. A seven-card straight flush that includes the joker pays 1,000-1. The jackpot is 2,000-1 on a five-card royal flush accompanied by a suited King and Queen. And the top prize of a 5,000-1 bonanza is for a seven-card straight flush that does not include the joker.

On to the envy bonus. Assuming a $5 Fortune bet, the bonus is $5 if another player has four of a kind, jumping to $20 on a straight flush, $50 on a royal, $250 on five Aces, $500 on a seven-card straight flush with the joker, $1,000 on a royal flush accompanied by a suited King-Queen and $3,000 for a straight flush with no joker.

Winners come on about 21 percent of hands, so this is a high-volatility game, trading frequent losses for a chance at big wins – just the opposite of the steady-as-she-goes main pai-gow game.