U.S. patent application number 09/740216 was filed with the patent office on 2002-08-22 for method of playing a three part wagering game.
This patent application is currently assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc.. Invention is credited to Snow, Roger M..
Application Number | 20020113371 09/740216 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24975524 |
Filed Date | 2002-08-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020113371 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Snow, Roger M. |
August 22, 2002 |
Method of playing a three part wagering game
Abstract
A method of playing a wagering game is described. The method
requires the player to place three wagers to participate in a three
segment game. A first card is dealt to the dealer and each player.
The high card wins the first bet. If the player and dealer tie,
one-half of the player's bet is returned to the player. Additional
cards are dealt according to the rules of blackjack, except a
maximum of six cards are dealt in any hand. Aces may be split, and
doubling down is allowed. The second bet is resolved according to
the rules of blackjack, with ties pushing. Additional cards are
dealt, if necessary to form a six card hand. Hands are resolved
according to standard poker rankings, and payouts are made
according to a predetermined schedule, or pay table payout.
Inventors: |
Snow, Roger M.; (Las Vegas,
NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Mark A. Litman & Associates, P.A.
Suite 205, York Business Center
3209 West 76th Street
Edina
MN
55435
US
|
Assignee: |
Shuffle Master, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
24975524 |
Appl. No.: |
09/740216 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/292 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 3/00157
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/292 |
International
Class: |
A63F 003/00; A63F
003/06 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of playing a wagering game, comprising: Providing one
or more decks of standard playing cards; A player placing a first
wager on a first game segment against a dealer; A dealer dealing
one card to each player and a same number of cards to the dealer,
forming player and dealer hands; Resolving the first wager by
comparing a total point value of the player and dealer hands, and
awarding a payout to the player if the player hand beats the dealer
hand; A player placing a second wager on a second game segment; A
dealer dealing additional cards to each player, a total number of
cards held by each player and the dealer when combined with the
previously dealt cards not to exceed six to participate in a second
game against the dealer, wherein the second game is selected from
the group consisting of blackjack and baccarat; Resolving the
second wager using standard rules of the selected second game; A
player placing a third wager on a third game segment; A dealer
dealing each player additional cards, if any, so that all players
hold six cards; Resolving the third wager by comparing each
player's hand to a pay table; and Awarding a payout to the players
holding predetermined winning hands according to the pay table,
wherein the third game segment is selected from the group
consisting of poker and gin rummy.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein all three wagers are placed prior
to the dealer dealing any cards.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein all three wagers are
mandatory.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dealer deals one card to the
player and one card to the dealer after the first wager is
placed.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second game segment is a
modified version of 21.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the modifications are: A maximum
of six cards are dealt to player; If the player receives 6 cards
without reaching 21, and the dealer does not have a 2 card natural,
the player wins the blackjack hand; and Players can split pairs
only on Aces.
7. The method of claim 1, and further comprising the step of
collecting one-half of the player's wager on the first game segment
if the player and dealer tie.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the third segment is poker.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the poker hands are resolved
according to one of the following pay tables:
4 TABLE A Hand Payout Royal Flush 100:1 Straight Flush 50:1 Four of
a Kind 25:1 Full House 15:1 Flush 8:1 Straight 5:1 Three of a Kind
3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair Aces 1:1
5 TABLE B Hand Payout Royal Flush 100:1 Straight Flush 50:1 Four of
a Kind 15:1 Full House 10:1 Flush 6:1 Straight 5:1 Three of a Kind
3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair Kings or Better 1:1
10. The method of claim 1, wherein a tie in a first game is
resolved in favor of the house.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein players are not permitted to
touch cards during game play.
12. A method of playing a wagering game, comprising: Providing a
first wagering game segment with a first set of game rules, the
first wagering game requiring a first number of cards; Providing a
second wagering game segment with a second set of game rules that
differ from the first set of game rules such that a losing outcome
in the first wagering game does not disadvantage the player in the
second game, and providing a second number of cards, wherein a
second number of cards required to play the game is greater than or
equal to the first number of cards; Providing a third wagering game
segment with a third set of game rules that differ from the second
set of game rules such that a losing outcome in the second wagering
game does not disadvantage the player in the third game, and
providing a third number of cards, wherein a number of cards
required to play the third wagering game is greater than or equal
to the second number of cards; Placing a wager on each of the
first, second and third game segments; Playing each of the three
game segments, wherein each card used in a previous game segment is
used in subsequent game play segments; and Scoring the segments
whose rules require comparison of the hand with a plurality of
predetermined winning outcomes by utilizing only a pay table.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first game segment is high
card.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second game segment is
21.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second game segment is
played according to the rules of 21, modified in the following
manner: A maximum of six cards are dealt to player; If the player
receives 6 cards without reaching 21, and the dealer does not have
a 2 card natural, the player wins the blackjack hand; and Players
can split pairs only on Aces.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the third game segment is
poker.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the pay table is one of the
following:
6 TABLE A Hand Payout Royal Flush 100:1 Straight Flush 50:1 Four of
a Kind 25:1 Full House 15:1 Flush 8:1 Straight 5:1 Three of a Kind
3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair Aces 1:1
7 TABLE B Hand Payout Royal Flush 100:1 Straight Flush 50:1 Four of
a Kind 15:1 Full House 10:1 Flush 6:1 Straight 5:1 Three of a Kind
3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair Kings or Better 1:1
18. The method of claim 12, wherein players are not permitted to
touch cards.
19. The method of claim 12, wherein a maximum number of cards dealt
to each player is 6.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second segment
games require the players to play against the dealer, and the third
segment requires the player to play against a pay table.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is a novel wagering game that is an
adaptation of a wagering game described in Awada U.S. Pat. No.
5,988,643, the content of which is herein incorporated by
reference.
[0002] The prior art includes a number of wagering games that
include combinations of known game elements, such as is described
in Awada U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,643. Examples of other multi-part
wagering games are described in the U.S. Patents mentioned
below.
[0003] Josephs U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,993 describes a casino wagering
game in which a player places a bet and is dealt two cards to play
a modified form of blackjack. The dealer may take additional cards
according to conventional blackjack rules, but the player receives
only two cards. The player has the option of doubling his initial
bet, but in contrast to the standard rules of 21, he or she may not
receive an additional card. No additional wager is required to
participate in the second segment of the game. The dealer's two
initial cards become community cards. The community cards are
combined with the player's cards to form a four card poker hand.
The poker hands are compared to a pay table of predetermined
winning poker hands and corresponding odds, and payouts are made to
all players who hold winning hands. Only players who beat the
dealer in blackjack advance to the poker round. This game lacks the
feature of independently playing a sequence of games, regardless of
the outcome of each individual game segment.
[0004] Malek U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,882 describes a multi-part game
that allows each player to play against one another. The game is
dealt from a six deck shoe. The players must bet on at least two
out of the three available games. Players simultaneously play 21,
draw poker, and baccarat. The dealer initially deals one card to
each player, and a card to him or herself, face down. The player
with the highest ranking card can place an additional bet against
the other players. The remaining players can match the bets, but
must bet as a group. This game does not include a sequence of
games, and the player has the option to refrain from playing one of
the segments.
[0005] Macaisa U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,092 describes the sequential
play of a series of five separate games. The players have the
option of playing one or more of the games. The games are: 21,
roulette, baccarat, poker and a poker jackpot game. In this game,
it is not mandatory to play all game segments. The players and the
dealer receive two cards each. If the player has a two card point
count of 12, the dealer collects the roulette bet. If the players
hold a red and a black card, the dealer takes the roulette bet. If
the player holds two red cards or two black cards, the dealer pays
the player odds on the roulette bet.
[0006] The dealer deals additional optional cards to the player in
accordance with the standard rules of blackjack, except that a
maximum of five cards are dealt in the 21 game, If the player busts
and does not have at least three of a kind or better, the player
loses his blackjack, poker and bonus poker bet at the same time. If
the player beats the dealer's 21 hand and has a pair of tens or
higher, the player is paid only on the blackjack bet.
[0007] Awada U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,550 describes a game in which the
players place three equal wagers to participate in the game.
Players are dealt a first card. Players having a first card with a
value of 9 or higher win a payout on the first bet. Players are
then dealt a second card. If the second card is 9 or higher, or the
player holds a pair of 2's through 8's, the player is awarded a
payout on the second bet. The players each receive three additional
cards. Players combine the first two cards with the three
additional cards to form a five card poker hand. Poker hands are
resolved against a pay table.
[0008] Awada U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,643 describes a three part
wagering game, including a first high card game, a second blackjack
game, and a third poker game. An optional side bet is offered on
the poker hand. The first three games are played against a dealer,
and are played in sequence. A standard deck of cards is used to
play the game. This game is currently in a few casinos in the
United States and is marketed under the name 3 WAY ACTION.RTM.
[0009] The player places three (equal or unequal) bets in betting
circles corresponding to each of the three games. The optional
bonus action bet may be placed at this time. The first three bets
are mandatory. The dealer shuffles the cards, and deals out one
card face up to each player, and one card face up to himself. If
the player's card has a higher point value than the dealer card,
the player wins even money on the first bet. Court cards count as
10, and Aces are counted as 11 in this part of the game. If the
player and dealer tie, the house takes one-half of the high card
bet. If the player wins, he is awarded even money or 1:1 on his
high card bet.
[0010] After all high card bets are resolved, the dealer deals one
additional card to each player, face up and deals himself one
additional card face down. The player combines his card from the
high card game with the card dealt to form a blackjack hand. If the
player has a two card 21, also called a "Natural", the player wins,
typically 3:2 odds. The player may take hits or stand according to
conventional blackjack rules, except that the maximum number of
cards he may hold in his hand is seven.
[0011] Additionally, the dealer must take additional cards, or
"hits" on his hand so long as his total card count is 16 or less.
If he reaches 7 cards without achieving a 17 or greater, the player
automatically wins. This rule is referred to as the "Seven Card
Charlie" rule. With the Exception of the 7 Card Charlie situation,
the player must beat the dealer in point count to win. Winning
hands are awarded a payout that is paid 3:2 odds.
[0012] According to the current game play rules of 3 WAY
ACTION.RTM., players may split pairs on Aces only, and may double
down on 21 wagers. The "double down" rule allows players to double
their blackjack bet. In exchange, the player must take only one
more card. No additional cards can be dealt after the third card if
the player opts to double down. According to one exemplary
strategy, players may choose to double down when their two card
point count is close to or equal to eleven, or when the dealer's up
card is a five or a six. As part of the strategy, t players assume
that the dealer's hole card has a count of ten, and that they are
likely to draw a 10 count card.
[0013] At the conclusion of the blackjack game, game play advances
to a poker segment. If the player holds fewer than seven cards at
the conclusion of his blackjack game, the dealer first deals cards
to each player so that all players hold seven cards. The dealer
deals additional cards to himself, if necessary to make his own
card count equal to 7. The players make their best hand with five
of the seven cards.
[0014] A common mistake that is made by the dealer is to deal too
many cards. When too many cards are delivered to the player, the
dealer must declare a misdeal. Significant delays are experienced
when the cards must be gathered, reshuffled and redealt. The dealer
must count the number of cards held by each player and provide
enough additional cards so that each player holds seven cards. In
practice, such errors are common, and always result in misdeals
because the players are allowed to set their own hands. Once the
cards are touched by the players, the order in which they are dealt
to the player is lost (since they are free to rearrange the order
of the cards), and the dealer can no longer identify the last card
dealt and take it back.
[0015] In scoring the hands, normal poker rules apply, except that
each player plays against the dealer and not the other players. In
traditional poker, only the high hand, according to standard poker
rankings (royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house,
flush, straight, three of a kind, two pairs, a pair, high card)
wins. In bad beat poker, the second highest hand is paid a jackpot
from a "bad beat" side bet wager prize pool. Each player compares
his poker hand to the poker hand of the dealer. All players who
have a higher ranking hand than the dealer win even money, or 1:1
on the poker bet. The payout is also different from conventional
poker as the hand pays odds of 1:1 instead of paying all or a
portion of a pot (the "pot" defined as a pool of wagers collected
from each participating player).
[0016] In the current form of play, the player has the option of
placing a fourth bet on the occurrence of certain high ranking
poker hands that pay increasing payouts as the conventional poker
ranking increases. For purposes of this disclosure, a "pay table
side bet" is an optional side bet that includes a set of two or
more predetermined combinations (such as a royal flush, and a
straight flush, for example) with odds that increase as the
frequency of occurrence of the combination decreases. Typically the
payout odds increase with less frequently occurring combinations.
For example, a suitable pay table side bet for the game describe
above would pay the following odds:
1 TABLE I Hand Payout Royal Flush 1000:1 Straight Flush 100:1 Four
of a kind 25:1 Full house 7:1 Flush 5:1 Straight 3:1 Three of a
Kind 3:1
[0017] Although this game has received some level acceptance in the
industry, it presents several drawbacks. First, blackjack dealers
are trained to sweep cards off of the table when a player's hand
count exceeds 21, or busts. Because the game utilizes the same
cards in the poker hand, the dealer must learn to leave the cards
on the table. This obstacle has successfully been overcome through
dealer training.
[0018] Another more serious drawback is that the play of the game
is too slow to achieve widespread acceptance in the industry. It is
well known that casino managers have earnings goals for each table
on the casino floor, and if the game does not perform, it is
promptly removed.
[0019] When dealing the poker segment of 3 WAY ACTION.RTM., the
dealer deals additional cards to each player, and waits until the
players set their hands and discard before turning up his seven
cards, and "setting" his own hand. "Setting" for purposes of this
disclosure is arranging cards to form the highest possible ranking
poker hand. Setting the hands is time consuming, especially for
dealers who have not been trained in poker-type games where the
player competes against the dealer such as in Pai Gow poker and
Caribbean Stud.RTM. poker.
[0020] Most casinos that have the game allow players to pick up
their poker hand and arrange their cards before the dealer sets his
hand. Each player must put the cards in a desired order, check for
flushes (same suit), straights (sequences of cards in descending
order), and like combinations to determine how to play the hand.
Additionally, the player must choose which cards to discard. In a
casino environment, this process is time consuming and almost
always causes delays in the game.
[0021] Although this feature is not described in the patent, in the
current form of the game being offered in Nevada casinos, the
dealer's hand must qualify by holding an Ace or higher in order for
the player to win the poker hand. In other words, after the dealer
deals out the remaining cards to make his or her seven card hand,
the dealer must hold an Ace or better (for example, a pair of 2's
beats an Ace), otherwise one-half of the player's bet is returned
to the player.
[0022] The dealer qualification rule serves no advantage to the
player, but provides the house with a distinct advantage. If for
example, the player holds a royal flush and the dealer does not
qualify, he wins back one-half of his bet. In most other poker
games (with the exception of Caribbean Stud that also requires
dealer hand qualification), a royal flush is always a winning hand.
Players feel like they have been cheated when they achieve a high
ranking poker hand and lose part or all of the bet.
[0023] When the players and dealer have identified their best
hands, each hand is compared to the dealer hand. This process is
completed one hand at a time. The dealer is required to help the
player set his or her best hand, which takes additional time.
Security in a number of casinos requires the dealer to arrange his
hand so that surveillance can observe how the hand is being scored.
The arranging step takes additional time. Then the hands are
compared to determine who has the higher hand. The comparison
process is also time consuming. Payouts are made as the individual
hands are resolved, taking additional time.
[0024] The long periods of time required to play this game has
caused a number of operators to remove the game from the casino
floor. Other operators have agreed to refrain from removing the
game while the game is redesigned to speed its play. It would
therefore be desirable to modify the game so that the game play
rate is increased, making the game more profitable for casino
operators. It would also be desirable to modify the game rules so
that players always win when holding high ranking poker hands.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The present invention is a casino style wagering game that
is a combination of high card, 21 or 21-like game such as baccarat,
and a poker game against the house. Unlike the game described in
Awada U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,643, the poker hands can be resolved
quickly, increasing the speed in which the game is dealt, and
improving significantly the earnings per unit of time on the
game.
[0026] The method of the present invention includes the following
steps:
[0027] providing one or more decks of standard playing cards;
[0028] a player placing a first wager on a first game against a
dealer;
[0029] a dealer dealing one or two cards to a player and a same
number of cards to the dealer, forming player and dealer hands;
[0030] resolving the first wager by comparing a total point value
of the player and dealer hands, and awarding a payout to the player
if the player hand beats the dealer hand, otherwise the dealer
collecting the wager;
[0031] a player placing a second wager on a second card game;
[0032] a dealer dealing additional cards to each player, a total
number of cards held by each player when combined with the
previously dealt cards not to exceed six to participate in a second
game against the dealer, wherein the second game is selected from
the group consisting of blackjack, baccarat or other game where the
object is to obtain a predetermined point count;
[0033] resolving the second wager using standard rules of the
selected second game,
[0034] modified by limiting a total number of cards dealt to the
players to no more than 6;
[0035] a player placing a third wager on a third card game
requiring no more than 6 cards to play;
[0036] a dealer dealing each player additional cards, if any, so
that all players hold six cards;
[0037] resolving the third wager by comparing each player's hand
according to a set of predetermined winning hands according to the
rules of selected game; and
[0038] awarding a payout to the players holding predetermined
winning hands.
[0039] Although the game can be played with any number of decks of
cards, the game is preferably a single deck game, utilizing a
standard 52 card deck of playing cards. Depending upon the
individual game being played, it might be more desirable to deal
the game from two or more decks. For example, the game might be
played to award a progressive payout on a fourth optional pay table
bet on the occurrence of five ace of spades. The prize pool would
be funded from the side bet. This combination would not be possible
unless the game was dealt from a five (or more) deck shoe.
[0040] The table layout used to practice the present invention
includes three betting circles on each player station. The betting
circles are preferably arranged in a straight row, the right hand
circle for the high card game, the middle circle for the total
point count game and the left hand circle for the poker style game.
Although poker is a preferred third segment, because it utilizes
one preferred maximum number of cards equal to six in order to
play, the third segment could be other games such as Pai Gow poker,
a modified version of Gin Rummy or other game utilizing at least
the number of cards used to play the second game.
[0041] According to one form of the game of the present invention,
the player plays high card or war, followed by blackjack modified
by the fact that a maximum of six cards are dealt to the player,
followed by a round of poker, where the player makes his best 5
card hand from his 6 cards. Payouts are awarded according to a pay
table.
[0042] The player in one embodiment of the invention places three
equal (or unequal) bets, on the high card, blackjack and poker
betting circles.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0043] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical top plan view of a gaming table
layout useful to practice the method of the present invention.
[0044] FIG. 2 is an expanded view of one of the player stations on
the gaming table layout.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0045] The present invention is a novel casino style card game that
can be played in a casino environment, as well as on a personal
computer for pure entertainment and practice, or in an Internet
casino in jurisdictions that allow on-line wagering.
[0046] The method of the present invention in one form can be
played on a gaming table such as the table 10 shown
diagrammatically in FIG. 1. The gaming table has a chip tray 12,
six dealer card placement areas 14a-f, and six player positions 16,
18, 20, 22, 24 and 26. Dealer placement areas 14a-f are required
only when the dealer has a limit of 6 cards. In the first example
of the invention, the dealer can take an unlimited number of cards,
and placement areas 14a-f are not necessary.
[0047] The table 10 is preferably equipped with an automatic card
shuffler 28 such as the type described in Pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/688,597, filed Oct. 16, 2000, the
disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The card shuffler
application, as well as the present application are commonly owned
by Shuffle Master, Inc.
[0048] The dealer removes decks of shuffled cards from the card
shuffler 28, collects bets, awards payoffs and deals and collects
cards according to standard casino dealing procedures.
[0049] Each player position 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 is
substantially identical. An exemplary player position is shown in
FIG. 2. Each player position includes an area 30 to place a first
game segment wager (in the first example, a high card wager), an
area for a second game segment wager 32 (in the first example, a 21
wager), and an area for a third game segment 34 (in the first
example, a poker wager against the house or a pay table bet).
Beneath the third betting area 34 is printed a pay table including
a plurality of predetermined winning hands, and corresponding
payout odds. As the frequency of occurrence of the winning hands
decrease, the payout odds increase. In the example shown in FIG. 2,
there are nine predetermined winning hands when the third segment
is poker, with payouts ranging between 1:1 to 100:1. The purpose
and function of the pay tables will be described in more detail
below.
[0050] The method of the present invention includes providing one
or more decks of standard playing cards. Although this game can be
dealt as a multiple deck game, in the first example of the
invention, a standard fifty-two card deck of cards is used. The
deck could also be modified by adding wild cards, removing certain
cards, etc. to suit the particular game rules being followed.
Special card decks could also be used.
[0051] According to the invention, players who participate in the
game are required to participate in each of three game play
segments. A winning outcome is not required to win a game segment
in order to advance to the next game segment. Typically, a wager is
placed on all three segments before the first card is dealt. In
other examples of the invention, the player places a first wager
only prior to the first card being dealt, and subsequent wagers in
later stages of the game. According to one aspect of the invention,
a player places a first wager on a first game against the dealer.
The dealer then deals to himself and each player one card to
participate in a high card game. If the player beats the dealer by
holding a card with a higher count than the dealer, the dealer pays
the player according to predetermined payout odds on the first bet.
In the first example of the invention, the payout to the player is
1:1 for a winning high card hand. Aces count as 11 points in this
segment of the game.
[0052] In the event that the player and dealer have the same point
count, one-half of the player's bet is returned to the player. The
other one-half of the bet is collected by the house. In another
example, pushes are resolved in favor of the house. In a third
example, pushes are resolved in favor of the player.
[0053] In a first example of the invention, the player places a
second bet on the occurrence of a 21 or similar game whose object
is to achieve a target point count, such as baccarat. As mentioned
above, this wager is typically placed before the first card is
dealt. When the selected game is 21, the number of cards dealt in
the first hand is limited to 1. Otherwise, the dealer's hole card
would be revealed in the first segment and prior to the play of the
21 hand, interfering with the normal play of the game.
[0054] Because all cards in the first segment are carried forward
into the second segment, the game rules must be selected so that
one set of game rules does not interfere with the strategy of the
other game segments. The player receives a second card from the
dealer, and deals himself a card face down. Play continues
according to the standard rules of blackjack with the following
exceptions: 1) a maximum number of cards dealt to the player and
dealer cannot exceed 6 for reasons explained below 2) if the player
holds six cards with a total point count less than 21, the player
automatically wins unless the dealer has a 2 card 21 or a
"natural", and 3) players can split pairs on Aces only. Doubling
down (doubling the 21 bet after receiving the first 2 cards and
viewing the dealer's up card) under traditional 21 rules is
permitted. Ties are a push, and the player's wager is returned to
the player. As with traditional 21, the player may only have one
more card to complete the 21 segment of play after doubling down.
The number of cards dealt to each player in the first example of
the game depends upon player preference. While some players may
hold with two cards, others may request the full permitted number
of six cards.
[0055] In another example of the invention, the dealer may only
take a total of 6 cards. In this example, if the dealer does not
achieve a point count of seventeen or higher by the time the dealer
takes his sixth card, the player automatically wins the blackjack
round.
[0056] It was discovered that by reducing the total number of cards
being dealt in each hand, the rate of play increases. Once dealers
become accustomed to dealing only six cards total per person, the
time spent in counting player card count totals and dealing
additional cards will be reduced by having fewer cards on the
table. Fewer cards also adds additional security to the game. As
the number of total cards handled by the player decreases, the
chances of the cards being marked decreases also.
[0057] In another example of the invention, players receive only
one additional card and the players combined two card point total
must exceed the point total of the dealer in order to win. Although
this is not a traditional method of playing blackjack, it
simplifies the dealing procedures because every player holds the
same number of cards in each segment of play. If each player
received one card in the first segment, and one additional card in
the second segment, each player would hold two cards at the
beginning of the third segment. In the third segment of play, the
dealer deals additional cards until the total number of cards in
each hand is 6. If the dealer gave each player four additional
cards at the beginning of the third segment, the need to take an
inventory of existing cards and count up to 6 would be eliminated,
simplifying dealing procedures and eliminating misdeals.
[0058] In yet another form of the game, baccarat is played instead
of 21. The object of baccarat is to achieve a point count of 9, and
to beat the other hand. Banker and player hands are played. The
player can bet on either of the hands. In order to win, the hand
the player bet on must beat the other hand. Ten point cards count
as zero, so in this example, the player cannot bust. The player can
only draw a total of six cards, according to the invention.
[0059] Any game would be suitable for playing the second game
segment as long as no more than the maximum number of cards needed
for all games is not exceeded. For example, another "high card"
game could be played with summing the point count of three cards
dealt (one card dealt in the first high card game, and two
additional cards dealt in the second high card game). Or, a three
card poker game could be played as the second segment game.
[0060] It is preferable to select a dissimilar games so that the
effect of a poor hand in an earlier segment does not adversely
affect the player's luck in playing later segments. If the strategy
of each game is different, the players are more likely to win at
least one segment, and have a positive gaming experience.
[0061] At the conclusion of play of the blackjack or other
equivalent game, play proceeds to the third segment, regardless of
the outcome in the first game. The dealer must take an inventory of
the cards on the table, and deal enough additional cards to each
player to give each player a total of six cards. The reduction in
the number of cards from seven as shown in the prior art to six
speeds the play of the game. However, it is believed that more
cards can be dealt at an acceptable speed if the game segment that
requires a player to compare his hand to a plurality of winning
outcomes utilizes a pay table payout system.
[0062] In a first example of the invention, the third game segment
is poker. Poker hands are resolved against a pay table as shown in
FIG. 2. Applicant has discovered that the primary reason why the
prior art game described in Awada U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,643 plays too
slow, is because the poker hand takes too much time to resolve. In
order to overcome this shortcoming, the poker hand is resolved
against a pay table of predetermined winning outcomes or
combinations, and payouts are made according to a table of
corresponding payout odds.
[0063] Applicant surprisingly discovered that eliminating
competition against the dealer achieved a number of important
improvements. First, the dealer qualification requirement was
eliminated to speed up the game and eliminate a negative feature of
the game. It is no longer necessary to take an inventory of dealer
cards and deal additional cards to make a seven card hand. Second,
reducing the number of cards from seven to six reduces the amount
of time needed to deal the entire game. Third, it has become
possible to adjust the hit frequency and percentage hold on the
game, which was not previously possible. Games that allow the
supplier to vary the hit frequency and hold percentage generally
appeal to more operators. If an operator is disappointed in the
revenue generated off of a game, it is possible to modify the pay
table in order to increase casino revenue and avoid having the game
removed from the casino floor.
[0064] Two examples of suitable pay tables for the poker game
segment are provided in Tables A and B, below.
2 TABLE A Hand Payout Royal Flush 100:1 Straight Flush 50:1 Four of
a Kind 25:1 Full House 15:1 Flush 8:1 Straight 5:1 Three of a Kind
3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair Aces 1:1 Hit Frequency: 23% Percent Hold:
2.84%
[0065]
3 TABLE B Hand Payout Royal Flush 100:1 Straight Flush 50:1 Four of
a Kind 15:1 Full House 10:1 Flush 6:1 Straight 5:1 Three of a Kind
3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair Kings or higher 1:1 Hit Frequency: 27%
Percent Hold: 2.31%
[0066] As seen by comparing the theoretical outcomes of the pay
tables shown in Tables A and B, both the hit frequency and
percentage hold (the % of the wagers placed retained by the casino,
expressed as a percentage of wagers placed) can be modified by
altering the payouts on selected predetermined winning card
combinations.
[0067] In the first example of the invention, players are not
permitted to pick up their cards. All cards are dealt face up. It
was discovered that misdeals can be avoided most of the time by not
letting the players touch the cards. As mentioned in the background
section, one of the training issues with the prior art Awada game
is taking a correct inventory of cards prior to dealing out the
cards for the third segment of play. In the prior art form of play,
each and every time a dealer deals too many cards, he must declare
a misdeal, wait for the pit boss to confirm it, collect the cards,
reshuffle the deck (or use a different newly shuffled deck), and
redistribute the cards. One misdeal can conceivably cause up to 5
minutes of dead time at a table.
[0068] When players are not permitted to touch the cards, many
misdeals can be resolved by the pit boss simply removing the extra
card and giving it to the next player. If the error is caught prior
to the remaining hands being dealt, a misdeal and corresponding
delay can be completely avoided.
[0069] In a first example of the invention, each player uses his
six cards to form the best possible five card poker hand. The
dealer is responsible for setting the player's hand. In another
example, the players can touch the cards and set their own hand.
"Setting" for purposes of this disclosure is arranging cards and
determining the best poker hand ranking for a given group of
cards.
[0070] Payouts are awarded, for example, according to one of the
pay tables shown in Examples A and B. For example, if a player
obtains a flush and pay table A applies, the player is paid 8:1 on
the third segment bet. Although poker hand rankings and rules are
well known, the present invention contemplates that the third game
can be another game utilizing a fixed number of cards equal to or
exceeding the number of cards used in the second segment, and
having objects and rules that are substantially different from that
of the second segment. For example, a modified form of gin rummy
could be played with six cards. Players would look for pairs, three
of a kind and runs. What is important is that when the third
segment is a game that requires the player to achieve one of a
number of predetermined combinations, the payouts be according to a
pay table rather than resolved against a dealer to maintain the
speed of the game.
[0071] The examples described above are merely exemplary and are in
no way intended to limit the scope of the invention. For example,
although in one example all of the bets placed are equal, the
invention contemplates allowing players to place unequal bets. Side
bets on the occurrence of predetermined hands or events could be
added to the game, and the game could further be modified to return
greater amounts to the players, or the house, according to requests
from casino customers.
* * * * *