The Chinese culture has had a profound influence on the American gambling industry, with many of today’s popular casino games having been introduced by Chinese immigrants. In this review, we take a closer look at some of the most popular Chinese gambling games that have made a successful transition to the West.

Pai Gow Poker, a hybrid of American poker and the traditional Chinese tiles game of Pai Gow, is one of the most popular casino games worldwide. The game is played with playing cards instead of tiles and uses the traditional poker hand ranking. Players aim to form the highest possible two poker hands, one five-card hand, and a two-card hand, from the seven cards dealt to each player. The game is typically played against a banker, who can be either the casino dealer or one of the players.

Sic Bo, meaning Dice Pair, is another chance game that originated in ancient China and came to the US around the beginning of the 20th century. The game is played with three standard dice on a special table and each player places bets on the outcome of the dice roll. The combination of the three dice determines the payoff, which varies from one casino to another.

Fan Tan, a game that used to be the most popular among Chinese gamblers, is now found in only a few casinos in Macau and online gaming sites. The game was brought to the US in the 1890s and every Chinatown in American cities had several Fan Tan houses that were always full of enthusiastic gamblers. The game is played with objects such as coins, dried beans, or small buttons on a table with a square marked on it. Players bet on one of the numbers that mark the sides of the square or on one of the corners, and the outcome is determined by the number of objects left after the banker removes four objects at a time.

Mahjong, the biggest inheritance from Chinese culture to the gaming world, has many variants worldwide, including a variety of online games. The ancient tile game was brought to the US during the 1920s and became particularly popular among women. The American version was developed in the 1930s and is still played today, along with Japanese, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and other variations. Recently, Mahjong Solitaire, the online version of the game, has gained widespread popularity as a matching game that uses Mahjong tiles.

The Chinese culture has had a significant impact on the American gambling industry, with many popular casino games having been introduced by Chinese immigrants. From Pai Gow Poker and Sic Bo to Fan Tan and Mahjong, these games continue to be enjoyed by players around the world and offer a unique blend of ancient Chinese tradition and modern gaming.