East Meets West - Taming the Dragon

When walking into just about any California cardroom at any time, you cannot fail to notice that there is more action in one section of the room than others. There, you hear loud cheers, yelling, and pounding of dice cups. It is where you see several layers of players gathered around tables, and where the action appears seamless and never-ending. You see complete strangers high-fiving each other as if they were at the craps tables. It looks like the spectator game of the cardroom, even though most players are in or have the option to be in on every pot. Welcome to the so-called Asian games, but don't let this fading ethnic title fool you. This is more like the United Nations of action and fun – the Olympics of gambling with borderless magnetism. This is particularly apparent at the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville, California, located in the geographical center of the ethnically diverse San Francisco Bay Area, where I sat down with Casino Manager Larry Thomas and Asian Games Manager Hoa Nguyen to learn more about this Californian phenomenon.

You have heard them called by many different names: Asian games, California games, or rotating bank games. Since the state's approval of these games in the 1980s, they have had a major impact on the California cardroom industry. It should be noted that the Oaks Card Club played a major role in the many court battles against the state in legalizing rotating bank games. The initial influx of new customers brought significant changes and revenue increases to the cardrooms. There is probably not a major cardroom in California that does not derive at least half of its revenues from these games. Pai gow, pai gow poker, super pan 9, 13-card poker, and various forms of blackjack have all perked new interest and paved the way for many of the new "mega" cardrooms in the state. More and more "traditional poker players" are becoming interested in these games. The games' inherent exotic mystique is as much an attraction for most as it is a barrier for others. The big fear of the unknown still keeps many players from entering this exciting and fast-paced gaming sector – some of which may be reduced through this brief description of the most common Asian games.

The Big Three

The three most popular Asian games in Northern California are pai gow tiles, pai gow poker, and blackjack. More so than their apparent fun appeal, the most attractive part of these games seems to be that there is more money going around and the action is fast. You can win fast or lose just as fast, but that's why it's called gambling. You don't sit around waiting for several rounds of betting until you might see some action again. In most games, there's just one round of betting, and everyone is in all the way. In some cases, you can even bet on someone else's hand. In fact, there is not much sitting, either, since the games are often played standing up.

Understanding "Asian"

There are a few common characteristics that make a game an Asian game. Since California cardrooms aren't allowed to bank games, all Asian games use the rotating banking method. This means that every player at the table has an opportunity to be the "banker" or "designated player" (as it is called in some clubs). Here's a player's chance at being Donald Trump. In this position, the player wagers a sum of chips to play against the remaining players. He can win or lose only the amount he risks. There is no pyramiding of chips. Correctly played, the bank has an advantage of 1 percent-2 percent. Backline betting or wagering on someone else's hand is common. You place your wager in a betting square related to a certain seat, and you win, lose, or tie based upon what happens to the hand in that seat. Dice are used to determine which player receives first action against the bank. The dice are shaken by the player in the banking position.

Pai gow tiles is the oldest game, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. This game is played with tiles similar to dominoes. Each player places his bet and receives four tiles. A hand consists of just two tiles, so each player makes two separate hands. A player plays his two hands against the banker's two hands. If he wins both, he is a winner; if he loses both, he is a loser; if he wins one and loses one, or wins one and ties one, it is a tie hand. On a tie hand, the edge is given to the banker. The game involves certain strategy, but in the end it is fairly simple. The trickiest part of the game is memorizing the individual ranking of the tile combinations, which determines the winning and losing hands.

A great crossover game to pai gow tiles is pai gow poker. Pai gow poker or double-hand poker, as it is also commonly referred as, originated in Southern California in the 1980s. The game is played with a regular 52-card poker deck, plus one joker that can be used for straights and flushes, and as an ace. A player is dealt seven cards. Using his own judgment and strategy, he makes one five-card poker hand and one two-card poker hand. The five-card hand must have a higher ranking than the two-card hand. The structure of play and comparison of hands vs. banker's hands are the same as in pai gow tiles, except that the more familiar poker hand rankings are used.

Blackjack – Almost all California card clubs now have some form of blackjack. The Oaks Card Club offers 21st Century Blackjack, which is the closest to Nevada-style blackjack and now seems to be the most popular version being played. One of the differences from Nevada-style blackjack is the no-bust factor, whereby a player can go over 21 and might not lose. The game is played with a shoe of four to eight decks, with one joker added to each deck. The joker is a wild card that can be used as any number to make 21. Two jokers on a player's first two cards is an automatic winner. The betting structure is similar to pai gow.

Learning by Doing

A key factor that has played a major role over the years in the increase of the Asian games' popularity is that the games are very player-friendly. At the Oaks Card Club, for instance, curious players are more than welcome to get up close and absorb the action. It is not like traditional poker games, where no one is allowed to stand behind anyone else and talk during a hand.

Hopefully, I have tamed the dragon, cracked the mystery, and answered some of the questions you might have about Asian games, or at the very least, piqued your interest. Each game has a dealer and floor personnel who are glad to help and answer any questions you may have. To learn more about the Asian games, visit www.oakscardclub.com, where they are explained in greater detail. Consider yourself invited to a new world of excitement and challenge.

The Oaks Card Club is one of the premiere (and the oldest) card clubs in California. It is located just across the Oakland Bay Bridge in Emeryville, at 4097 San Pablo at Park. The Oaks has a long tradition of accommodating the demanding, ever-changing, and diverse culture of the San Francisco Bay Area.