Pai Gow is a centuries-old Chinese dominoes game, and although it is believed to have originated in ancient China, its popularity has now spread around the world. In Macedonia, Pai Gow is especially popular among gaming fans.
It can be played with either two or four players, depending on the variation of playing rules. In most cases, each player will receive seven dominoes. The dominoes are divided into two different hands of four and three pieces and the goal is to make the two hands with better strength than the opponent. The rules on how to score each hand vary between different variations.
The most popular variation is known as “Reefer”. In Reefer, each player is dealt seven dominoes. The first player to act in Reefer is the person to the left of the dealer. The aim is to make the strongest five-card and two-card hand combination possible. The five-card hand is ranked according to the rankings found in regular poker games. The two-card hand is ranked according to which is higher between the two dominoes; if they are the same number, the one containing the highest suit is ranked highest.
Another popular variation is Dice Solitaire. In Dice Solitaire, each player is dealt seven dominoes and each person is then allowed to make two rolls of two dice. The number of pips on each face of the dice is then used to determine which dominoes are kept and which are discarded. The players then create their strongest hand using the five dominoes left in their possession.