The object of Pai Gow Poker is to beat the dealer. All players and the dealer receive seven cards, which they will use to construct two separate hands – one with two cards and one with five. These hands are ranked using standard poker rankings. 

The two-card hand is called the Low Hand or the Front Hand. The highest ranked two-card hand is AA.  Since only two cards are used, straights and flush hands are not possible to get. The five-card hand must always be equal to or higher in rank than the two-card hand. 

The five-card hand is called the High Hand, or the Back Hand. The highest possible five-card hand is five aces, which is formed by using the 53^rd card in the deck, the joker. 

The joker can be used as an Ace, as the missing card in a straight, flush, straight flush or royal flush. The joker can not be used to form pairs, three, four, or five of a kind, with any cards other than aces. 

In order for the player to win, his two-card hand and his five-card hand must be higher in rank than the corresponding two and five-card hands of the dealer. If the player does win both, he will win the amount of his wager, less a commission (usually 5%), which goes to the house. If the dealer and player each win one hand, it is a tie, and if the dealer beats both hands, the player loses the full amount wagered.