U.S. patent application number 11/108159 was filed with the patent office on 2005-11-03 for poker game variation with variable size wagers and play against a pay table.
This patent application is currently assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc.. Invention is credited to Yoseloff, Mark L..
Application Number | 20050242506 11/108159 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35186264 |
Filed Date | 2005-11-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050242506 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yoseloff, Mark L. |
November 3, 2005 |
Poker game variation with variable size wagers and play against a
pay table
Abstract
A card game is played against a pay table, wherein the player
receives a partial hand that is preferably completed by community
cards (but may be completed by cards dealt directly to a hand or a
combination of cards dealt directly to a hand and at least one
community card or wild card). After placement of an Ante wager,
each player will have an opportunity to place a game wager before
receiving another card for the player's hand (whether dealt
directly to the player or as a community card revealed to all
players). At least some or all game wagers may be an amount within
a range of multiples of the player (such as 1.times., 2.times.,
3.times. 4.times. or 5.times. the amount of the Ante wager). The
range of wagers may remain the same or vary with the number of
dealt cards or community card revealed to the players.
Inventors: |
Yoseloff, Mark L.;
(Henderson, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Mark A. Litman & Associates, P.A.
Suite 205
3209 West 76th Street
York Business Center
Edina
MN
55435
US
|
Assignee: |
Shuffle Master, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
35186264 |
Appl. No.: |
11/108159 |
Filed: |
April 15, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11108159 |
Apr 15, 2005 |
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10938483 |
Sep 10, 2004 |
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10938483 |
Sep 10, 2004 |
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10864051 |
Jun 8, 2004 |
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10864051 |
Jun 8, 2004 |
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10152325 |
May 20, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
273/292 ;
273/303; 463/13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2001/005 20130101;
A63F 3/00157 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/292 ;
273/303; 463/013 |
International
Class: |
A63F 001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 29, 1994 |
GB |
94/26324 |
Jul 22, 1994 |
GB |
94/14822 |
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A method of playing a casino table poker-type card game against
a pay table comprising: a player placing a first Ante wager to play
the card game against a pay table; the player receiving an initial
partial player hand of cards which the player views; the player
making an election to fold, stay with no additional wager or place
an additional wager before seeing any additional cards used to
complete the initial partial player hand; and the player viewing at
least one first additional card to only partially complete the
initial partial player hand; wherein the additional wager is
selected by the player from a range of amounts comprising 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional wager is selected
by the player from a range of amounts consisting of 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein viewing the at least one first
additional card comprises viewing a community card.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein after placing the additional wager
and viewing the community card, the player makes a second election
to fold, stay with no additional wager or place a second additional
wager before seeing any second additional card used to complete the
initial partial player hand.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the second additional wager is
selected by the player from a range of amounts comprising 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein the additional wager is selected
by the player from a range of amounts consisting of 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein viewing the at least one second
additional card comprises viewing a community card.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein after placing the second
additional wager and viewing the second community card, the player
makes a third election to fold, stay with no additional wager or
place a third additional wager before seeing any third additional
card used to complete the initial partial player hand.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the third additional wager is
selected by the player from a range of amounts comprising 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein the additional wager is selected
by the player from a range of amounts consisting of 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein resolution of all wagers are made
after the player's hand is complete with five cards.
12. A method of playing a casino table poker-type card game
exclusively against pay tables comprising: a player placing a first
Ante wager to play the card game against a pay table; the player
receiving an initial partial player hand of cards which the player
views; the player making an election to fold or place an additional
wager against the pay table before seeing any additional cards used
to complete the initial partial player hand; and the player viewing
at least one first additional card from a set of additional cards
to only partially complete the initial partial player hand; wherein
the additional wager is selected by the player from a range of
amounts comprising 1.times., 2.times. and 3.times. the Ante
wager.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the additional wager is selected
by the player from a range of amounts consisting of 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein viewing the at least one first
additional card comprises viewing a community card.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein after placing the additional
wager and viewing the community card, the player makes a second
election to fold or place a second additional wager against the pay
table before seeing any second additional card used to complete the
initial partial player hand.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the second additional wager is
selected by the player from a range of amounts comprising 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein viewing the at least one second
additional card comprises viewing a community card.
18. The method of claim 7 wherein after placing the second
additional wager and viewing the second community card, the player
makes a third election to fold or place a third additional wager
against the pay table before seeing any third additional card used
to complete the initial partial player hand.
19. The method of claim 8 wherein the third additional wager is
selected by the player from a range of amounts comprising 1.times.,
2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager.
20. The method of claim 12 wherein the game is played on an
apparatus selected from the group consisting of a hand-held game
apparatus, a personal computer, a video gaming apparatus,
multi-player platform and the internet.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS DATA
[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/938,483, titled "Six Card Poker," filed on
Sep. 10, 2004, which is a continuation in Part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/864,051, titled "Player Banked Four Card
Poker", filed Jun. 8, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/152,325 filed May 20, 2002 titled:
"Four Card Poker And Associated Games".
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to wagering games,
particularly wagering games using playing cards or images of
playing cards, and wagering games played on casino tables, video
machines, multi-player platforms or the internet.
[0004] 2. Background of the Art
[0005] Among the successful casino card games are Let It Ride
Bonus.RTM. poker, Three Card Poker.RTM. game and Caribbean
Stud.RTM. poker. These games have each achieved a high level of
commercial success with different formats and attributes.
[0006] Let It Ride.RTM. stud poker is described in U.S. Pat. No.
5,288,081. The Bonus version of the game is described in U.S. Pat.
No. 6,273,424. In this game, the player makes a wager in three
parts. Three cards are dealt to each player (there may be only a
single player), and two common cards are dealt face down in front
of the dealer. The player examines his/her three cards, evaluates
the likelihood of a ranked hand (e.g., at least a pair of tens)
being achieved with those three cards and the as yet unseen common
cards. The player, based on judgment of that likelihood, may elect
to withdraw the first of the three-part wager or keep the wager at
risk. Upon the player making that decision, and withdrawing or
allowing the first wager to remain at risk, a first of the common
cards is turned face up. The player then can make another decision
with regard to the play of the hand and whether there is a changed
potential for a ranked hand. A second portion of the three-part
wager is then withdrawn or allowed to remain at risk. After this
decision, the last common card is exposed, and the rank of each
player's hand, including the common cards, is evaluated. Payments
are made to each player based on only the rank of hand achieved and
the number of wagers left on the table from the original three-part
wager. As noted, at least one wager must remain, as only two parts
can have been withdrawn. Wagers are paid off at rates (or odds),
for example, of 1:1 for pairs of at least 10's, 2:1 for two pairs,
3:1 for three-of-a-kind, 5:1 for straights, 7:1 for flushes, 12:1
for full houses, 50:1 for four-of-a-kind, 250:1 for straight
flushes, and 1000:1 for Royal Flushes. The specific payout odds can
be varied and often casinos choose payout tables that help them
achieve a desired theoretical hold percentage. Side bonus wagers
may also be placed in which ranked hands over three-of-a-kind
receive fixed or progressive bonuses, such as $25,000 for a Royal
Flush. The bonus payouts and hand combinations are typically
displayed on a payout table on the table surface. The winning bonus
combinations are typically a higher-ranking subset of the winning
base game outcomes.
[0007] The Three Card Poker.RTM. game (e.g., as described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,685,774) deals three cards to each player and three
cards to the dealer, all face down. Initially one or two optional
wagers may be made by the player. One such wager is for the "Pair
Plus" bonus bet, a bet on achieving a winning combination included
in a payout table. Another wager is the game ante on which the
player competes against the dealer. The Pair Plus bet in one
example of the invention is a wager that the three card hand will
have a rank of at least one pair or more. The hand is paid off in
multiples of the bet depending upon the rank of the hand, with up
to 40:1 or more paid out for three-of-a-kind. In the ante wager, if
the player wants to compete against the dealer's hand (after
viewing the rank of the player's hand), an additional wager equal
to one or two times the ante must be placed by the player. House
rules typically dictate that the amount of the Bet is 2.times. the
amount of the Ante. The dealer's hand is then exposed. If the
dealer does not have a hand of at least a certain qualifying rank
(e.g., at least Queen high), the dealer's hand is not in play. If
the player has not made the additional wager, the ante is collected
by the dealer at some point in the play of the game. If the player
has made the additional wager, the ante is paid off to the player
if the dealer's hand is not as high a rank as the player's hand. If
the dealer's hand has qualified, and the dealer's hand is higher
than the player's hand, then the ante and the additional wager are
collected by the house. If the dealer's hand qualifies (e.g., at
least Queen high) and is lower than the player's hand rank, both
the ante and additional wager are paid off, with multiples payable
to the ante wager for certain high ranking hands (e.g., straights,
flushes, straight flushes, three-of-a-kind, etc.). The ranking of
the various poker hands is different in the three card game than in
five card poker games.
[0008] In Caribbean Stud.RTM. poker, described in U.S. Pat. No.
4,836,553, a player makes an initial ante wager, and five cards are
dealt to each player and to a dealer. Players play against a dealer
hand. The dealer exposes one of the five cards in the dealer hand
to influence the player. The player decides if the dealt player
hand is of sufficient rank to compete against the dealer's hand.
The player may fold the player's hand at that time, or continue the
game by placing an additional wager (referred to as the "Bet") that
is usually required to be twice the value of the ante. The dealer's
hand qualifies for active play against the Bet only with a rank of
Ace-King or higher. If the dealer qualifies, the rank of the
players' hands is compared with the rank of the dealer's hand.
Players with hands of higher rank than the dealer's hand win both
the ante and the Bet. Players with hands of lower rank than the
dealer's hand lose both the ante and the Bet. If an initial side
bet (often referred to as the Jackpot side bet) has been made by
the player, ranked hands of particularly high values (e.g., at
least a Flush) are paid absolute bonus amounts or may be paid out
of a progressive jackpot. This bonus side bet is paid whether or
not the player's hand rank exceeds the rank of the dealer's
hand.
[0009] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,100,137; 5,167,413; 5,242,163; 5,251,897;
5,322,295; 5,411,257; 5,437,451; 5,636,842; and 5,820,460 (Fulton)
describe games and apparatus in which a player may increase an
initial wager after partial viewing of the players hand in a video
gaming apparatus or casino table card game. Only "doubling the bet"
(a wager equal to the initial ante) is literally disclosed. There
are no options on the part of the player with respect to placing
wagers of more than 1.times. the initial wager in the game.
[0010] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,489,101 and 5,531,448 (Moody) describe
poker games in which a player attempts to form a five card poker
hand that has the highest poker hand ranking. In the house banked
version, all players play against the house and not against each
other. The game is played with a standard fifty-two card deck. The
game is played by a dealer and from one to seven players. Each
player makes a bet and a portion of each bet may be allocated to a
progressive jackpot. The dealer deals five cards to each player.
The dealer then deals six cards as the community cards which are
arranged face down in three rows in a triangle pattern on the
gaming table layout. The players may discard from none to five
unwanted cards. The dealer turns up the community cards and
pre-designated groups of cards from the community cards are used
for each player to make a complete five card poker hand. The dealer
determines the best hand each player has made according to poker
hand rankings. All winning hands will be paid by the dealer
according to the odds listed in the pay table. When the progressive
jackpot payout is used, the dealer examines the six community cards
to determine if one of the predetermined card arrangements has
occurred. Any winning payouts from the progressive jackpot are
distributed to the players at the table. The method may also be
played as a player banked game or as a pot game. In one version of
the present invention, the dealer deals three cards to each player.
The dealer then deals eight cards as the community cards which are
arranged in groups or pairs of two cards each on the gaming table
layout. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
card layout is in the format of a directional compass with a pair
of cards each at the North position, East position, South position
and West position, respectively.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,993 (Merlino) describes a method of
playing a poker-type wagering game on top of a table layout having
first and second player locations, a plurality of betting areas
associated with each of the player locations and a community card
area. The method includes a first player placing a wager on top of
each of the betting areas associated with the first player
location. A second player places a wager on top of each of the
betting areas associated with the second player location. Each
player receives two playing cards. A number of community cards are
dealt face down in the community card area in a predetermined
pattern. The number of community cards corresponds to the number of
betting areas in one of the player locations. The faces of
community cards are exposed in succession. Each time a community
card is exposed, each of the players can either fold wherein the
folding player loses a number of wagers which corresponds to the
number of community cards exposed or the players can leave all of
the wagers on the corresponding betting areas until all of
community cards are exposed. Once all of the community cards are
exposed, each of the players combines his or her pair of cards with
three of the community cards to form a completed stud poker hand.
The player with the highest ranking hand wins all of the
wagers.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,525 (Breeding) describes a wagering card
game in which the player makes an initial bet to participate in a
base game. Prior to the play of the game, the dealer will display
at least one additional card from the deck. After viewing this card
or cards, the player is given the opportunity to place an
additional wager which would qualify the player for an additional
winning. By giving the player the opportunity to see at least one
card in the deck, considerable insight is provided into the
probabilities of certain hands being created. The game of the
present invention utilizes a variation on standard card games which
are easily understood and which do not involve considerable
training and education of the players. Claim 1 recites a method of
playing a wagering game using a deck of cards having a
predetermined rank, comprising the steps of: (a) a player placing a
first wager to participate in a base game; (b) a dealer dealing
cards; (c) the dealer intentionally displaying at least one card
from the deck and discarding that card; (d) the player placing a
second optional wager after viewing the discarded card to
simultaneously participate in a second wagering game; (e)
completing play of the base game; and (f) resolving the player's
first and second wagers, based upon said players hand, resolution
of the first wager being accomplished according to the standard
rules of the base game while resolution of the second wager being
accomplished according to a payout scheme.
[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,702 (McDoniel) describes a method for
playing a modified multiple betting round card game wherein a
player has the opportunity to "cap" his/her bet, i.e., limit
his/her risk by placing a ceiling on the amount the player wishes
to bet. Once a player has initiated a hand, the player may check,
call, bet, raise, or cap during subsequent betting intervals while
maintaining his/her eligibility to win the bets placed and
forfeited by other players during the betting intervals which the
player successfully completed. The bets placed by each player
during each betting interval are kept separate and are organized
according to betting columns printed on a game table. When the hand
is finished, the dealer settles all bets made during each
individual betting interval. Beginning with the last betting
interval, the dealer awards all bets placed and forfeited to the
player with the strongest hand who successfully completed the final
betting interval. The dealer then settles the remaining intervals
working from last to first. There is no description of the relative
size of the wagers (to the Ante) that may be placed, but some
variation, at least downward in size, is possible. There are
multiple betting intervals with the five community cards, but the
players play against each other, not against a pay table.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,958 (Andrews) describes a method of
playing at a gaming table a player-versus-pay table five-card stud
poker game for up to seven players utilizing the 20 royal cards of
a standard 52-card poker deck as a royal deck of cards with player
awards based upon predetermined amounts related to a pay table of
winning five-card hands. Bet wagers are initially accepted from
each player at the gaming table up to three cards are dealt
face-down to each of the occupied player positions at the table and
up to three cards from the royal deck of cards are dealt face-down
to a dealer position at the table. Each player, after viewing the
dealt cards, is permitted to stand on the bet wager or double the
bet wager after which one of the face-down cards at the dealer
position is up-turned for use as a community card by the players.
Each player is then permitted to stand on the hand and bets or
triple the bet wager after which the remaining face-down card or
cards at the dealer position are up-turned for use as a community
card by the players. Each player hand is up-turned and the hand,
incorporating the community cards at the dealer position, is
evaluated to determine whether or not such hand is a winning hand
with respect to the pay table of winning hands with each winning
hand paid off in accordance with the pay table. The "double" and
"triple" of the bet wager is a repeated one-to-one wager. The
players also play against the dealer.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,081 (Bochichio) describes a card game
affords each player an opportunity to wager his hand as having a
poker rank higher or lower than all other players. A dealer deals a
first deal of one card face down to each player followed by a
second deal of one card face up to each player. Thereafter, players
either wager or fold. The dealer then proceeds to deal one card
face down to all remaining players and places one card face up on
the table as a community card available to all players. After a
further round of wagering, the face down cards of all players are
exposed and a high hand winner is selected as the player having the
highest rank three card hand among all players. Similarly, the low
hand winner is selected as the player having the best low rank
three card hand among all players. The total pot of wagers is
divided between the high hand and best low hand winners.
[0016] U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,529 (de Keller) describes a poker game
played on a blackjack style table with a single dealer. The player
opening the betting is rotated for each game. The game is played
with chips/counters of various denominations. At the start of each
game all players place a bet of equal value in their respective
pots. Players then place Bet 1 (the maximum and minimum value
thereof being determined by the house) and each player is dealt two
cards (this number may vary), face-down, and the dealer receives
three cards (this number may vary) one face-up and two face-down.
The three dealer's cards are community cards, referred to as the
`flop` and complete each player's hand. The players, at this stage
know the identity of three cards and each player has the option of
discarding their first or second card, or both, face down.
Replacements, face-down, are received for discards. Players may at
this stage, either `stand` by making no further bets or `raise` by
wagering on Bet 2. The Bet 2 wager must be exactly equal in value
to the amount wagered on Bet 1. When all wagers have been placed on
Bet 2 the fourth card is revealed by the dealer. Players may again
either stand at this stage or raise by wagering on Bet 3. Players
are not permitted to make a third bet if they have not placed the
second. The Bet 3 wager must be exactly equal in value to the
amount wagered on Bet 1. When all third bets have been placed the
dealer turns up the fifth card. Each player reveals his/her cards
and provided they show a winning hand on the list of poker rankings
hands are paid according to the total stake placed at the
corresponding pay-offs/odds. The player with the highest poker hand
is awarded all the Pot bets; in the event of players holding
identical hands the Pot is shared. No matter how many cards
constitute community cards or how many cards are dealt to each
player, the players select five cards to make up their hands. There
is no variation in wagering allowed, and competition includes
wagers against the pot and the dealer.
[0017] U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,118 (Poitra) describes a method of
playing a poker-type game wherein the game provides the players an
opportunity to increase the amount wagered based upon two of three
community cards shown. After each player places a bet, two cards
are dealt face down to each player and three cards are dealt face
down to the dealer that are "community cards". The dealer then
turns over two of the three community cards so that they are facing
up. Each player has the opportunity to "double-down". The dealer
then turns over the remaining community card and then turns over
each player's two cards. The bets are resolved by using the three
community cards in combination with each player's two cards based
upon a predetermined plurality of winning card combinations similar
to poker. The card deck is a standard 52 card deck with one joker
to make a 53 card deck. The joker is utilized only in certain
combinations as a `wild card.
[0018] U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,981 (Chobanian) describes a casino
wagering game comprising a poker card game played with conventional
playing cards, comprising: (a) first, dealing two cards face down
to each player, (b) second, conducting a round of betting after the
two cards have been dealt, (c) third, dealing three community cards
face up, wherein each community card is usable by any player to
form a five card poker hand, (d) fourth, conducting another round
of betting after the third community card has been dealt; (e)
fifth, dealing one community card face up, (f) sixth, conducting
another round of betting after said one community card has been
dealt, (g) seventh, dealing one card face down to each player, (h)
eighth, conducting a further round of betting, and (i) ninth,
exposing the dealt cards to determine which player has the winning
five card poker hand, wherein each hand comprises three cards dealt
to a player plus the four community cards; said steps (a) through
(I) being conducted sequentially, beginning with steps (a) and
concluding with step (i).
[0019] U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,448 describes a casino table poker game
where a dealer deals three cards to each player. The dealer then
deals eight cards as the community cards which are arranged in
groups of two each on the gaming table layout. The card layout is
in the format of a directional compass with two cards each at the
North position, East position, South position and West position,
respectively. At the North position, both cards are face down. At
the East and West positions, one card is face down and one card is
face up. At the South position, both cards are face up. Each player
determines which one of the four two-card groups the player wishes
to use to comprise his five card. The player identifies this
selection by moving his wager to the corresponding compass location
on the player's betting spot on the gaming table layout in front of
the player. The dealer turns up the remaining community cards and
the dealer determines the best hand each player has made according
to poker hand rankings. All winning hands are paid according to the
odds listed in the pay table. When the progressive jackpot bonus
payout is used, the dealer examines the eight cards of the
community cards to determine if one of the predetermined card
arrangements has occurred. Any winning payouts from the progressive
bonus jackpot are distributed to the players at the table. Other
versions of the invention use different community card arrangements
and different numbers of community cards.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] A card game is played against a pay table, wherein the
player receives a partial hand that is preferably completed by
community cards (but may be completed by cards dealt directly to a
hand or a combination of cards dealt directly to a hand and at
least one community card or wild card). After placement of an Ante
wager, each player will have an opportunity to place a game or
"play" wager before receiving another card for the player's hand
(whether dealt directly to the player or as a community card
revealed to all players). At least some or all game wagers may be
an amount within a range of multiples of the player (such as
1.times., 2.times., 3.times. 4.times. or 5.times. the amount of the
Ante wager).
[0021] The range of wagers may remain the same or vary with the
number of dealt cards or community cards revealed to the
players.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a table layout 2 for a game according to one
embodiment of the present teachings. The table layout 2 is shown
with an example of 6 player positions 4, with each player position
4 having a set of wager positions 6 comprising at least an Ante
wager position 8 and three Play Bet wager positions 14. Each player
position has at least a card receiving area 10 and the dealer
position has a community card receiving area 12. Rules of the game
and payout tables are shown as optional area 16.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] There are at least some generic elements and combinations of
elements of play within the scope of the game and technology
disclosed. An exemplary card game is played only against a pay
table. In other forms of the invention, additional side bets
against a dealer hand are played simultaneously with the game
against a pay table, as described below. The pay table may be
against only a final hand (e.g., best 5-card hand out of 5, 6 or 7
cards), or may be against intermediate hands as well as the final
hand (as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,988,643; 6,206,780;
6,705,943; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,181, filed
Mar. 22, 2001; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/602,015, filed
Jun. 23, 2003; and Ser. No. 10/646,670, filed Aug. 22, 2003). The
content of each of the above specifications is hereby incorporated
by reference in their entirety.
[0024] In the play of the present games, the players placing at
least an Ante wager (e.g., bonus, play against a dealer hand and/or
jackpot wagers may be separately placed, but need not be
compulsory) and receive a partial hand. By a partial hand is meant
that in the play of the game, additional cards are available or
necessary to complete a final hand in the game. The partial hand is
preferably completed by community cards (but may be completed by
additional cards dealt directly to a hand, dealer cards, randomly
generated virtual cards, additional bonus cards or a combination of
cards dealt directly to a hand and at least one community card or
wild card). Community cards are cards dealt and displayed on the
table which are used by all players in the construction of
intermediate and final hands.
[0025] After placement of an Ante wager and review of only their
initial partial hands, each player will have an opportunity to
place a first game or "play" wager before receiving another card
for the player's hand (whether dealt directly to the player,
assigned as a community card revealed to all players or assigned
otherwise such as by random display of a virtual card). At least
some or all game wagers (including the first game wager) may be an
amount within a range of multiples that may be chosen from the
range by the player (such as within a range of 1.times., 2.times.,
3.times. 4.times. or 5.times. or higher times or fractional times
the amount of the Ante wager). It is possible to allow the player
to pass, making no wager and yet remain in the game, but this is
less preferred. The range of wagers may remain the same or vary
with the number of dealt cards or community card revealed to the
players. For example, the first play wager may be any of
1.times.-5.times., or only 1.times.-2.times., and a second play
wager (later discussed) may be limited to the size of the first
play wager actually made, or may again be 1.times.-5.times., only
1.times.-2.times., or only 1.times. or 2.times. according to the
house rules.
[0026] One series of play elements in the game described herein
could be practiced as follows. A method of playing a casino table
card game against a pay table comprises a player placing a first
Ante wager to play the card game against a pay table. In one
example of the game, 5-card poker rankings are used as the basis of
constructing the pay table. The player receives an initial partial
player hand of cards which the player views. Ordinarily the initial
partial hand of cards comprises enough cards to give the player at
least a feeling or some basis for evaluating the potential quality
of the final player hand. This will usually require the player to
view at least 2 cards, although if no play wager is required before
receiving at least a first additional card after receiving the
initial partial hand, a single card may be initially dealt. The
player reviews the initial partial player hand and makes an
election to fold, stay with no additional wager or place an
additional wager (either preferably a compulsory wager or less
preferred an optional wager) before seeing any additional cards
used to complete the initial partial player hand. The player, after
executing his decision, then views at least one first additional
card from a set of additional cards to only partially complete the
initial partial player hand, forming a second partial player
hand.
[0027] The additional play wager before seeing the first additional
card is selected by the player from a preferred range of amounts
comprising 1.times., 2.times. and 3.times. the Ante wager. The
method would then allow viewing the at least one first additional
card as viewing a first additional or preferably first community
card. After placing the additional wager and viewing the first
community card, the player makes a second election to fold, stay
with no additional wager or place a second additional wager before
seeing any second additional card used to complete or partially
complete the second initial partial player hand. The second
additional wager is again preferably selected by the player from a
range of amounts comprising 1.times., 2.times. and 3.times. the
Ante wager, although as indicated above, different ranges or limits
may be imposed based upon other events or other rules, but there
should still be an optional range available to the player. Again,
it is preferred that viewing the at least one second additional
card comprises viewing a community card. After placing the second
additional wager and viewing the second community card, the player
makes a third election to fold, stay with no additional wager or
place a third additional wager before seeing any third additional
card used to complete the initial partial player hand. The third
additional wager is again selected by the player from a range of
amounts, for example, comprising 1.times., 2.times. and 3.times.
the Ante wager.
[0028] The preferred game is played with 2 initial cards in the
players' initial partial hands. There may then be 3, 4 or 5
community cards, with 3 community cards being preferred (as 4 and 5
cards would allow for a very high rank hand to be completed with
one or two wagers still remaining, forming a 5-card poker hand).
The cards may be revealed one-at-a-time or multiple cards at a time
(especially with 4 or five community cards) to control the number
of play wagers that may be available in the game. For example, with
3 community cards, there could be three play wagers when cards are
revealed one card at a time, or two play wagers when a single card
is revealed before one play wager (e.g., before the first or second
play wager) and two cards are revealed before another play wager
(e.g., before the second or first play wager, respectively). After
the hand is complete (assuming that the player has placed all
wagers necessary to remain in the game until conclusion of the
disclosure of all community cards), all wagers are resolved against
at least one pay table. There may be a single pay table (preferred)
for all wagers, or different pay tables for each wager. The Ante
wager may be paid at 1:1 if the player remains in the game until
the revelation of the community cards is complete, or if the player
attains at least a minimum hand (which may be less than the minimum
hand on a typical pay table, such as an A-K), or may be paid at the
pay table rate as are the other wagers.
[0029] An example of a pay table with two initial cards and three
community cards revealed one-at-a-time could be as follows:
1 PAY TABLE I FINAL HAND PAYOUT ODDS ROYAL FLUSH 100:1 STRAIGHT
FLUSH 50:1 FOUR-OF-A-KIND 12:1 FULL HOUSE 7:1 FLUSH 5:1 STRAIGHT
4:1 THREE-OF-A-KIND 3:1 TWO PAIR 2:1 PAIR OF 6'S OR BETTER 1:1
[0030] Another example of a pay table for the Ante wager and the
play wagers, with two initial player cards and three community
cards revealed first one card and then both cards could be:
2 PAY TABLE II FINAL HAND PAYOUT ODDS ROYAL FLUSH 150:1 STRAIGHT
FLUSH 70:1 FOUR-OF-A-KIND 15:1 FULL HOUSE 81 FLUSH 5:1 STRAIGHT 4:1
THREE-OF-A-KIND 3:1 TWO PAIR 2:1 PAIR OF 6'S OR BETTER 1:1
[0031] In addition to these pay tables, as noted before, the payout
for the Ante wager may be different than for the remaining wagers.
In addition, there may be an automatic ante bonus payout (1.times.
or 2.times.) for any initial pair in the first two cards.
[0032] The following example will show the physical steps of an
exemplary play of a game of the present invention.
[0033] A game played according to the following teachings herein is
referred to as Mississippi Stud.TM. poker, which is a casino table
card game that can also be played on a video system, a home
computer, on a multiplayer platform gaming system, as a hand-held
practice game, or as a game offered on the internet. The game is
essentially a 5-Card stud poker game played against a pay table,
with specific rules and game play elements. There is no player
versus dealer competition.
EXAMPLE 1
[0034] There are four players at a gaming table. Each player places
an initial Ante wager of $10, $10, $25, and $50, respectively, and
the following initial two card hands are dealt to each player, with
their initial decisions on play wagers shown beneath the hands. In
example 1, the players may make play bets up to 3.times. the Ante,
according to house rules. The three (3) community cards may be
dealt at this time, face down.
3 Player 1 $10 Player 2 $10 Player 3 $25 Player 4 $50 10 10 6 4
J.diamond-solid. Q.diamond-solid. A 9 $30 (3.times.) Fold, no play
wager $50 (2.times.) $50 (1.times.)
[0035] Player 1 will make the maximum wager, as his hand is a
guaranteed win on all wagers.
[0036] Player 2 will fold, as there is an extremely low likelihood
of the hand being improved.
[0037] Player 3 has a good working hand, with 2 high cards, in
suit, and a base for a straight. Player 3 places an intermediate
"play" wager of 2.times. the Ante.
[0038] Player 4 has a decent working hand, with 2 cards above the
minimum pairs needed for a win. Player 4, however chooses to make a
play wager that is 1.times. the Ante.
[0039] After all of these wagers have been made (and without yet
resolving the automatic win for player 1), the first community card
is dealt, and it is a K.diamond-solid.. The hands of the players
and their next wagers are shown in the following table.
4 Player 1 Player 3 Player 4 $10 + $10 Player 2 $10 $25 + $50 $25 +
25 10 10 K.diamond-solid. J.diamond-solid. Q.diamond-solid.
K.diamond-solid. A K.diamond-solid. 9 $30 (3.times.) Folded $75
(3.times.) $25 (1.times.)
[0040] Player 1 will make the maximum wager, as his hand is a
guaranteed win on all wagers.
[0041] Player 2 has folded.
[0042] Player 3 has a good working hand, with 3 high cards, in
suit, and a base for a straight, a flush, a straight flush or a
royal flush, as well as a high pair. Player 3 chooses a play bet
that is 3.times. the Ante.
[0043] Player 4 still has a decent working hand, with 3 cards above
the minimum pairs needed for a win, but no winning hand yet. Player
4 makes a play wager of 1.times. the Ante.
[0044] After all of these wagers have been made (and without yet
resolving the automatic win for player 1), the second community
card is dealt, and it is a 10.diamond-solid.. The hands of the
players and their next wagers are shown in the following table.
5 Player 1 $70 Player 2 $10 Player 3 $150 Player 4 $75
10.diamond-solid. 10 10 K.diamond-solid. 10.diamond-solid.
J.diamond-solid. Q.diamond-solid. K.diamond-solid. A
K.diamond-solid. 10.diamond-solid. 9 $30 (3.times.) Folded $75
(3.times.) $50 (1.times.)
[0045] Player 1 will make the maximum wager, as his hand is a
guaranteed win on all wagers.
[0046] Player 2 has folded.
[0047] Player 3 has an excellent working hand, with 4 high cards,
in suit, and a base for a straight, a flush, a straight flush or a
royal flush, as well as a high pair. Player 3 wagers 3.times. the
ante, hoping for a very big payout.
[0048] Player 4 still has a decent working hand, with 4 cards above
the minimum pairs needed for a win, but no winning hand yet. He
bets 1.times. the Ante.
[0049] After all of these wagers have been made (and without yet
resolving the automatic win for player 1), the third community card
is dealt, and it is a Q. The hands of the players and their next
awards are shown in the following table.
6 Player 1 $100 Bet Player 2 $10 Player 3 $225 Bet Player 4 $125
Bet 10.diamond-solid. 10 10 10.diamond-solid. J.diamond-solid.
Q.diamond-solid. A K.diamond-solid. 10.diamond-solid.
K.diamond-solid. Q K.diamond-solid. Q 9 Q $300 (3.times.) Won
Folded $225 (1.times.) Won $0 All Bets Lost
[0050] As can be seen, Player 1 has won 3.times. each of his wagers
(in an amount of $100) with three-of-a-kind; Player 2 lost his
initial Ante wager of $10; Player 3 still won $225, even though the
potential very high hand was not achieved; and Player 4 lost $125,
as the hand did not end up with a pair of 6's or higher. The
3.times. multiple was taken from Pay Table I above.
EXAMPLE 2
[0051] An optional format is for there to be two community cards
and either a wild card (the presence of which would necessitate a
change in the pay table to lower payouts) or an individual
additional card dealt to each hand. In this form of the game, the
player can bet up to 3.times. the Ante.
[0052] The game will otherwise be played similarly, using much the
same beginning cards as in Example 1. There are four players at a
gaming table. Each player places an initial Ante wager of $10, $10,
$25, and $50, respectively, and the following initial two card
hands are dealt to each player, with their initial decisions on
play wagers shown beneath the hands. The two (2) community cards
may be dealt at this time, face down, and the final card for each
is retained in the dealing shoe or shuffler, to be delivered after
the two community cards are exposed.
7 Player 1 $10 Player 2 $10 Player 3 $25 Player 4 $50 10 10 6 4
J.diamond-solid. Q.diamond-solid. A 9 $30 (3.times.) Fold, no play
wager $50 (2.times.) $50 (1.times.)
[0053] Player 1 will make the maximum wager, as his hand is a
guaranteed win on all wagers.
[0054] Player 2 will fold, as there is an extremely low likelihood
of the hand being improved.
[0055] Player 3 has a good working hand, with 2 high cards, in
suit, and a base for a straight.
[0056] Player 4 has a decent working hand, with 2 cards above the
minimum pairs needed for a win.
[0057] After all of these wagers have been made (and without yet
resolving the automatic win for player 1), the first community card
is dealt, and it is a K.diamond-solid.. The hands of the players
and their next wagers are shown in the following table.
8 Player 1 Player 3 Player 4 $10 + $10 Player 2 $10 $25 + $50 $25 +
25 10 10 K.diamond-solid. J.diamond-solid. Q.diamond-solid.
K.diamond-solid. A K.diamond-solid. 9 $30 (3.times.) Folded $75
(3.times.) $25 (1.times.)
[0058] Player 1 will make the maximum wager, as his hand is a
guaranteed win on all wagers.
[0059] Player 2 has folded.
[0060] Player 3 has a good working hand, with 3 high cards, in
suit, and a base for a straight, a flush, a straight flush or a
royal flush, as well as a high pair.
[0061] Player 4 still has a decent working hand, with 3 cards above
the minimum pairs needed for a win, but no winning hand yet.
[0062] After all of these wagers have been made (and without yet
resolving the automatic win for player 1), the second community
card is dealt, and it is a 10.diamond-solid.. The hands of the
players and their next wagers are shown in the following table.
9 Player 1 $70 Player 2 $10 Player 3 $150 Player 4 $75
10.diamond-solid. 10 10.diamond-solid. J.diamond-solid. A
K.diamond-solid. 10 K.diamond-solid. Q.diamond-solid.
K.diamond-solid. 10.diamond-solid. 9 $30 (3.times.) Folded $75
(7.times.) $50 (1.times.)
[0063] Player 1 will make a maximum wager equal to 3.times. the
Ante, as his hand is a guaranteed win on all wagers.
[0064] Player 2 has folded.
[0065] Player 3 has an excellent working hand, with 4 high cards,
in suit, and a base for a straight, a flush, a straight flush or a
royal flush, as well as a high pair.
[0066] Player 4 still has a decent working hand, with 4 cards above
the minimum pairs needed for a win, but no winning hand yet.
[0067] After all of these wagers have been made (and without
yet-resolving the automatic win for player 1), the third additional
card is dealt to each player's hand, and the individual cards are
shown below in the table. The hands of the players and their next
awards are shown in the following table.
10 Player 1 Player 3 Player 4 $100 Bet Player 2 $10 $225 Bet $125
Bet 10.diamond-solid. 10 10 10.diamond-solid. J.diamond-solid.
Q.diamond-solid. A K.diamond-solid. 10.diamond-solid.
K.diamond-solid. 6 K.diamond-solid. 9.diamond-solid. 9 Q $300
(3.times.) Won Folded $11,225 (50.times.) Won $0 All Bets Lost
[0068] As can be seen, Player 1 has won 3.times. each of his wagers
with three-of-a-kind; Player 2 lost his initial Ante wager of $10;
Player 3 has won $11,225, with a straight flush achieved; and
Player 4 lost $125, as the hand did not end up with a pair of 6's
or higher.
[0069] If a wild card were present in the deck, either as a
potential community card or as an individual card, the pay tables
would have to be significantly altered to accommodate the
likelihood of more winning hands and higher winning hands. For
example, in the above case, if the third community card had been a
wild card, Player 1 would have had a Four-of-a-kind, Player 3 would
have had a Royal Flush, and Player 4 would have had a Pair of
Aces.
[0070] One specific mode of play of a game within the concepts
described herein includes events where after placing an Ante wager,
the players receive two cards face down (which they may view) and
then three community cards are dealt face down. The players may
view their hands to decide the likelihood of success of their hand
against the pay table, and may fold or place a wager of from
1.times. to 3.times. the amount of the Ante wager. After all
players at the table have acted on their individual decisions, a
first and second of the three community cards is revealed. The
players then analyze their hands in combination with the revealed
first and second community cards, and may again fold or place a
wager of from 1.times. to 3.times. the amount of the Ante wager.
After all players at the table have acted on their individual
decisions, a third of the three community cards is revealed. The
players then analyze their hands in combination with the revealed
three community cards, and may again fold or place a wager of from
1.times. to 3.times. the amount of the Ante wager. After all
players at the table have acted on their individual decisions, the
third of the three community cards is revealed. This offers the
opportunity on certain of the wagers to make wagers on hands that
are known to be winning events. It also offers an opportunity for
as much as an additional 7.times. the Ante to be wagered during the
course of the game (1.times.+3.times.+3.times.).
[0071] As previously noted, the present games and rules may be
played as a live casino table card game, as a hybrid casino table
card game (with virtual cards or virtual chips), on a multiplayer
platform (as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.
10/764,827; 10/764,994; and 10/764,995, all filed on Jan. 26, 2004,
which applications are incorporated herein by reference), on a
personal computer for practice, on a hand-held game for practice or
on a legally authorized site on the internet.
[0072] Although specific rules, steps, numbers of cards and the
like have been presented at various points in this disclosure,
those specific examples are not intended to limit the generic
concepts disclosed and described herein. Thos examples are not
intended to be limiting, but supportive of the generic concepts
disclosed and claimed.
* * * * *