U.S. patent application number 11/158594 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-28 for method of conducting a poker game.
Invention is credited to Ken Scott, Matthourasy S. Soubannarath.
Application Number | 20060290059 11/158594 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37566400 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060290059 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Scott; Ken ; et al. |
December 28, 2006 |
Method of conducting a poker game
Abstract
Each player places at least one game wager. Game wagers include
player hand proposition wagers on the composition of the player
hand and inclusion of game indicia having predetermined
characteristics in the player hand; competitive wagers on the
comparison of the player hand to other player hands and/or a dealer
hand; and individual game indicium proposition wagers on an
identified characteristic of a designated game indicium of the
player hand. Player hands, and optionally a dealer hand, are dealt.
Wagers are resolved and rewards are issued for winning wagers.
Inventors: |
Scott; Ken; (Scottsdale,
AZ) ; Soubannarath; Matthourasy S.; (Scottsdale,
AZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROBERT RYAN MORISHITA;MORISHITA LAW FIRM, LLC
3800 HOWARD HUGHES PKWY,
SUITE 850
LAS VEGAS
NV
89169
US
|
Family ID: |
37566400 |
Appl. No.: |
11/158594 |
Filed: |
June 22, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/292 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 1/00 20130101; A63F
2001/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/292 |
International
Class: |
A63F 1/00 20060101
A63F001/00 |
Claims
1. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more
players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic
representations thereof, comprising: each player placing at least
one game wager, said game wagers including competitive wagers and
individual game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for each
individual game indicium proposition wager placed, said player
designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for
the designated game indicium, selects a characteristic from a
plurality of predefined characteristics; each player receiving a
player hand of game indicia; comparing each player hand to other
player hands and rewarding the player with the player hand based on
said comparison among all players to place said competitive wager;
and for each individual game indicium proposition wager,
determining the characteristics of the designated game indicium
upon which the individual game indicium proposition wager was
placed and rewarding individual game indicium proposition wagers if
the designated game indicium has a characteristic selected when
placing the individual game indicium proposition wager.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of rewarding the player
with the player hand with the highest poker ranking includes
awarding at least a portion of a pot formed from at least a portion
of each competitive wager.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: the dealer receiving a
hand of game indicia; and comparing each player hand to a dealer
hand and rewarding each player whose player hand outranks said
dealer hand.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said game indicia include suit
identification, and said predefined characteristics used in said
individual game indicium proposition wagers are suits.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising player hand proposition
wagers including a wager on the quantity of game indicia in a
player hand meeting a predefined characteristic and said pay table
includes a reward for said player hand proposition wager when a
player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game indicia
meeting said predefined characteristic, said reward varying
directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand
meeting said predefined characteristic.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein said game indicia include suit
identification, and said predefined characteristic is one or more
of said suits.
7. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more
players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic
representations thereof, comprising: each player placing at least
one game wager, said game wagers including competitive wagers and
individual game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for each
individual game indicium proposition wager placed, said player
designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for
the designated game indicium, selects a characteristic from a
plurality of predefined characteristics; each player receiving a
player hand of game indicia; the dealer receiving a dealer hand of
game indicia; for each competitive wager, comparing the player hand
to the dealer hand and rewarding each player whose player hand
outranks said dealer hand; and for each individual game indicium
proposition wager, determining the characteristics of the
designated game indicium upon which the individual game indicium
proposition wager was placed and rewarding individual game indicium
proposition wagers if the designated game indicium has a
characteristic selected when placing the individual game indicium
proposition wager.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising comparing each player
hand to other player hands and rewarding the player with the player
hand based on said comparison among all players to place said
competitive wager.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of rewarding the player
with the player hand with the highest poker ranking includes
awarding at least a portion of a pot formed from at least a portion
of each competitive wager.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein said game indicia include suit
identification, and said predefined characteristics used in said
individual game indicium proposition wagers are suits.
11. The method of claim 7 further comprising player hand
proposition wagers including a wager on the quantity of game
indicia in a player hand meeting a predefined characteristic and
said pay table includes a reward for said player hand proposition
wager when a player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of
game indicia meeting said predefined characteristic, said reward
varying directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player
hand meeting said predefined characteristic.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said game indicia include suit
identification, and said predefined characteristic is one or more
of said suits.
13. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more
players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic
representations thereof, comprising: each player placing at least
one game wager, said game wagers including player hand proposition
wagers and individual game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for
each individual game indicium proposition wager placed, said player
designates an individual game indicium of the player hand and, for
the designated game indicium, selects a characteristic from a
plurality of predefined characteristics; each player receiving a
player hand of game indicia; the dealer receiving a dealer hand of
game indicia; comparing each player hand to a predefined pay table
designating at least one winning hand and rewarding player hand
proposition wagers for each player having a winning hand; and for
each individual game indicium proposition wager, determining the
characteristics of the designated game indicium upon which the
individual game indicium proposition wager was placed and rewarding
individual game indicium proposition wagers if the designated game
indicium has a characteristic selected when placing the individual
game indicium proposition wager.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein said game wagers further
comprise competitive wagers, said competitive wagers resolved among
players by comparing each player hand to other player hands and
rewarding the player with the player hand based on said comparison
among all players to place said competitive wager.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of rewarding the
player with the player hand with the highest poker ranking includes
awarding at least a portion of a pot formed from at least a portion
of each competitive wager.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein said dealer receives a hand of
game indicia and said game wagers further comprise competitive
wagers, said competitive wagers resolved between said dealer and
said player by comparing each player hand to a dealer hand and
rewarding each player whose player hand outranks said dealer
hand.
17. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more
players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic
representations thereof, comprising: each player placing at least
one game wager, said game wagers including competitive wagers,
player hand proposition wagers on the quantity of game indicia in a
player hand meeting a predefined characteristic, and individual
game indicium proposition wagers, wherein for each individual game
indicium proposition wager placed, said player designates an
individual game indicium of the player hand and, for the designated
game indicium, selects a characteristic from a plurality of
predefined characteristics; each player receiving a player hand of
n game indicia; the dealer receiving a dealer hand of n game
indicia; comparing each player hand to other player hands and
dealer hand and rewarding the player with the player hand with the
highest poker ranking among all players to place said competitive
wager and separately rewarding each player whose player hand
outranks said dealer hand; comparing each player hand to a
predefined pay table and rewarding player hand proposition wagers
when a player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game
indicia meeting said predefined characteristic, said reward varying
directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand
meeting said predefined characteristic; and for each individual
game indicium proposition wager, determining the characteristics of
the designated game indicium upon which the individual game
indicium proposition wager was placed and rewarding individual game
indicium proposition wagers if the designated game indicium has a
characteristic selected when placing the individual game indicium
proposition wager.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said step of rewarding the
player with the player hand with the highest poker ranking includes
awarding at least a portion of a pot formed from at least a portion
of each competitive wager.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein said pot is formed from the
aggregation of the competitive wagers placed by each player not
having the highest ranking poker hand.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein if the competitive wager placed
by a player not having the highest ranking poker hand is greater
than the competitive wager placed by the player having the highest
ranking poker hand, only a portion of the competitive wager of a
player not having the highest ranking poker hand equal to the
competitive wager of the player having the highest ranking poker
hand is contributed to said pot.
21. The method of claim 18 wherein said player having the highest
ranking poker hand is awarded the entire pot less a rake.
22. The method of claim 17 wherein said predefined characteristics
used in resolving said individual game indicium proposition wagers
include subsets of said game indicia.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein said subsets are mutually
exclusive.
24. The method of claim 23 wherein said game indicia include suit
identification, and said subsets are suits.
25. The method of claim 17 wherein said player hand proposition
wagers include a wager on the quantity of game indicia in a player
hand meeting a predefined characteristic and said pay table
includes a reward for said player hand proposition wager when a
player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of game indicia
meeting said predefined characteristic, said reward varying
directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand
meeting said predefined characteristic.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein said game indicia include suit
identification, and said predefined characteristic is one or more
of said suits.
27. A method for conducting a game indicium game for one or more
players playing against a dealer, using game indicia, or electronic
representations thereof, comprising: each player placing at least
one game wager, said game wagers comprising: competitive wagers,
comprising: wagering on the relative ranking of said player's hand
as compared to said dealer hand; and wagering on the relative
ranking of said player's hand as compared to said player hands of
such other players who have placed a wager on the relative ranking
of their player hands in relation to the player hands of other
players; player hand proposition wagers, comprising: wagering on
the composition of the player hand according to a predetermined pay
table designating at least one winning hand; and wagering on the
number of game indicia within said player hand belonging to said
predetermined suit; and individual game indicium proposition
wagers, wherein for each individual game indicium proposition wager
placed, said player designates an individual game indicium of the
player hand and, for the designated game indicium, selects the suit
of said designated game indicium; each player receiving a hand of
game indicia; the dealer receiving a hand of game indicia;
resolving competitive wagers comprising: for competitive wagers
placed against other players hands, comparing the poker ranking of
each player hand for which a competitive wager against other
players was placed and rewarding the player with the player hand
with the highest poker ranking among all players to place said
competitive wager, said reward comprising at least a portion of a
pot formed from the aggregation of the competitive wagers placed by
each player not having the highest ranking poker hand, wherein if
the competitive wager placed by a player not having the highest
ranking poker hand is greater than the competitive wager placed by
the player having the highest ranking poker hand, only a portion of
the competitive wager of a player not having the highest ranking
poker hand equal to the competitive wager of the player having the
highest ranking poker hand is contributed to said pot; and for
competitive wagers placed against the dealer hand, comparing the
player hand to the dealer hand and rewarding each player whose
player hand outranks said dealer hand; resolving said player hand
proposition wagers, comprising: for player hand proposition wagers
on the composition of the player hand, comparing said player hand
to a pay table and rewarding said player if said player hand is a
winning hand; and for player hand proposition wagers on the
quantity of game indicia in a predetermined suit, rewarding said
player when said player hand includes at least a threshold quantity
of game indicia in said predetermined suit, said reward varying
directly with the quantity of game indicia in said player hand in
said predetermined suit; and rewarding individual game indicium
proposition wagers for which said designated game indicium is a
game indicium within said selected suit, wherein if said player
places more than one individual game indicium proposition wager,
said reward varies directly and non-proportionally with the
quantity of individual game indicium proposition wagers for which
the player is rewarded.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wagering
games. Specifically, the present invention is a method for the play
of a wagering game in which a player hand is compared against one
or more of the hands of other players at the table, the dealer, and
a predetermined schedule of hands with winning characteristics.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many variations of poker have proven extremely popular with
gamblers at all levels, including many novice players who find the
play exciting, but are afraid to play in high-stakes games or
tournaments, based on a fear of playing against the perceived
experts. Poker tournaments draw large player fields (and
audiences), on-line poker sites abound, and even electronic table
implementations of video poker-type games have become extremely
popular. Casinos face growing player demand for poker tables of
many sorts. Established table games such as Let It Ride, Three-Card
Poker and Caribbean Stud have been joined by hybrid games like
Deuces Wild, and the demand continues to grow.
[0003] Poker wagers typically fall into two categories, with many
games combining instances of each. First, there are player banked
wagers where losing wagers find winning wagers. These are often
handled through a pot where wagers are aggregated. that is awarded
to the winning player. Casino versions of such wagers often
implement a "rake," or house handling fee, to ensure their
profit.
[0004] The second type of wager is the house banked wager, where
wagers are paid by the casino based on the occurrence, or
non-occurrence, of a specified result or event, and are not
considered in competition with the wagers of other players. Games
of this sort include Roulette, slot machines, and video poker and,
while most such games involve simple, one-level, wagering, games
such as craps permit of multi-level, skill based, wagers as
well.
[0005] Player banked wagers appeal to the competitive nature of
many players. The "best" hand wins, and there is always (or almost
always) a winner. However, for a player to win, all other players
must lose, and there is rarely a potential for a high-odds payout.
At player at an eight-seat Hold-em table cannot win more than
seven-to-one, and wins the same whether with one of the four
possible Royal Flushes, one of the ten-thousand-plus straights, or
one of the million-plus hands which have no pair, no straight, and
no flush, i.e. the "high card" hands. In other words, the rarity of
the hand does not affect the payout, only beating the other hands
does.
[0006] As each category of wager has its assets and its drawbacks,
games combining wagers of different types in an effort to appeal to
the goals of all players are desirable. Further, simplifying
wagering system and removing the advantage typically inuring to the
professional player makes a game more enticing to the huge pool of
non-expert, novice, or casual players.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is a method for conducting a wagering
game for one or more players. Each player places at least one game
wager. Game wagers could include many different wagers.
[0008] For example, in one optional embodiment, game wagers include
an individual game indicium proposition wager. In this game wager,
the player designates an individual game indicium of the player
hand and, for the designated game indicium, selects a
characteristic from a plurality of predefined characteristics. In
an optional embodiment, the characteristic is a subset of game
indicia, such as the game indicia of a particular suit.
[0009] In another optional embodiment, game wagers include
competitive wagers. Competitive wagers could include game wagers
against the other players or against the dealer.
[0010] In yet another optional embodiment, game wagers include
player hand proposition wagers. Player hand proposition wagers are
based on the composition of the player hand. In one optional
embodiment, player hand proposition wagers are resolved based on
the player hand forming a winning hand according to a predetermined
pay table. In another optional embodiment, player hand proposition
wagers are resolved based on the quantity of game indicia in the
player hand meeting a predetermined characteristic, such as
suit.
[0011] Each player receives a player hand of game indicia. In an
optional embodiment in which the player is allowed to place a
competitive wager against the dealer, the dealer also receives a
dealer hand of game indicia. The player and dealer hands may
contain any quantity of game indicia.
[0012] Wagers are resolved. In an optional embodiment including
individual game indicium proposition wagers, each designated game
indicium is examined to determine if the designated game indicium
includes the selected characteristic. If so, the player is rewarded
based on the individual game indicium proposition wager for that
designated game indicium. Optionally, any reward is based on, and
varies directly and non-proportionally with, the quantity of
individual game indicium proposition wagers to which the player is
entitled to a reward.
[0013] In an optional embodiment including such wagers, competitive
wagers against other players are resolved by comparing the player
hands of all the players placing such competitive wagers against
other players. A player is rewarded based on the comparison among
the players placing competitive wagers. For example, in one
embodiment, the player with the player hand having the highest
ranking, optionally according to poker rankings, is rewarded. In an
optional embodiment, the reward consists of at least a portion of a
pot where the competitive wagers are aggregated. Optionally, a
player's exposure is limited in that if the player loses, the
player only contributes the lesser of the player's competitive
wager, or a portion of the player's competitive wager equal to the
winning player's competitive wager. In an optional embodiment, the
house may retain a rake from each pot awarded.
[0014] In an optional embodiment including such wagers, competitive
wagers against the dealer are resolved by comparing the player hand
to the dealer hand. If the player hand outranks the dealer hand,
the player is rewarded. In an optional embodiment including both
competitive wagers against the other players and against the
dealer, the wagers may be separately rewarded.
[0015] In an optional embodiment including such wagers, player hand
proposition wagers on the composition of the player hand are
resolved by comparing the player hand to a pay table designating at
least one winning hand. If the player hand is a winning hand, the
player is rewarded.
[0016] In an optional embodiment including such wagers, player hand
proposition wagers on the quantity of game indicia in the player
hand meeting a predefined characteristic are resolved by
determining the quantity of game indicia that meet the predefined
characteristic. If the player hand includes at least a threshold
quantity of game indicia meeting the predefined characteristic, the
player is rewarded. Optionally, the reward varies directly with the
quantity of game indicia in the player hand that meet the
predefined characteristic.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0017] FIG. 1 is a top view of a table layout for conducting a game
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a top view of a player wager and game area for
conducting a game according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION
[0020] Reference is now made to the figures wherein like parts are
referred to by like numerals throughout. The present invention is a
game. The present game is conducted using game indicia. The game
indicia could include playing cards, dice, tiles, or any other form
of game indicia. The game indicia could also be physical or
electronic representations, such as that used in a gaming machine.
For example, the present game could be conducted using a deck of
playing cards, a supplemented deck of playing cards, multiple decks
of playing cards, a subset of a deck of playing cards, or any other
constitution of playing cards. In such an optional embodiment, the
playing cards need not be a conventional deck of playing cards, but
may include alternate or additional designations. In the example
embodiment described herein, conventional playing cards of two
through ace in four suits (hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds) are
used to described the present game. However, this should be
considered illustrative rather than limiting.
[0021] Turning to FIGS. 1 and 2, an optional gaming layout 100 for
play of a wagering game according to an optional embodiment of the
present method is illustrated. The layout 100 consists a wager and
play section 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 for each player and a
play section for the dealer 170.
[0022] The wager and play section 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 for
each player includes wager fields 201-224 for game wagers. It is
noted that any number and combination of game wagers may be
offered. Specifically, it is noted that while the present invention
includes a plurality of different types of wagers, fewer or more
wagers or types of wagers could be offered.
[0023] According to the optional embodiment illustrated, the wager
and play section 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 for each player may
include game indicium locations 230-234 into which the game indicia
comprising the player's hand are to be dealt. Optionally, the play
section for the dealer 170 contains the game indicium locations
171-175 into which the dealer's hand is dealt. In addition, wager
areas are included on the layout 100 to offer the player the option
of placing one or more of a Dealer wager 201, a Pot wager 202, a
Hand Bonus wager 203, a Hearts Up! wager 204, and/or one or more
Suit wagers 205-224. These wagers may be offered by the house in
any combination and wagered by the player in any combination.
Although the optional embodiment described below includes mandatory
wagers, it is contemplated that any of the wagers may be optional
or mandatory.
[0024] With reference generally to FIGS. 1-3, each player places
300 at least one game wager. To place a wager, a player places the
desired amount on a wager field 201-224. Turning to the wagers
themselves, in an optional embodiment, a competitive wager on the
rank of a player's hand against the other players` hands may be
offered. In the illustrated embodiment, this wager is referred to
as a Pot wager 202. A player placing a Pot wager 202 is wagering
that his player hand will outrank the player hand of every other
player that places a Pot wager 202.
[0025] Similarly, in an optional embodiment, a competitive wager on
the rank of a player's hand against the dealer's hand may be
offered. In the illustrated embodiment, this wager is referred to
as a Dealer wager 201. A player placing a Dealer wager 201 is
wagering that his player hand will outrank the dealer hand. In an
optional embodiment, the Pot wager 202 and Dealer wager 201 are
mandatory for play of the game. However, this should be construed
as illustrative only, since either or both of these wagers could,
in an alternate optional embodiment, be optional.
[0026] In an optional embodiment, an individual game indicium
proposition wager may be offered. This wager is directed to a
player wagering upon a characteristic of a designated game indicium
in the player hand. If the player elects to place 302 such a wager,
the player designates 304 the game indicium wagered upon and
selects the characteristic to be wagered upon for that designated
game indicium. While the characteristic could take any form, i.e.
red or black, odd or even, number game indicium or face game
indicium, suit, or the like, in an optional embodiment, the
characteristic wagered upon is the suit of the designated game
indicium. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, this wager is
referred to as a Suit wager 205-224. To place a Suit wager, a
player must designate a game indicium from the player hand and
select the suit for that designated game indicium. For example, by
placing a wager in the leftmost column over the image of the
diamond 206, a player is wagering that the game indicium dealt to
the game indicium position 230 at the head of that column
(optionally signifying the first game indicium dealt to the
player's hand) will be of the diamond suit. Similarly, by placing a
wager in the center column over the image of a club 216, a player
is wagering that the game indicium dealt to the game indicium
position 232 at the head of that column (optionally signifying the
third game indicium dealt to the player's hand) will be of the club
suit.
[0027] In an optional embodiment, a player is only allowed to
select one suit for each game indicium designated for Suit wager.
Thus, in such an optional embodiment, a wager on a heart for the
first game indicium 205 would preclude a wager on a diamond for the
first game indicium 206, a spade for the first game indicium 207,
or a club for the first game indicium 208. It is also contemplated
that the player may elect to place a Suit wager for none, one,
some, or all of the game indicia dealt to a player hand. Thus, if a
player only wishes to place a Suit wager on the fourth game
indicium dealt or on the second and fourth game indicia dealt, the
player may, in such an optional embodiment, be allowed to do so
without placing Suit wagers on the remaining game indicia
dealt.
[0028] In an optional embodiment player hand proposition wagers may
be offered. In an optional embodiment, a player hand proposition
wager may be offered on the composition of the player hand compared
to a pay table. For example, in the optional embodiment
illustrated, a Hand Bonus wager 203 may be offered. A player
placing a Hand Bonus wager 203 is wagering that his hand will be a
winning hand according to a pay table designating at least one
winning hand.
[0029] Similarly, a player hand proposition wager may be offered on
the quantity of game indicia in a player hand meeting a
predetermined characteristic. For example, in the optional
embodiment illustrated, a Hearts Up! wager 204 is offered. A player
placing a Hearts Up! wager 204 is wagering that his hand will
contain a threshold quantity of game indicia having a particular
characteristic. In an optional embodiment, a player placing a
Hearts Up! wager 204 is wagering that his player hand will contain
three or more game indicia of the heart suit.
[0030] Once all wagers have been placed 300, the dealer deals 306 a
player hand to each player. In an optional embodiment in which a
wager on a dealer hand is offered, the dealer may also deal 306 a
dealer hand to himself. In the optional embodiment illustrated,
game indicia may be dealt one at a time, in sequence to players and
the dealer. Optionally, the game indicia dealt to a player hand are
dealt face-up and game indicia dealt to a dealer hand are dealt
face-down. However, it is also contemplated that in an alternate
embodiment, an entire five-game indicium hand could be dealt to
each player in turn, followed by an entire hand being dealt to the
dealer.
[0031] It is contemplated that the sequence of the dealt game
indicia may be identified by dealing game indicia to game indicium
positions. For example, as alluded to above, the first game
indicium dealt to a player hand may be placed at a first game
indicium position 230, a second game indicium to a second game
indicium position 231, a third game indicium to a third game
indicium position 232, a fourth game indicium to a fourth game
indicium position 233, and a fifth game indicium to a fifth game
indicium position 234. As described in greater detail below, this
sequencing may be used to identify the game indicia designated for
any individual game indicium proposition wagers placed. Similarly,
the dealer hand may be dealt to dealer game indicium positions
171-175, although in an optional embodiment, sequence is not
significant in the dealing of the dealer hand.
[0032] Once player and dealer hands have been dealt, wagers may be
resolved. While wagers may optionally be resolved in any order, in
the optional embodiment illustrated they are resolved in a sequence
of Pot wager 202, Dealer wager 201, Hand Bonus wager 203, Hearts
Up! wager 204, and Suit wagers 205-224.
[0033] In an optional embodiment in which such a wager is provided,
a competitive wager on player hands is resolved by comparing player
hands. That is, among those players placing 308 a player hand
competitive wager, the player hand with the highest ranking is
designated the winner and is rewarded 310. In an optional
embodiment, poker rankings are used; that is, for example, a player
with a four of a kind would win such a competitive wager and be
rewarded unless another player had a higher ranking four of a kind,
a straight flush, or a royal flush. For example, in a game in which
three players have each placed a competitive wager on player hands,
if a first player had a pair of jacks, a second player had a
non-flush straight, and a third player had ace-high, the second
player would win his competitive wager because he has the highest
ranking player hand among the three players.
[0034] For example, in the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2, a Pot wager
is resolved by determining the highest player hand. Optionally, the
Pot wager is mandatory. In such an embodiment, all the player hands
are compared to determine a winner of the Pot wager. However, in an
alternate embodiment in which the Pot wager is optional, only those
player hands held by players placing a Pot wager may be compared.
Thus, in one such optional embodiment, if the highest hand belongs
to a player who did not place a Pot wager, the resolution would
exclude such a player and proceed to the next highest hand.
[0035] In an optional embodiment, a player winning the competitive
wager on player hands may be awarded at least a portion of a pot
comprising at least a portion of each competitive wager on player
hands placed. For example, the competitive wagers on player hand
may be aggregated into a pot that is awarded to a player. In an
optional embodiment, all the competitive wagers may be aggregated
to a pot. In such an optional embodiment, three players placing
competitive wagers on the player hands of $10, $20, and $40, the
pot contains $70.
[0036] However, in an alternate embodiment, a player can only win
an amount less than or equal to his own competitive wager from each
player with a lower ranking player hand. That is, in such an
optional embodiment, the amount collected is the lesser of the
amount wagered by the winner and the amount wagered by the loser.
Thus, if one player wagers $10, another $20, and a third $40, and
the player wagering $20 were to have the highest ranking hand, that
player would collect $10 from the player who wagered $10 and $20
from the player who wagered $40 for a total of $30. In such an
optional embodiment, any Pot wager amount not collected by the
holder of the winning hand is returned to the player making such
wager.
[0037] In another optional embodiment, the house "rakes" a
percentage from the pot as compensation for hosting the game. In
such optional embodiment illustrated, the house deducts a "rake" or
handling fee from the Pot wagers. Such "rake" would be computed
based on the total amount won by the holder of the winning hand,
and would be deducted from the winnings of the holder of the
winning hand.
[0038] As noted above, in an optional embodiment in which
competitive wagers on a dealer hand are not offered, a dealer hand
may not be dealt. However, in an optional embodiment in which a
competitive wager on a dealer hand is offered, a dealer hand is
dealt. Thus, in the optional embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and
2, a dealer hand is dealt because Dealer wagers 201 are offered. To
resolve Dealer wagers, the player hand associated with each player
who has placed 312 a Dealer wager is compared to the dealer hand.
If the player hand has a higher ranking, optionally according to
conventional poker rankings, the player wins and is rewarded 314.
Conversely, if the dealer hand has a higher ranking than the player
hand, the player's Dealer wager may be collected by the dealer. In
an optional embodiment, the reward paid to a player is equal to the
Dealer wager placed. However, it is also contemplated that the
house may take a "rake" or handling fee from the Dealer wagers won
by the player. Any "rake" may be computed based on, and deducted
from, the reward.
[0039] As previously noted, two types of player hand proposition
wagers may be offered. One type of player hand proposition wager is
based on the composition of the player hand. To resolve a player
hand proposition wagers placed 316 on the composition of the player
hand, the player hand is compared to a predefined pay table
designating at least one winning hand and a pay out associated
therewith. If the player hand is a winning hand, the player hand
proposition wager is rewarded based 318 on the associated pay out.
If the player hand is not a winning hand, the player hand
proposition wager may be collected by the house.
[0040] For example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, the
Hand Bonus wager is a player hand proposition wager on the
composition of a player hand. To resolve the Hand Bonus wager, the
player hand is compared to a pay table such as that shown in Table
1. Table 1 illustrates an example pay table in such an optional
embodiment. It is noted that Table 1 is merely exemplary and that
greater or fewer hands could be designated winning hands, and that
the pay outs listed could be altered. For example, a flush or
straight flush in one particular suit, such as hearts, could be
rewarded at a greater rate than a flush or straight flush in
another suit. TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Hand Payout Royal Flush
10,000:1 Straight Flush 1,500:1 Four-of-a-Kind 100:1 Full House
25:1 Flush 15:1 Straight 10:1 Three-of-a-Kind 5:1 Two Pair 3:1
Jacks or Better 1:1
[0041] A second type of player hand proposition wager is based on
the inclusion of at least a threshold quantity of game indicia
meeting a predefined characteristic. For each player placing 320 a
game indicia characteristic proposition wager, the player is
rewarded 322 if the player hand contains at least a threshold
quantity of game indicia meeting the predefined characteristic. As
noted above, the predefined characteristic could take any form.
That is, even though the illustrated optional embodiment uses game
indicium suit, specifically heart suit, as the predefined
characteristic, in an alternate embodiment, any suit may be used in
lieu of hearts. In another alternate embodiment, any predefined
subset of the deck may be used in lieu of game indicium suit. Also,
it is noted that while the illustrated pay table increases the pay
out according to the quantity of game indicia meeting the
predefined characteristic, the pay outs could take any form,
including pay outs at a flat rate or decreasing with the quantity
of game indicia meeting the predefined characteristic.
[0042] For example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, the
Hearts Up! wager is a player hand proposition wager that is won
when the player hand includes at least a threshold quantity of
heart suit game indicia. To resolve the Hearts Up! wager, the
quantity of heart suit game indicia contained in the player's hand
are counted. If the player hand contains a quantity of heart suit
game indicia to qualify as a winning hand, the player is rewarded
for his or her Hearts Up! wager. If the player hand does not
include a quantity of heart suit game indicia to qualify as a
winning hand, the player's Hearts Up! wager may be collected.
Optionally, the reward varies with the quantity of game indicia
meeting the characteristic. For example, Table 2 illustrates a pay
table for a Hearts Up! wager according to an optional embodiment of
the present invention. It is specifically noted that Table 2 is
exemplary only and the hands as well as the pay outs could be
altered without departing from the scope of the invention.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Quantity of Heart Suit Game Indicia in
Player Hand Payout Three 5:1 Four 20:1 Five 500:1
[0043] As previously noted, individual game indicium proposition
wagers require that the player designate a game indicium from the
player hand and identify a characteristic for that designated game
indicium when placing the wager. Thus, in resolving such individual
game indicium proposition wagers, a determination is made whether
the designated game indicium has the identified characteristic. As
previously noted, although the optional embodiment illustrated uses
suit as the identified characteristic, the characteristic could be
any identifiable characteristic. For example, in alternate
embodiments other subdivisions of the game indicia may be used in
lieu of suit. For example, wagers could be placed on odd-even, or
black-red, high-low, or any other characteristic.
[0044] For example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, Suit
wager are individual game indicium proposition wagers. As shown in
the figures, when placing a Suit wager 205-224, the player
identifies the suit of a game indicium associated with a certain
physical and/or sequential game indicium position 230-234. To
resolve Suit wagers, the game indicium at the game indicium
position designated by the location of the Suit wager is inspected
to determine if the game indicium is of the identified suit. For
example, a Suit wager placed on the club suit for the game indicium
dealt to a first game indicium position 230 is rewarded if, in
fact, the game indicium dealt to that position is a club suit game
indicium. Suit wagers that incorrectly identify the suit may be
collected.
[0045] Optionally, the individual game indicium proposition wagers
are not separately rewarded. That is, in an optional embodiment the
reward varies with the overall quantity of winning individual game
indicium proposition wagers. While the reward could vary
proportionally with the quantity of winning individual game
indicium proposition wagers, in an optional embodiment the reward
varies directly and non-proportionally with the quantity of winning
individual game indicium proposition wagers. For example, Table 3
illustrates an example of a pay table indicating the pay out for
the quantity of winning individual game indicium proposition
wagers. It is noted that in this optional embodiment, the
multiplier is applied to each wager. Thus, a player placing a one
unit Suit wager on each of five game indicia who only wins one of
the Suit wagers would, in this example, be rewarded one unit for
the winning Suit wager and lose four units for the four losing Suit
wagers. Conversely, if the player had won three of his suit wagers,
the player would, in this example, be rewarded three units for each
winning Suit wager and lose two units for the two losing Suit
wagers. It is noted that Table 3 is exemplary only and other
methods of rewarding Suit wagers could be used without departing
from the scope of this invention. TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Correct
Suit Predictions Payout One 1:1 Two 2:1 Three 3:1 Four 10:1 Five
100:1
[0046] While certain embodiments of the present invention have been
shown and described it is to be understood that the present
invention is subject to many modifications and changes without
departing from the spirit and scope of the claims presented
herein.
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