N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 9 § 5324.43

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 45, November 2, 2024

Section 5324.43 - Heads up hold 'em poker

(a)Equipment and layout.

(1) Heads up 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 of section 5324.30(a) of this Part, the layout for a heads up hold 'em table shall contain, at a minimum:

(i) a separate designated betting area at each player position for the placement of ante wagers;

(ii) a separate designated betting area at each player position for the placement of a raise wager, which shall be located immediately behind the ante betting area as viewed by a player;

(iii) a separate designated area at each player position for the placement of an odds wager, which shall be located to the right of the ante betting area as viewed by a player and shall be separated with the following symbol: "=";

(iv) a separate designated area at each player position for the placement of a trips plus wager, which shall be located immediately above the ante betting area as viewed by a player;

(v) a separate designated area at each player position for the placement of a pocket bonus wager, which shall be located to the right of the trips plus betting area as viewed by a player;

(vi) inscriptions that advise patrons of the payout odds of the odds wager, bad beat bonus, trips plus wager and pocket bonus wager; and

(vii) inscriptions that advise patrons of the permissible raise wagers.

(b)Heads up hold 'em poker hand rankings.

(1) For the determination of winning hands in heads up hold 'em, the rank of the cards in order of 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 straight formed with a 2, 3, 4 and 5.

(2) The permissible five-card poker hands at the game of heads up hold 'em, in order of highest to lowest rank, shall be:

(i)royal flush is a hand consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of the same suit;

(ii)straight flush is a hand consisting of five cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, with ace, king, queen, jack and 10 being the highest-ranking straight flush and ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being the lowest straight flush;

(iii)four-of-a-kind is 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 is 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 is 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 is 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 is 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 is 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)one pair is 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 heads up hold 'em shall be made by chips or plaques and, if applicable, a table game promotional coupon on the appropriate betting areas of the table layout.

(2) All wagers shall be placed prior to the dealer announcing "no more bets." 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 an odds wager in an amount equal to the ante wager, a player may also make an optional bonus wager by placing a wager on the designated betting area of the layout. The outcome of these wagers shall have no bearing on any other wager made by the player.

(4) Raise wagers shall be made in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (e) of this section.

(5) Only players who are seated at the heads up hold 'em poker table may place a wager at the game. Once a player has placed a wager and received cards, that player must remain seated until the completion of the round of play.

(6) A player shall not be permitted to wager on more than one position.

(d)Procedure for dealing the cards.

In addition to the requirements set forth in section 5324.2(d) and (e) of this Part, the dealer shall deal the cards as follows:

(1) If using a manual dealing shoe or dealing from the hand, after all players have placed a wager in accordance with subdivision (c) of this section, the dealer shall, starting with the player farthest to the dealer's left and continuing around the table in a clockwise manner, deal the cards as follows:

(i) one card face down to each player;

(ii) one card face down to the area designated for the dealer's hand;

(iii) a second card face down to each player; and

(iv) a second card face down to the area designated for the dealer's hand.

(2) If using an automated dealing shoe, the automated dealing shoe shall dispense five cards and continue to deliver cards in stacks of two cards. The dealer shall first deliver the first stack of five cards to the community card area and spread them out. After the community cards have been delivered, the dealer shall deliver the first stack of two cards dispensed by the automated dealing show face down to the player farthest to his or her left who has placed a wager in accordance with subdivision (c) 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 a wager in accordance with subdivision (c) of this section. The dealer shall then deliver the next stack face down to the area designated for the dealer's hand.

(e)Procedure for completion of each round of play; collection and payment of wagers.

(1) To begin each round of play, each player must place an ante and an odds wager in a designated betting position on the table layout. The ante wager and odds wager must be in equal amounts.

(2) 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 and, without exposing such cards to any other person, each player shall then place the cards face down on the layout and shall either place a raise wager or check.

(3) Each player then has the option to make a raise wager equal to their ante wager, make a raise wager twice their ante wager, make a raise wager three times their ante wager or check.

(4) The dealer shall then reveal three community cards, either by turning over the first three face-down community cards if dealt from an automated dealing shoe, or by removing the next three cards off of the top of the deck and revealing them on the designated area of the layout if dealt by a manual dealing shoe or the hand.

(5) Each player who has not yet made a raise wager may make a raise wager equal to such player's ante wager, twice such player's ante wager or check.

(6) The dealer shall then reveal the final two community cards, either by turning over the last two face-down cards if dealt from an automated dealing shoe, or by removing the next two cards off of the top of the deck and revealing them on the designated area of the layout if dealt by a manual dealing shoe or the hand.

(7) Each player who has not yet made a raise wager may make a raise wager equal to such player's ante wager or fold, forfeiting both the ante and odds wager. A player who folds is still eligible to win the pocket bonus wager if such player's two-card hand contains a ranking hand in accordance with subdivision (f) of this section.

(8) After each player has either folded or placed a raise wager, the dealer shall reveal his or her two hole cards and then make the best five-card hand possible using any combination of his or her two hole cards and the five community cards. 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 raise 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.

(9) Starting with the player farthest to the dealer's right who has folded but is still eligible to win the pocket bonus wager, and proceeding counter-clockwise around the table, the dealer shall turn face up the two hole cards of that player to determine if the cards contain a ranking hand in accordance with subdivision (f) of this section. The player's wager shall then be resolved and the hand of the player shall be collected immediately by the dealer and placed in the discard rack before the dealer proceeds to the next player.

(10) Starting with the player farthest to the dealer's right who has placed a raise wager and proceeding counter-clockwise around the table, the dealer shall turn face up the two cards of each player who has placed a raise wager and announce the best possible five-card poker hand that can be formed using the two player cards and the five community cards. The player's wager shall then be resolved and the hand of the player shall be collected immediately by the dealer and placed in the discard rack before the dealer proceeds to the next player.

(11) 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 can be arranged readily to reconstruct each hand in the event of a question or dispute.

(f)Payout odds.

(1) If the dealer's five-card hand does not rank as a pair or higher, the dealer shall not qualify and the ante wager is pushed. All other wagers are settled accordingly.

(2) If the dealer's five-card hand qualifies with a pair or better and the player's hand ranks higher than the dealer's hand, the ante wager shall be paid at odds of even money.

(3) If the dealer's hand ranks higher than the player's hand, the ante wager shall lose and be collected. If the player's hand loses and ranks as a three-of-a kind or worse, then both the raise and odds wagers shall lose and be collected.

(4) If the dealer's hand and the player's hand are identical, the ante, raise and odds wager shall be a push.

(5) If the player's hand ranks higher than the dealer with a straight or better, the raise wager is paid at odds of even money, and the odds wager is paid in accordance to the following pay table:

Hand	Payout Odds
Straight	1:1
Flush	3:2
Full house	3:1
Four-of-a-kind	10:1
Straight flush	50:1
Royal flush	500:1

(6) If the player's hand ranks higher than the dealer with a three-of-a-kind or less, the raise wager shall win and be paid at odds of even money and the odds wager shall push.

(7) If the player's hand ranks below the dealer's but the player's hand ranks at least a straight or higher, the raise and ante wager shall lose and be collected. The odds wager shall remain and be paid in accordance to the following bad beat bonus pay table:

Losing Hand	Payout Odds
Straight	4:1
Flush	5:1
Full house	6:1
Four-of-a-kind	25:1
Straight flush	500:1

(g) The trips plus wager is an optional wager that pays if the player's seven-card poker hand, comprised of the player's two hole cards and the five community cards, contains a three-of-a-kind or better, regardless of the outcome of the primary game wagers. Winning wagers are paid according to one of the following pay tables:

Hand	A	B	C	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	30:1
Straight flush	40:1	40:1	40:1	40:1
Royal flush	100:1	100:1	100:1	100:1

(h) The dealer may take or pay the trips plus wager before processing the players' main wagers or after the dealer has processed the players' main wagers.

(i) The pocket bonus wager is an optional wager that pays if the player's two hole cards contain a pair or are composed of an ace with a king, queen or jack (face card), without regard to the outcome of the primary game. If the player placed a pocket bonus wager and such player's hole cards are not an ace paired with a face card, the pocket bonus wager will lose and be collected by the dealer. However, if the player wins, the pocket bonus wager pays according to one of the following pay tables:

Hand	A	B	C
Pair (2-k)	5:1	5:1	4:1
Ace-jack, ace-queen, ace-king unsuited	10:1	10:1	10:1
Ace-jack, ace-queen, ace-king suited	20:1	20:1	20:1
Pair of aces	30:1	25:1	30:1

(j)Irregularities.

(1) If 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 § 5324.43

Reserved New York State Register November 16, 2016/Volume XXXVIII, Issue 46, eff. 11/16/2016

Amended New York State Register January 2, 2019/Volume XLI, Issue 01, eff. 1/2/2019