§ 685a.7. Procedure for dealing the cards; completion of each round of play.
(a) All cards shall be dealt from a dealing shoe which must be located on the table in a location approved by the Bureau of Casino Compliance in accordance with § 601a.10(g) (relating to approval of table game layouts, signage and equipment). Once the procedures under § 685a.5 (relating to shuffle and cut of the cards) have been completed, the stacked cards shall be placed in the dealing shoe by the dealer or by an automated card shuffling device.
(b) Each card shall be removed from the dealing shoe with the hand of the dealer that is closest to the dealing shoe and placed on the appropriate area of the layout with the opposite hand. The dealer may deal cards to the two betting positions closest to the dealing shoe with the same hand.
(c) After each full batch of cards is placed in the shoe, the dealer shall remove the first card and place it in the discard rack. Each new dealer who comes to the table shall also remove one card and place it in the discard rack before dealing any cards to the players.
(d) If the cover card appears as the first card in the dealing shoe at the beginning of a round of play or appears during play, the cover card shall be removed and placed to the side and the hand will be completed. The dealer shall then:
(1) Collect and reshuffle the cards by removing the cards remaining in the shoe and placing them in the discard rack to ensure that no cards are missing.
(2) Shuffle the cards so that they are randomly intermixed.
(e) After all Blackjack and optional Match-the-Dealer Wagers have been placed, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer’s left and continuing around the table in a clockwise manner, deal the cards as follows:
(1) One card face up to each box on the layout in which a Bet Wager is contained.
(2) One card face up to the dealer.
(3) A second card face up to each box in which a Bet wager is contained.
(4) A second card face down to the dealer.
(f) Immediately after the second card is dealt to each player and the dealer, but prior to any additional cards being dealt or before the dealer’s hole card is placed in the Masque Card Reader device, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer’s right and continuing around the table in a counterclockwise direction, settle the player’s optional Match-the-Dealer Wagers by collecting all losing wagers and paying all winning wagers. If a player placed a Match-the-Dealer Wager and either or both of the player’s initial two cards match the rank of the dealer’s up card, the dealer shall pay the winning Match-the-Dealer Wager in accordance with § 685a.11(c) (relating to payout odds). Any card with a face value of 10 or a point value of 10 (a jack, queen or king) shall only match an identical card without regard to value.
(g) Immediately after the dealer settles the optional Match-the-Dealer Wagers, if the dealer’s first card is an ace, the dealer shall offer the Insurance Wager or even money in accordance with § 685a.8 (relating to Insurance Wager).
(h) After the procedures in subsection (g) have been completed, if applicable, the dealer shall determine the value range of the dealer’s hole card. The dealer shall insert the hole card into the Masque Card Reader device by moving the card face down on the layout without exposing it to anyone at the table, including the dealer. If the dealer’s hole card is in the Small value range (2-3-4-5), the Masque Card Reader device will illuminate a blue light. If the dealer’s hole card is in the Medium value range (6-7-8-9), the Masque Card Reader device will illuminate a red light. If the dealer’s hole card is in the Large value range (10-J-Q-K-A), the Masque Card Reader device will illuminate a yellow light. The dealer will then place his hand in the corresponding area on the layout as described in § 685a.2(b)(3) (relating to Down Under Blackjack table; Masque Care Reader device; physical characteristics; inspections). If the dealer’s first card and hole card are both in the Large value range, the dealer’s hole card shall be exposed to the players prior to the beginning of action. If the dealer has a Blackjack, additional cards may not be dealt and if a player:
(1) Has a Blackjack, the dealer shall return the player’s Bet Wager and pay out any Insurance Wager, if applicable.
(2) Does not have a Blackjack, the dealer shall collect the player’s Bet Wager and pay out any Insurance Wager, if applicable.
(i) If the dealer’s hole card did not give the dealer Blackjack, the dealer shall start with the player farthest to the dealer’s left and continue around the table in a clockwise direction and if the player:
(1) Has Blackjack, the dealer shall announce and pay the Blackjack in accordance with § 685a.11(a) (relating to payout odds) and remove the player’s cards.
(2) Does not have Blackjack, the player shall indicate whether he wishes to double down as permitted under § 685a.9 (relating to Double Down Wager), split pairs as permitted under § 685a.10 (relating to splitting pairs), stand or draw additional cards. Players may not surrender in Down Under Blackjack.
(j) As each player indicates his decision, the dealer shall deal face upwards whatever additional cards are necessary to effectuate the player’s decision.
(k) A player may elect to draw additional cards whenever his point count total is less than 21, except that:
(1) A player having a hard or soft total of 21 may not draw additional cards.
(2) A player electing to double down in accordance with § 685a.9 may draw only one additional card.
(l) After the decisions of each player have been implemented and all additional cards have been dealt, the dealer shall turn the hole card face up, unless the hole card has already been exposed in accordance with this section.
(m) The dealer shall draw additional cards until he has a hard or soft total of 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22. Any additional cards required to be dealt to the hand of the dealer shall be dealt face up. The dealer shall announce the dealer’s total point count after each additional card is dealt.
(n) After all additional cards have been drawn, if the total point count of the dealer’s hand:
(1) Is a 22, the dealer shall pay out any player’s Bet Wager if the player has exactly two original Large value range cards or a hand with a hard or soft total of 21 in accordance with § 685a.11, and shall return all remaining player’s Bet Wagers.
(2) Is not a 22, the dealer shall settle the player’s Bet Wagers in accordance with subsections (o)—(q).
(o) A player shall win and be paid in accordance with § 685a.11 for the Bet Wager if:
(1) The total point count of the player’s hand is 21 or less and the total point count of the dealer’s hand is in excess of 22.
(2) The total point count of the player’s hand exceeds the total point count of the dealer’s hand without exceeding 21.
(p) A Bet Wager shall tie and be returned to the player if the total point count of the player’s hand does not exceed 21 and is the same as the total point count of the dealer’s hand.
(q) A player’s Bet Wager shall lose and shall be collected if:
(1) The total point count of the player’s hand is in excess of 21.
(2) The total point count of the dealer’s hand exceeds the total point count of the player’s hand without exceeding 21.
(r) The dealer shall collect all losing wagers and settle all winning wagers in accordance with one of the following procedures designated in the certificate holder’s Rules Submission under § 601a.2 (relating to table games Rules Submissions):
(1) Collect all losing wagers beginning with the player farthest to the dealer’s right and continuing around the table in a counterclockwise direction and then settle all winning wagers.
(2) Collect each player’s losing wagers and settle each player’s winning wagers beginning with the player farthest to the dealer’s right and continuing around the table in a counterclockwise direction. The dealer shall place any losing wagers directly into the table inventory and may not pay off any player’s winning wagers by using value chips collected from a losing wager.
(s) After all wagers have been settled, the dealer shall remove any remaining cards from the table and place them in the discard rack in a manner that permits the reconstruction of each hand in the event of a question or dispute.
(t) Players and spectators may not handle, remove or alter any cards used to play Down Under Blackjack.
Cross References This section cited in 58 Pa. Code § 685a.5 (relating to shuffle and cut of the cards); 58 Pa. Code § 685a.12 (relating to irregularities); 58 Pa. Code § 687b.1 (relating to Must-Hit-By Mystery Bonus); and 58 Pa. Code § 685c.1 (relating to Match the Dealer progressive Down Under Blackjack wager).
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