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Wild Monkey Pai Gow
Introduction
Wild Monkey Pai Gow is a unique variant of pai gow poker that allows players to either surrender or double their bet before the dealer reveals their cards. This game is currently available at the Barona Casino in California and at the Caliente Casino Race Club in Tijuana, Mexico.
Rules
Below are the rules governing the version that includes a partially wild joker.
- A special 53-card deck is utilized, which features one joker. This joker can substitute for any card needed to complete a straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush; however, if it does not help create these combinations, it will count as a fifth ace without a suit.
- The game commences with each player making the essential Main bet. At this point, players have the option to place an additional side bet known as the Dealer Joker.
- Each player receives seven cards placed face-down, while the dealer receives eight cards, also face-down.
- Every player inspects their cards before choosing one of the following actions:
- Fold, which means giving up half of their wager and ending their participation in that hand.
- Raise, which allows them to place an additional bet up to the amount of their Main wager.
- Check, where they maintain their current hand without taking further action.
- Players who remain in the game will then organize their hand into a two-card hand and a five-card hand, in keeping with standard pai gow rules.
- The dealer reveals all of their cards face-up.
- If the dealer's hand includes the joker, they will discard it.
- The dealer will organize their hand according to the house rules for Wild Monkey Pai Gow.
- The A-5 straight, often referred to as the 'wheel,' constitutes the lowest possible straight.
- If the player’s two-card hand beats the dealer’s two-card hand, as well as their five-card hand defeating the dealer’s five-card hand, both the Main wager and Raise wager will win and pay out at even money, with no commission deducted.
- Conversely, if the dealer's two-card hand either beats or matches the player's two-card hand, and the dealer's five-card hand beats or matches the player's five-card hand, then both of the player’s Main and Raise bets will be lost and collected by the dealer.
- In cases where the player wins one hand but loses or matches the other, their Main and Raise bets will result in a push.
- The payout for the Dealer Joker side bet follows a specific pay table, with wins calculated on a 'to one' basis. Just like in the primary game, the dealer’s final hand is tallied after the joker is discarded.
Dealer Joker Pay Table
| Dealer Joker |
Dealer Hand | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 9-high pai gow | 300 |
| Yes | 10-high pai gow | 100 |
| Yes | J-high pai gow | 25 |
| Yes | Q, K, or A-high pai gow | 10 |
| Yes | All other hands | 4 |
| No | Any hand | Loss |
A fully wild joker variation is also offered, which is played at Barona Casino in California. The main difference in this version is that players can only surrender if they have a king-high pai gow or a weaker hand.
Analysis
The subsequent table illustrates the probabilities of various outcomes in the version featuring a partially wild joker, under the assumption of optimal player strategies.
Partially Wild Joker Analysis
| Net Win | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.143211 | 0.286422 |
| 1 | 0.049272 | 0.049272 |
| 0 | 0.341317 | 0.000000 |
| -0.5 | 0.302030 | -0.151015 |
| -1 | 0.126235 | -0.126235 |
| -2 | 0.037935 | -0.075869 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.017426 |
The bottom right cell indicates a house edge of 1.74%. The player will double their bet 34.13% of the time, which results in an average final wager of 1.3413 units. This leads to a risk element calculated as 1.74% divided by 1.3413, yielding 1.30%.
The only details available regarding the fully wild joker variant are that the house edge stands at 1.63%, with an average wager of 1.3748 units, leading to a risk percentage of 1.63% divided by 1.3748, equating to 1.19%.
The table presents the number of possible combinations, their probabilities, and the contribution to the returns for every outcome of the Wild Monkey bet. Similar math applies to both the partially and fully wild joker versions, with the lower right cell reflecting a house edge of 3.59%.
Dealer Joker Analysis
| Dealer Joker |
Dealer Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 9-high pai gow | 300 | 31,080 | 0.000035 | 0.010520 |
| Yes | 10-high pai gow | 100 | 248,640 | 0.000281 | 0.028053 |
| Yes | J-high pai gow | 25 | 963,480 | 0.001087 | 0.027176 |
| Yes | Q, K, or A-high pai gow | 10 | 22,051,260 | 0.024879 | 0.248795 |
| Yes | All other hands | 4 | 110,490,100 | 0.124661 | 0.498645 |
| No | Any hand | -1 | 752,538,150 | 0.849057 | -0.849057 |
| Total | 886,322,710 | 1.000000 | -0.035867 |
Strategy
Unfortunately, you'll need to figure that out for yourself for the time being.
Methodology
The mathematical calculations regarding Wild Monkey Pai Gow were conducted by Charles Mousseau from GLI. The game owners have graciously allowed the sharing of these calculations for this webpage. Total Gaming Science Find accurate strategies and information pertinent to casino games like blackjack, craps, roulette, and many more that you can enjoy.