Top 10 Pai Gow Poker Sites Malaysia in 2023

Online betting technically exists in a legal grey area in Malaysia. While it’s not explicitly permitted, it’s not illegal either. As such, huge numbers of punters are more than happy to play on one of the many international betting sites which accept Malaysian bettors. Many of these will specifically be interested in playing pai gow poker online.

If you fall into that category, we’ve got great news for you. There are plenty of great bookies who feature pai gow poker, alongside a host of other popular casino games. Read on to learn how the game works, get our top tips on turning a profit, learn the very best pai gow poker sites of all in Malaysia, and more.

Our Top Pai Gow Poker Sites Reviewed

You won’t find quite as many options for playing pai gow online in Malaysia as you might with other games, but the cupboard is still hardly bare here. We’ve listed great options for you at the top of this page and – below – you can get a closer look at our top recommendations.

1. 12Play Casino – Best Overall Pai Gow Poker Site With Free $12 for New Registers

12Play Casino is considered one of the most trustworthy service providers in the Malaysian gaming space. The betting platform is the best option if you seek an online casino that can check all the boxes in terms of providing entertainment, security, and enticing bonuses.

With an easy-to-use and secure gaming network, players will surely enjoy a fun-filled and convenient gaming experience at the tip of their fingers. Moreover, the site boasts an extensive library of live casino games such as Baccarat, Roulette, and Blackjack, and traditional Chinese table games like Mahjong and of course; Pai Gow poker.

Here you can find several variations of Pai Gow in their 12 different live casino studios, or in table game format if you do not feel up to chatting with other players.

Similarly to other platforms, 12Play offers round-the-clock live chat support. Therefore, if you are experiencing problems with their services, you can contact customer care anytime. The 12Play platform provides a terrific opportunity for a remarkable and pleasurable gaming session.

2. BK8 – favourite Asian casino for Pai Gow poker

While some brands are genuinely worldwide, like 1xBet, BK8 has instead chosen to focus on the east Asian market. Malaysia is one of the main countries it serves, with a Malay version of the site in place along with support for payments in MYR.

The multi-site approach BK8 takes provides you with an enormous range of games to choose between. Naturally these include pai gow poker options, alongside a host of other table games and slots. Special mention should also be made of the selection of special offers, which contains plenty of quality and quantity.

3. 22Bet – good choice for casino promotions

Like 1xBet, 22Bet has taken a worldwide approach to acquiring customers, with Malaysia being just one of the many countries it serves. It has a shorter track record, having only launched in 2018, but has still managed to put a full Malay version of its site in place, and accepts MYR payments.

The online casino section on 22Bet is absolutely packed out with slots and table games. Most importantly for our purposes, the latter does include high quality pai gow poker titles. 22Bet also happens to be one of the most mobile-friendly brands on this list, providing excellent online casino apps for both iOS and Android users, which will let you play pai gow poker wherever and whenever you please.

4. Dafabet – great casino mobile app

Dafabet has an outstanding reputation, and is widely-known as one of the most professional and celebrated betting operators in Asia. While based in the Philippines, it has been serving countries across the continent – including Malaysia – for almost two decades now.

This is a fantastic all-round brand, with its top-notch casino brilliantly complimenting its famous sportsbook. It has a vast range of regular and live casino games, which does indeed include the option to play pai gow poker. The mobile apps here are some of the best around for Malaysian punters, and a good selection of cryptos are also supported.

5. Spin Samurai – variety of Pai Gow Poker games

Spin Samurai is the newest brand on this list, having only launched in 2020. Don’t let that put you off though, as Spin Samurai has already managed to establish itself as one of our favourite casino brands.

As its name suggests, slots are the main focus here, but there’s also a good selection of other games. This includes two separate pai gow titles, provided by industry veterans Nucleus Gaming and BetSoft, which offer very different experiences. The interface is also brilliantly modern and streamlined, making this a great option for inexperienced bettors.

6. 1xBet – Top Pai Gow casino in Malaysia

If you’re looking for a site on which to play pai gow poker online, it’s hard to look past 1xBet. This is, quite simply, the best all-round option you’ll find right now.

It has an outstanding track record, stretching all the way back to 2007. It’s a proven international brand, having succeeded in countries all around the world, and provides both a Malaysian-language website and MYR payments. The user interface is a little cluttered, but it houses an outstanding online casino section. This includes two different pai gow poker options, each of which is of an extremely high quality. 1xBet is, quite simply, the ideal all-rounder.

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The Best Pai Gow Poker Sites in Malaysia Compared

Each of our top 10 brands for playing pai gow Poker online in Malaysia will give you a safe and modern gambling experience. With that said, there are still certain factors which differentiate each of these digital casinos.

Below, you can get a speedy overview of how our 10 choices stack up in several key areas. If you’re specifically interested in brands which provide a mobile app, for example, or a low minimum deposit amount, this is where you can instantly see your best options.

How to Choose the Top Pai Gow Site in Malaysia

If you want to get started playing pai gow online as quickly as possible, we’d recommend simply going with one of our 10 recommended options, shown at the top of this  page. If you’d prefer to find your own Malaysian online casino instead though, you’re perfectly welcome to do so. As you conduct your search, we’d recommend making these five of your key criteria.

What is Pai Gow?

The original version of pai gow is an old Chinese game, which was the precursor to modern-day dominoes in the west. That version remains popular in physical casinos to this day, especially in Asia, but – in terms of online coverage – has long been replaced by ‘pai gow poker’.

This is the version which you’ll find on digital casinos, both in Malaysia and elsewhere. It was invented in the mid 1980’s, in America, but has since spread across the world. Pai gow poker isn’t as big as other variants, like Texas hold’em, but is still relatively popular. In short, it’s a quick and easy game to play, which has obvious similarities to both other poker variants and blackjack.

How to Play Pai Gow Poker

Like most forms of online poker, pai gow is a simple card game to learn, but – if you play it right – it can still deliver seriously big profits. It works with a standard 52-card deck, plus one joker, and you’ll play it with up to five other players and a dealer.

In pai gow, you’ll actually work on two hands: a five-card hand (as in five-card draw), and a two-card hand (as in Texas hold’em). You’ll be aiming to form both into recognised poker hands. Your two-card hand, naturally, can only create a high card or a pair. Your five-card hand, however, can form two pairs, three of a kind, a full house, and so on. Overall, your final aim is to beat both of the banker’s hands.

There are a couple of other things you should know before playing pai gow.

Firstly, each seat at the table will be dealt seven cards at random (even if there aren’t actually six players in total). It’s then down to you to craft your two hands.

Secondly, your five-card hand must exceed your two-card one. If it doesn’t, you lose automatically.

Finally, the joker can be used to complete either a straight or flush with your five-card hand. If not, it simply acts as an ace.

As noted, your aim in pai gow is to beat the banker. There are three outcomes. If you do beat him or her with both of your hands, you win your bet. If only one of your hands wins, you ‘push’ and get your stake back. If both hands lose, your bet obviously loses too.

Our Top Online Pai Gow Poker Strategies

Pai gow poker is almost entirely a game of chance. You’re dealt your seven cards to start off with, and all you can do after that is arrange them in the best possible manner. As such, there aren’t many actual ‘strategies’ to follow when playing pai gow online.

With that said, there are definitely still steps you can take to improve your chances of turning a profit. Here are five of our top tips to help you do just that.

Different Types of Online Pai Gow

With some games – such as blackjack or roulette – you might find a dozen or so varieties on a single online casino. As noted earlier, pai gow isn’t as big as these titles, and – unsurprisingly, therefore – has fewer types available.

In fact, while you might have more choice at physical casinos, there are only two main varieties you can play online. These are pai gow poker, which we’ve already explained in detail, and traditional pai gow.

Traditional Pai Gow

The original version of pai gow dates back a thousand years or so, to the Song dynasty in China. Since then though, not only original pai gow, but its successor – dominoes – have been played in many countries in both Asia and the west. It doesn’t have anywhere near the level of online presence as pai gow poker, but some online casinos – such as Spin Samurai – do still let you play it.

We won’t go into the full rules of traditional pai gow here, but – although it seems tricky at first – it really isn’t difficult to learn. You’ll play with up to seven other people, be dealt tiles, and attempt to make the best pair you can. Naturally betting is a big part of the game, and – just like in pai gow poker – you can end up winning, pushing, or losing based on the strength of your hand.

Can You Play Live Pai Gow Poker Online?

If you play pai gow poker in a physical casino, you’ll sit down at a table with up to five other players, and join them in a mission to beat the banker. Unfortunately though, this is basically unheard-of among online casinos, either in Malaysia or elsewhere. Presumably because the game isn’t popular enough, compared to the likes of blackjack and baccarat, betting brands are unwilling to commit the resources needed to keep live games running.

In short, therefore, the answer is ‘no’. You cannot play live pai gow online; at least, not on any reputable digital casinos that we could find.

The Top Betting Offers for Online Pai Gow

Special offers can deliver enormous value to help you when playing pai gow online. Among Malaysian casinos, this almost always comes in the form of a deposit match. As the name suggests, when this deal is in place, the casino will ‘match’ your first deposit up to a certain amount.

Do be aware, however, that these deals will come with T&Cs attached. Most importantly, these will include a ‘rollover requirement’, which must be completed before you can withdraw any bonus winnings. This requirement involves betting through your deposit and/or bonus amount a certain number of times. If there’s a 10x rollover requirement, for example, and you get a RM100 bonus, you must bet through RM1,000.

Now that you know the basics of what’s involved in a deposit match welcome offer, let’s see how our chosen brands stack up here. Also note that some deals will give you free spins too, which can be used on certain eligible online slots.

Final Thoughts on Best Pai Gow Poker Sites in Malaysia

Despite not being the most betting-friendly country in the world, it’s still pretty easy to start online gambling using your desktop or mobile device in Malaysia. If you specifically want to play Pai Gow online, then you’ve got a selection of great options available to you, all of which you can see at the top of this page.

Now, it’s time to decide which of your chosen brands to go with. Once you’ve made your selection, be sure to trigger the welcome offer when you sign up to get a big-time bonus. After that, simply follow our five top tips to help guide you through the early stages of your pai gow betting journey.

Pai Gow Poker Sites in Malaysia FAQs

What is pai gow?

The original version of pai gow is similar to dominoes. The modern version – pai gow poker – is far more popular now, however. Put simply, you’re given seven cards and must use them to form the two best hands you can. One must have five cards, and the other two cards.

What bonuses can I get when playing pai gow poker online?

Plenty. All our recommended sites will provide you with big-time deposit match welcome offers, and many also provide ongoing promotions to continually help you out.

Is it legal to play online pai gow poker in Malaysia?

It’s a grey area. While not specifically legal, it’s not illegal either to use international casinos from within Malaysia.

Which payment methods can I use to fund my account?

You’ll almost always be able to use debit card or bank transfer. The coverage of cryptos is surprisingly good nowadays too, and many sites also let you use eWallets and prepaid cards.

What are the best sites to play pai gow poker online?

We’ve listed 10 of your best options at the top of this page. 1xBet, however, takes the crown as our number one recommendation.