N.J. Admin. Code § 13:69F-10.8 - Player bank; co-banking; selection of bank; procedures for dealing

(a) A casino licensee may, in its discretion, offer to all players at a pai gow table the opportunity to bank the game. If the casino licensee elects this option, all the other provisions of this subchapter shall apply except to the extent that they conflict with the provisions of this section, in which case the provisions of this section shall control for any round of play in which a player is the bank.

(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 shall mean the first round of play after the dealer is required to restack and shuffle the tiles in accordance with the procedures set forth in 13:69F-10.4(b) or (g).

(c) After the first round of play pursuant to (b) above, 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, starting with the player farthest to the right of the dealer, offer the bank to each player in a counterclockwise rotation around the table 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 that player shall first be offered the bank on the next round of play. The initial offer to be the bank shall rotate counterclockwise around the table until it returns to the dealer. In no event may any player bank two consecutive rounds of play. If no player wishes to be the bank, the round of play shall proceed in accordance with the rules of play provided in this subchapter.

(d) Before a player may be permitted to bank a round of play, the dealer shall determine that:

1. The player placed a wager against the dealer during the last round of play in which there was no player banking the game; and

2. The player has sufficient gaming chips on the table to cover all of the wagers placed by other players at the table for that round of play.

(e) A casino licensee may, in its discretion, offer the bank the option of having the casino cover 50 percent of the wagers made during a round of play. If the casino licensee offers this option, it shall make it available to all players at the table. If the bank wishes to use this option, the bank must specifically request the dealer to accept responsibility for the payment of one-half of all winning wagers. When the bank covers 50 percent and the casino covers 50 percent of the winning wagers, it shall be known as "co-banking" and the dealer shall place a marker designating the co-bank in front of that player. When the dealer is co-banking, the dealer shall be responsible for setting the hand of the bank in the manner submitted to the Division pursuant to 13:69F-10.7. 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 only wager on one betting area.

(g) Once the tiles have been shuffled and formed into stacks pursuant to 13:69F-10.4(d), the bank shall have the option to cut the tiles one time. If the bank does not wish to cut the tiles, there shall be no cut. Upon direction from the bank, the dealer may move:

1. One or more adjacent stacks of four tiles to the right or left end of the original eight stacks of tiles; or

2. Two or more adjacent stacks of four tiles, of which at least one stack is moved to one end and the other stacks are moved to the opposite end of the original eight stacks of tiles.

(h) Once the dealer has determined that a player may be the bank pursuant to (d) above and the tiles have been shuffled and, if applicable, cut, the dealer shall, unless co-banking is in effect, remove gaming chips from the table inventory container in an amount equal to the last wager made by that player against the dealer or in an amount, the calculation of which has been approved by the Division. 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 places no wager during that round of play. Any amount wagered by the dealer shall be placed in front of the table inventory container. Immediately upon receipt of the four tiles dealt to the dealer pursuant to (k) below, the dealer shall place his or her wager on top of these tiles, instead of the marker otherwise required by 13:69F-10.6, before dealing the remaining tiles. If co-banking is in effect, the dealer shall not remove any gaming chips from the table inventory container pursuant to this subsection.

(i) Once the dealer has announced "No more bets," the bank may, by issuing a verbal instruction to the dealer, choose to have the dealer deliver the stacks of tiles using any one of the 10 styles of delivery described in (k) below. If the bank does not choose a style of delivery, the dealer shall use house way from the right. After the style of delivery has been determined, the dealer shall indicate in order the style of delivery to be used by verbally repeating the selected style of delivery, taking such other action, in accordance with the casino licensee's internal control procedures, that identifies the selected delivery style to the casino licensee's surveillance department, and moving certain stacks of tiles or individual tiles slightly forward, backward or diagonally in the manner described in (k)1 through 10 below. After the dealer has indicated the style of delivery, the bank shall shake the pai gow shaker. It shall be the responsibility of the dealer to ensure that the bank shakes the pai gow shaker at least three times so as to cause a random mixture of the dice. Once the bank has completed shaking the pai gow shaker, the dealer shall remove the lid covering the pai gow shaker, total the dice and announce the total. The dealer shall always remove the lid from the pai gow shaker and if the bank inadvertently removes the lid, the dealer shall require the pai gow shaker to be covered and reshaken by the bank.

(j) To determine the starting position for dealing the tiles, the dealer shall count counterclockwise around the table, with the position of the bank considered number one and continuing around the table with each betting position, including the dealer, regardless of whether there is a wager at the position, and the dead hand counted in order until the count matches the total of the three dice.

(k) The dealer shall deal the first four tiles, in accordance with the selected style of delivery described in (k)1 through 10 below, to the starting position as determined in (j) above and, moving counterclockwise around the table, deal all other positions including the dead hand and the dealer four tiles, regardless of whether there is a wager at the position. The dealer shall place his or her wager or marker, as applicable, on top of his or her stack of tiles immediately after they are dealt. Each casino licensee shall set forth in its Rules of the Games Submission the delivery styles offered to the bank. The 10 styles of delivery that may be used to deal the pai gow tiles are as follows:

1. House way from the right: The dealer shall indicate the use of house way from the right by pushing forward the first stack of tiles on the dealer's right. The dealer shall deliver the stack pushed forward to the starting position. The remaining stacks of tiles shall be delivered from the dealer's right to left.

2. House way from the left: The dealer shall indicate the use of house way from the left by pushing forward the first stack of tiles on the dealer's left. The dealer shall deliver the stack pushed forward to the starting position. The remaining stacks of tiles shall be delivered from the dealer's left to right.

3. Cup say (pick four) from the right: The dealer shall indicate the use of cup say from the right by pushing forward the first two stacks of tiles on the dealer's right. The dealer shall deliver the top two tiles from each of the two stacks pushed forward to the starting position. The four remaining tiles pushed forward shall be delivered to the next position. The remaining stacks of tiles shall be delivered from the dealer's right to left in the same manner as the first two stacks.

4. Cup say (pick four) from the left: The dealer shall indicate the use of cup say from the left by pushing forward the first two stacks of tiles on the dealer's left. The dealer shall deliver the top two tiles from each of the two stacks pushed forward to the starting position. The four remaining tiles pushed forward shall be delivered to the next position. The remaining stacks of tiles shall be delivered from the dealer's left to right in the same manner as the first two stacks.

5. Jung quat (take the heart): The dealer shall indicate the use of jung quat by pushing forward the fourth stack of tiles from the dealer's right and the fourth stack of tiles from the dealer's left (the two center stacks of the eight). The dealer shall deliver the top two tiles from each of the two stacks pushed forward to the starting position. The four remaining tiles pushed forward shall be delivered to the next position. The remaining stacks shall be pushed together and the two new center stacks shall be pushed forward and delivered in the same manner as the first two stacks. This procedure shall be repeated until all eight stacks of tiles have been delivered.

6. Chee yee (chop the ears): The dealer shall indicate the use of chee yee by pushing forward the first stack of tiles on the dealer's right and the first stack of tiles on the dealer's left. To deliver the tiles, the dealer shall center the two stacks pushed forward in front of the remaining stacks. The dealer shall deliver the top two tiles from each of the two centered stacks to the starting position. The four remaining tiles from the two centered stacks shall be delivered to the next position. The dealer shall then center and deliver the first stack remaining on the dealer's right and the first stack remaining on the dealer's left in the same manner. This procedure shall be repeated until all eight stacks of tiles have been delivered.

7. Pin say (slice four) from the right: The dealer shall indicate the use of pin say from the right by removing the top tile of the first stack of tiles on the dealer's right and placing it diagonally across the top of the second, third and fourth stacks of tiles from the dealer's right. The dealer shall deliver the top tile from each of the first four stacks on the dealer's right to the starting position (the diagonal tile plus the three tiles it covers). The top tile from each of the first four stacks on the dealer's left shall be delivered to the next position. The top tile remaining on each of the first four stacks on the dealer's right shall be delivered to the third position and the top tile remaining on each of the first four stacks on the dealer's left shall be delivered to the fourth position. This procedure shall be repeated until four tiles have been delivered to all eight positions.

8. Pin say (slice four) from the left: The dealer shall indicate the use of pin say from the left by removing the top tile of the first stack of tiles on the dealer's left and placing it diagonally across the top of the second, third and fourth stacks of tiles from the dealer's left. The dealer shall deliver the top tile from each of the first four stacks on the dealer's left to the starting position (the diagonal tile plus the three tiles it covers). The top tile from each of the first four stacks on the dealer's right shall be delivered to the next position. The top tile remaining on each of the first four stacks on the dealer's left shall be delivered to the third position and the top tile remaining on each of the first four stacks on the dealer's right shall be delivered to the fourth position. This procedure shall be repeated until four tiles have been delivered to all eight positions.

9. Dragon head and phoenix tail from the right: The dealer shall indicate the use of dragon head and phoenix tail from the right by placing all four tiles in the first and second stacks from the dealer's right directly on top of the four tiles in the third and fourth stacks from the dealer's right and then pushing forward the top two tiles in each of the eight tile stacks that are created (forming the "dragon head"). The dealer shall deliver the four tiles pushed forward to the starting position. The top tile from each of the four stacks of four tiles to the dealer's left (the "phoenix tail") shall be delivered to the next position. The dealer shall deliver the top two tiles from each of the two stacks on the dealer's right to the third position and the top tile from each of the four stacks on the dealer's left to the fourth position. This procedure shall be repeated until four tiles have been delivered to all eight positions.

10. Dragon head and phoenix tail from the left: The dealer shall indicate the use of dragon head and phoenix tail from the left by placing all four tiles in the first and second stacks from the dealer's left directly on top of the four tiles in the third and fourth stacks from the dealer's left and then pushing forward the top two tiles in each of the eight tile stacks that are created (forming the "dragon head"). The dealer shall deliver the four tiles pushed forward to the starting position. The top tile from each of the four stacks of four tiles to the dealer's right (the "phoenix tail") shall be delivered to the next position. The dealer shall deliver the top two tiles from each of the two stacks on the dealer's left to the third position and the top tile from each of the four stacks on the dealer's right to the fourth position. This procedure shall be repeated until four tiles have been delivered to all eight positions.

(l) After all the stacks of tiles have been dealt, the dealer shall, without exposing the tiles, collect any stacks dealt to a position where there is no wager and place the stacks with the dead hand on the layout to the left of the dealer in front of the table inventory container.

(m) Once all tiles have been dealt and any tiles dealt to positions with no wagers have been collected, the dealer shall place the cover on the pai gow shaker and shake the shaker once. The pai gow shaker shall then be placed to the right of the dealer.

(n) If the tiles dealt to the dealer have not been previously collected, after each player has set his or her two hands and placed them on the layout, the two hands of the dealer shall then be set. Once the dealer has formed a high and low hand, 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 dealer wins, the tiles 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 pushes, 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.

(o) If banking is in effect, once the dealer has determined the outcome of the wager of the dealer against the bank, if any, the dealer shall expose the hands of each player starting with the player farthest to the right of the dealer and proceeding counterclockwise around the table. The dealer shall compare the high and low hand of each player to the high and low hand of the bank and shall announce if the wager shall win, lose or be considered a push against the bank. All losing wagers shall be immediately collected and placed in the center of the table. After all hands have been exposed, all winning wagers, including the dealer's wager, shall be paid by the dealer with the gaming chips located in the center of the table. If this amount becomes exhausted before all winning 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 wagers, there is a surplus in the center of the table, this amount shall be charged a five percent vigorish in accordance with 13:69F-10.7. Once the vigorish has been paid, the remaining amount shall be given to the bank.

(p) If co-banking is in effect, once the dealer has set the co-bank hand pursuant to (e) above, the dealer shall expose the hands of each player starting with the player farthest to the right of the dealer and proceeding counterclockwise around the table. The dealer shall compare the high and low hand of each player to the high and low hand of the bank and shall announce if the wager shall win, lose or be considered a push against the bank. All losing wagers shall be immediately collected and placed in the center of the table. After all hands have been exposed, all winning wagers shall be paid by the dealer with the gaming chips located in the center of the table. If this amount becomes exhausted before all winning wagers have been paid, the dealer shall collect from the co-bank, an amount equal to one-half of the remaining winning wagers and place that amount in the center of the layout. The dealer shall remove an amount equal to one-half 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 wagers, there is a surplus in the center of the table, this amount will be counted and the dealer shall place one-half of this amount into the table inventory container. The dealer shall collect a five percent vigorish in accordance with 13:69F-10.7 on the remaining amount and place the vigorish amount in the table inventory container. The remaining amount shall then be given to the co-bank.

(q) Immediately after a winning wager of the dealer is paid, this amount and the original wager shall be returned to the table inventory container.

(r) Each player who has a winning wager against the bank shall pay a five percent vigorish on the amount won to the dealer, in accordance with 13:69F-10.7.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:69F-10.8