N.J. Admin. Code § 13:69F-2.5 - Shuffle and cut of the cards

(a) Immediately prior to commencement of play, unless the cards were pre-shuffled pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:69E-1.18(r), after any round of play as may be determined by the casino licensee and after each shoe of cards is dealt, the dealer shall shuffle the cards so that they are randomly intermixed.

(b) After the cards have been shuffled, the dealer shall offer the stack of cards, with backs facing away from him or her to the players to be cut.

(c) The player designated by (e) below shall cut the cards by placing the cutting card in the stack at least 10 cards in from either end.

(d) Once the cutting card has been inserted by the player, the dealer shall take all cards in front of the cutting card and place them to the back of the stack. The dealer shall then take the entire stack of cards that was just shuffled and align them along the side of the dealing shoe which has the mark required by N.J.A.C. 13:69E-1.19(d)4. Thereafter, the dealer shall insert the cutting card in the stack at a position at least approximately one-quarter of the way in from the back of the stack. The stack of cards shall then be inserted into the dealing shoe for commencement of play. If the "Bart Carter shuffle" is utilized, the dealer shall not re-insert the cut card after the stack has been cut by the players.

(e) The player to cut the cards shall be:

1. The first player to the table if the game is just beginning;

2. The player on whose box the cutting card appeared during the last round of play;

3. The player at the farthest point to the right of the dealer if the cutting card appeared on the dealer's hand during the last round of play; or

4. The player at the farthest point to the right of the dealer if the reshuffle was initiated at the discretion of the casino licensee.

(f) If the player designated in (e) above refuses the cut, the cards shall be offered to each other player moving clockwise around the table until a player accepts the cut. If no player accepts the cut, the dealer shall cut the cards.

(g) After the cards have been cut and before any cards have been dealt, a casino supervisor may require the cards to be recut if he or she determines that the cut was performed improperly or in any way that might affect the integrity or fairness of the game. If a recut is required, the cards shall be recut, at the casino licensee's option, by the player who last cut the cards, or by the next person entitled to cut the cards, as determined by (f) above.

(h) A reshuffle of the cards in the shoe shall take place after the cutting card is reached in the shoe as provided for in N.J.A.C. 13:69F-2.6(k) except that:

1. The casino licensee may determine after each round of play that the cards should be reshuffled; and

2. When the "Bart Carter shuffle" is utilized, a reshuffle shall take place after the cards in the discard rack exceed approximately one deck in number.

(i) When blackjack is dealt from the hand, after the cards have been removed from the automated shuffling device and cut, the dealer shall maintain one cutting card to cover the bottom card of the deck or, if two decks are used, the stacked decks. If a casino licensee elects to deal multiple rounds of play from a single deck or two decks, the dealer shall insert a second cutting card at a position at least one-third of the way in from the back of the deck or decks. If a casino licensee elects to deal only one round of play from a single deck, the casino licensee shall rotate decks of cards with each round of play in accordance with the requirements of N.J.A.C. 13:69F-2.2(d).

(j) If there is no gaming activity at a blackjack 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 for inspection, either face up or face down. If the cards are spread face down, they shall be turned face up once a player arrives at the table. After the first player is afforded an opportunity to visually inspect the cards the cards shall be turned face downward on the table.

1. If there is no automated shuffling device in use, the cards shall be mixed thoroughly by a washing or chemmy shuffle of the cards, stacked, then shuffled and cut in accordance with this section.

2. If an automated shuffling device is in use, the cards shall be stacked and placed into the automated shuffling device to be shuffled. The batch of cards already in the shuffler shall then be removed. Unless a player so requests, the batch of cards removed from the shuffler need not be spread for inspection and reshuffled prior to being dealt, if:

i. The automated card shuffling device stores a single batch of shuffled cards inside the shuffler in a secure manner in accordance with the casino licensee's internal control procedures; and

ii. The shuffled cards have been secured, released and prepared for play in accordance with the casino licensee's internal control procedures.

(k) A casino licensee may use an alternative shuffle, cut card placement, number of cut cards (to include shuffle techniques without the use of any cut cards), location of where the shuffle takes place, who is responsible for shuffling, shuffling equipment (dealing shoes or other dealing devices) and burn card procedures in accordance with the casino licensee's internal control procedures.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:69F-2.5