§ 603a.15. Cards; physical characteristics.
(a) Cards used to play table games authorized under this subpart must be in decks of 52 cards with each card identical in size and shape to every other card in the deck. Nothing in this section prohibits a manufacturer from manufacturing decks of cards with one or more jokers contained therein. Jokers may not be used by the certificate holder in the play of any game unless authorized by the rules of the game.
(b) Each deck must be composed of cards in four suits: diamonds, spades, clubs and hearts.
(c) Each suit shall be composed of 13 cards: ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. The face of the ace, king, queen, jack and 10 may contain an additional marking, approved in accordance with § 601a.10(a) (relating to approval of table game layouts, signage and equipment), which will permit a dealer, prior to exposing his hole card at the game of Blackjack, to determine if the value of the hole card gives the dealer a Blackjack.
(d) The backs of each card in a deck must be identical and no card may contain any marking, symbol or design that will enable a person to know the identity of any element printed on the face of the card or that will in any way differentiate the back of the card from any other card in the deck.
(e) The backs of all cards in a deck shall be designed to diminish, as far as possible, the ability of any individual to place concealed markings thereon.
(f) The design placed on the backs of cards used by certificate holders must contain the name or logo of the certificate holder.
(g) Each deck of cards shall be packaged separately or in a batch containing the number of decks authorized in this subpart and selected by a certificate holder for use in a particular table game. Each package of cards shall be sealed in a manner approved in accordance with § 601a.10(a) to provide evidence of any tampering with the package. If multiple decks of cards are packaged and sealed in a batch, the package must have a label that indicates or contain a window that reveals an adequate description of the contents of the package, including:
(1) The name of the certificate holder for which the cards were manufactured.
(2) The colors of the backs of the cards.
(3) The date that the cards were manufactured.
(4) The total number of cards in the batch.
(5) The total number of decks in the batch.
(h) Individual decks of cards that are packaged and sealed in a multideck batch may not be separated from the batch for independent use at a table game.
(i) The cards used by a certificate holder for Poker must be:
(1) Visually distinguishable from the cards used by that certificate holder to play other banked table games.
(2) Made of plastic.
(j) Each certificate holder that elects to offer the game of Poker shall have and use on a daily basis at least four decks with visually distinguishable card backings. These card backings may be distinguished by different logos, different colors or different design patterns. The certificate holder shall submit, as part of its internal controls required under § 465a.2 (relating to internal control systems and audit protocols), the procedure for distributing and rotating the four visually distinguishable decks of cards required for use in the game of Poker.
(k) Cards may not be utilized in a licensed facility unless a schematic depicting the face and backs of the cards, the colors, words, designs and graphics have been submitted to the Bureau of Gaming Operations and approved in accordance with § 601a.10(a).
Cross References This section cited in 58 Pa. Code § 637a.3 (relating to cards; number of decks).
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.
