Angry pai gow neighbor --- estimate my advantage?

Funny situation in pai gow poker. Four players at the table each betting $20 when the house banks. I am the only one player banking, and I get the bank every other hand.

Two of the other players bet $20 every hand. However, one of my tablemates, angry that I was "messing up the order of the cards" by banking every other hand, angrily bet $200 every time I banked. I tried hard to conceal my delight at this situation.

So half the hands I was betting $20 against the house banker, and the other half of hands I was booking $260 as the banker, paying 5% commission on wins, of course. I estimate my edge to be close to 1 percent... am I right?

Side note, I just can't fathom how some gamblers' minds work. My tablemate was so angry I was banking... would he prefer that money go to the casino instead of a fellow player on his copy hands?

I finally asked him why he hated me banking so much, and he said that it messed up the natural order of the cards. So not only are the cards hand riffled once before being put in the autoshuffler, and the order of the shuffled hands THEMSELVES determined by an RNG built into the table, apparently the cards are somehow prestacked by the casino for the players to win. Good to know.

That's good. That's what you hope for when banking. I hope you won a least a couple of those $200 bets.

Forget about systems. You know what would make a mint? Selling superstitions to gamblers. if only I could figure out how...

Anyway, sounds like the angry neighbor had a system or a superstition and thought you were screwing it up. Good job!

Quote: sanders

So not only are the cards hand riffled once before being put in the autoshuffler, and the order of the shuffled hands THEMSELVES determined by an RNG built into the table, apparently the cards are somehow prestacked by the casino for the players to win.

They have Singer come in to do it every morning.

Quote: sanders

My tablemate was so angry I was banking... would he prefer that money go to the casino instead of a fellow player on his copy hands?.

After observing Pai Gow players for the last 4.5 years, I've come to the conclusion they, in fact, would rather the money go to the house. When people are playing table games, there's a general sense of camaraderie, that they're there to have fun and beat the house. Furthermore, Pai Gow more than most, is a very social game. When I go to the casino, I know damn well that its in my favor to bank. If the table is empty, I will. But I also like talking to the other players...banking is a quick way to be treated like a leper.

When a player (usually better off then they) spoils that fun and takes their money in a relatively no-skill affair, people get pissed off. Players have less computation losing in a game of Omaha than they do to a guy who got a lucky RNG and got the power hand.

Just my thoughts, take them for what they're worth.

The best thing to do would be to play with friends and everybody bank in turn betting the same amount.

I hardly ever play PGP anymore because of too many banking mishaps. In Tiles, disagreements seem to happen more rarely but I don't play Tiles as often since it isn't in very many markets.