Rules of Faro

The Deck & Setup

Faro is played with a standard 52-card deck. Before each round the dealer burns the first card — the soda — face up. It counts in the casekeeper but no bets are settled on it. The last card remaining after all turns is the hock; it is revealed but never dealt.

Betting

Players place bets on any of the 13 rank positions on the layout before each turn. A bet on a rank wins if that rank appears as the player card (second card dealt) and loses if it appears as the banker card (first card dealt). All other bets push.

Placing a copper (penny) on a bet reverses it: the bet then wins on the banker card and loses on the player card. Copper bets pay the same 1:1 as regular bets.

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.

High Card

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. A doublet (same rank) is a push. Copper is supported.

Call the Turn

When exactly three cards remain in the deck, the round enters the call-the-turn phase. Players predict the exact order: which rank is dealt as the banker card and which as the player card. The third card is the hock.

The Casekeeper

The casekeeper tracks how many cards of each rank have been seen (including the soda). Each rank starts with 4 copies. As cards are dealt the count decreases, letting players identify favourable odds and last-turn opportunities.