§ 681a.5. Shuffle and cut of the cards.
(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 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. Upon completion of the shuffle, the dealer or device shall place the decks of cards in a single stack. The certificate holder may use an automated card shuffling device which, upon completion of the shuffling of the cards, inserts the stack of cards directly into a dealing shoe.
(b) After the cards have been shuffled, 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 ten cards above the bottom of the stack.
(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 reshuffled or recut if the floorperson or above determines that the shuffle or cut was performed improperly or in any way that might affect the integrity or fairness of the game.
(f) A reshuffle of the cards in the shoe shall take place after the cover card is reached in the shoe and the round of play is completed, as provided in § 681a.7 (relating to procedure for dealing the cards; completion of each round of play), except that a floorperson may determine that the cards should be reshuffled after any round of play.
(g) If there is no gaming activity at a 21 Baccarat 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 arriving at the table is afforded an opportunity to visually inspect the cards, the cards shall be:
(1) Mixed thoroughly by a washing of the cards, stacked, then shuffled and cut in accordance with this section if there is no automated shuffling device in use.
(2) Stacked and placed into the automated shuffling device to be shuffled if an automated shuffling device is in use. 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 provided that the automated card shuffling device stores a single batch of shuffled cards inside the shuffler in a secure manner.
(h) A certificate holder may utilize a dealing shoe or other device that automatically reshuffles and counts the cards provided that the device is submitted to the Bureau of Gaming Laboratory Operations and approved in accordance with § 461a.4 (relating to submission for testing and approval) prior to its use in the licensed facility. If a certificate holder is utilizing the approved device, subsections (b)—(g) do not apply.
Cross References This section cited in 58 Pa. Code § 681a.4 (relating to opening of the table for gaming); and 58 Pa. Code § 681a.7 (relating to procedure for dealing the cards; completion of each round of play).
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