Australian Capital Territory

Casino Control (Canberra Casino Hold-em Poker) Approval 2007 (No 1)
Notifiable Instrument NI2007—208
made under the
Casino Control Act 2006, section 96 (Rules for Authorised Games).

1	Name of instrument
	This instrument is the Casino Control (Canberra Casino Hold-em Poker) Approval 2007 (No 1).

2	Commencement
	This instrument commences 1 August 2007.

3	Approval
	I approve the rules for the Authorised Game of “Canberra Casino Hold-em Poker” as set out in the attached schedule.

Des McKee
Manager Legislative Review and Projects
ACT Gambling and Racing Commission 
13 July 2007

CASINO CANBERRA LIMITED

RULES OF 

CANBERRA CASINO 

HOLD-EM POKER 

CANBERRA CASINO HOLD-EM POKER INDEX

a. DICTIONARY OF TERMS  USED IN CANBERRA CASINO HOLD-EM POKER	3

B. RULES OF CANBERRA CASINO HOLD-EM POKER	5
1.	CANBERRA CASINO HOLD-EM POKER TABLE	5
2.	CARDS	5
3.	MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM WAGERS	6
4.	WAGERS	7
5.	SHUFFLE AND CUT OF THE CARDS	7
6.	DEALING THE CARDS	7
7.	CALL OR FOLD	8
8.	PAYOUT ODDS	8
9.	SETTLEMENT OF WAGERS	9
10.	SUPER ACES BONUS WAGER	9
11.	SUPER ACES PAYOUTS	10
12.	COLLUSION	10
13.	IRREGULARITIES	10
14.	TABLE CLOSURE	11
15.	GENERAL PROVISIONS	11

A. 	DICTIONARY OF TERMS USED IN CANBERRA CASINO HOLD-EM POKER

(nb. terms defined in the dictionary are underlined throughout this document.) 

Ante 
The initial wager required to participate in a round of play. 

Approved 
Means approved in writing by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission. 

Box 
An area marked on the layout of the table for a player to place wagers. 

Call
A second wager placed by a player to indicate that the player wishes to continue in that round of play. 

Casino Operator 
The organisation or person responsible for the conduct of gaming in the casino. 

Casino Supervisor 
A person responsible for the supervision of the operation of the game. 

Communal Cards
Cards that are dealt face up in the centre of the table by the dealer and may be used by all players and the dealer to form the best 5-card hand.

Dealer 
A person responsible for the operation of the game. 

Flop
The first three communal cards dealt by the dealer.

Fold 
Occurs if a player decides not to continue in the round of play by not making a wager and passes in his or her cards. 

Hole Cards
Two cards dealt face down to all players who have placed an ante and to the dealer.

Qualify
For the dealer to qualify in a round of play, the dealer's hand must have a pair of fours (4s) or higher.

River
The final two communal cards dealt by the dealer.

Round of Play 
That part of the game that commences when a card is first removed from the shoe and concludes when all the cards are collected and placed in the discard rack.

Shoe 
An approved container from which the dealer deals the cards. 

Void 
A round of play in which neither the player or the dealer wins.  Any chips wagered or paid shall be returned, as if the round of play had never occurred. 

B.	 RULES OF CANBERRA CASINO HOLD-EM POKER

1.	CANBERRA CASINO HOLD-EM POKER TABLE

1.1	A Canberra Casino Hold-em Poker table layout shall be approved prior to use. 

2.	CARDS

2.1 	Canberra Casino Hold-em Poker shall be played with one deck (52 cards), without jokers. One cutting card shall be used.

2.2	The cards shall be checked each day prior to the commencement of gaming and at or after the conclusion of gaming.

2.3	The casino operator may change any or all of the cards after a round of play.  The casino supervisor and dealer shall check each replacement card prior to its introduction into play.

2.4	A casino supervisor may at any time instruct the dealer to check and verify the number of cards.

2.5	A completed hand shall consist of five cards in any combination of the player’s/dealer’s two hole cards and the five communal cards.  All cards in a hand shall count in determining the value of the hand.

2.6	The order of hands from highest to lowest shall be as follows:

(a)	Royal flush - the five top cards, ie. A; K; Q; J; 10, all of the same suit;

(b)	Straight flush - five cards of the same suit in sequence, e.g. J; 10; 9; 8; 7, of Hearts.  An Ace counts as 1 in a straight flush, e.g. 5; 4; 3; 2; A. (In the case of the dealer and a player both having a straight flush, the hand with the highest-ranking card shall prevail);

(c)	Four of a kind - e.g. A; A; A; A; 4.  A four of a kind takes its rank from the four cards of the same rank; 

(d)	Full house - three cards of the same rank plus another two cards of the same rank, e.g. K; K; K; J; J.  A full house takes its rank from the three cards of the same rank; 

(e)	Flush - five cards of the same suit but not in sequence, e.g. K; J; 9; 7; 5, of Diamonds.  (In the case of the dealer and a player both having a flush, the hand with the highest-ranking cards shall prevail);

(f)	
Straight - any five cards in sequence but not of the same suit, 
e.g. K (Hearts); Q (Clubs); J (Clubs); 10 (Spades); 9 (Diamonds).  An Ace may count high or low in a straight, e.g. 5; 4; 3; 2; A.  (In the case of the dealer and a player both having a straight, the hand with the highest-ranking card shall prevail);

(g)	Three of a kind - e.g. Q; Q; Q; 8; 5.  A three of a kind takes its rank from the three cards of the same rank;

(h)	Two pairs - e.g. Q; Q; 4; 4; J.  (If the dealer and a player have two pairs each, the hand with the highest-ranking pair shall prevail.  If the respective highest-ranking pairs of the dealer and the player are of equal rank, the hand with the next highest-ranking pair shall prevail.  If the respective pairs of the dealer and the player are of equal rank, the hand with the highest-ranking card that is not part of a pair shall prevail);

(i)	One pair - e.g. 10; 10; K; 6; 2.  (If the dealer and a player both have one pair, the hand with the highest-ranking pair shall prevail.  If the respective pairs of the dealer and the player are of equal rank, the hand with the highest-ranking cards that are not part of a pair shall prevail); and

(j)	In a situation of competing hands of five non-matching, non-sequential cards not of the same suit, the hand with the highest-ranking cards shall prevail.

2.7	The rank of cards from highest to lowest shall be as follows: 

Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2; except as provided in Rules 2.6 (b) and (f) where the Ace may be counted low. 

2.8	For the purposes of Rule 2.6 highest-ranking cards are determined by:
(a)	the cards as ranked in Rule 2.7; or 
(b)	if the highest-ranking card of the dealer and the player are of equal rank, the next highest-ranking card, and so on until a result is determined. 

2.9	The suit of a card does not affect its rank.

3.	MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM WAGERS 

3.1	The casino operator shall display the minimum and maximum wagers allowed per box on a sign at or near the table and may change these limits provided that prior notice of the change is given to the players.

3.2	The casino operator may allow a player to wager in excess of the stated box maximum provided that a marker denoting the new limit is placed adjacent to the box. 

3.3	The multiples of wagers permitted shall be displayed at the table. 

3.4	Initially, a wager made by a player that is below the minimum shall be paid or collected and that player shall be advised of the fact that further wagers under the minimum shall be returned. 

3.5	Wagers above the displayed maximum shall be paid or collected to the maximum. 

4.	WAGERS 

4.1	Prior to the first card being dealt by the dealer, each player shall be given the opportunity to place an ante and a Super Aces Bonus wager. 

4.2	All wagers shall be made by placing gaming chips on a box. 

4.3	One player only may wager on a box and no player may wager on more than one box. 

4.4	Once the first card has been dealt, no player shall handle, remove or alter his/her wager/s or place an additional wager until the dealer has received his/her hole cards. 

5.	SHUFFLE AND CUT OF THE CARDS

5.1	The dealer shall shuffle the cards in preparation for each round of play. 

5.2	After shuffling, the dealer shall cut the cards once and place the cards in the shoe. The cut shall be made more than four (4) cards from either end of the deck. 

6.	DEALING THE CARDS 

6.1	Cards shall be dealt from a shoe.
 
6.2	Cards shall be dealt face downwards, except for the communal cards. 

6.3	The dealer shall deal the hole cards in a clockwise direction in the following manner: 

(a)	one card to each box containing an ante;

(b)	one card to the dealer; and

(c)	continue dealing this sequence until the players and the dealer have each received two hole cards.

6.4	The dealer will then deal the flop.

6.5	Players will then decide whether to call or fold in accordance with Rule 7.

6.6	The dealer shall complete the round of play by dealing the river.

6.7	The dealer shall expose his/her two hole cards and set his/her cards in accordance with Rules 2.6 and 2.7.

7.	CALL OR FOLD 

7.1	After the dealer has dealt the flop each player may pick up his/her cards and decide whether to call or fold. 

7.2	If a player decides to call, a wager that is exactly twice the ante must be placed on top of his/her cards, which shall be placed face downwards on the box marked call.

7.3	If a player decides to fold, the player loses his/her ante and any Super Aces Bonus wager.

7.4	The dealer shall verify the number of cards of each player who has folded prior to placing them in the discard rack. 

8.	PAYOUT ODDS 

8.1	Winning wagers shall be paid as follows:

ANTE

Royal flush			100 to 1		(up to a maximum payout)
Straight flush 		  20 to 1		(up to a maximum payout)
4 of a kind 			  10 to 1		(up to a maximum payout)
Full house 			    3 to 1		(up to a maximum payout)
Flush 				    2 to 1		(up to a maximum payout)
All other 			    1 to 1		(up to a maximum payout)

CALL BET

Call bets are always paid at the odds of 1 to 1.

8.2	The maximum payout on each table shall be displayed at the table.

9.	SETTLEMENT OF WAGERS 

9.1	If the dealer's hand does not qualify, the antes of each player shall win. 

9.2	If the dealer's hand does qualify, and the player’s hand is higher than the dealer’s in accordance with Rules 2.6 and 2.7, then the player’s ante and call wager shall win and be paid in accordance with Rule 8.

9.3	If the dealer's hand does qualify, and the player’s hand is lower than the dealer’s in accordance with Rules 2.6 and 2.7, then the player’s ante and call wager shall lose. 

9.4	If the dealer’s hand and any player’s hand are of equal value in accordance with Rules 2.6 and 2.7, the ante and call wagers shall be void.

9.5	The dealer shall verify the number of cards in each hand prior to placing them in the discard rack.

10.	SUPER ACES BONUS WAGER

10.1	The casino operator shall display the Super Aces Bonus wager on a sign at or near the table.

10.2	A player may wager on the Super Aces Bonus only if that player has placed an ante.

10.3	A Super Aces Bonus hand will consist of the player’s hole cards and the flop and must be in accordance with the hands described in Rule 11 in order to be an eligible winning hand.

10.4	A player is responsible for declaring his/her hand as a Super Aces Bonus winning hand prior to the completion of the call or fold stage as described in Rules 7.1 to 7.4.

10.5	Once the dealer is made aware by the player that they have a Super Aces Bonus winning hand, the dealer shall turn the player’s cards face up to verify it.  Once the Super Aces Bonus winning hand is verified, the dealer will pay it in accordance with the payout table in Rule 11, prior to the dealer dealing the river cards.

11.	SUPER ACES BONUS PAYOUTS

11.1	All winning Super Aces Bonus wagers shall be paid using the following payout table.
Royal Flush	100 to 1	
Straight flush	50 to 1	
4 of a kind	40 to 1	
Full house	30 to 1	
Flush	20 to 1	
Straight 	7 to 1	
Three of a kind	7 to 1	
Two pair	7 to 1	
Pair of aces	7 to 1	

12.	COLLUSION

12.1	A player shall protect the identity of his/her cards, and these cards shall remain within the playing area in view of both the dealer and the casino supervisor. 

12.2	A player may not:
(a)	exchange cards; or 
(b)	exchange or communicate or cause to exchange or communicate information regarding his/her hand.

12.3	Any violation of this rule may result in a player being excluded from that round of play or cause that round of play to be void. 

13.	IRREGULARITIES 

13.1	One or two hole cards being dealt to the players exposed in a round of play shall not constitute a misdeal.  In such a case the dealer shall turn the exposed card/s over and continue to deal the game.  However, three or more hole cards incorrectly exposed in a round of play shall result in that round of play being declared void. 

13.2	If the dealer exposes one of his/her two hole cards, that round of play shall be declared a misdeal and therefore void. 

13.3	In the event of a round of play being dealt not in accordance with Rule 6.3, that round of play shall be deemed void.

13.4	If a player’s hand or part thereof enters the discard rack before that player has acted on his/her hand or the hand requires verification, the player’s hand shall be reconstructed if possible. In the event that the player’s hand cannot be reconstructed the hand shall be declared void and the wager/s shall be returned to the player. 

14.	TABLE CLOSURE

14.1	The hours of gaming shall be determined under the provisions of the Casino Control Act 2006. 

14.2	Subject to Rule 14.1, the casino operator may close any table before the close of gaming provided that notice is given to the players.

15.	GENERAL PROVISIONS

15.1	The casino operator may invalidate the outcome of a game prior to its completion if the game is disrupted by civil commotion, fire, riot, brawl, robbery, or any like disturbance. 

15.2	If a person has contravened any provision of these rules, the casino operator may:
(a)	declare any wager made by a player void; and
(b)	direct that the player be excluded from further participation in the game. 

15.3	The casino operator may declare a round of play void if it is impractical to continue or a person commits a fraudulent act that affects the outcome for that particular round of play. 

15.4	The casino operator’s decision in any dispute arising from these rules is final, subject to a review by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission if requested. 

15.5	An employee of the casino shall:
(a)	not advise a player on how to play, except to ensure compliance with these rules;
(b)	not give or allow any advantage to a person, or cause or allow a change in any probabilities of the game by any means, other than that covered by these rules; and
(c)	commensurate with their responsibilities, ensure that the game is conducted in accordance with the approved procedures.

15.6	A seated player who abstains from betting for three consecutive rounds of play while all other seats at that table are in use may be required to vacate that seat.

15.7	A person shall not instruct or influence another player's decisions of play. 

15.8	Players are not permitted to have side bets with each other.

15.9	A copy of these rules shall be made available by the casino operator, upon request.