Pai gow is a popular gambling game from China dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It is played with a set of 32 Chinese dominoes and has spread across the world, becoming especially popular in the Maldives. The game is commonly played in the country's casinos, and is also available in most online casinos.
In the Maldives, pai gow is typically played with six players and a dealer. The objective of the game is to create two hands that are stronger than the dealer's. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, plus a joker. The joker can be used as an ace, or to complete a flush, straight, or straight flush.
Players are dealt seven cards, which they must divide into two hands: a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand. The five-card hand must be higher in value than the two-card hand. The hands are then compared to the dealer's hands. If both of the player's hands are higher than the dealer's, the player wins. If only one of the player's hands is higher, it is a push (tie) and the player's bet is returned. If both of the player's hands are lower than the dealer's, the player loses the bet.