No, Asia Poker is not like Texas Holdem. It is a variation of pai gow poker and a Chinese game called "13 cards."
The rules for this game are:
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A 53-card deck is used, including one joker. The joker may be used to complete a straight, flush, straight flush, or royal flush, otherwise it is treated as an ace (the same way as in pai gow poker).
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After making a wager, the player and dealer each get seven cards.
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The player should arrange his cards into a one-card low hand, a two-card medium hand, and a four-card high hand.
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The low hand may not be higher in poker value than the medium hand, and the medium hand may not be higher than the high hand. A violation of this rule will foul the hand, resulting in a loss.
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There are just pairs and two singletons in the medium hand, no straights or flushes.
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The poker rankings in the four-card hand are the same as in conventional poker, except there are no full houses. One reader has disputed this rule, so this needs to be verified.
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The dealer shall set his hand according to the "house way," which is detailed below.
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The player's three hands shall be compared to the corresponding dealer's three hands. In each comparison, the hand with the higher value shall win. Ties shall go to the dealer.
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If the player wins at least two of the three hands, then he shall win even money on his wager. Otherwise he will lose. Note that no commission is charged on wins.
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In addition, a Bonus Bet may be offered, based on the poker value of the player's seven-card hand.
