Face Up Pai Gow Poker Malaysia – Full Dealer Info Strategy Guide

Face Up Pai Gow Poker turns the standard Pai Gow Poker format on its head by dealing the dealer's entire seven-card hand face-up before players set their hands. Available at Maxim88 Malaysia, this creates a fascinating strategic dynamic where players have complete information — but must cope with modified payouts and a push becoming a dealer win to compensate.

What is Face Up Pai Gow Poker?

Standard Pai Gow Poker has the dealer's cards face-down. Face Up Pai Gow Poker reveals all dealer cards before players split their hands into a five-card "high" hand and two-card "low" hand. This information advantage is balanced by ties always going to the dealer (rather than pushing as in standard Pai Gow).

How to Play

1. Ante bet: Place your wager before cards are dealt.
2. Dealer hand revealed: All seven dealer cards are turned face-up.
3. Receive seven cards: You receive your seven-card hand face-up.
4. Set your hands: Split your cards into a five-card high hand and two-card low hand, aiming to beat the dealer's equivalent hands.
5. Compare: Both high and low hands are compared. Win both to win the bet. Win one to push (except in Face Up where ties favour the dealer).

Strategy Advantage

Tip 1: Use Dealer Hand Information

With the dealer's hand visible, you can optimise your hand split based on what you need to beat specifically. If the dealer has a weak low hand (e.g. 2-3), you can afford to sacrifice your low hand strength to build an overwhelming high hand.

Tip 2: Banker Option

In Face Up Pai Gow Poker, players can optionally "bank" — taking the dealer position against other players. Banking is advantageous as ties go to the banker, making the banker role statistically profitable over time.

Providers at Maxim88

• Playtech — Offers Face Up Pai Gow Poker in their comprehensive live table game collection.
• Microgaming Plus — Pioneer provider with Pai Gow variants including the face-up format.