N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 9 § 5324.36
Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 45, November 2, 2024
Section 5324.36 - Ultimate Texas hold 'em poker(a) Equipment and layout. (1) Ultimate Texas hold 'em shall be played on a table having positions for six players on one side of the table and a place for the dealer on the opposite side.(2) In addition to the requirements set forth in subdivision (a) of 5324.30 of this Part, the layout for a ultimate Texas hold 'em poker table shall contain, at a minimum: (i) four separate designated betting areas at each player position for the placement of ante, blind, play and trips wagers, configured with the trips wager area closest to the dealer, the play wager area farthest from the dealer, the ante wager area arrayed between the trips wager area and the play wager area and the blind wager area to the right of and separated from the ante wager area by an "=" symbol;(ii) a separate designated area for the placement of the five community cards, which area shall be located in the center of the table between the chip tray and the player betting areas;(iii) a separate designated area for the placement of the dealer's two cards, which area shall be located between the chip tray and the designated area for the community cards described in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph;(iv) an inscription indicating that an ante wager shall push if the dealer has less than a pair; and(v) an inscription at each player position describing the following: (a) the payout odds for blind and trips wagers;(b) that a blind wager shall not be paid unless the player's hand ranks higher than the dealer's hand;(c) the rules governing the required amount of a play wager as a multiple of the player's ante wager (three or four times the ante, if made prior to any community cards being dealt; two times the ante, if made after the flop is dealt but prior to the final two community cards being dealt; or equal to the ante, if made after all community cards are dealt but prior to the dealer's cards being revealed); and(d) If any of these are not inscribed on the layout, a sign with such information shall be posted at each table offering Texas hold 'em bonus poker.(b) Ultimate Texas hold 'em hand rankings. (1) For the determination of winning hands, the rank of the cards used in ultimate Texas hold 'em, from highest to lowest rank, shall be: ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an ace may be used to complete a straight flush or a straight formed with a 2, 3, 4 and 5. An ace, however, may not be combined with any other sequence of cards for purposes of determining a winning hand.(2) The permissible poker hands at the game of ultimate Texas hold 'em, in order of highest to lowest rank, are: (i) royal flush, a hand consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of the same suit;(ii) straight flush, a hand consisting of five cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, with ace, king, queen, jack and 10 being the highest-ranking five-card straight flush and ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being the lowest-ranking five-card straight flush;(iii) four of a kind, a hand consisting of four cards of the same rank, with four aces being the highest-ranking four of a kind and four 2s being the lowest-ranking four of a kind;(iv) full house, a hand consisting of a three of a kind, with a pair with three aces and two kings being the highest-ranking full house and three 2s and two 3s being the lowest-ranking full house;(v) flush, a hand consisting of five cards of the same suit, not in consecutive order, with ace, king, queen, jack and 9 being the highest-ranking flush and 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 being the lowest-ranking flush;(vi) straight, a hand consisting of five unsuited cards of consecutive rank, with an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 being the highest-ranking straight and an ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being the lowest-ranking straight;(vii) three of a kind, a hand consisting of three cards of the same rank, with three aces being the highest-ranking three of a kind and three 2s being the lowest-ranking three of a kind;(viii) two pairs, a hand consisting of two pairs, with two aces and two kings being the highest-ranking two pair and two 3s and two 2s being the lowest-ranking two pair; and(ix) pair, a hand consisting of two cards of the same rank, with two aces being the highest-ranking pair and two 2s being the lowest-ranking pair.(3) When comparing two hands that are of identical poker rank pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision, or that contain none of the hands authorized in this subdivision, the hand that contains the highest-ranking card as provided in paragraph (1) of this subdivision that is not contained in the other hand shall be considered the higher-ranking hand. If the hands are of identical rank after the application of this subdivision, the hands shall be considered a push.(c) Wagers. (1) All wagers at ultimate Texas hold 'em shall be made by placing chips, plaques or, if applicable, table game promotional coupons on the appropriate betting areas of the table layout.(2) All ante, blind and trips wagers shall be placed prior to the dealer announcing "no more bets" in accordance with the dealing procedure set forth in subdivision (d) of this section. Except as provided in subdivision (e) of this section, no wager shall be made, increased or withdrawn after the dealer has announced "no more bets."(3) Upon placing an ante wager and a blind wager, a player may also place a trips wager by placing a wager on the designated betting area of the layout. The outcome of the trips wager shall have no bearing on any other wager made by the player.(4) Play wagers shall be made in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (e) of this section.(5) Only players who are seated at an ultimate Texas hold 'em poker table may place a wager on the game. Once a player has placed a wager and received cards, such player shall remain seated until the completion of the round of play.(d) Procedure for dealing the cards. In addition to the requirements set forth in subdivisions (d) and (e) of section 5324.2 of this Part, the dealer shall deal the cards as follows: (1) If using a manual dealing shoe or dealing from the hand, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer's left and continuing clockwise around, deal the cards as follows: (i) one card face down to each player who has placed wagers in accordance subdivision (e) of this section;(ii) one card face down to the area designated for the dealer's hand under a cover card;(iii) a second card face down to each player who has placed wagers in accordance with subdivision (e) of this section; and(iv) a second card face down to an area designated for the dealer's hand under a cover card.(2) If using an automated dealing shoe, the automated dealing shoe shall dispense cards in stacks of two cards. The dealer shall deliver the first stack of two cards dispensed by the automated dealing shoe face down to the player farthest to the dealer's left who has placed wagers in accordance with subdivision (e) of this section. As the remaining stacks are dispensed to the dealer by the automated dealing shoe, the dealer shall, moving clockwise around the table, deliver a stack face down to each of the other players who has placed wagers in accordance with subdivision (e) of this section. The dealer shall then deliver the stack face down to the area designated for the dealer's hand. The dealer may insert a cover card in the automated dealing shoe prior to the dealer's cards being dispensed.(3) After each stack of two cards has been dispensed and delivered in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subdivision, the dealer shall remove the remaining cards from the automated dealing shoe and deal from the dealer's hand the five community cards in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (e) of this section.(e) Procedures for completion of each round of play; collection and payment of wagers. (1) After the dealing procedures required by subdivision (d) of this section have been completed, each player shall have the opportunity to examine such player's cards, shall not expose such cards to any person and shall replace the cards face down on the layout. The dealer shall then, starting with the player farthest to the dealer's left and proceeding clockwise around the table, ask each player if such player wishes to place a play wager prior to the dealing of the first three community cards. The player shall either check or place a play wager in an amount equal to three or four times the amount of the player's ante wager. (i) If a player places a play wager, the wager shall be placed in the designated play betting area.(ii) If a player checks, the player shall remain in the game and defer a decision to place a play wager to the next betting opportunity.(2) Once all players have either placed a play wager or checked, the dealer shall burn the next card. The dealer shall then deal the next three cards in the deck (known as the flop) face up to the designated area for the community cards.(3) After the flop has been dealt, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer's left and proceeding in a clockwise manner around the table, ask each player who has not placed a play wager if such player wishes to place a play wager prior to the dealing of the final two community cards. The player may either check or place a play wager in an amount equal to two times the amount of the player's ante wager. (i) If a player places a play wager, the wager shall be placed in the designated play betting area.(ii) If a player checks, the player shall remain in the game and defer a decision to place a play wager to the next betting opportunity.(4) Once all players have either placed a play wager or checked, the dealer shall burn the next card. The dealer shall then deal the next two cards in the deck face up to the designated area for the community cards.(5) After the final two community cards have been dealt, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer's left and proceeding clockwise around the table, ask each player who has not yet placed a play wager whether such player wishes to fold such player's hand or place a play wager equal in amount to such player's ante wager. (i) If a player places a play wager, the wager shall be placed in the designated play betting area.(ii) If a player folds, the ante and blind wagers of the player shall be collected by the dealer and placed in the chip tray. (a) If the player has also placed a trips wager, the dealer shall place the cards of the player face down underneath the player's trips wager pending its settlement at the conclusion of the round of play.(b) If the player has not placed a trips wager, the dealer shall immediately turn the folded cards face down and place them in the discard rack.(6) After each player has either folded or placed a play wager, the dealer shall turn the dealer's two cards face up, position the dealer's cards near the three community cards that can be used to form the best possible five-card hand and announce the dealer's hand to the players.(7) If the dealer's best possible five-card hand is lower than a pair, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer's right who has placed a play wager and proceeding counter-clockwise around the table, return each player's ante wager and settle all other wagers in accordance with paragraph (8) of this subdivision.(8) If the dealer's best possible five-card hand is a pair or above, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer's right who has placed a play wager and proceeding counter-clockwise around the table, turn the two cards of each player who has placed a play wager face up and announce the best possible five-card poker hand that can be formed using the player's two cards and the five community cards. (i) If the player's five-card hand is ranked lower than the dealer's five-card hand, the player shall lose and the dealer immediately shall collect any ante, blind and play wagers made by the player and place the wagers in the chip tray.(ii) If the player's five-card hand is ranked higher than the dealer's five-card hand, the player shall win and the dealer shall pay any ante, blind and play wagers made by the player in accordance with the payout odds set forth in subdivision (f) of this section; provided, however, that the blind wager shall not be paid unless the player's winning hand has a rank of straight or higher.(iii) If the player's five-card hand and the dealer's five-card hand are of equal rank, the player's hand shall be a push. In such case, the dealer shall not collect or pay the player's ante, blind or play wagers.(iv) After settling a player's ante, blind and play wagers, the dealer shall settle any trips wager made by the player by determining whether the player's five-card hand qualifies for a payout in accordance with paragraph (3) of subdivision (f) of this section. A winning trips wager shall be paid without regard to the outcome of any other wager made by the player.(9) All cards collected by the dealer shall be picked up in order and placed in the discard rack in such a way that such cards readily can be arranged to reconstruct each hand in the event of a question or dispute.(f) Payout odds. (1)A gaming facility shall pay each winning ante and play wager at no less than odds of 1:1.(2) If a player's five-card hand ranks higher than the dealer's five-card hand, a gaming facility shall pay the player's blind wager in accordance with one of the following pay tables, as the gaming facility may choose: Hand | Pav table A | Pav table B |
Less than a straight | Push | Push |
Straight | 1:1 | Push |
Flush | 3:2 | 3:2 |
Full house | 3:1 | 3:1 |
Four of a kind | 10:1 | 10:1 |
Straight flush | 50:1 | 50:1 |
Royal flush | 500:1 | 500:1 |
(3) A gaming facility shall pay each winning trips wager at no less than the odds set forth in the following alternative pay table, with option A, B, C or D to be pre-selected by the gaming facility: Hand | Pav table A | Pav table B | Pav table C | Pav table D |
Three of a kind | 3:1 | 3:1 | 3:1 | 3:1 |
Straight | 4:1 | 5:1 | 4:1 | 5:1 |
Flush | 7:1 | 6:1 | 7:1 | 6:1 |
Full house | 9:1 | 8:1 | 8:1 | 7:1 |
Four of a kind | 30:1 | 30:1 | 30:1 | 20:1 |
Straight flush | 40:1 | 40:1 | 40:1 | 40:1 |
Royal flush | 50:1 | 50:1 | 50:1 | 50:1 |
(4) Notwithstanding the payout odds set forth in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subdivision, the aggregate payout limit on all winning ante, play, blind and trips wagers for any hand shall be $50,000 or the maximum amount that one player could win per round when betting the minimum wager, whichever is greater.(g) Prohibition against a player wagering on more than one player position. A player shall not be permitted to wager on more than one player position at an ultimate Texas hold 'em table.(h) Irregularities. (1)lf any card dealt to the dealer is exposed prior to each player placing an authorized wager or folding, all hands shall be void.(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subdivision: (i) if a player has placed a trips wager, the community cards shall be dealt and each trips wager shall be settled; and(ii) if the card or cards are found face up after each player and the dealer has received their initial two cards, the community cards shall be dealt and any trips wager shall be settled.(3) If a player is dealt an incorrect number of cards, that player's hand shall be void. If the dealer is dealt an incorrect number of cards, all players' hands shall be void unless the dealer can deal the correct number of cards in sequence for the dealer's hand, provided that such cards have not already been turned face up.N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 9 § 5324.36
Adopted New York State Register November 16, 2016/Volume XXXVIII, Issue 46, eff. 11/16/2016