N.J. Admin. Code § 13:69F-21.8

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

Section 13:69F-21.8 - Procedures for completion of each round of play; setting of hands; payment and collection of wagers; payout odds

(a) Except as provided in (b), (c), and (f) below, after each player and the dealer have received four cards, each player shall set his or her hand by choosing two cards to use with the community cards and placing them face down on the layout immediately in front of the gaming chips or plaques that he or she has wagered. The two cards to be discarded shall be placed face down on the appropriate area of the layout.

(b) If the four cards dealt to a player are a natural, the player shall announce that he or she has a natural and turn the four cards face up on the table for confirmation. If the dealer confirms the player was dealt a natural, the dealer shall thereupon immediately pay the player at odds of 5 to 1, collect the four cards and place them in the discard rack.

(c) A player may elect to split the four cards into two separate hands provided the player makes a wager on the second hand so formed in an amount equal to his or her original wager. If a player elects to split, he or she shall place two cards face down in front of his or her original wager and place the remaining two cards face down in the area designated for discarded cards with the additional wager placed thereon.

(d) Each player at the table shall be responsible for setting his or her own hand and no other person except the dealer may touch the cards of that player. Each player shall be required to keep the four cards in full view of the dealer at all times. Once each player has set his or her hand and placed the cards face down on the appropriate areas of the layout, the player shall not be permitted to touch the cards again during the round of play.

(e) After all players have placed their cards on the table; the dealer shall collect all discarded cards without exposing them, starting from the right and proceeding counterclockwise around the table, and place them in the discard rack. The dealer shall verify that two cards, except as provided in (b) and (c) above and (f) below, were collected from each player.

(f) A player may elect to discontinue play on his or her hand for that round by placing all four cards face down in the area designated for the discarded cards and announcing his or her decision prior to the dealer collecting the discarded cards pursuant to (e) above. A player who elects to exercise this option shall surrender one-half of his or her original wager, which shall be immediately collected by the dealer and placed in the table inventory. The dealer shall then collect the four cards in the area designated for the discarded cards, without exposing them, and verify that four cards were collected by counting them face down on the layout prior to placing them in the discard rack.

(g) Once all discarded cards have been collected and placed in the discard rack, the four cards of the dealer shall be turned over and, except as provided in (h) below, the dealer shall set his or her hand in accordance with (i) below by choosing two cards to be used with the community cards and placing them face up on the layout in front of the table inventory container. The two cards to be discarded shall be placed in the discard rack.

(h) If the four cards dealt to the dealer are a natural, then the dealer shall not deal the community cards and shall, starting from the right and proceeding counterclockwise around the table, collect all wagers. The dealer shall only collect the amount of the original wager when a player has split his or her hand in accordance with (c) above. The dealer shall then collect all cards and place them in the discard rack.

(i) The dealer shall set his or her hand in accordance with the following prioritized two-card rankings or "house ways," in order from highest to lowest preference:

1. Suited pair;

2. Highest pair;

3. Ace with highest suited card, 10 or better;

4. Highest suited running cards, 10 and jack or better;

5. Ace with highest card, 10 or better;

6. Highest non-suited running cards, jack and queen or better;

7. Ace with highest suited card;

8. Highest suited cards, 10 or better;

9. Highest cards, jack or better;

10. Ace with highest card;

11. Any suited, running cards;

12. Highest suited cards, not running;

13. Any running cards; and

14. Highest cards.

(j) Once the dealer has set his or her hand, the dealer shall burn the next card out of the shoe and then deal the five community cards face up, placing the first card in the designated area farthest to the dealer's left. The dealer shall deal a card to each of the four remaining designated areas from left to right.

(k) After all five community cards have been dealt, the dealer shall expose the cards of each player, starting from the right and proceeding counterclockwise around the table. The dealer shall compare the hand of each player to the hand of the dealer, using the five community cards and the two retained cards to form the highest possible five-card hand, and shall announce if the wager of that player shall win or lose. A wager made by a player shall win if the five-card hand of the player is higher in rank than the five-card hand of the dealer. A wager made by a player shall lose if the five-card hand of the dealer is higher or equal in rank than the five-card hand of the player. In the event that the player and the dealer have hands of identical rank, the dealer shall announce to that player that his or her hand is a copy hand and the wager is a losing wager.

(l) All losing wagers shall be immediately collected by the dealer and placed in the table inventory container. All losing and copy hands shall also be collected.

(m) All winning hands shall remain face up on the layout. Winning wagers shall be paid after all hands have been exposed and all losing wagers and corresponding hands have been collected. The dealer shall pay winning wagers beginning with the player to the right of the dealer and continuing counterclockwise around the table.

(n) With the exception of a natural, a winning wager shall be paid by a casino licensee at odds of 1 to 1. After a winning wager has been paid, the dealer shall then collect the cards from that player.

(o) The dealer shall collect all cards and place them in the discard rack in an order that they can be readily arranged to reconstruct each hand in case of a question or dispute.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:69F-21.8