Bonus Pai Gow Poker is a great game to play. Since each round involves keeping tabs on two hands - one high and one low - there is always something exciting going on. Here are some strategies to help you win at Pai Gow Poker and to enjoy playing the game.

To win at Pai Gow Poker, you must beat both of the dealer's poker hands. Therefore, Pai Gow Poker strategy aims at setting up both of your hands so they both have a chance to win. You have to try to get your Low Hand as high as possible, without unduly weakening your High Hand. Keep in mind that High Hand must be higher than your Low Hand.

An important element in Pai Gow Poker strategy is the break-even point. The break-even point is the point at which you are statistically more likely than not to win Pai Gow Poker. Of course, since you do not know what cards the dealer is holding, the Pai Gow Poker strategy does not guarantee that you will win even if you are over the break-even point. But it does mean that, over the long run, you have a good probability of winning.

For your Low Hand, the break-even point is an Ace/8. For your High Hand, the break-even point is a pair of Jacks. If you are at least holding these two hands, your chances of winning both hands, and therefore the round, is greater than 50 percent. With this guideline in mind, always look at your cards for these considerations.

If you do not have any winning poker hand, keep your highest card in your High Hand and form your Low Hand with your 2nd and 3rd highest value cards.

If you have one pair, keep the pair in your High Hand, and put the two highest remaining cards into your Low Hand.

Dealing with two pairs is the most difficult aspect of Pai Gow Poker strategy. On the one hand, if you keep both pairs in your High Hand, you can have a really strong High Hand but a weak Low Hand. On the other hand, if you put one pair into your Low Hand, you could be leaving your High Hand too weak to win. The correct strategy, therefore, depends on the values of your two pairs and on the value of your highest remaining card. The optimal two-pair strategy can be summed up as follows:

Always split the two pairs into your two hands, unless:

1. The sum of the two pairs is 9 or less, and you have a king or ace left over, or

2. The sum of the two pairs is 15 or less, and you have an ace left over.

In this context, the sum of the two pairs means, for example, that a pair of 5s and a pair of 9s would have a sum of 5+9=14. Also, jacks, queens, kings, and aces are valued at 11, 12, 13, and 14, respectively, for this calculation.

If you have a three-of-a-kind, always keep it in your High Hand and set your Low Hand with the next two highest cards. Note that there is an exception for three aces, which should be split into a pair of aces for your High Hand and the remaining ace and next highest card for your Low Hand.

If you have a full house, you should put the three-of-a-kind into your High Hand and the pair into your Low Hand.

If you have a straight, always set the lowest series of cards in the High Hand. For instance, if you have a 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, you should form your High Hand from the 6-10 straight rather than the 7-Jack straight, and put the 3 and Jack into your Low Hand.

Finally, for flushes, just like straights, set the lowest series of flush cards in the High Hand. The only time you should break up the Flush is if the Low Hand will not hit the break-even point.

The Bonus Bet is your chance to make some serious money playing Bonus Pai Gow Poker. Here is what you need to know about the Bonus Bet.

1. The Bonus Bet is distinct from and independent of your regular Pai Gow Poker bet. It can be higher, lower, or the same as the amount of your regular bet.

2. For purposes of the Bonus Bet, your cards are considered as one 7-card hand; they are not split into a high hand and a low hand.

3. Your Bonus Bet hand is not played against the dealer; it is simply judged against the Bonus Bet Payout schedule. If your hand qualifies, you receive the Bonus Bet Payout regardless of what the dealer has.

4. If you get the right cards, the Bonus Bet will reward you with a large real-money payout. The Bonus Bet pays out 2-to-1 for a straight, 3-to-1 for three of a kind, and 4-to-1 for a flush. The payouts keep getting higher for the better poker hands like a full house, four of a kind, and a straight flush, and go all the way up to 8,000-to-1 for a seven-card straight flush.

These are some very straightforward strategies for winning at Pai Gow Poker. This form of poker is quite methodical and detailed. It's a good idea to go over these Pai Gow Poker strategies before jumping into a game. It's also one of the advantages of playing Pai Gow Poker online, since you can keep your strategy in front of you and slowly learn the tricks. Most importantly, enjoy this clever and fun game and remember that you are in it to win money - but also to have some fun!