Pyramid Poker in the Free Mode Online

Pyramid Poker is a direct offshoot of Pai Gow Poker. It uses almost the same rules, just with several differences. Therefore, before playing this table game, the players are recommended to get acquainted with the rules of Pai Gow Poker.

Pyramid Poker Overview

The joker is not used in Pyramid Poker, unlike in the Pai Gow Poker version. Therefore, the game uses a standard 52-card deck. A six-deck shoe is in play. The cards are valued according to the basic poker rankings. 2s through 10s have their number values, while Js, Qs, Ks, and As are the highest cards.

How to Play Pyramid Poker

First, the gambler places a mandatory ante bet. When the gamblers have anted up, the dealer delivers three cards face down to each gambler and three cards to himself. The player can peek at his own cards.

The player has to divide his initial cards into two hands, which must then rank higher than the dealer’s hands. The gambler has to arrange his cards into the best possible two-card high hand and one-card low hand. The two-card high hand must outrank the one-card low hand. The gambler cannot make straights or flushes in this game, so strings of consecutive or suited cards do not matter.

When all gamblers have set their hands, the dealer reveals his three cards and sets his hands. Rather than making a decision on his own, the dealer should use the House Way to do so. This term describes a preset system of rules on how the dealer must set his hands.

Here are the House Way rules:

• If the dealer holds three unpaired cards, he plays the middle-ranked card as his one-card hand.
• If the dealer holds a pair of 2s through 8s, he plays the pair as his two-card hand.
• If the dealer holds a pair of 9s, he plays the pair as his two-card hand only if the remaining card is a 6 or better. Otherwise, he plays a 9 as his one-card hand.
• If the dealer holds a pair of 10s, he plays the pair as his two-card hand only if the remaining card is a 7 or better. Otherwise, he plays a 10 as his one-card hand.
• If the dealer holds a pair of Js, he plays the pair as his two-card hand only if the remaining card is a 8 or better. Otherwise, he plays a J as his one-card hand.
• If the dealer holds a pair of Qs, he plays the pair as his two-card hand only if the remaining card is a 9 or better. Otherwise, he plays a Q as his one-card hand.
• If the dealer holds a pair of Ks, he plays the pair as his two-card hand only if the remaining card is a 10 or better. Otherwise, he plays a K as his one-card hand.
• If the dealer holds a pair of As, he plays the pair as his two-card hand only if the remaining card is a J or better. Otherwise, he plays an A as his one-card hand.

Once the dealer sets his hands, each hand is compared to its equivalent player hand. The highest-ranked hand wins, and all ties go to the dealer. The gambler has to win both the high and low hands to collect his bets in this game. When he does so, the payout is even money on the gambler’s ante bet. If the gambler wins only one hand and loses the other, his ante bet is returned as a push. If the player loses both hands, he loses his ante bet to the house.