Pai Gow Rules and Tile Rankings: Points, Splitting Your Hands and Settling
Pai Gow (the Chinese domino game) uses 32 tiles. You and the bank each get 4 tiles and split them into a low hand and a high hand, then low plays low and high plays high. This guide covers what every tile is worth, ranks the Supreme pair, pairs, wongs, gongs and points, and walks through three real splits.
Basic rules
- A set has 32 tiles: 11 civil tiles in pairs, 8 military tiles, plus the two Supreme tiles (the 1-2 and the 2-4).
- After you bet, you and the bank get 4 tiles each. Four tiles can be split only 3 ways, two tiles against two.
- The stronger hand automatically becomes the high hand and the weaker one the low hand, so you can never set them the wrong way round.
- The bank always splits by a fixed house way. You choose your own split, and the suggested one is marked on screen.
Know your tiles
| Tile | Points | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| Civil tiles (2 of each, highest first) | ||
| Teen | 12 | 6-6 |
| Day | 2 | 1-1 |
| Yun | 8 | 4-4 |
| Gor | 4 | 1-3 |
| Mooy | 10 | 5-5 |
| Chong | 6 | 3-3 |
| Bon | 4 | 2-2 |
| Foo | 11 | 5-6 |
| Ping | 10 | 4-6 |
| Tit | 7 | 1-6 |
| Look | 6 | 1-5 |
| Military tiles (1 of each, highest first) | ||
| Mixed 9 | 9 | 4-5, 3-6 |
| Mixed 8 | 8 | 3-5, 2-6 |
| Mixed 7 | 7 | 3-4, 2-5 |
| Mixed 5 | 5 | 1-4, 2-3 |
| Supreme tiles | ||
| 1-2 | 3 | Counts as 3 or 6 when not paired |
| 2-4 | 6 | Counts as 3 or 6 when not paired |
A two-tile hand is worth the last digit of its total: Teen (12) + Tit (7) = 19, which counts as 9.
Two-tile hand ranking
| Hand | Made of | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme pair | 1-2 + 2-4 | The best hand in the game. |
| Civil pairs | Matching civil | Teen > Day > Yun > Gor > Mooy > Chong > Bon > Foo > Ping > Tit > Look. |
| Military pairs | Matching military | Mixed 9s > Mixed 8s > Mixed 7s > Mixed 5s, below every civil pair. |
| High / Low wong | Teen / Day + 9 | Teen + a 9 is the high wong, Day + a 9 the low wong; high beats low. |
| High / Low gong | Teen / Day + 8 | The 8 is Yun or a Mixed 8. High gong beats low gong; both rank below the low wong. |
| Points | Everything else | 9 is best, 1 is lowest, and 0 (Zero) is the weakest hand of all. |
When two hands have the same points, compare the highest single tile in each, using the order in the tile table (Teen highest, the Supreme tiles lowest). If that is also equal, the bank wins. Zero against Zero also goes to the bank.
Settling and payouts
| Result | Pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Both hands win | 0.95 to 1 | 5% commission: a 1,000 bet returns 1,950. |
| One wins, one loses | Push | Your bet comes back unchanged. |
| Both hands lose | — | The bet goes to the bank. |
In MacePlay, any tied hand goes to the bank. That is why the low hand matters too: piling all the strength into the high hand often turns a win into a push.
Three splits, step by step
Example 1: choosing between three splits
You hold Teen, Day, a Mixed 9 and a Mixed 8. Your three options are:
- Teen + Mixed 9 = high wong; Day + Mixed 8 = low gong.
- Teen + Day = 14, 4 points; Mixed 9 + Mixed 8 = 17, 7 points.
- Teen + Mixed 8 = high gong; Day + Mixed 9 = low wong (the suggested split).
The bank holds Bon, Foo, Tit and a Mixed 7, and the house way gives a low hand of Tit + Mixed 7 = 14, 4 points, and a high hand of Bon + Foo = 15, 5 points. Your high gong and low wong beat both: you win both hands, and a 1,000 bet returns 1,950.
Example 2: the 1-2 counts as 3, and a tile tie-break
You hold the 1-2, Mooy, Yun and a Mixed 5. The suggested split is a low hand of 1-2 + Mixed 5, with the 1-2 counting as 3: 3 + 5 = 8; and a high hand of Mooy + Yun = 18, 8.
The bank holds Teen, a Mixed 9, Chong and Look, split as Mixed 9 + Chong = 15, 5 points, and Teen + Look = 18, 8 points.
- Low: your 8 beats 5, you win.
- High: both are 8, so compare the highest tile. The bank's Teen outranks your Yun, the bank wins.
One each: push, and your bet comes back.
Example 3: a dead tie goes to the bank
You hold a Mixed 7, two Pings and a Mooy, split as Mixed 7 + Mooy = 17, 7 points, and a Ping pair. The bank holds Mooy, the 1-2, Tit and Day, split as Mooy + Tit = 17, 7 points, and 1-2 + Day, with the 1-2 counting as 6: 6 + 2 = 8 points.
- Low: both 7, both led by a Mooy. A complete tie, so the bank wins.
- High: your Ping pair beats 8 points, you win.
One each: push.
Beginner questions
What if I put the hands the wrong way round?
You can't. In MacePlay you just pick one of the three splits, and the stronger hand is placed high for you.
Does the suggested split always keep the Supreme pair?
Not always. It aims to make both hands strong, so if keeping the Supreme pair would leave a very weak low hand, it may split the 1-2 and 2-4 instead.
How does the bank split?
The bank uses a fixed house way, the same method behind the suggestion you see, and it never looks at your tiles.
Play Supreme Pai Gow in MacePlay
MacePlay's Supreme Pai Gow is set in a Tang dynasty palace, with a dealer who rolls the dice and deals the tiles. At the reveal both hands are laid out side by side with their names on the tiles. In Supreme Pai Gow Live, everyone at the table gets the same four tiles against the same bank, so it comes down to who splits best; if time runs out, the suggested split is used for you. For a change of pace, try Opera Tong Zi.
MacePlay is for adults 18+ and for entertainment only. Virtual coins have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash or goods.
Ready? Open a table in MacePlay
Supreme Pai Gow in a Tang palace, with the suggested split marked; in the live room everyone gets the same four tiles.
