U.S. patent application number 10/504312 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-08 for strategy support system and method of operation thereof.
Invention is credited to Moshal, Martin.
Application Number | 20050197179 10/504312 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9931082 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050197179 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moshal, Martin |
September 8, 2005 |
Strategy support system and method of operation thereof
Abstract
A strategy support system (1) for a game of video poker includes
a gaming facility (2) operable to deal a poker hand of five initial
playing cards to a player, an evaluation facility (7) operable to
predict the chance of obtaining a desirable and an undesirable hand
of poker pursuant to substitution of any number of the five initial
playing cards with other dealt cards, a goal selector (10) that can
be activated by the player to select a desired goal for the hand of
poker; and a controller (11) capable of automatically effecting a
game play decision by causing substitution of any selection of one
or more of the five initial playing cards as a function of the
selected desired the goal and the chances predicted by the
evaluation facility (7).
Inventors: |
Moshal, Martin; (Marina Bay,
GI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCDONNELL BOEHNEN HULBERT & BERGHOFF LLP
300 S. WACKER DRIVE
32ND FLOOR
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
9931082 |
Appl. No.: |
10/504312 |
Filed: |
April 29, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
February 13, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB03/00477 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3293 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/013 |
International
Class: |
A63F 009/24 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 14, 2002 |
GB |
0203516.0 |
Claims
1-22. (canceled)
23. A strategy support system for a game of video poker,
comprising: goal selection means activatable by a player of the
game to select a desired goal for a dealt hand of video poker; a
gaming facility operable to deal a hand of poker to the player, the
hand of poker having five randomly selected initial playing cards;
an evaluation facility operable to predict the chance of obtaining
a desirable and an undesirable hand of poker pursuant to
substitution of any one or more of the five initial playing cards
in the dealt hand with other corresponding randomly selected dealt
cards; display means selectively operable by the player to display
all the possible substitutions and their corresponding predicted
chances as predicted by the evaluation facility; and control means
capable of automatically effecting a game play decision by causing
substitution of any one ore more of the five initial playing cards
as a function of the selected desired the goal and the chances
predicted by the evaluation facility.
24. A strategy support system as claimed in claim 23 in which the
evaluation facility predicts the chance of obtaining every possible
type of desirable hand of playing cards, the types of desirable
hand of playing cards including Jacks or better, two pairs, three
of a kind, a straight, a flush, a full house, four of a kind, a
straight flush, and a royal flush.
25. A strategy support system as claimed in claim 24 in which the
evaluation facility computes, for every possible substitution of
playing cards, an expected return on a wager placed on the hand of
video poker.
26. A strategy support system as claimed in claim 25 in which the
goal selection means enables the player to select any one of a
number of predetermined goals as the desired goal for the initial
hand of poker.
27. A strategy support system as claimed in claim 26 in which the
number of predetermined goals includes a goal to accumulate any
particular desirable hand of playing cards.
28. A strategy support system as claimed in either one of claims 26
or 27 in which the number of predetermined goals includes a goal to
maximise the return on the wager.
29. A strategy support system as claimed in claim 26 in which the
number of predetermined goals includes a goal to obtain a return on
the wager that deviates from the highest expected return by less
than a predetermined threshold.
30. A strategy support system as claimed in claim 25 in which the
display means displays all the possible substitutions and their
corresponding predicted chances in a ranked order according to the
expected return, from highest to lowest.
31. A method of operation of a strategy support system for a game
of video poker, comprising the steps of: selecting a desired goal
for a dealt hand of poker; dealing a hand of poker to a player, the
hand of poker having five randomly selected initial playing cards;
predicting the chance of obtaining a desirable and an undesirable
hand of poker pursuant to substitution of any one or more of the
five initial playing cards in the dealt hand with other
corresponding randomly selected dealt cards; selectively displaying
all the possible card substitutions and their corresponding
predicted chances to the player; and automatically substituting any
one or more of the five initial playing cards as a function of the
selected desired goal and the chances predicted.
32. A method as claimed in claim 31 which includes the step of
predicting the chance of obtaining every possible type of desirable
hand of playing cards the types of desirable hands of playing cards
including Jacks or better, two pairs, three of a kind, a straight,
a flush, a full house, four of a kind, a straight flush, and a
royal flush.
33. A method as claimed in claim 32 that includes the additional
step of computing, for every possible substitution of playing
cards, an expected return on a wager placed on the hand of video
poker.
34. A method as claimed in claim 33 in which the desired goal for
the initial hand of poker is selected to be any one of a number of
predetermined goals.
35. A method as claimed in claim 34 in which the desired goal is
selected to be a goal to accumulate any particular desirable
combination of playing cards.
36. A method as claimed in either one of claims 34 or 35 in which
the desired goal is selected to be a goal to maximise the return on
the wager.
37. A method as claimed in claim 34 in which the desired goal is
selected to be a goal to obtain a return on the wager that deviates
from the highest expected return by less than a predetermined
threshold.
38. A method as claimed in claim 33 in which all the possible
substitutions and their corresponding predicted chances are
displayed in a ranked order according to the expected return, from
highest to lowest.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a strategy support system that
enables a user thereof to play a game and, more particularly, to a
strategy system which enables a user thereof to play a game of
chance, in this instance, a game of video poker. The invention
extends to a method of operation of the strategy support
system.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0002] The game of video poker is well known and widely played in
most land-based and on-line casinos.
[0003] In a turn of video poker, a player makes a wager on the turn
of the game and is then dealt five playing cards from a single
conventional deck of 52 playing cards. The player may then decide
to retain (that is, "hold") any one or more of the five cards dealt
to him. Once the player has decided which, if any, of the five
cards to hold, the player may then "draw", in which the cards that
have not been held are replaced by an equivalent number of
replacement cards dealt from the deck. If the player does not hold
any of the original cards, he is then effectively dealt an entirely
new hand of five cards at the drawing stage of the turn of the
game. On the other hand, if the player holds all of the five cards
that are originally dealt to him, the drawing stage of the turn of
the game at does not take place at all.
[0004] Once the drawing stage has been completed, as described
above, the five cards that the player has accumulated are evaluated
to determine whether they contain any one of a number of desirable
combinations of playing cards. The desirability of any combination
of playing cards is proportional to the probability of being dealt
that particular combination of playing cards.
[0005] Desirable combinations of playing cards are, in order of
increasing desirability: a pair of cards, each having the same
rank, which can be a Jack, a Queen, a King or an Ace ("Jacks or
better"); two pairs of cards in which each card of a pair is of the
same rank ("two pairs"); three cards each having the same rank
("three of a kind"); a "straight" in which the five cards are in
sequentially ascending rank order, with no restriction on suite; a
"flush" in which the five cards are all of the same suite; a "lull
house" in which three cards are each of the same rank, while the
remaining 2 cards each have an identical rank, but different from
that of the other three cards; "four of a kind" in which four cards
each have the same rank; a "straight flush" in which the five cards
are in sequentially ascending rank order and are all of the same
suite; and a "royal flush" in which the five cards are all of the
same suite and are ranked Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10.
[0006] Any hand containing one of these desirable combinations is
deemed to be successful and the player's wager is paid according to
a predetermined table of odds. Hands that do not contain one of
these desirable combinations are unsuccessful and the player's
wager is forfeited to an operator of the video poker game.
[0007] It is known that the game of video poker is a game where a
player's skill is a major determinant of success or failure in the
game. It is also well known that an unskilled player should play
the game according to a certain predefined optimal strategy in
order to minimise an advantage that the game offers to the operator
thereof. A disadvantage of the game of video poker is that the
rules of the optimal strategy can be tedious to learn and to
master. An unskilled players can thus find the game of video poker
to be particularly daunting and may, unwittingly, play in a
non-optimal manner, thereby providing the operator of the game with
an unnecessarily large advantage.
[0008] It is desirable for an operator of a game of video poker to
speed up the rate at which successive turns of the game can be
played, in order to increase a turnover of wagers that are made on
the game.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of this invention to provide a strategy
support system, and a method of operation thereof, that will, at
least partially, alleviate the above-mentioned difficulties and
disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] In accordance with this invention there is provided a
strategy support system for a game of video poker, comprising:
[0011] a gaming facility operable to deal a hand of poker to a
player of the game, the hand of poker having five initial playing
cards;
[0012] an evaluation facility operable to predict the chance of
obtaining a desirable and an undesirable hand of poker pursuant to
substitution of any one or more of the five initial playing cards
in the dealt hand with other corresponding dealt cards; and
[0013] display means selectively operable by the player to display
all the possible substitutions and their corresponding chances of
obtaining a desirable and an undesirable hand of poker as predicted
by the evaluation facility.
[0014] Further features of the invention provide for the evaluation
facility to predict the chance of obtaining every possible type of
desirable combination of playing cards, for the types of desirable
combination of playing cards to include Jacks or better, two pairs,
three of a kind, a straight, a flush, a full house, four of a kind,
a straight flush, and a royal flush, and for the evaluation
facility to compute, for every possible substitution of playing
cards, an expected return on a wager placed on the hand of video
poker.
[0015] Still further features of the invention provide for the
strategy support system to include:
[0016] goal selection means activatable by the player to select a
desired goal for the dealt hand of poker; and
[0017] control means capable of automatically effecting a gameplay
decision by causing substitution of any one or more of the five
initial playing cards as a function of the selected desired the
goal and the chances predicted by the evaluation facility.
[0018] Yet further features of the invention provide for the goal
selection means to enable the player to select any one of a number
of predetermined goals as the desired goal for the initial hand of
poker, for the number of predetermined goals to include a goal to
accumulate any particular desirable combination of playing cards,
for the number of predetermined goals to include a goal to maximise
the return on the wager, and for the number of predetermined goals
to include a goal to obtain a return on the wager that deviates
from the highest expected return by less than a predetermined
threshold.
[0019] There is also provided for the display means to display all
the possible substitutions and their corresponding predicted
chances in a ranked order, and for the order to be ranked according
to the expected return, from highest to lowest.
[0020] The invention extends to a method of operation of a strategy
support system for a game of video poker, comprising the steps
of:
[0021] dealing a hand of poker to a player, the hand of poker
having five initial playing cards;
[0022] predicting the chance of obtaining a desirable and an
undesirable hand of poker pursuant to substitution of any one or
more of the five initial playing cards in the dealt hand with other
corresponding dealt cards; and
[0023] selectively displaying all the possible substitutions and
their corresponding predicted chances to the player.
[0024] There is further provided for predicting the chance of
obtaining every possible type of desirable combination of playing
cards, for the types of desirable combinations of playing cards to
include Jacks or better, two pairs, three of a kind, a straight, a
flush, a full house, four of a kind, a straight flush, and a royal
flush, and for computing, for every possible substitution of
playing cards, an expected return on a wager placed on the hand of
video poker.
[0025] There is still further provided for the method to include
the steps of:
[0026] selecting a desired goal for the dealt hand of poker;
and
[0027] automatically substituting any one or more of the five
initial playing cards as a function of the selected desired goal
and the chances predicted by the evaluation facility.
[0028] There is yet further provided for selecting the desired goal
for the hand of poker to be any one of a number of predetermined
goals, for selecting the desired goal to be a goal to accumulate
any particular desirable combination of playing cards, for
selecting the desired goal to be a goal to maximise the return on
the wager, and for selecting the desired goal to be a goal to
obtain a return on the wager that that deviates from the highest
expected return by less than a predetermined threshold.
[0029] There is also provided for displaying all the possible
substitutions and their corresponding predicted chances in a ranked
order, and for ranking the order according to the expected return,
from highest to lowest.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] One embodiment of the invention is described below, by way
of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a strategy support
system, according to the invention, shown in conjunction with a
gaming system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, a strategy support system is indicated
generally by reference numeral (1). The strategy support system (1)
is shown in conjunction with a gaming facility, indicated generally
by reference numeral (2), for playing an on-line game of video
poker.
[0033] The gaming facility (2) includes a gaming server (3) and a
player access facility (4) in the form of a computer workstation
with an associated display monitor (9) and a pointing device (9a),
such as a mouse or, alternatively, a touchpad. The computer
workstation (4) is located remotely from the gaming server (3) and
communication between the computer workstation and the gaming
server is provided across a communication network (5) that is, in
this embodiment, the Internet.
[0034] The computer workstation (4) is a conventional personal
computer operating under a Windows 2000 operating system, which is
well known and commercially available from the Microsoft
Corporation of Seattle, Wash., USA. The gaming server (3) also
operates under the Windows 2000 operating system. The computer
workstation (4) operates under control of a stored program (6), the
precise operation of which is not germane to the scope of the
invention, and which will not be described here in detail. The
stored program (6) enables a player to play the game of video poker
at an on-line casino (not shown). The video poker casino game
consists of a server process, which is executable on the gaming
server (3), and a client process that is executable in the computer
workstation (4) and which is the stored program (6). A computer
program provides the server process, which acts as a dealing means
(8) that generates, upon request of the client process, one or more
random events that determine the outcome of the game of video
poker. The random events are presented in an intelligible manner in
a simulation of the game, as individual cards in a hand of video
poker to the player. The stored program (6), or client process,
allows the player to make wagers on a turn of the game, and to
effect game play decisions on the turn of the game, such as holding
and drawing, as a function of the cards which are dealt to the
player.
[0035] A strategy-support application program (12) also executes on
the computer workstation (4). The application program (12) includes
three components, or functional modules, namely an evaluation
facility (7), goal selection means (10) and a control module (11),
the operation of which will be described in detail in the
description that follows.
[0036] In use, a player places a wager on a subsequent hand of the
game of video poker and the dealing means (8) deals a hand of video
poker to the player, the hand consisting of five initial playing
cards. The evaluation facility (7) predicts, as a function of the
dealt hand, the chance of obtaining a desirable and an undesirable
combination of playing cards pursuant to substitution of any one or
more of the five initial playing cards with other corresponding
cards. As part of the prediction made by the evaluation facility
(7), the chance of obtaining, by substitution, every possible type
of desirable combination of playing cards is predicted as a
function of the five initial cards, such as the chance of obtaining
a hand containing any one of Jacks or better, two pairs, three of a
kind, a straight, a flush, a full house, four of a kind, a straight
flush, and a royal flush. The evaluation facility (7) also
computes, for every possible substitution of playing cards, an
expected return on the wager placed on the hand of poker. The
player may, selectively, display on the display monitor (9) all the
possible substitutions and their corresponding predicted chances,
in order, ranked according to the expected return, from the highest
expected return, which represents an optimal gameplay decision
given the five initial playing cards, to the lowest.
[0037] The user may then construct a proposed game play decision by
deciding whether to hold any of the five initial cards, and
allowing the others to be substituted as outlined above. The
evaluation facility (7) then compares the expected return of the
proposed game play decision against the optimal game play decision
and provides a warning to the user when the proposed game play
decision differs from the optimal decision. The player is then able
to either follow the optimal game play decision, or to ignore it,
at his discretion. Once the player has decided whether to follow
the optimal game playing decision or another or another game
playing decision of his choice, the decision is implemented in a
normal manner by holding the cards which he does not wish to
substitute and drawing one or more cards to replace those which he
wishes to substitute.
[0038] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
strategy support system (1) described above will enable the player
to play the game of video poker without having to memorise any game
play strategy, as an optimal strategy is computed in real-time by
the evaluation facility (7) as a function of the five initial
playing cards dealt to the player.
[0039] Alternatively, the game of video poker may proceed in a
fully automated manner with little or no intervention from the
player. The player first selects a desired game goal or objective
from a number of predefined game goals presented to the player by
the goal selection means (10). The predefined games goals can
include a goal to accumulate any particular one of the different
desirable combinations of playing cards. A further predefined game
goal is to effect a gameplay decision that will result in highest
return on the wager. A still further predefined game goal is to
effect any gameplay decision that will result in a return on the
wager that deviates from the highest expected return by less than a
predetermined threshold. Once the player has selected the desired
game goal in this manner, the progress of the turn of the game is
regulated automatically by the control means (11). The regulation
is effected by automatically implementing an appropriate gameplay
decision that causes substitution of any one or more of the five
initial playing cards as a function of the desired goal and the
chances predicted by the evaluation facility, without further
intervention by the player.
[0040] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
progress of a plurality of consecutive turns of the game of video
poker can be regulated automatically by the control means (11),
without intervention by the player, in order to achieve the same
selected desired goal. It is envisaged that the strategy support
system (1) will heighten a player's enjoyment of the game as it
enables the player to make an appropriate game play decision,
either manually or automatically without intervention, at all
decision points in the game, and will help to sustain the player's
interest in the game over a period of time.
[0041] The technical problem solved by this invention is to provide
a strategy support system that provides a player with real-time
feedback on optimal game play decisions required to play a game.
The optimal decisions can be implemented and executed by the player
in a "man-in-the-loop" configuration. Alternatively, the strategy
support system may include a closed-loop feedback path and a
control engine that automates the optimal game play strategy
without further intervention by the player. The optimal game play
strategy is determined as a function of a particular objective or
goal that is selected by the player from a predetermined list of
goals.
[0042] Numerous modifications are possible to this embodiment
without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular,
the strategy support application program (12), can be configured to
suppress the warning to the player when the proposed game play
decision will result in an expected return that deviates from the
optimum return by less than a predetermined amount. Further, the
strategy support application program (12) can be executed in the
gaming server (3) instead of in the computer workstation. In such a
variation of the embodiment, each prediction and warning generated
by the strategy support application program (12) is transmitted
from the gaming server (3), along the communication network (5), to
the computer workstation (4) for display to the player on the
display monitor (5). Still further, the strategy support
application program (12) can include a configuration facility which
is programmable to enable the player to make alterations, additions
or deletions to the number of predefined game goals presented to
the player by the goal selection means (10). Yet further, the
strategy support system (1) can be applied to a game of video poker
in self-contained apparata that do not operate in an on-line
environment, such as electronic gaming devices of a type commonly
found in land-based casinos, or hand-held gaming devices.
[0043] The invention therefore provides a novel strategy support
system and a method of operation thereof that enables a user to
easily follow an optimum, or another, playing strategy in a game of
video poker.
* * * * *