Pai gow fortune bonus house edge

I was playing pai gow poker at the Hammond Horseshoe last night with someone who when asked by the dealer why he wasn't playing the bonus, said the house edge is 16%. (This was one hand before he got dealt the straight flush). That seemed high to me, but when I looked at WOO's page for the fortune bet the Horseshoe's paytable wasn't represented.

It seems to me that getting paid one to one on three pair, which I get frequently, makes up for the lower odds on 5 aces and up, which I never get. Here's the paytable, and if you can give me an idea on house edge (assuming envy bonus qualification, or without it if that's easier) I would appreciate it.

7 card Straight flush no joker 1000:1 ($500)
Royal flush with royal match. 750:1 ($250)
7 card Straight flush w/ joker 500:1 ($150 (I think))
5 aces 250:1 ($100)
Royal flush 150:1 ($50)
straight flush. 50:1 ($20)
4oak. 25:1 ($5)
full house 5:1
flush 4:1
3oak 3:1
straight 2:1
three pair 1:1

Yes, I was there a few months ago and I noticed the 1:1 payout on three pairs. Had never seen that before... I'm curious about the house edge too.

The top payouts are sooooo much lower than what you see in most other casinos though.

Look at the expected returns chart link in tandem with the pay tables and you can find your exact answer. I compared pay table 1 and the expected returns chart. Pay table 1 pays 5000:1 on a natural 7-card, yours pays 1000:1, your return would be 1/5 of pay table 1's in that category (from .1% to .02%) & the other two mean even less. 4oak, Royal pay more (compared to pay table 1) and add about 1% each, the change to three pair adds 1.86% (since in pay table 1 it's a push). The decreased top payouts mean very little and the increased Royal & 4oak & 3 pair payouts make this a better game. Am I missing something?

https://wizardofodds.com/games/pai-gow-poker/side-bets/fortune/

Thank you for the information. I just added this to my Fortune page as pay table 8. Bottom line is a house edge of a low 4.43% less 0.87% for every other player at the table. Quite low. Are you sure you copied the pay table down correctly? Not many casino managers will like a house edge that low on a $5 bet.

I'm not a 100% sure on the higher end envies, but the rest I am.

Also, two free entrees at the noodle bar after 30 minutes of play.

A HE of 0.08% does seem crazy low for the fortune side bet with a full table. I'll try to snap a picture of the pay table when I go back. Probably in 2 weeks - I usually go on Mondays but I'll be down near Carbondale for the eclipse next week.

Quote: jmills

A HE of 0.08% does seem crazy low for the fortune side bet with a full table. I'll try to snap a picture of the pay table when I go back. Probably in 2 weeks - I usually go on Mondays but I'll be down near Carbondale for the eclipse next week.

Horseshoe Hammond is my main casino (although I've cut back my play considerably). And all I do when I go is play Pai Gow (tiles and poker). And I'll be near Carbondale on Monday also for the eclipse.

Anyway, that pay table looks right for Pai Gow. I thought 5 aces was 200, but I could definitely be wrong. I don't worry about the pay table for anything higher than that, because I'm not going to hit it.

I double checked the bonus payouts last night and they are accurate. Is there any other game that has a lower HE on the bonus bet than on the main bet?

The Trips bet in Ultimate Texas Hold-em has a couple relatively popular pay tables that are better than the main game. That's the only "standard" bonus bet I can think of that works that way. Anything with a progressive has the potential to fit the description, too, if the top payout is high enough.

Free Bet Blackjack has a bonus called Pot of Gold. If I remember, Wizard says that bonus is a lower house edge than the main bet if you always play for the bonus. That means splitting 5s instead of doubling.