Pai Gow Tiles - Banking - Passing tiles to other player

When banking the dealer will pass tiles to the banker and sometimes they will pass a couple tiles to another player. What are you supposed to be looking for in this instance.

if the dealer gives tiles to another player when a different player is banking, the first player must have a bet up against the banker.

In this instance it is polite to let the player set his hand before the banker picks up and sets his.

My fault for not explaining my question better. In this scenario I am referring to co-banking. Let's say there is myself and one other person at the table. We decide we are going to cobank the hand. In this example lets assume that the other player at the table was who the tiles were passed to and I was the other player. The other player will usually pass me 2 tiles and he will keep 2. We will both look at our tiles and he will pass one to me face down and I am to do the same. After we both look I pass both my tiles back to him and he sets the hand. I have always been confused in this scenario as what tile I am supposed to pass back. Am I supposed to pass my best tile or my worst?

I've never seen anyone co-bank, but it sounds to me like the tile passing is just a custom, like squeezing the cards at baccarat. Maybe just to get both co-bankers emotionally invested in the hand and to delay the suspense of the complete hand.

Since the original player ends up with the 4 tiles and then sets the hand, it doesn't matter which tile you pass to him... pass whichever one you feel will be most exciting.

Quote: scottndindy

When banking the dealer will pass tiles to the banker and sometimes they will pass a couple tiles to another player. What are you supposed to be looking for in this instance.

It's just a social thing, meant to increase fun and/or to prevent the non-banking player from getting bored. I've been on both ends (giving a tile to someone else, receiving a tile from a banking player). Sometimes the banker with three tiles left will flip two of them over at once like BAM! and then feel out the third one while you feel out the fourth one.

I've seen PGTiles in three London casinos. One of them doesn't allow banking anymore. The Empire seems to have the bigger games and players do take the bank and others add their bets (although the dealer stacks the whole bet as one). In the Hippodrome I've occasionally seen the bank taken, and the same seems to happen.

It seems quite common for the banker to pass one of the tiles to a co-banker (remember only the main player technically makes the choice, but it's usually a combined effort). Once when I was banking, one of the Chinese joined in (given I'm a newbie it was quite brave) and almost grabbed two of the tiles - I didn't stop him so showed him mine and luckily we had an obvious decision.
After the bet has been won, the player-banker then distributes the winnings back to the others.

So I guess if you bank and others join in, expect them to be able to at least see the tiles.

I'm slightly surprised casinos allow discussion (asking about Teen/Day etc.) and others piling into banks, but I guess the tables make money and they'd prefer to keep everyone happy. I think the Empire is changing its rules next month so only three people can back a box, and when I was there recently the dealers were/spoke Chinese.

I love this aspect of the game. The usual play I have seen is that the 'main' banker will toss one tile to another player who is betting with the banker. The initial player with 3 tiles will look at his tiles, and select a tile he hopes the other player will match well with. Sometimes there are 'no brianers', and the original player will just match the one tile he has with yours and not even look. (Example- you have teen, teen, day.... whatever the fourth tile is it goes with day). Others he may ask for an 8, and if you have a 7 he may play it anyway, or may switch it up. If I am playing with one other player i will suggest that we both bank every turn we get the opportunity. Of course be prepared for the 'main' banker to not always play optimally. Last trip, even though I was betting green and the other player was betting black, he always deferred to me on controversial hands when I was the 'main' banker, even though I offered to play his way if he wanted.
By the way, at the Rio at least, the dealer will take one of the tiles if you want him or her to, if it is one on one.