N.J. Admin. Code § 13:47-20.38

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 13:47-20.38 - Rules for handling irregularities in the game of poker

(a) It shall be the responsibility of each player to ensure that his or her hand has lost to the other hands at the table before discarding the hand.

(b) In all disputes in which a ruling, interpretation, clarification or intervention is required, the decision of the Class "A" casino night operator shall be final.

(c) Each player shall be required to keep all cards dealt to the player in full view of the dealer at all times. The dealer shall ensure compliance with this requirement.

(d) At the showdown, a winning hand shall be clearly displayed in its entirety and properly identified. The player initiating the final wager shall be the first player to show his or her hand at the showdown; all other players who have not folded shall then reveal their hands in a clockwise rotation. Any player holding a losing hand may concede his or her rights to the pot and discard the hand; provided, however, that the casino night holder may require the disclosure of any discarded hands.

(e) If any player folds after making a forced bet or blind bet or on a round of checking, that player's position shall continue to receive a card until there is a subsequent wager at the table.

(f) Misdeals shall cause all the cards to be returned to the dealer for a reshuffle. The following errors shall be cause for a misdeal:

1. Failure to shuffle and cut the cards in accordance with N.J.A.C. 13:47-20.19;

2. Dealing to an incorrect starting position if the error has been detected prior to two players voluntarily placing wagers into the pot;

3. If more than one card is found face-up in the deck; and

4. Failure to deal to an eligible seated player, if the error has been detected prior to two or more players voluntarily placing wagers into the pot.

(g) If one or more cards are mistakenly dealt to an ineligible player, only those cards dealt to that player shall be discarded and the round of play shall be continued.

(h) If, at any time during a round of play, missing cards are discovered or additional cards are found, the round of play shall be called dead, all imitation money in the pot shall be returned to the appropriate player and the deck shall no longer be used, but shall be placed in a sealed envelope and given to the designated member of the casino night holder in charge of the conduct of the event. Another deck shall be placed upon the table pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:47-20.34(a).

(i) A card found face upwards in the deck shall not be used in the game and shall be placed with the pile of discarded cards.

(j) A player who fails to take reasonable means to protect his or her hand shall have no redress if his or her hand becomes a fouled hand or the dealer accidentally collects the hand.

1. Hole cards in a game of stud poker shall be considered protected for purposes of fouling a hand.

2. If a protected hand comes into contact with discarded cards, every effort shall be made to reconstruct the hand and complete the round of play.

3. A player who has a protected hand collected by the dealer or fouled by discarded cards shall be entitled to a refund from the pot of all imitation money that he or she put in the pot if the player has been a victim of and not a contributor to the error.

4. A player who leaves the table without comment and has an unprotected hand shall be assumed to have no interest in the pot, and his or her cards shall be collected and discarded.

(k) Verbal statements which are clearly audible by and directed to the dealer shall always have precedence over actions and gestures and are considered binding on the player whose turn it is to act.

1. A player shall be deemed to have folded if, when faced with making or calling a wager, he or she:

i. Discards his or her hand face-down towards the pile of discarded cards or the pot; or

ii. Turns face-down his or her up-cards in a game of stud poker.

2. If a player is obligated to place a wager by virtue of a verbal statement or forced betting situation, throwing away his or her cards does not relieve the player of that obligation.

(l) If a player's first or second hole card is accidentally turned face-up in the dealing process, the third card shall be dealt face-down. If both hole cards are accidentally turned face-up, the dealer shall collect the two cards, call the player's hand dead and return the player's ante, if applicable.

(m) If a card is accidentally dealt off the table, it shall not be used in that round of play and shall be placed with the pile of discarded cards after a thorough examination by the dealer.

(n) If any of the face-down cards in the game of hold 'em are accidentally turned face-up in the dealing process, the dealer shall exchange the exposed card with a card from the top of the deck and place the exposed card with the pile of discarded cards.

(o) If an automated card shuffling device is being used and the device jams, stops shuffling during a shuffle, or fails to complete a shuffle cycle, the cards shall be reshuffled by hand.

(p) Any automated card shuffling device shall be removed from the poker table before another method of shuffling may be utilized at that table.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:47-20.38

New Rule, R.2006 d.350, effective 10/2/2006.
See: 38 N.J.R. 1642(a), 38 N.J.R. 4232(a).