By Unknown
"Fortune" is a side bet in Pai Gow Poker that pays based on the value of the player's seven cards. It doesn't not matter how the player sets his hand. In addition, if another player has a four of a kind or better the player making the Fortune bet will get an "Envy Bonus." At every table I have seen there is a $5 minimum and the Envy Bonus is a fixed amount.
"Jackpot" is a side bet I noticed at the Rio in November 2005. The game was closed at the time so the top prize was not evident, but according to the Shufflemaster web site it is alternatively $25,000; $50,000; or $100,000.
Emperor's Challenge is a side bet I noticed at Hooter's Casino in Las Vegas in April, 2006. The following return table shows the probability and return of all possible outcomes.
The Falls View casino in Niagara Falls Ontario offers "Progressive Pai Gow Poker". This is basic pai gow poker with an added $5 side bet. They have an online rule card for the game.
History of Pai Gow Poker lies in the fascinating ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow. The original game of Pai Gow was played by the Chinese with tiles that were similar to dominoes. These tiles, or dominoes, were separated into groups by the Pai Gow dealer and then a roll of the dice determined which set of tiles belonged to which player. In the 1800's different versions of the Pai Gow game existed in China. As other games, Pai Gow is believed to have been brought into the United States in the 1800's, by Chinese immigrants who arrived to work in mines and on the railways. In Califonia, this chinese game changed its name from Pai Gow to Pai Gow Poker to get around gambling laws.