FARO

How to Play Faro

Overview

Faro was the most popular card game in the American West during the 19th century. It is a banking game where players wager on which rank of card will appear next as a winner or loser.

Setup

• A standard 52-card deck is used.
• The layout shows all 13 ranks (Ace through King) in spades.
• The first card dealt is the Soda — it is set aside and does not count.

Each Turn

• Place bets on one or more card ranks before each turn.
• Select a chip denomination, then click a card on the layout to place a bet.
• Click Deal to draw two cards from the deck.
• The first card drawn is the Loser — bets on this rank go to the bank.
• The second card drawn is the Winner — bets on this rank pay 1:1.

Special Rules

• Split: If both cards are the same rank, the bank takes half of any bet on that rank.
• Copper: Click the copper token to toggle “copper mode.” Coppered bets are reversed — you win when your card loses and lose when it wins.
• Hock: The last card in the deck is called the “hock” and is not played.
• Last Turn: When only 3 cards remain, you may bet on the exact order they will appear.

The Casekeeper

The casekeeper on the right tracks which cards have been played. Each rank starts with 4 pips (one per suit). As cards are dealt, pips are marked to show remaining cards of each rank.

Tips

• Watch the casekeeper — when only 1 card of a rank remains, you know exactly what will happen if it appears.
• Ranks with all 4 cards played cannot win or lose again.
• The house edge in Faro comes primarily from splits.