South Dakota Administrative Rules › Title 20 - PUBLIC SAFETY › Article 20:18 - GAMING COMMISSION - DEADWOOD GAMBLING › Chapter 20:18:16 - Poker › Section 20:18:16:15.16 - The play - Pai Gow poker

Current through Register Vol. 51, page 10, July 15, 2024
Pai Gow poker must be played according to the following
				  rules:
(1) Pai Gow poker may be played
				only on tables designated by the licensee for the play of Pai Gow poker. A
				single deck of 52 cards and one joker must be used. The joker may be used as a
				wild card to complete a straight, any flush, or as an ace. The rank of hands in
				Pai Gow poker, from highest to lowest is five aces (four aces and the Joker),
				royal flush, ace to five straight flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full
				house, flush, straight (ace to ten), straight (ace to five), straight without
				an ace, three of a kind, two pair, pair, and high card;
(2) Before each hand, the dealer deck must
				shuffle the deck of cards. The dealer shall distribute the cards into seven
				stacks, each containing seven cards. The four unused cards are placed into the
				discard rack;
(3) Player banking is
				not permitted for this game. Before the first card is dealt for a round of
				play, a player may make a wager of not more than the posted table limit against
				the dealer. All wagers must be made by placing gaming chips or tokens on the
				appropriate areas of the Pai Gow poker table;
(4) The dealer distributes the seven stacks
				of cards to each position at the table pursuant to the outcome from a roll of
				two dice. The position to the far left of the dealer must be position one and
				counted clockwise around the table with the dealer being position seven. The
				first position after counting past the dealer will be position eight and so on
				to position 12. The stacks of cards ( a "hand") are then distributed to the
				players beginning with the position at the table that corresponds with the dice
				roll. The cards shall be distributed in a clockwise direction. The cards shall
				be distributed into seven stacks regardless of the number of players present at
				the Pai Gow poker table. After all seven positions have been dealt a hand, any
				cards placed at positions without a player are removed from the table and
				placed by the dealer into the discard rack;
(5) After the cards are dealt by the dealer,
				the player shall set the player's own hand, without the assistance of the
				dealer, by arranging the seven cards into two hands: a high hand containing
				five cards and a second highest hand containing two cards. Each player at the
				table is responsible for setting the player's own hands. Each player shall keep
				the seven cards in full view of the dealer at all times. Once the player has
				set the player's own hands, the high and low hand shall be placed face down in
				the appropriate area of the table. Once a player places the cards in these
				areas, the player may not touch the cards again. If a player fails to set the
				player's hand with the highest ranking hand in the five card hand, it is
				considered a foul hand and must be reset by the dealer according to the house
				rules;
(6) After all players have
				set the players' hands and placed the hands on the table, the dealer shall turn
				over the seven cards dealt to the dealer's position, setting the dealer's
				hands, and arrange the cards into two hands, a high hand and a low hand
				according to the house rules. The dealer shall then place the dealer's hands on
				the appropriate area of the table. The dealer shall expose both hands of each
				player, starting from the far right and proceeding counterclockwise around the
				table. The dealer shall compare the high hand and low hand of each player to
				the high hand and low hand of the dealer and then announce if a player's wager
				wins or loses. The dealer shall immediately collect all losing wagers along
				with the cards of that player. The dealer shall also indicate which wagers are
				tie or push wagers and collect the cards;
(7) For a player to win, both of a player's
				hands must be superior to both of the dealer's hands. If either of the dealer's
				hand results in a tie or loss to a player, the player receives a push. If both
				of the dealer's hands are superior to both of the player's hands, the player
				loses the original wager;
(8) All
				cards collected by the dealer when completing the round of play shall
				immediately be placed in the discard rack in the manner collected to allow
				reconstruction of the hand if a dispute or question arises;
(9) A player may surrender the player's
				wager, whereby half of the original bet is placed into the rack, the other half
				returned to the player. To effectuate surrender, a player shall fold by placing
				the seven cards face down in front of the player's wager. The dealer shall make
				change for the player and spread the cards, counting to make sure all seven
				cards are returned. If all seven cards are present, the dealer shall place the
				cards into the discard rack. Surrender must be completed prior to the reveal of
				the dealer's hand;
(10) If a player
				would like assistance, the player must ask for a house rules button. The player
				shall lay all seven cards face down. The dealer shall set the player's hand
				according to the house rules when the hand is revealed;
(11) The licensee shall prescribe house rules
				consistent with the rules for Pai Gow poker;
(12) Winning wagers must be paid at odds of
				one to one except that a commission of not more than ten percent may be taken
				from the amount won. The commission shall be collected at the time that the
				winning wager is paid; and
(13) The
				provisions of §§
									20:18:16:21 and
				20:18:16:31.01 do not apply to Pai
				Gow poker.
General Authority:
SDCL
					 42-7B-4(18),
					 42-7B-7,
					 42-7B-11(13).
Law Implemented:
SDCL
					 42-7B-4(18),
					 42-7B-7,
					 42-7B-11(13),
					 42-7B-14,
					 42-7B-15.