CW suggestions for splitting hands in Pai Gow Poker undervalue the importance of the Small Hand. This is especially true on hands with two pairs - the suggestion is almost always to not split the pair. However, most situations splitting the pairs is best. Take this example I just got in doing the challenge:
The suggestion was to keep the two pairs in the large hand making a weak small hand. I split them instead and won both hands:
Here is simple rule to follow on splitting two pairs I found on another site:
Split the two pair unless:
- The sum of the ranks is 9 or less and you have a king or ace singleton, or
- The sum of the ranks is 15 or less and you have an ace singleton.
“sum of the ranks” means adding the value of each pair. Face cards and aces have a value according to their poker value, for example an ace would be highest at 14. For my example a two pair consisting of 10s and Ks would have a sum of ranks of 10+13=23, so always split.
Furthermore, always split a Full House!