Pennsylvania Code › Title 58 - RECREATION › Part VII - GAMING CONTROL BOARD › Subpart K - Table Games › Chapter 627a - MINIBACCARAT › Section 627a.5 - Shuffle and cut of the cards

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a)
				  Immediately prior to commencement of play, unless the cards were preshuffled in
				  accordance with §
										603a.16(u) or (v)
				  (relating to cards; receipt, storage, inspection and removal from use), after
				  each dealing shoe of cards is dealt or when directed by a floorperson or above,
				  the dealer shall shuffle the cards, either manually or by use of an automated
				  card shuffling device, so that the cards are randomly intermixed. If the cards
				  have been manually shuffled, the dealer shall leave the entire stack of cards
				  intermixed but not entirely squared off (leave them feathered) so that the
				  floorperson can verify that the shuffle did not result in any uneven
				  distribution of cards.
(b) After
				  the cards have been shuffled and, when applicable, reshuffled, the dealer shall
				  offer the stack of cards, with the backs facing away from the dealer, to the
				  players to be cut. The dealer shall begin with the player seated in the highest
				  number position at the table and, working clockwise around the table, offer the
				  stack to each player until a player accepts the cut. If a player does not
				  accept the cut, the dealer shall cut the cards.
(c) The cards shall be cut by placing a cover
				  card in the stack at least ten cards in from the top or the bottom of the
				  stack.
(d) Once the cover card has
				  been inserted into the stack, the dealer shall take all cards above the cover
				  card and the cover card and place them on the bottom of the stack. The dealer
				  shall then insert the second cover card in a position at least 14 cards above
				  the bottom of the stack. The stack of cards shall then be inserted into the
				  dealing shoe for commencement of play.
(e) After the cards have been cut and before
				  the cards have been placed in the dealing shoe, a floorperson or above may
				  require the cards to be recut if the floorperson or above determines that the
				  cut was performed improperly or in any way that might affect the integrity or
				  fairness of the game. If a recut is required, the cards shall be recut by the
				  next person entitled to cut the cards, as determined by subsection (b). The
				  stack of cards shall then be inserted into the dealing shoe for commencement of
				  play.
(f) Prior to commencement of
				  play, the dealer shall remove and expose the first card from the dealing shoe
				  and place it, and an additional number of cards, drawn face down, equal to the
				  face value of the first card drawn, in the discard rack. When determining the
				  face value of the first card removed from the dealing shoe, a 10, jack, queen
				  or king shall count as ten and an ace shall count as one.
(g) If there is no gaming activity at a
				  Minibaccarat table which is open for gaming, the cards shall be removed from
				  the dealing shoe and the discard rack, and spread out on the table face down
				  unless a player requests that the cards be spread face up on the table. After
				  the first player is afforded an opportunity to visually inspect the cards:
(1) If there is no automated shuffling device
				  in use, the cards shall be mixed thoroughly by a washing of the cards, stacked,
				  then shuffled and cut in accordance with this section.
(2) If an automated shuffling device is in
				  use, the cards shall be stacked and placed into the automated shuffling device
				  to be shuffled. The batch of cards already in the shuffler shall then be
				  removed. Unless a player requests otherwise, the batch of cards removed from
				  the shuffler does not need to be spread for inspection and reshuffled prior to
				  being dealt, if:
(i) The automated card
				  shuffling device stores a single batch of shuffled cards inside the shuffler in
				  a secure manner.
(ii) The shuffled
				  cards have been secured, released and prepared for play in accordance with
				  procedures submitted to the Bureau of Gaming Operations and approved in
				  accordance with §
												465a.2 (relating to internal
				  control systems and audit protocols).