Pennsylvania Code › Title 58 - RECREATION › Part VII - GAMING CONTROL BOARD › Subpart K - Table Games › Chapter 637a - POKER › Section 637a.7 - Poker overview; general dealing procedures for all types of Poker

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a) Poker shall be
				  conducted in a separate area of the licensed facility designated specifically
				  for the operation of Poker as approved by the Board or the Board's Executive
				  Director in accordance with §
										467a.1 (relating to gaming floor
				  plan).
(b) Poker shall be played
				  with no less than two players. For all types of authorized Poker games in this
				  chapter, the dealer may not participate in the playing or outcome of the game
				  in any way except as otherwise authorized in this chapter.
(c) A player shall bet on the cards that the
				  player holds in his hand. All bets by a player shall be placed by the dealer in
				  the designated area of the table known as the pot. A player may be required to
				  place an Ante or Blind Bet prior to the receipt of any cards. After each round
				  of cards is dealt, a betting round shall be conducted. Each player shall decide
				  whether to continue contending for the pot by calling or raising the bet of the
				  other players.
(d) The object of
				  Poker is for a player to win the pot either by making a bet that no other
				  player elects to call or, depending on the type of Poker being played, by
				  having the highest ranking high hand, the highest ranking low hand or both the
				  highest ranking high and low hands in accordance with §
										637a.6 (relating to Poker
				  rankings). If two or more players are still in contention for a pot after all
				  cards have been dealt and the final betting round has been completed, there
				  shall be a showdown among those players to determine which player has the
				  winning hand.
(e) The following
				  procedures shall be utilized by the dealer when dealing the game of Poker:
(1) The dealer shall place the stacked deck
				  of cards in either hand. After the dealer has chosen which hand in which to
				  hold the cards, the dealer shall continue to use that hand whenever holding the
				  cards during that round of play. The cards held by the dealer shall be kept in
				  front of the dealer at all times and as level with the Poker table as possible.
				  If during a round of play the deck shall be set down to handle a transaction,
				  the dealer shall place a marker button on top of the deck until the transaction
				  has been completed.
(2) The dealer
				  shall verbalize or physically indicate the action that is occurring at the
				  Poker table with regard to the conduct of the game and instruct each player as
				  to the player's various turns to act and options.
(3) All burn cards required under this
				  chapter must be kept separate from the pile of discarded cards.
(4) The dealer shall either:
(i) Count the entire deck of cards at least
				  once every 5 rounds of play to determine if 52 cards are present. The dealer
				  may count the stub in the games of Hold 'Em Poker and Omaha Poker.
(ii) Utilize an automated card shuffling
				  device, submitted to the Bureau of Gaming Laboratory Operations and approved in
				  accordance with §
												461a.4 (relating to submission for
				  testing and approval), which counts the number of cards in the deck after the
				  completion of each shuffle and indicates whether 52 cards are
				  present.
(5) If a count
				  of the deck or stub indicates that the number of cards in the deck is
				  incorrect, the deck shall be removed from the table.
(6) At the completion of a round of play, the
				  dealer shall award the pot to the winning player or players after a showdown or
				  to the last remaining player if all other players have folded. Prior to pushing
				  the pot to the winner and collecting the winning hand, the dealer shall:
(i) Collect the cards from all losing
				  players. The losing hands shall be counted by the dealer to determine that the
				  proper number of cards has been returned.
(ii) Award all side pots.
(iii) Collect the rake in accordance with
				  §
												637a.17 (relating to Poker
				  revenue).
(iv) Collect, if
				  applicable, any amount required to be contributed to a Bad Beat or High Hand
				  Jackpot payout fund in accordance with §§
												637a.15 and
				  637a.16 (relating to Bad Beat
				  payout; posting of rules; contributions; counting and displaying of payout
				  amount; procedures for implementation; and High Hand Jackpot payout; posting of
				  rules; contributions; counting and displaying of payout amount; procedures for
				  implementation).