diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Utility/ValidationTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Utility/ValidationTest.php
index 6c87e08bf..d9886a663 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Utility/ValidationTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Utility/ValidationTest.php
@@ -1487,39 +1487,77 @@ class ValidationTest extends CakeTestCase {
 	}
 
 /**
- * testDecimal method
+ * Test numbers with any number of decimal places, including none.
  *
  * @return void
  */
-	public function testDecimal() {
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('+1234.54321'));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('-1234.54321'));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('1234.54321'));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('+0123.45e6'));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('-0123.45e6'));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('0123.45e6'));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234.56));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234.00));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('1234.00'));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.0));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.00));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.00'));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.01));
-		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.01'));
+	public function testDecimalWithPlacesNull() {
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('+1234.54321', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('-1234.54321', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('1234.54321', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('+0123.45e6', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('-0123.45e6', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('0123.45e6', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234.56, null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234.00, null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234., null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('1234.00', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.0, null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.00, null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.00', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.01, null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.01', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('1234', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('-1234', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('+1234', null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal((float) 1234, null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal((double) 1234, null));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal((int) 1234, null));
 
-		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(''));
-		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('string'));
-		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('1234'));
-		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('-1234'));
-		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('+1234'));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('', null));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('string', null));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('1234.', null));
 	}
 
 /**
- * testDecimalWithPlaces method
+ * Test numbers with any number of decimal places greater than 0, or a float|double.
  *
  * @return void
  */
-	public function testDecimalWithPlaces() {
+	public function testDecimalWithPlacesTrue() {
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('+1234.54321', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('-1234.54321', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('1234.54321', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('+0123.45e6', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('-0123.45e6', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('0123.45e6', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234.56, true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234.00, true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234., true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('1234.00', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.0, true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.00, true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.00', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.01, true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.01', true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal((float) 1234, true));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal((double) 1234, true));
+
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('', true));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('string', true));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('1234.', true));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal((int) 1234, true));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('1234', true));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('-1234', true));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('+1234', true));
+	}
+
+/**
+ * Test numbers with exactly that many number of decimal places.
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	public function testDecimalWithPlacesNumeric() {
 		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.27', '2'));
 		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(0.27, 2));
 		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(-0.27, 2));
@@ -1532,12 +1570,36 @@ class ValidationTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234.5678, 4));
 		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(-1234.5678, 4));
 		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(1234.5678, 4));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.00', 2));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal(.01, 2));
+		$this->assertTrue(Validation::decimal('.01', 2));
+
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('', 1));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('string', 1));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(1234., 1));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('1234.', 1));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(.0, 1));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(.00, 2));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal((float) 1234, 1));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal((double) 1234, 1));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal((int) 1234, 1));
 		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('1234.5678', '3'));
 		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(1234.5678, 3));
 		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(-1234.5678, 3));
 		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(1234.5678, 3));
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Test decimal() with invalid places parameter.
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	public function testDecimalWithInvalidPlaces() {
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal('.27', 'string'));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(1234.5678, (array) true));
+		$this->assertFalse(Validation::decimal(-1234.5678, (object) true));
+	}
+
 /**
  * testDecimalCustomRegex method
  *
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Utility/Validation.php b/lib/Cake/Utility/Validation.php
index bb33e2605..43347e37d 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Utility/Validation.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Utility/Validation.php
@@ -372,23 +372,39 @@ class Validation {
 	}
 
 /**
- * Checks that a value is a valid decimal. If $places is null, the $check is allowed to be a scientific float
- * If no decimal point is found a false will be returned. Both the sign and exponent are optional.
+ * Checks that a value is a valid decimal. Both the sign and exponent are optional.
+ *
+ * Valid Places:
+ *
+ * - null => Any number of decimal places, including none. The '.' is not required.
+ * - true => Any number of decimal places greater than 0, or a float|double. The '.' is required.
+ * - 1..N => Exactly that many number of decimal places. The '.' is required.
  *
  * @param integer $check The value the test for decimal
- * @param integer $places if set $check value must have exactly $places after the decimal point
- * @param string $regex If a custom regular expression is used this is the only validation that will occur.
+ * @param integer $places
+ * @param string $regex If a custom regular expression is used, this is the only validation that will occur.
  * @return boolean Success
  */
 	public static function decimal($check, $places = null, $regex = null) {
-		if (is_float($check) && floor($check) === $check) {
-			$check = sprintf("%.1f", $check);
-		}
 		if (is_null($regex)) {
-			if (is_null($places)) {
-				$regex = '/^[-+]?[0-9]*\\.{1}[0-9]+(?:[eE][-+]?[0-9]+)?$/';
-			} else {
-				$regex = '/^[-+]?[0-9]*\\.{1}[0-9]{' . $places . '}$/';
+			$lnum = '[0-9]+';
+			$dnum = "[0-9]*[\.]{$lnum}";
+			$sign = '[+-]?';
+			$exp = "(?:[eE]{$sign}{$lnum})?";
+
+			if ($places === null) {
+				$regex = "/^{$sign}(?:{$lnum}|{$dnum}){$exp}$/";
+
+			} elseif ($places === true) {
+				if (is_float($check) && floor($check) === $check) {
+					$check = sprintf("%.1f", $check);
+				}
+				$regex = "/^{$sign}{$dnum}{$exp}$/";
+
+			} elseif (is_numeric($places)) {
+				$places = '[0-9]{' . $places . '}';
+				$dnum = "(?:[0-9]*[\.]{$places}|{$lnum}[\.]{$places})";
+				$regex = "/^{$sign}{$dnum}{$exp}$/";
 			}
 		}
 		return self::_check($check, $regex);
@@ -796,7 +812,7 @@ class Validation {
  * @return boolean Success of match
  */
 	protected static function _check($check, $regex) {
-		if (preg_match($regex, $check)) {
+		if (is_string($regex) && preg_match($regex, $check)) {
 			self::$errors[] = false;
 			return true;
 		} else {