Casino Dominoes
Find Domino's CASINO NSW pizza restaurant, opening hours & contact details. Order pizza & sides online from Domino's CASINO NSW, fast food delivery or pick up. Dominoes, originated in China in the 12th century, has become one of the world-famous boardgames. Now you can play it on your phone! Our Dominoes is a strategy game. It is good for developing logical thinking and enhancing memory. In our dominoes, you can choose 3 game modes: Dominoes All Fives, Block Dominoes and Draw Dominoes. Don't hesitate anymore, just download Dominoes now and have. The dealer shuffles the dominoes and then rolls three dice. The total of the dice determines which player receives the first set of dominoes. Four dominoes are dealt to each player, each vacant player position on the table and to the dealer. Each player creates two hands with the four dominoes: a high hand and a second-high hand. Based off the rules of traditional All Fives Dominoes, aka Muggins, Casino Dominoes allows players to match their domino card to a connector card to score points in multiples of five. The more points you collect, the higher the payout! The matching ends are placed together, the exposed ends are added (6+4 =. It apparently uses cards that have pips like dominoes rather than suits and numbers or traditional/standard playing card values, unlike Pai Gow 'tiles,' which uses actual dominoes. So there will be no slamming of pieces on the table, I guess.doing that with cards just doesn't have the same 'impact' lol.
- House Way Strategies
- Player Strategies
- Miscellaneous
On This Page
Introduction
Pai gow is the oldest of the casino games. It easily pre-dates roulette and baccarat. How such a complicated game ever got started, I have always wondered. Indeed, pai gow is a difficult game to learn. The concept is the same as pai gow poker, where both player and banker make high and low hands, and then compare against each other. What makes pai gow difficult is there is order of hands and tiles seems largely random, and is difficult to memorize.
What I love about pai gow is that for bankroll preservation, there is nothing that beats it. The pace is slow at about 30 hands per hour, and 41% of hands result in a push. If you are a pale-face, like me, you'll impress the dealer and some other players that you even understand it. However, some Asians immediately leave the table when I sit down, as if I'm unlucky. Don't be scared to try the game, even if you know nothing about the rules. You can always ask the dealer to set your hands according to the 'house way.' Better yet, keep reading to learn more about the game.
Rules
Following are the primary rules when it comes to pai gow. Each casino may have some its own fine points when it comes to player banking and prepaying the 5% commission.
- Pai gow is played with a set of 32 dominoes displayed below.
- Each player and dealer will be given four tiles.
- The player will separate his tiles into low and high hands. The player does not need to specify which is higher, as this will be obvious.
- Each pair of tiles will have a ranking order as follows:
- Pair: There are 16 pairs, as shown in the image above. The tiles are pictures in rank order, starting at the upper left, and reading like a page to the bottom right.
- Wong: This is a 2 or 12 tile with any 9 tile.
- Gong: This is a 2 or 12 tile with any 8 tile.
- 9 to 0 points (the more the better): For all other 2-tile hands, the total number of dots will be taken, and the terminal digit is used to determine the number of points (as in baccarat). For example, a 10 and 9 tile is worth 9 points; a 4 and 7 tile is worth 1 point.
- An exception to the above rule is that the two tiles in the highest ranking 'Gee Joon' pair are semi-wild and are worth either 3 or 6 points, whichever results in a higher total. For example, when combined with a 4-point tile, a Gee Joon tile counts as 3 points to make a 7-point hand, instead of counting as 6 points to make a 0-point hand.
- The player's high hand will be compared to the dealer's high hand, and the player's low hand compared to the dealer's low hand (as in pai gow poker).
- If both player and dealer have a Wong, Gong, or 1 to 9 points, the tie will be broken according to which hand has the higher-ranked high tile.
- If the high tile does not break the tie then the win will go to the banker.
- A 0-0 tie always goes to the banker.
- When using high tiles to break a tie, the rank order is the same as the pair order (see picture above), except the two tiles in the highest 'gee joon' pair are ranked lowest individually and will therefore never be a hand's high tile.
- If the player wins both hands he will win even money, less a 5% commission. If the player wins one and loses one then his wager will push. If the dealer wins both then the player will lose his wager.
- At most casinos, the turn to be banker rotates around the table. At some casinos, such as Foxwoods, the turn to be banker zig-zags between the player(s) and dealer, meaning that the dealer must bank at least every other hand.
- The player may invoke his turn to bank whenever it is his turn, although most players decline.
- The banker plays against every other player at the table and the dealer. The dealer will wager the same amount the player wagered the last time the dealer was the banker. More often than not, other players will sit out the hand when another player is banking, letting him or her take on the dealer alone.
Strategy
My assistant and I have spent lots of time studying and developing pai gow strategy. Here are the strategies we have come up with so far:- Wizard Basic Strategy (added Oct. 25, 2017)
A reader known as Charlie combined various parts of these strategies to create a nearly optimal strategy he could fit on a sheet of paper. He was nice enough to share it with us.
For a graphic version, click the image above for a larger version. I also have a PDF version (149K).
We also have the following strategy charts showing the correct play for every possible combination under three banking scenarios:
The next table shows the possible outcomes and house edge under various strategies, banking or not banking, and whether prepaying the commission. The table assumes the player is playing against the Foxwoods house way and a 5% commission. If the player prepays the commission, which is sometimes allowed, the house edge is reduced by 0.07%.
Pai Gow House Edge
| Your Strategy | Banking? | Prob. Win | Prob. Loss | Prob. Push | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Way | No | 29.21% | 30.18% | 40.61% | 2.44% |
| House Way | Yes | 30.18% | 29.21% | 40.61% | 0.53% |
| Wizard Basic Strategy | No | ? | ? | ? | 1.98% |
| Wizard Basic Strategy | Yes | ? | ? | ? | 0.08% |
| Wizard Way | No | 29.07% | 29.5% | 41.43% | 1.88% |
| Wizard Way | Yes | 30.03% | 28.55% | 41.42% | 0.02% |
| J.B. Simple | No | 29.29% | 29.72% | 41.00% | 1.90% |
| J.B. Simple | Yes | 30.18% | 28.76% | 41.06% | 0.10% |
| J.B. Advanced Strategy without exceptions | No | 29.37% | 29.74% | 40.89% | 1.84% |
| J.B. Advanced Strategy without exceptions | Yes | 30.26% | 28.77% | 40.97% | 0.03% |
| Optimal | No | 29.42% | 29.60% | 40.98% | 1.66% |
| Optimal | Yes | 30.21% | 28.52% | 41.27% | -0.20% |
Inefficiencies in the standard casino house way cost the casino about 0.75% compared to optimal house strategy. If both player and dealer played optimal strategy, the house edge to the player when banking would be 0.54%, and when not banking 2.38%. For more on this topic see JB's optimal house strategy comparison table (24K). To see an enormous document on the actual optimal house strategies see JB's optimal house strategy charts (735K). I'm quite sure this is the first time it has ever been put in writing.
The perfect hand, seen at the Peppermill
in Reno. The odds are 1 in 35,960.
Prepaying the Commission
Some casinos let the player prepay the 5% commission. For example, betting $105 to win $100. This lowers the overall commission to 1/21, or 4.76%. The effect on the house edge is a reduction of 0.07%. This is an option the player should always invoke when available, yet many don't.
Betting 10% Extra as Banker
Some casinos let the player bet up to 10% more than he wagered against the dealer the last time the dealer was the banker. Assuming the player is banking every other hand, this lowers the combined house edge between banking and not banking by 0.07%.
Co-Banking
The player may make a back wager on the player acting as banker up to the amount he bet against the dealer the last time the dealer was banking. However, the player will forfeit his own turn to bank if he invokes this option. This rule will not have an effect on the overall house edge if the player is trying to maximize his action as banker (which he should), but can make the game more enjoyable if playing with friends. Rather than sitting out a hand where your friend is banking you can co-bank with him, so you're always in the game.
Calculator
My pai gow calculator will tell you the expected value and/or strategy for any hand, with lots of other features including the effect of tiles known to be held by other players or your opponent.
Power Ratings
The following table shows the power ratings for each hand. There are four columns of power ratings, according to whether the hand is high or low, and whether the player is acting as banker or not. The power ratings are on a 0 to 100 scale, which represents the probability an opponent playing the Foxwoods house way will beat that hand.
A practical application of this table is to add the two power ratings for the three ways to set a hand, and set it the way with the highest power rating sum.
Power Ratings in Pai Gow
| Hand | Low Hand Not Banking | High Hand Not Banking | Low Hand Banking | High Hand Banking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gee joon | 100 | 99 | 100 | 100 |
| 6/6 pair | 100 | 98 | 100 | 99 |
| 1/1 pair | 100 | 97 | 100 | 98 |
| 4/4 pair | 100 | 96 | 100 | 97 |
| 1/3 pair | 100 | 95 | 100 | 96 |
| 5/5 pair | 100 | 94 | 100 | 95 |
| 3/3 pair | 100 | 93 | 100 | 94 |
| 2/2 pair | 100 | 92 | 100 | 93 |
| 5/6 pair | 100 | 90 | 100 | 92 |
| 4/6 pair | 100 | 89 | 100 | 90 |
| 1/6 pair | 100 | 88 | 100 | 89 |
| 1/5 pair | 100 | 87 | 100 | 88 |
| Mixed 9 pair | 100 | 86 | 100 | 87 |
| Mixed 8 pair | 100 | 85 | 100 | 86 |
| Mixed 7 pair | 100 | 84 | 100 | 85 |
| Mixed 5 pair | 100 | 83 | 100 | 84 |
| Wong with 6/6 | 100 | 80 | 100 | 83 |
| Wong with 1/1 | 99 | 78 | 100 | 80 |
| Gong with 6/6 | 99 | 73 | 99 | 78 |
| Gong with 1/1 | 99 | 67 | 99 | 73 |
| 9 with 6/6 | 98 | 61 | 99 | 67 |
| 9 with 1/1 | 97 | 54 | 98 | 61 |
| 9 with 4/4 | 97 | 53 | 97 | 54 |
| 9 with 1/3 | 96 | 50 | 97 | 53 |
| 9 with 5/5 | 96 | 49 | 96 | 50 |
| 9 with 3/3 | 95 | 47 | 96 | 49 |
| 9 with 2/2 | 94 | 45 | 95 | 47 |
| 9 with 5/6 | 94 | 44 | 94 | 45 |
| 9 with 4/6 | 93 | 43 | 94 | 44 |
| 9 with 1/5 | 92 | 42 | 93 | 43 |
| 8 with 6/6 | 90 | 40 | 92 | 42 |
| 8 with 1/1 | 89 | 39 | 90 | 40 |
| 8 with 4/4 | 88 | 38 | 89 | 39 |
| 8 with 1/3 | 87 | 35 | 88 | 38 |
| 8 with 5/5 | 86 | 35 | 87 | 35 |
| 8 with 5/6 | 84 | 33 | 86 | 35 |
| 8 with 4/6 | 84 | 32 | 84 | 33 |
| 8 with 2/3 | 82 | 31 | 84 | 32 |
| 7 with 6/6 | 82 | 31 | 82 | 31 |
| 7 with 1/1 | 81 | 30 | 82 | 31 |
| 7 with 4/4 | 81 | 29 | 81 | 30 |
| 7 with 1/2 | 79 | 28 | 81 | 29 |
| 7 with 5/5 | 78 | 26 | 79 | 28 |
| 7 with 3/3 | 76 | 25 | 78 | 26 |
| 7 with 2/2 | 75 | 24 | 76 | 25 |
| 7 with 5/6 | 72 | 22 | 75 | 24 |
| 7 with 4/6 | 71 | 21 | 72 | 22 |
| 7 with 3/6 | 69 | 20 | 71 | 21 |
| 6 with 6/6 | 68 | 19 | 69 | 20 |
| 6 with 1/1 | 67 | 18 | 68 | 19 |
| 6 with 4/4 | 66 | 17 | 67 | 18 |
| 6 with 5/5 | 61 | 15 | 66 | 17 |
| 6 with 3/3 | 60 | 15 | 61 | 15 |
| 6 with 5/6 | 59 | 14 | 60 | 15 |
| 6 with 4/6 | 56 | 13 | 59 | 14 |
| 6 with 1/6 | 55 | 12 | 56 | 13 |
| 6 with 3/6 | 54 | 12 | 55 | 12 |
| 5 with 4/4 | 52 | 11 | 54 | 12 |
| 5 with 1/3 | 51 | 10 | 52 | 11 |
| 5 with 5/5 | 49 | 10 | 51 | 10 |
| 5 with 3/3 | 48 | 9 | 49 | 10 |
| 5 with 2/2 | 47 | 8 | 48 | 9 |
| 5 with 4/6 | 45 | 8 | 47 | 8 |
| 5 with 1/6 | 44 | 7 | 45 | 8 |
| 5 with 1/5 | 43 | 7 | 44 | 7 |
| 5 with 3/6 | 42 | 7 | 43 | 7 |
| 5 with 2/6 | 40 | 6 | 42 | 7 |
| 4 with 6/6 | 40 | 6 | 40 | 6 |
| 4 with 4/4 | 37 | 5 | 40 | 6 |
| 4 with 1/3 | 33 | 5 | 37 | 5 |
| 4 with 5/5 | 31 | 4 | 33 | 5 |
| 4 with 3/3 | 30 | 4 | 31 | 4 |
| 4 with 2/2 | 29 | 4 | 30 | 4 |
| 4 with 1/6 | 27 | 3 | 29 | 4 |
| 4 with 1/5 | 26 | 3 | 27 | 3 |
| 4 with 3/6 | 25 | 3 | 26 | 3 |
| 4 with 2/6 | 24 | 3 | 25 | 3 |
| 3 with 6/6 | 24 | 3 | 24 | 3 |
| 3 with 1/1 | 23 | 2 | 24 | 3 |
| 3 with 4/4 | 22 | 2 | 23 | 2 |
| 3 with 1/3 | 21 | 2 | 22 | 2 |
| 3 with 3/3 | 20 | 1 | 21 | 2 |
| 3 with 2/2 | 19 | 1 | 20 | 1 |
| 3 with 1/6 | 18 | 1 | 19 | 1 |
| 3 with 1/5 | 18 | 1 | 18 | 1 |
| 3 with 2/6 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 1 |
| 3 with 3/4 | 17 | 1 | 17 | 1 |
| 2 with 6/6 | 16 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| 2 with 1/1 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2 with 4/4 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2 with 1/3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2 with 3/3 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2 with 2/2 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2 with 1/6 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2 with 3/4 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 1 with 1/3 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 1 with 5/5 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 1 with 3/3 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 1 with 2/2 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1 with 5/6 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 1 with 1/5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Zero | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
The following graph shows how often the House Way will make each type of hand out of all 35960 combinations.
Suzie with a rare two pair.
The House Way
I'm proud to provide the following pai gow house ways. Most of them were rewritten into my own words. The one from the MGM is taken directly from their own rules and procedures on the game:
- MGM Grand (PDF -- 1,180 K)
- Marina Bay Sands (Singapore) (PDF -- 483K)
Where to Play
The following is a list of games I am aware of in the U.S.. I'm sure there are some I don't know about. Feel free to tell me if you are aware of others.
- Las Vegas: Aria, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Encore, Harrah's, Lucky Dragon, MGM Grand, Mirage, Palace Station, Palazzo, Paris, Rio, Venetian, and Wynn. The Treasure Island and Mandalay Bay don't staff a table on a regular basis any longer, but may open one if a whale requests it.
- Atlantic City: Most, if not all, casinos.
- Connecticut: Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods.
- Indiana: Hammond Horseshoe, Southern Indiana Horseshoe.
- Lake Tahoe: Harrah's.
- Maryland: Horseshoe Baltimore. (unconfirmed)
- Pennsylvania: Sands Bethlehem, Mount Airy Casino in Mt Pocono (unconfirmed), Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs near Scranton (unconfirmed), Sugar House Casino in Philadelphia (unconfirmed), Valley Forge Casino near King of Prussia, and Parx Casino near Bensalem (unconfirmed).
- Reno: Peppermill, Silver Legacy.
Play for Fun
Pai gow is a game that cries out for a way to practice before making a fool of yourself and blowing your money in a casino. For this reason please try my pai gow game.
Internal Links
- The Legend Behind Pai Gow — The story behind the game.
- Bonaza Pai Gow — Side bet seen at the Crown Casino in Melbourne.
- Pair Fortunes — Side bet seen at the Palace Station in Las Vegas.
- Pai Gow Game.
- Pai Gow Calculator.
External Links
- Pai Gow rules in Macau at WizardOfMacau.com.
- Where to play Pai Gow at Harrah's properties.
Acknowledgements
- Pai Gow Without Tears by Bill Zender. The author kindly gave me a copy of his booklet to help with my research on pai gow. If you are interested in the book it may be purchased from the Gambler's Book Club for $20.00.
- A Detailed Study of Pai Gow by Dr. John M.Gwynn, Jr. This study appears in the book Finding the Edge (Edited by Olaf Vancura, Judy A.Collins, and William R. Eadington).
- The many people who supplied me with house ways, which are not easy to get.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
If you’re looking for a game that is easy to pick up and play but still loaded with strategy, dominoes is worth a look. It takes all of five minutes to get the hang of the basic idea, but that does not make it a shallow game. The funny thing about dominoes is that the more you play, the more you realize just how much you don’t know. There’s quite a bit of subtle strategy that only becomes apparent with experience.
Best Dominoes Sites
Dominoes is most definitely not a game of chance like so many other betting games. Yes, the first “deal” of the bones comes down to luck, but what’s more important than what you get is what you do with what you get.
The only truly annoying thing about dominoes is the severe lack of people to play with. It may be different where you live, but where I live, nobody plays the game. That’s why basically all of my experience comes from playing games online with people around the world. Dominoes betting sites are a godsend for those of us who lack any serious competition.
One thing I’ve noticed is that most of the results that appear when you search for dominoes betting sites are junk. It’s hard to find a decent place to play online – especially if you have any intention of playing for real money. A lot of the sites that that come up in searches are badly outdated, void of active players and who knows what kind of security standards they keep.
Strangely, the best dominoes sites are hidden gems. My number one recommendation is a large betting site that has a little skill games section you rarely hear about. We previously also recommended a website called DominoChamp.com, but they have since closed for business.
How to Play Online Dominoes
The most common form of dominoes played online is called All Fives. This is the format in which points are earned both during gameplay and at the end of the round. The player with the most points at the end of the game is declared the winner of the round. Multiple rounds are played until one person reaches the designated points total. Whoever reaches that number of points first wins the overall game and any money wagered.
Beginning the Game
Each game begins with each player drawing 7 dominoes at random from the pile. When played online, the computer automatically shuffles and deals dominoes to each player. The remaining dominoes are set aside facedown to form the boneyard.
The player with the highest double (called a “spinner”) plays that double and then the players take turns making their plays after that.
If nobody has a double, there are two ways to proceed. One option is to reshuffle all the dominoes and have the players draw new hands. The other option is to simply begin the game with the highest domino even if it’s not a double.
Gameplay
Players take turns playing one domino at a time. Each player may play one matching domino at either end of the line. The domino must match the end-piece to which it is attached. For example, if the end piece shows 3 dots (or “pips”), the domino attached to that end must also have 3 pips on at least one side.
Play continues alternating between players, with each player placing one domino at either end of the line. Dominoes are played horizontally, but you may notice sometimes that the line tends to play vertically in each direction. The only reason for that is to keep the line from stretching off the ends of the play area.
If a player cannot make a move during his turn due to a lack of matching dominoes, he or she must draw dominoes from the boneyard until a play becomes available. If the boneyard runs out, the player’s turn is skipped.
Scoring
In All Fives, players earn points whenever they play dominoes such that the pips on the ends of the lines tally up to a multiple of 5. For example, if the end tile on one arm has 4 pips and you play a tile with 6 pips on the far end, the tally count becomes 10. You get 10 points for doing so. If you play a tile such that the pips add up to 15, you earn 15 points.
Dominoes sites keep a running track of the “board count” displayed at all times for your convenience. As you and your opponent lay dominoes, the board count is updated to reflect the new total. One of your goals when playing is to lay dominoes that result in the board count landing on a multiple of 5.
End of the Round
If both players are unable to play tiles and the boneyard is out, the game is considered “blocked” and the round comes to an end. The other way a round may come to an end is when one player plays his or her last tile. This person who plays his last domino is said to have “dominoed.”
If the round ends due to the game becoming blocked, the person with lowest pip total of remaining dominoes in his hand is declared the winner of the round. The other person would add up the total number of pips on his remaining dominoes and that amount would be added to the winner’s score, minus any pips remaining in the winner’s hand.
If the round ends due to someone playing his last tile, that person earns a total number of points equal to the number of pips remaining in the loser’s hand. For example, if the loser has 2 dominoes remaining that consist of 2-4 and 5-5, a total of 16 points would go to the winner.
About Those Spinners
Casino Game Played With 32 Chinese Dominoes
Remember, spinners are the dominoes that have an equal number of pips on each side. Spinners are treated differently depending on where you play. Most betting sites allow you to build off the original spinner in 4 directions. Spinners that are played later in the game are only built upon horizontally.
Casino Dominoes Las Vegas
For the purposes of tallying the board total, both ends of the original spinner are included in the points tally. The pips on the original spinner and all spinners played later are no longer included in the total once dominoes have been played on both sides of the spinner.
Winning the Game
Dominos Casino Vouchers
Online dominoes is most often played to a certain points total such as 150 or 250 points. The game comes to an end as soon as one player reaches that total. The first player to reach the designated points total is declared the winner of the game.