Introduction
When Pai Gow poker was introduced to California casinos in the middle of
the 1980s, it became a smash hit with local gamblers. Very soon,
players from all over the country were making a straight beeline to
casinos where Pai Gow poker was being offered.
In the 1990s, online casinos hit the scene. Pai Gow’s popularity spread
as more and more people from around the globe were suddenly exposed to
this excellent game at a click of their computer mouse. Today, Pai Gow
poker enjoys a huge following of dedicated gamblers who regularly come
to online casinos to play their favorite game.
Playing Pai Gow poker online entails the gambler being dealt seven cards
face up, with the aim of the game being to beat the dealer. The
gambler must decide how to divide his or her cards into a five-card hand
and a two-card hand. The five-card hand needs to be greater in rank
than the two-card hand. Depending on how the dealer splits its hand,
the player wins, loses or ties in the game.
While nobody is denying that Pai Gow poker is a great form of
entertainment at traditional, land-based casinos, more and more people
are actually choosing to play this game online. What is it that makes
Pai Gow poker such a popular choice on the internet?
Convenience
In pre-internet days, players had to make their way to their nearest
local casino to have a game of Pai Gow poker. If these players lived in
Las Vegas or Atlantic City, it meant a short car ride. However, the
majority of these players were from out of town and a trip to a casino
meant a plane ride, hotel accommodation and other expenses connected to
travel. Time restraints were also a deciding factor.
Online casinos changed the entire way that gamblers played their favorite
game. As incredible as it may seem, in just over a decade, gamblers
have been able to bring Pai Gow poker right into their own living rooms
(or office, or local internet café) and enjoy a game whenever they feel
like it and at any time of the day or night. Simply put, having a game
of Pai Gow poker is not limited to the opening hours of a casino or its
physical location and is available 24/7.
Free Games
Walk into any traditional casino, request to play a few hands of Pai Gow
poker for free and watch the reactions. Either you will be laughed at
or rudely refused. At online casinos, you won’t find these types of
reactions at all. In fact, you are encouraged to try Pai Gow for
free at online casinos. Why so? Because online casinos want you to try
out their games and thus give you the opportunity to try out as many
free games as you wish, and for as long you feel like doing so. In
the long run, these sites hope that you’ll gain enough confidence to try
betting for real money and so they, too, benefit.
So why play Pai Gow poker online for free? As we said, playing free
games gives you a lot of confidence. If you practice hard enough,
without feeling the pressure of spending your hard-earned bankroll on
these practice-rounds, your game strategy will keep getting better and
better. Whether you want to spend all your time playing Pai Gow poker
online, or whether you intend playing at a live casino in the end, you
should always try free games online first to build up your confidence
and skills level.
Bonuses
Ah, bonuses! Those wonderful comps of the internet world! Choosing to
play Pai Gow poker online also opens you up to the great bonuses
available out there on the internet. While you fish for a good,
reputable site to play Pai Gow poker, don’t forget to check out which
bonuses are being offered if you register and how it will benefit your
Pai Gow poker gambling session. Do some shopping around to compare the
different bonuses out there. Thankfully for you, it’s a buyer’s market
for gamblers who can only benefit from the strong competition in the
online casino market.
More Control
Playing Pai Gow poker at a traditional poker involves sitting around a
table with five or six other players, hearing the noise of the casino in
the background, being watched by spectators and having free drinks
pushed under your nose by cocktail waitresses. Compare this scenario
to the absolute control that you have over your game when you play Pai
Gow poker online – when it is only you against the dealer. The total
lack of distractions, including alcohol, means that you can concentrate
100% on your game and be in total control. Playing Pai Gow poker
online also means that you determine the pace of your game, without
having to consider the time restraints placed on regular, offline poker
games.
Conclusion:
Playing at a traditional casino certainly has its advantages. Nobody is
arguing that the hype, vibe and atmosphere of a casino cannot be beaten,
nor can you beat the feelings of comradeship when sitting around a table
with other likeminded poker players and playing until the wee hours of
the morning.
However, choosing to play Pai Gow poker online can open up your world to
an entirely different experience. You will have the ability to take
part in your favorite pastime whenever you feel like it and from
practically any location in the world. Add to that the great features
that come with the online package such as bonuses, tournaments,
flexibility and free games and you can see why so many millions of
people from all around the world prefer to do their Pai Gow poker
playing online. |
