§ 645a.12. Player bank; co-banking; selection of bank; procedures for dealing.
(a) A certificate holder may, if specified in its Rules Submission under § 601a.2 (relating to table games Rules Submissions), offer to all players at a Pai Gow Poker table the opportunity to bank the game. If the certificate holder elects this option, the provisions of this section control for any round of play in which a player is the bank. All other provisions of this chapter apply to the extent that they do not conflict with the provisions in this section.
(b) A player may not be the bank at the start of the game. For the purposes of this section, the start of the game means the first round of play after the dealer is required to shuffle the cards in accordance with § 645a.5 (relating to shuffle and cut of the cards; procedures for determining the starting position for dealing cards).
(c) After the first round of play, each player at the table shall have the option to either be the bank or pass the bank to the next player. The dealer shall offer the bank to each player, starting with the player farthest to the dealer’s right and continuing around the table in a counterclockwise manner, until a player accepts the bank. The dealer shall place a marker designating the bank in front of the player who accepts the bank. If the first player offered the bank accepts, the player seated to the right of the bank shall be offered the bank first on the next round of play. A player may not bank two consecutive rounds of play. If no player accepts the bank, the round of play shall proceed in accordance with the rules of play provided in this chapter.
(d) Before a player may bank a round of play, the dealer shall confirm that:
(1) The player placed a Pai Gow Poker Wager against the dealer during the last round of play in which there was no player banking the game.
(2) The player has sufficient value chips or plaques on the table to cover all of the Pai Gow Poker Wagers placed by other players at the table for that round of play.
(e) A certificate holder may, if specified in its Rules Submission under § 601a.2, offer the bank the option of co-banking the round of play. If the certificate holder offers this option, it shall be made available to all players at the table. If the bank wishes to use this option and co-bank 50% of the winning Pai Gow Poker Wagers, the bank must specifically request to co-bank with the dealer. The dealer shall place a marker designating the player co-banking that round of play. When the dealer is co-banking, the dealer shall be responsible for setting the hand of the bank in the manner as specified in the certificate holder’s Rules Submission under § 601a.2. When co-banking is in effect, the dealer may not place a wager against the bank.
(f) If a player is the bank, the player may wager on only one betting area.
(g) Once the dealer has determined that a player may be the bank, as required under subsection (d), the dealer shall shuffle the cards in accordance with § 645a.5. The dealer shall then, unless co-banking is in effect, remove value chips from the table inventory container in an amount equal to the banker’s last Pai Gow Poker Wager made against the dealer or in an amount as specified in the certificate holder’s Rules Submission. This amount shall be the amount the dealer wagers against the bank. The bank may direct that the sum wagered by the dealer be a lesser amount or that the dealer place no wager during that round of play. Any amount wagered by the dealer shall be placed in front of the table inventory container.
(h) The dealer shall then determine the starting position for dealing the cards in accordance with § 645a.5(i) and deal the cards in accordance with § 645a.8, § 645a.9 or § 645a.10 (relating to procedures for dealing the cards from a manual dealing shoe; procedures for dealing the cards from the hand; and procedures for dealing the cards from an automated dealing shoe).
(i) If the dealer placed a wager against the bank, after each player has set his two hands and placed them on the table layout, the two hands of the dealer shall then be set. Once the dealer has formed a high and low hand and placed the hands face up on the appropriate area of the table layout, the dealer shall expose the hands of the bank and determine if the hands of the dealer are higher in rank than the hands of the bank. If the bank did not set his hands correctly, the dealer shall reset the bank’s hands in accordance with the certificate holder’s Rules Submission under § 601a.2. If the dealer wins, the cards of the dealer shall be stacked face up to the right of the table inventory container with the amount wagered by the dealer against the bank placed on top. If the dealer’s hand is a tie with the bank’s hand, the dealer shall return the amount wagered by the dealer against the bank to the table inventory container. If the dealer loses, the amount wagered by the dealer against the bank shall be moved to the center of the layout.
(j) If a player is banking the round of play, once the dealer has determined the outcome of the Pai Gow Poker Wager of the dealer against the bank, if any, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer’s right and continuing around the table in a counterclockwise manner, expose the hands of each player. The dealer shall compare the high and low hand of the player to the high and low hand of the bank and announce if the wager shall win, lose or tie. Losing wagers shall be immediately collected and placed in the center of the table. All winning Pai Gow Poker Wagers, including the dealer’s wager, shall be paid by the dealer with the value chips located in the center of the table. If this amount becomes exhausted before all winning Pai Gow Poker Wagers have been paid, the dealer shall collect from the bank an amount equal to the remaining winning wagers and place that amount in the center of the layout. The remaining winning wagers shall be paid from the amount in the center of the layout. If, after collecting all losing wagers and paying all winning Pai Gow Poker Wagers, there is a surplus in the center of the table, this amount shall be charged a 5% vigorish in accordance with § 645a.13(a) (relating to payout odds; Envy Bonus; rate of progression; payout limitation). Once the vigorish has been paid, the remaining amount shall be given to the bank.
(k) Immediately after a winning Pai Gow Poker Wager of the dealer is paid, this amount and the dealer’s original wager shall be returned to the table inventory container.
(l) If a player and the dealer are co-banking the round of play, once the dealer has set the co-bank’s hand under subsection (e), the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer’s right and continuing around the table in a counterclockwise manner, expose the hands of each player. The dealer shall compare the high and low hand of the player to the high and low hand of the bank and announce if the wager shall win, lose or tie. Losing wagers shall be immediately collected and placed in the center of the table. All winning Pai Gow Poker Wagers shall be paid by the dealer with the value chips located in the center of the table. If this amount becomes exhausted before all winning Pai Gow Poker Wagers have been paid, the dealer shall collect from the bank an amount equal to 1/2 of the remaining winning wagers and place that amount in the center of the layout. The dealer shall remove an amount equal to 1/2 of the remaining winning wagers from the table inventory container and place that amount in the center of the layout. The remaining winning wagers shall be paid from the total amount in the center of the layout. If, after collecting all losing wagers and paying all winning Pai Gow Poker Wagers, there is a surplus in the center of the table, this amount will be counted and the dealer shall place 1/2 of this amount into the table inventory container. The dealer shall collect a 5% vigorish, in accordance with § 645a.13(a), on the remaining amount. Once the vigorish has been paid, the remaining amount shall then be given to the bank.
(m) Each player who has a winning Pai Gow Poker Wager against the bank shall pay to the dealer, in accordance with § 645a.13(a), a 5% vigorish on the amount won.
(n) If the certificate holder offers an optional wager authorized under § 645a.7(e)(1)—(4) (relating to wagers), the optional wager shall be resolved in accordance with § 645a.11(g)—(j) (relating to procedures for completion of each round of play) and the dealer, not the bank, shall pay all winning optional wagers.
Cross References This section cited in 58 Pa. Code § 645a.5 (relating to shuffle and cut of the cards; procedures for determining the starting position for dealing cards); 58 Pa. Code § 645a.7 (relating to wagers); and 58 Pa. Code § 645a.11 (relating to procedures for completion of each round of play).
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