U.S. patent application number 10/490474 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-10 for card games.
Invention is credited to Chapman, Anthony R..
Application Number | 20050051962 10/490474 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9922738 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050051962 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chapman, Anthony R. |
March 10, 2005 |
Card games
Abstract
A gambling card game played in 3 main stages: initial betting
and dealing, bet adjustment, hand checking and payouts, 7-card
hands are ranked according to haw many cards of a hand has. Initial
betting involves placing two equal bets, Ante and Bonus. Bet
adjustment involves confirmation by placing a third (Raise) bet or
throwing in. Ant and Raise bets are won if the player's hand beats
the dealer's hand. The Bonus bet is won if the player's hand
matches one of a set of several-of-a-kind combinations. A jackpot
is won if the hand is the highest combination, ie 4-3. A player can
place a Progressive bet. If the dealer has a jackpot hand, the
jackpot is shared among all players with Progressive bets;
otherwise, the Progressive bets are added into the jackpot. Online
playing is possible.
Inventors: |
Chapman, Anthony R.;
(Camberley, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LOWE HAUPTMAN GILMAN AND BERNER, LLP
1700 DIAGONAL ROAD
SUITE 300 /310
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Family ID: |
9922738 |
Appl. No.: |
10/490474 |
Filed: |
October 6, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
July 31, 2002 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB02/03507 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/292 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 3/00157
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/292 |
International
Class: |
A63F 001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 25, 2001 |
GB |
0123152.1 |
Claims
1. A gambling card comprising a first stage in which bets are made
by the players and the dealer deals hands, each of the same number
of cards, to himself and the players; a second stage in which the
players inspect their hands and adjust their bets; and a third
stage in which the dealer pays out on winning bets.
2. A game according to claim 1 played with a standard pack of
playing cards and wherein the hands are 7-card hands with the hands
being ranked according to a predetermined rule.
3. A game according to claim 2 wherein the ranking is dependent on
how many cards of a kind are in hand.
4. A game according to claim 3 wherein in the event of matching
hands, the rank of the largest group of a kind determines which
hand is the higher.
5. A game according to claim 4 wherein in the event of hands
matching, the bets may either be cancelled or be held over for the
next hand.
6. A game according to claim 1 wherein the bets placed in the first
stage comprise two bets, for Ante and Bonus, and their adjustment
in the second stage consists of confirmation by placing a third,
Raise, bet or throwing in.
7. A game according to claim 6 wherein in the third stage, the Ante
and Raise bets are won if the player's hand beats the dealer's hand
at 1:1 odds and the Bonus bet is won if the player's hand matches
one of a set of several-of-a-kind combinations, at odds dependent
on combination.
8. A game according to claim 6 wherein the Ante, Bonus, and Raise
bets are all required to be equal, but can be of any desired value
(in appropriate units, and between house limits).
9. A game according to claim 1 wherein a player also wins a jackpot
if their hand is the highest combination.
10. A game according to claim 1 wherein a player can also place a
Progressive bet in the first stage, the jackpot being shared among
all players with Progressive bets if the dealer has a jackpot
hand.
11. A game according to claim 10 wherein the Progressive bets are
added into the jackpot if the dealer does not have a jackpot
hand.
12. A game board for playing the game according to claim 1.
13. Apparatus for playing the game of claim 1 comprising a
plurality of player units which are coupled via a communication
system with a game playing system.
14. Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the game playing system
comprises a administration unit, a player register, and a game
unit.
15. Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the communication
system is the Internet.
16. Any feature of novelty or combination thereof within the
meaning of so Article 4H of the International Convention.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to card games, and more
specifically to gambling card games and apparatus for playing
them.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] There is a wide variety of gambling card games. In some, all
participants are on an essentially equal footing; others are of the
casino type in which there is a dealer or "house" which operates
the game and against which the players play. The present invention
is concerned with the latter type of game (although, of course, it
may be agreed that different players can become dealer as the
session progresses).
[0003] Different types of games can involve different degrees of
complexity and skill. It is desirable for a game to have the right
degree of complexity; if it is too complex then many potential
players will be put off, whereas if it is too simple, then
potential players will soon lose interest. The same applies to
skill; if little or no skill is involved (eg simply cutting for the
highest card for fixed stakes) then potential players will soon
lose interest, whereas if it appears to demand a high level of
skill, then many potential players will be put off.
[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a game
which is novel and attractive (ie involves intermediate levels of
complexity and skill).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to the invention there is provided a casino-type
card game, the main features of which are as follows.
[0006] The game is played in 3 main stages. In the first stage,
bets are made by the players and the dealer deals to himself and
the players. In the second stage, the players inspect their hands
and adjust their bets. In the third stage, the dealer pays out on
winning bets. It will be understood that the individual operations
or phases in a stage can to a large extent be varied in sequence,
and the stages can to some extent overlap.
[0007] The game is preferably played with a standard pack of
playing cards, and the hands are preferably 7-card hands with the
hands being ranked according to a predetermined rule, which is
preferably dependent on how many cards of a kind are in the hand
(eg 3 fours, 2 twos, a five, and a four). In the event of matching
hands, the rank of the largest group of a kind determines which
hand is the higher (eg the hand just mentioned is higher than a
hand of 3 threes, 2 Aces, a King, and a Queen). In the event of
hands still matching (which can happen if the largest group of a
kind is of size 1 or 2), the bets may either be cancelled or be
held over for the next hand. The suits of the cards are
irrelevant.
[0008] The bets placed in the first stage preferably comprise two
bets, for Ante and Bonus, and their adjustment in the second stage
preferably consists of confirmation by placing a third, Raise, bet
or throwing in (with the loss of the Ante and Bonus stakes). In the
third stage, the Ante and Raise bets are won if the player's hand
beats the dealer's hand, at 1:1 odds, and the Bonus bet is won if
the player's hand matches one of a set of several-of-a-kind
combinations, at odds dependent on the combination. Preferably the
Ante, Bonus, and Raise bets are all required to be equal, but can
be of any desired value (in appropriate units, and between house
limits).
[0009] A player also preferably wins a jackpot if their hand is the
highest combination, ie 4-3 (4 of a kind and 3 of a kind). The
jackpot is preferably initially set at a high value by the
dealer.
[0010] Each player can also preferably place a Progressive bet in
the first stage, preferably of a fixed amount. If the dealer has a
jackpot hand, then the jackpot is shared among all players with
Progressive bets; otherwise, the Progressive bets are added into
the jackpot.
[0011] The number of players is variable, from one (apart from the
dealer) up to the number of player positions on the playing
surface. Partnerships between players are not allowed, and each
player may play only one hand.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] A game embodying the invention will now be described in
detail, by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in
which:
[0013] FIG. 1 shows the playing table;
[0014] FIG. 2 shows a player position in more detail;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of computerized
apparatus for playing the game; and
[0016] FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram of part of the display of the
apparatus.
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, the game is played at a table or
playing surface 10 having a dealer position 11 and six player
positions 12 suitably marked, either directly on the table top or
on a cloth laid over the table top. The various positions are
suitably marked to define various areas discussed below, with the
player positions 12 being laid out in an arc around the dealer
position 11. The table is preferably approximately D shaped, with
the dealer position at the middle of the vertical line of the D and
the player positions spaced around the curve of the D facing the
dealer.
[0018] The dealer position comprises a box area 20 onto which the
dealer's hand is dealt. All the player positions 12 are similar, as
shown in FIG. 2, each comprises three betting areas 31-33 for
different types of bet--Ante, Progressive, and Bonus bets--together
with a box area 30 onto which the cards of the player's hand are
dealt and which receives a Raise bet. The box area 30 may be
identified by a name having suitable connotations, giving eg the
impression of oriental influence and being neutral or positive,
such as "Wan Doy", which may also be used as the name of the
game.
[0019] There are also some information areas. An elongated merit
order area 21 is located between the dealer area and the player
areas, and each player area 12 includes a jackpot information area
34 and a bonus information area 36. For the player position, the
betting areas 31-33 are arranged in an arc above the box area 30
and the information areas 34 and 35 are arranged at the sides of
the box area, as shown.
[0020] The merit order area 21 contains a listing of all possible
types of hand in order of merit. Specifically, this listing
consists of the following:
"Hands in Order of Merit"
4-3 4-2 3-3 3-2-2 4 2-2-2 3-2 3 2-2 2 No Pair"
[0021] The jackpot areas 34 each contain a brief statement of the
jackpot conditions--specifically, the following:
"Dealer's Hand 4-3: All Eligible Players Share Progressive"
[0022] The bonus information areas 35 list the bonus
conditions--specifically, the heading
"Bonus Payouts"together with a listing consisting of rows 1 to 8
and columns 2 and 3 (Hand type and Bonus odds) of the table given
and discussed below.
[0023] The play of the game involves two main factors: obtaining a
bonus hand and beating the dealer's hand. (In addition, there are
two jackpot situations.) A hand consists of 7 cards. The ranking of
the hands is the same for both the factors just mentioned, and
depends on obtaining one or more sets of cards each of which is 2
or more of a kind. Specifically, the ranking is as follows:
1 Hand Ranking Table Rank no Hand type Bonus odds 1: 4-3 100:1 2:
4-2 80:1 3: 3-3 50:1 4: 3-2-2 25:1 5: 4 10:1 6: 2-2-2 5:1 7: 3-2
3:1 8: 3 2:1 9: 2-2 nil 10: 2 nil 11: nil nil
[0024] In this table, line 1 indicates a hand of the highest rank,
which consists of 4 cards of one kind (eg 4 7's) and 3 cards of a
second kind (eg 3 Queens), and so on down to line 11, which all 7
cards are of different kinds. The suits of the cards are ignored;
thus, for example, 5 of diamonds, 5 of hearts, and 5 of spades is
taken as exactly equal to, 5 of clubs, 5 of hearts, and 5 of
spades. All possible combinations are listed.
[0025] The ranking corresponds roughly to the relative
probabilities, with line 1 (4 of a kind plus 3 of a kind) being the
least likely, though the ranking differs from the probability order
near the bottom of the table. The table also lists the bonus odds,
which are chosen to be generally well below the probabilities of
the various hands, to give the dealer or "house" a suitable edge.
(Obviously the precise values of the bonus odds may be varied,
depending eg on how much house edge is desired.)
[0026] The number of players is between one and six (six being the
maximum number of play positions 12). To play the game, each player
places equal stakes in their Ante and Bonus boxes, and the dealer
deals out 7 cards to each player (including the dealer). The
players then each inspect their hands. Each player then decides
whether or not to confirm their bets on that hand. If the player
decides to confirm, they place their hand in their box area 30 and
place a confirmation Raise stake (of the same amount as the stake
in the Ante box) on top of their hand (in box area 30). The
dealer's hand is then exposed. Each player then claims their
winnings if they have a winning hand.
[0027] For Ante and Raise bets, a player wins these bets if their
hand beats the dealer's hand, and the amount they win is the amount
they staked in their Ante and Raise areas 30 and 31 (ie the odds
for Ante and Raise are events, ie 1:1); otherwise, the player
loses. The player's hand beats the dealer's hand if the player's
hand has a higher rank (see the Table above) than the dealer's
hand.
[0028] For Bonus bets, a player wins their Bonus bet if their hand
is a Bonus hand. The amount they win is determined by the amount of
their Bonus bet (ie the amount they placed in their Bonus areas 33)
and the odds given against the particular combination of their
hand. In addition, if the player does not win the Bonus bet but
their hand is higher than the dealer's hand, the Bonus stake is not
lost. Instead, it is left on the Bonus area 33 for the next
hand.
[0029] If the two hands have equal rank in the table, then the
winning hand is the one which has the highest denomination for the
largest group of cards of the same kind. Suppose for example that
the two hands are both of rank 2 in the Table, ie type 4-2. If the
two hands are 7-7-7-7-2-2-3 and 6-6-6-6-A-A-K, the first hand beats
the second because the largest group of cards of the same kind is
the group of 4 cards and 7 (the denomination of the group of 4
cards in the first hand) is greater than 6 (the corresponding
denomination in the second hand).
[0030] For hands of ranks 6, 9, and 10, it is possible for two
hands of the same rank to match exactly as far as the denominations
of the pair or pairs is concerned. In this stand-off situation, the
stakes on the Raise, Ante, and Bonus areas 30, 31, and 33 are left
in place as the stakes for the next hand.
[0031] If desired, the denominations of the single cards in the
hands can be considered in the event of a match. (This will require
appropriate modification of the bonus odds.) However, it will still
be possible to have exactly matching hands.
[0032] The rules may be modified so that the Raise, Ante, and/or
Bonus stakes can be returned to the player, so that they can leave
the table or change their stakes for the next hand, instead of
simply being left on the table for the next hand. The return may be
either optional (at the choice of the player) or automatic.
[0033] If a player has a Jackpot hand, then they win the Jackpot
(in the rare event of more than one player having a Jackpot hand,
the jackpot is shared). The "pot" will normally be set by the
dealer at the beginning of the playing session to some suitably
high value.
[0034] In addition, a player may put a fixed stake on their
Progressive area 32. This will normally be taken by the dealer and
added to the jackpot. However, if the dealer's hand is a jackpot,
the jackpot is shared between all players who have Progressive
bets. The use of the progressive jackpot feature is optional.
[0035] FIG. 3 shows apparatus for playing the game. There is a
plurality of player units 40-1 to 40-n which are coupled via a
communication system 41, such as the Internet, with a game playing
system comprising an administration unit 42, a player register 43,
and a game unit 45. Each unit 40 is typically a personal computer
with a display unit and control means (a keyboard and a mouse).
[0036] When a player logs on to the game playing system, their unit
40 identifies itself to the administration unit. The system holds
the details of the players in the register 43, which contains
separate player register units 44-1 to 44-n for all the players, ie
for all the members of the system.
[0037] Once the player has been identified, the player is assigned
to a game unit 45. The game unit contains a set of player data
units 46-1 to 46-6, a dealer unit 47, a control unit 48, and a
random dealing unit 49.
[0038] Up to six players can be assigned to the game unit 45. There
can be several such units, as indicated, so that several games can
be played at the same time if there are more than 6 members of the
system logged on at the same time. The assignment of a player unit
40 to a player data unit 46 may be arbitrary or random, depending
on which player data units 46 and game units 45 are free. Each
player data unit 46 is loaded from the corresponding player
register unit 44 and also contains essentially the same details as
the corresponding player unit 40, and is in communication with the
player unit 40 to keep the contents of the player unit and player
data unit updated with each other. In addition, the appropriate
parts of the contents of the other player data units 46 and the
dealer unit 47 are passed to the player unit 40 for display.
[0039] The logic unit 48 of the game unit 45 steps the game unit
through the various stages of the play, initiating the dealer
actions and awaiting the appropriate responses from the player
units 40. The random dealing unit 49 deals cards essentially
randomly to the dealer unit 47 and the player data units 46. At the
end of the hand, the logic unit passes the results of the hand, ie
the wins and/or losses, to the player data units 46 to inform the
players of their results. The administrative unit 42 also takes
those results and updates the player register units 44
accordingly.
[0040] The player units 40 are arranged to show a display which
essentially corresponds to the layout shown in FIG. 1. To identify
the player, the player's position is highlighted. As play proceeds,
so the player selects the various boxes, enters bets in them, and
so on, and the results of those actions are displayed. As the cards
are dealt, a series of overlapping card symbols is shown in the
Raise box 30, as indicated at 55 in FIG. 3. At the option of the
player, the cards can be shown in a line 56 below the box 30, and
similarly for the cards dealt to the dealer. At the end of the
hand, a message is displayed informing the player of the results of
their bets, ie the amounts won or lost.
[0041] In the claims, all references in parentheses to technical
features are references within the meaning of EPC Rule 29(7),
whether the reference are to individual features within specific
figures or to complete figures, and are not to be taken as implying
reliance on those features within the meaning of Rule 29(6).
* * * * *