§ 637a.7. Poker overview; general dealing procedures for all types of Poker.
(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).
Cross References This section cited in 58 Pa. Code § 637a.5 (relating to shuffle and cut of the cards).
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