Behind "live dealer pai gow" often sits a rule that differs from table to table. The same game can follow different rules at two live tables in the same studio. Blackjack may let the dealer hit a soft seventeen at one table and stand at the next, roulette may add a second zero or random multipliers, and baccarat may drop its commission in exchange for a changed payout. Each change moves the house edge, and each is written in the rule sheet of the table in question.
Side bets pay large multiples on rare events and carry a house edge several times that of the main game. Live blackjack side bets on pairs or poker hands are the common example, and their payout tables differ from studio to studio. Card shoes are changed or shuffled at a cut card placed by the dealer, so counting cards gains almost nothing in a live stream. The side bet table in the rule sheet shows each payout beside its edge.
Baccarat tables differ mainly in how they treat a winning banker bet. The classic table takes a small commission on each banker win, while commission free versions pay banker wins in full except on one specific total, where the payout is cut. The two approaches give a similar edge on paper and feel different in play. Side bets on pairs or on the size of the win carry a far higher edge than the main bets.
Blackjack rules at live tables vary in a handful of places that matter. The number of decks, whether the dealer stands or hits on a soft seventeen, when doubling is allowed and whether surrender is offered each shift the edge by a fraction of a percent. Payouts on a natural are the largest lever: three to two is standard, and a table paying six to five takes several times more from every player over a session.
Classic tables take a small commission on each banker win, while commission free versions pay banker in full except on one total, where the payout is cut.
Random multipliers pay more on a few lucky numbers and less on every other straight bet, so an ordinary straight win returns less than at a standard table.
Yes. Whether the dealer stands or hits on a soft seventeen moves the edge by a fraction of a percent, as the deck count, doubling and surrender rules also do.
Side bets pay large multiples on rare events and carry an edge several times that of the main game; the rules panel shows each payout beside its edge.