Rules of Faro
The Deck & Setup
Faro is played with a standard 52-card deck. Before the round begins, the deck is shuffled and one card is removed from play as the soda card. The soda card is revealed immediately and is not involved in bets.
The remaining 51 cards produce 25 betting turns. On most turns, players place bets before the dealer reveals two cards: the banker card and the player card. The final turn is different and uses the last three remaining cards.
Gameplay
On each turn, players place bets on card ranks before two cards are revealed. The first revealed card is the banker card, which loses for standard bets. The second is the player card, which wins for standard bets. Standard bets pay 1:1.
The other bet type is a copper bet, which reverses the meaning of the standard bet, i.e., the banker card wins and the player card loses. Copper bets pay the same 1:1 as regular bets.
When only three cards remain, the game enters its final phase, Call the Turn. Players may attempt to predict the exact order of the final three cards or skip the final bet entirely.
High Card Bets
The high card bar at the top of the layout accepts a bet on relative card value. The bet wins if the player card has a higher rank than the banker card, and loses if it is lower. Copper is supported; copper high card bets win if the player card has a lower rank than the banker card. A doublet (same rank) is a push.
Doublets (Splits)
When both cards in a turn share the same rank, it is a doublet or split. Any bet on that rank loses half its stake to the house — the remainder is returned. The copper flag does not affect a split; it always costs half. Bets on other ranks push.
Call the Turn
When exactly three cards remain in the deck, the round enters the call-the-turn phase. Players predict the exact order of the remaining three cards: which card is dealt as the banker card and which as the player card. The third card (the last one in the deck) is known the hock.
The Casekeeper
The casekeeper tracks how many cards of each rank have been seen (including the soda). Each rank has 4 copies. As cards are dealt the count of remaining decreases, letting players identify favourable odds and last-turn opportunities.