U.S. patent application number 11/266437 was filed with the patent office on 2007-01-04 for method and device for conducting a card game.
Invention is credited to Alexander Stefan.
Application Number | 20070004490 11/266437 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37590317 |
Filed Date | 2007-01-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070004490 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stefan; Alexander |
January 4, 2007 |
Method and device for conducting a card game
Abstract
A card game includes constructing a matrix of card positions by
dealing a row of cards, discarding zero or more cards, and
receiving replacements for discarded cards. Optionally discarded
cards are displayed. As each row is dealt, the discarded cards are
unavailable for dealing. After the matrix is filled, the cards in
one or more rows or columns may be rearranged. The rearrangement
may be displayed or the hands with which the rearranged cards are
evaluated is indicated. The final matrix is evaluated by comparing
each row and column to a value table.
Inventors: |
Stefan; Alexander; (Las
Vegas, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Morishita Law Firm, L.L.C.
Suite 850
3800 Howard Hughes Pkwy.
Las Vegas
NV
89109
US
|
Family ID: |
37590317 |
Appl. No.: |
11/266437 |
Filed: |
November 3, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11173250 |
Jul 1, 2005 |
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11266437 |
Nov 3, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3293 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/012 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A method for conducting a card game tournament for at least two
players using linked computer terminals, each using a deck of
playing cards, or electronic representations thereof, wherein said
players include one or more live players and zero or more virtual
players, comprising: each player placing a game wager; for each
player, conducting a round of play comprising one or more games,
each of said games comprising: creating a matrix of m matrix rows
and n matrix columns of card locations, where said matrix creation
process comprises: performing m iterations of hand creation from
said deck, each iteration comprising: dealing n cards to a row,
said cards dealt from available cards in said deck; said player
discarding zero or more cards from said dealt hand, said discarded
cards unavailable to be subsequently dealt; and dealing replacement
cards for discarded cards to complete said hand, said replacement
cards dealt from available cards in said deck; and rearranging the
cards comprising at least one of said matrix rows or matrix columns
to form a final matrix; evaluating said final matrix by evaluating
the hands of each matrix row formed by the cards not discarded plus
any replacement cards distributed to replace cards discarded by
comparing each hand to one or more prespecified value tables and
evaluating the hands of each matrix column formed by the cards not
discarded plus any replacement cards distributed to replace cards
discarded by comparing each hand to one or more prespecified value
tables; producing a value for its final matrix by summing the value
of the hands of the matrix rows and the matrix columns; tracking
the values of the final matrices obtained by each player; declaring
the tournament winner to be the player who achieves a value of a
final matrix greater than that achieved by any other player during
the round of play, unless two or more players tie by achieving the
same value of a final matrix during the round of play; and if a tie
occurs during a round of play, declaring no tournament winner and
conducting additional rounds of play until only one player achieves
a value of a final matrix during a round of play greater than all
other players.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said values of said prespecified
value tables include a plurality of distinguishable hand values
based upon hand rank and hand configuration.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein each player places a single game
wager for said round of play such that no additional game wagers
are placed during said round of play.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein each player uses an identically
constituted deck of playing cards.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising: each player commencing
said card game with an identically constituted deck of cards; and
at one or more designated points during said card game,
independently randomizing each player's deck of available
cards.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein each row of cards is dealt from an
identically constituted deck of available cards.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein each step of dealing of each card
game is performed concurrently for all said players.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said steps of discarding zero or
more cards from said dealt hand and dealing said replacement cards
occur at a prespecified time delay after dealing of said initial
cards, wherein said time delay is uniform for all said players.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said prespecified time delay
varies by matrix row.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/173,250, entitled Method and Device
for Conducting a Card Game," filed Jun. 30, 2005 which, in turn,
claimed the priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.
60/584,015, entitled "Maximum Poker," filed Jun. 30, 2004 by
Applicant herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to games. More specifically,
the present invention relates to methods and devices for conducting
card games in which a player constructs a card matrix with the goal
of maximizing the value of the matrix.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Card games have a very long history. Among the most well
known card games is draw poker. In the conventional game of video
draw poker known in the art, the player makes a wager and is dealt
a hand from a deck of playing cards. In conventional draw poker,
five cards are dealt face up to an initial hand. The player selects
which, if any, of the five cards of the initial hand to hold and
discards the remaining cards. The discarded cards are replaced with
replacements selected from the remaining cards in the deck to
produce a final five card poker hand. The video draw poker device
compares the final outcome to the pre-determined winning
combinations also stored in a data structure, these combinations
frequently representing ranked poker hands. If the player's final
outcome matches a winning combination, the player is rewarded.
Otherwise, the final outcome is deemed to be a loss and the
player's wager is retained.
[0004] In a variation of video draw poker, multiple hands may be
provided. As with conventional video draw poker, the player is
dealt five cards for an initial hand. The player selects which, if
any, of the five cards of the initial hand to hold. Prior to
drawing replacement cards for the initial hand, the held cards are
copied into the other hands. The player discards the remaining
cards and additional cards are drawn to replace the discarded
cards. The draw step is then repeated for the additional hands,
each using a separate deck of playing cards. Thus, a player
receives multiple opportunities to draw to the same held cards
using separate depleted decks.
[0005] In video poker, the goal is not to have a "better" hand than
other players, but rather to get the highest ranking hand possible.
Video poker adds an element of player skill, as there is typically
a player-controlled "draw" or replacement of cards, or the
electronic representations thereof. The house may control its
profit margin, its "edge," by the manipulation of the pay table
values for the several winning hand combinations.
[0006] In order to maintain player interest, video poker machines
have continued to implement new methods of playing what is
essentially the same game, attempting to construct hands of the
highest possible payout value. Variations in rules, wild cards,
payouts, and the like have been successful to varying degrees.
[0007] Thus, it can be seen that there is a need in the art for a
method and device that provides a card game in which the result is
based on a matrix of cards, rather than a single hand of cards.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention is a method and device for conducting
a card game. According to the present invention, a matrix of m
matrix rows and n matrix columns of card locations is created using
a deck of cards. Optionally, the matrix is a five by five matrix.
The matrix is formed by performing m iterations of hand creation
from the deck. In each iteration, n cards are dealt to a row from
available cards in the deck. The player then discards zero or more
cards from the dealt hand. The discarded cards are unavailable to
be subsequently dealt in the matrix. Optionally, the cards
unavailable to be dealt are displayed, such as in a row or a
separate matrix. Replacement cards for discarded cards are dealt
for the available cards in the deck to complete the hand. In an
optional embodiment, the deck is segmented into subsets with each
subset allocated to a hand. Replacement cards for a hand are dealt
from the subset for that hand and the remaining undealt cards of a
subset are made unavailable after the hand is completed. Once the
iterations are complete and the matrix is filled, the cards
comprising at least one of the matrix rows or matrix columns is
rearranged to form a final matrix. Optionally, the rearranged cards
are displayed in the matrix. In another optional embodiment, the
rearranged cards are maintained in the dealt positions, but the
hand with which each rearranged card is evaluated is indicated.
Optionally, the rearrangement may be performed automatically to
maximize the value of the final matrix or under the player's
control.
[0009] The final matrix is evaluated. In evaluating the final
matrix, the hands of each matrix row formed by the cards not
discarded plus any replacement cards distributed to replace cards
discarded are evaluated by comparing each hand to one or more
prespecified value tables. Similarly, the hands of each matrix
column formed by the cards not discarded plus any replacement cards
distributed to replace cards discarded are evaluated by comparing
each hand to one or more prespecified value tables. In an optional
embodiment, the player places a game wager. In one optional
embodiment, the player is rewarded based on the overall value of
the final matrix determined by summing the value of the hands of
the matrix rows and the matrix columns. In another optional
embodiment, the wager is allocated among the matrix columns and
matrix rows and the player is rewarded based on the payout
associated with each matrix column and each matrix row and the
wager allocated to that matrix column or matrix row. In such an
optional embodiment, the payout is determined based on a value
table of winning hands and associated payouts.
[0010] In a further optional embodiment, the card game may be
conducted at a plurality of terminals connected to a common
computer. A round of play is conducted in which a plurality of card
games are played by a plurality of players. Each card game produces
a value for its final matrix equal to the sum of the value of the
hands of the matrix rows and the matrix columns. The final matrix
values for players are tracked. The tournament winner is the player
that obtained a greater final matrix value than any other player
obtained during the round of play. If two or more players tie, no
winner is declared and additional rounds are played until a single
player obtains a greater final matrix value than all other
players.
[0011] In an optional wagering embodiment, each player places a
wager and, if the wager is greater than, or equal to, a tournament
threshold quantity, a portion of the player's wager is allocated to
a tournament payout. The values of the final matrices obtained by
each player placing a wager greater than, or equal to, a
predetermined tournament threshold quantity are tracked. The
tournament payout is awarded to the player who achieves a value of
a final matrix greater than that achieved by any other player
during the round of play. If two or more players tie by achieving
the same value of a final matrix during the round of play, the
tournament payout is carried over to a subsequent round. Additional
rounds of play are conducted until only one player achieves a value
of a final matrix during a round of play greater than all other
players.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a display of overall layout of the display screen
according to an optional embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2A is an illustration of the card display portion of
the display screen according to an optional embodiment of the
present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2B is an illustration of the card availability matrix
portion of the display screen according to an optional embodiment
of the present invention;
[0015] FIGS. 3A-E are respectively illustrations of the first
through fifth row of the card display portion of the display screen
according to an optional embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIGS. 4A-K are illustrations of an example game according to
an optional embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is an illustration of a final matrix in an example
game according to an optional embodiment of the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is display of overall layout of the display screen
according to an optional embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a table of the wagers compared to the house rake
and player win for a multi-player tournament according to an
optional embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION
[0020] Reference is now made to the figures wherein like parts are
referred to by like numerals throughout. Referring initially to
FIG. 1, an optional gaming device display 100 for play of a card
game according to an optional embodiment of the present invention.
The device display 100 consists of two sections, a card display
section 200, and an available card indicator display 300.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 2A, the card display section 200 consists
of a plurality (m) of rows of card displays 210, 220, 230, 240,
250, arranged in a matrix arrangement to form a plurality (n) of
columns of card displays 219, 229, 239, 249, 259. In the optional
embodiment illustrated, the matrix consists of five rows 210, 220,
230, 240, 250, and five columns 219, 229, 239, 249, 259. Alternate
embodiments may use greater or fewer rows, and greater or fewer
columns, and need not have equal numbers of rows and columns.
[0022] As illustrated in FIGS. 3A-E, in the optional embodiment
illustrated, the topmost row 210 consists of five card locations
211, 212, 213, 214, 215; the second row 220 consists of five card
locations 221, 222, 223, 224, 225; the third row 220 consists of
five card locations 231, 232, 233, 234, 235; the fourth row 220
consists of five card locations 241, 242, 243, 244, 255; and the
fifth row 220 consists of five card locations 251, 252, 253, 254,
255. The card locations are arranged so as to form five columns
219, 229, 239, 249, 259 such that the first column consists of five
card locations 211, 221, 231, 241, 251; the second column consists
of five card locations 212, 222, 232, 242, 252; the third column
consists of five card locations 213, 223, 233, 243, 253; the fourth
column consists of five card locations 214, 224, 234, 244, 254; and
the fifth column consists of five card locations 215, 225, 235,
245, 255.
[0023] As illustrated in FIG. 2B, in the optional embodiment
illustrated, the available card indicator display consists of a
matrix of indicators reflecting the availability status of the
cards which comprise the card deck. In the optional embodiment
illustrated, the indicators are arranged into four columns 310,
320, 330, 340 representing the suits of the deck, and thirteen rows
351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363
representing the thirteen card values in each suit. Thus, for
example, in the optional embodiment illustrated, the availability
of the 9 of spades is indicated by the indicator at the
intersection of the rightmost column 340 and the ninth row from the
top 359. In the optional embodiment illustrate, at the commencement
of play all of the indicators would be lit, indicating availability
of all cards. As cards were utilized in the play, indicator lights
would be extinguished, indicating cards which were no longer
available. In alternate embodiments, indicators could be
extinguished for cards which had not been used, as such cards might
nonetheless be removed from play. This latter option might be more
applicable in the tournament implementation, described below.
[0024] In an alternate embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the
available card indicator display 300 may be replaced by a discard
card indicator display 600 that shows at least a portion of the
cards unavailable for dealing. That is, as described in greater
detail below, when a card is discarded, the card may be displayed
in the discard card indicator display 600 so that the player can at
least track those cards that were previously displayed and are no
longer available for dealing.
[0025] The present game could be played as a wagering game or as a
solitaire game. For example, in an optional embodiment, the present
game may not include any wagering. In another optional embodiment,
however, a method commences with at least one wager placed by the
player. In one optional embodiment, the wager is a single wager
placed on the game as a whole. In an alternate embodiment, the
wagers may be placed on, or allocated to, each individually
constituted row 210, 220, 230, 240, 250 and column 219, 229, 239,
249, 259.
[0026] As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the hand begins with the dealing
of cards, or electronic card representations, into the topmost row
210 of card display locations 211, 212, 213, 214, 215. In one
optional embodiment, as the cards are dealt, the available card
indicator matrix 300 is updated to reflect the nonavailability of
the cards. In the optional embodiment illustrated, utilizing the
example illustrated in FIG. 4A, indicator lights for the Queen of
Hearts, the 10 of Spades, the 2 of Diamonds, the Jack of Clubs, and
the 4 of Hearts would now indicate that these cards are no longer
available.
[0027] The player indicates which displayed cards 211, 212, 213,
214, 215 are to be held and which are to be discarded and replaced.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 4A the 10 of Spades 212, the 2
of Diamonds 213, and the 4 of Hearts 215 are discarded and
replaced, as here shown in FIG. 4B, by the 10 of Diamonds 212, the
8 of Clubs 213, and the 9 of Spades 215. The topmost row 210 is now
complete, and each column 219, 229, 239, 249, 259 now has a single
card. In one optional embodiment, the available card indicator
matrix 300 is updated to show the unavailability of the replacement
cards dealt, in this example the 10 of Diamonds, the 8 of Clubs,
and the 9 of Spades. In another optional embodiment, the discard
card indicator display 600 is updated to show that the discarded
cards are no longer available.
[0028] As shown in FIGS. 4C-4H, the sequence of deal, discard, and
replace is repeated for the second row 220, filling and finalizing
the card display locations 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, the third row
230, filling and finalizing the card display locations 231, 232,
233, 234, 235, and the fourth row 240, filling and finalizing the
card display locations 241, 242, 243, 244, 245. In one optional
embodiment, as each card is dealt, the available card indicator
matrix 300 is updated to show the unavailability of that card. In
an alternate embodiment, as cards are discarded, the discard card
indicator display 600 is updated to indicate that the cards are no
longer available.
[0029] As shown in FIGS. 4I and 4J, the fifth, or bottommost, row
250 likewise is created by dealing the display locations 251, 252,
253, 254, 255, discarding and replacing. However, as illustrated in
FIG. 4K, following the replacement step, the display locations 251,
252, 253, 254, 255 of the final row, may "float" and be rearranged
within the fifth row 250 to maximize the hands created within the
columns 219, 229, 239, 249, 259. In the optional embodiment
illustrated, the "float" is automated with the purpose of
maximizing the value of the final matrix. In an alternate
embodiment, the "float" may be manually determined by the player,
and may not necessarily create the optimal final result.
[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the final matrix is evaluated.
Evaluation is performed for each final row 210, 220, 230, 240, 250,
and for each final column 219, 229, 239, 249, 259. In the optional
embodiment illustrated, the evaluation is determined by examining
each such hand 210, 219, 220, 229, 230, 239, 240, 240, 250, 259 and
determining the hand value for the created hand according to a
prespecified table of hand values as illustrated in Table 1. In an
optional embodiment, the value of the final matrix is the sum of
the values for each hand. TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Hand Hand Value
Jacks or Better 1 Two Pair 2 Three of a Kind 3 Straight 5 Flush 7
Full House 9 Four of a Kind 15 Straight Flush 40 Royal Flush
400
[0031] In a variation on such an optional embodiment in which a
wager is placed, the hand values directly correlate to the reward
for a particular hand. For example, if a player obtains a flush in
one of the matrix rows, the player expects to be paid at a rate of
7:1 for the wager allocated to, or placed on, that matrix row. The
total reward for the final matrix in such an optional embodiment is
the sum of the rewards for each individual hand in the final
matrix.
[0032] In another optional embodiment, however, the final matrix is
evaluated as a whole. In such an optional embodiment, the hand
values of each hand in the final matrix are summed to determine the
value of the final matrix.
[0033] In a variation on such an optional embodiment in which a
player places a wager, the value of the final matrix may be
correlated to a payout. An example of such a value table is shown
in Table 2. Thus, a player could obtain several low value hands,
and one high value hand, and still obtain a payout. Conversely, a
player could obtain several medium value hands, and several low
value hands, and obtain no payout. TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Total
Matrix Value Payout 12-19 1:1 20-34 2:1 35-49 3:1 50-74 5:1 75-99
8:1 100-199 10:1 200-299 20:1 300-399 30:1 400-799 50:1 800-1199
100:1 1200-1599 250:1 1600-1699 5000:1 1700 or more 25000:1
[0034] Returning to FIG. 5, the evaluation of the example game
would yield results shown in Table 2: TABLE-US-00003 Row/Column
Resultant Hand Value 210 Straight 5 220 Flush 7 230 Pair of Aces 1
240 Nothing 0 250 Straight Flush 40 219 Straight 5 229 Pair of
sixes 0 239 Four Eights 15 249 Three Sevens 3 259 Four Nines 15
[0035] According to the method of Table 2, this would yield an 8:1
payout on the initial wager.
[0036] In an alternate optional embodiment, different weights would
be assigned to each row 210, 220, 230, 240, 250 and column 219,
229, 239, 249, 259. For example, as the game progresses, the value
of each row 210, 220, 230, 240, 250 might increase, making the
later decisions more critical to the payout.
[0037] In another alternate embodiment; wagering could be allocated
to each hand 210, 219, 220, 229, 230, 239, 240, 249, 250, 259
individually and just a payout table could be used, eliminating the
hand value table.
[0038] In another alternate embodiment, multiple payout tables
could be used, with each hand 210, 219, 220, 229, 230, 239, 240,
249, 250, 259 being paid according to an associated payout
table.
[0039] In any of these embodiments, it is noted that the final hand
value may represent currency or credits exchangeable for currency
or used to play the game, points that are accrued into a points
account exchangeable for goods or services, points that have no
intrinsic value, points that may be traded among players, but are
not exchangeable for currency, or any other form of representation.
For example, in one embodiment, the final matrix value may be
accrued to a points account that is separate from the wager. In
other words, in such an optional embodiment, the wager is placed
for conduct of a game, and the final matrix value is paid in points
that are unrelated to the wager or credits used for conduct of the
game. In one example of such a version of this embodiment, suppose
a player pays one penny ($0.01) to play the game. The final matrix
value may be, for example, eighty-three points. While this could
represent $0.83 in one version of the game, in this optional
embodiment, it merely represents eighty-three points that are
accrued to a points account. If the player plays a subsequent game
for one penny ($0.01) and receives an final matrix with a value of
sixty-two points, the player's point account now has one hundred
forty-five points (i.e. eighty-three+sixty-two).
[0040] In an optional embodiment, the game may be played in a
tournament mode on multiple terminals linked to a common computer.
In one version of such an optional tournament embodiment, players
may be competing against one another for a payout. The payout may
be awarded based on any criteria, including one or more of the
player with the highest (or lowest) ranking hand, the player with
the highest (or lowest) ranking set of hands, the player with the
highest (or lowest) point total for all hands, or the like.
[0041] In an optional embodiment, each terminal could utilize the
same card deck sequence in each round. However, this is not
essential. Nevertheless, in such an embodiment, an optional
implementation would segment a deck into a subset of cards for each
row. For example, in one optional embodiment, the cards dealt to
the first row 210, whether initially or as replacements, would come
from the first subset of ten cards in the deck; the cards dealt to
the second row 220, whether initially or as replacements, would
come from the second subset of ten cards in the deck, regardless of
the number of cards utilized in creating the first row; the cards
dealt to the third row 230, whether initially or as replacements,
would come from the third subset of ten cards in the deck
regardless of the number of cards previously used; the cards dealt
to the fourth row 240, whether initially or as replacements, would
come from the fourth subset of ten cards in the deck, regardless of
the number of cards previously used; and the cards dealt to the
fifth row 250, whether initially or as replacements, would come
from the fifth subset of ten cards in the deck, regardless of the
number of cards previously used. In this way, each tournament
player would be playing the same cards, from the same deal, for
each row 210, 220, 230, 240, 250. It should be noted that in such
an optional embodiment, once a row is completed, the cards of the
subset assigned to that row may be made unavailable for dealing.
Thus, for example, in a game in which each hand is assigned a
subset of ten cards and a player is dealt a hand of five cards, if
a player discards three cards from a hand, three replacements are
dealt, leaving the three discarded cards and the two unused cards
as unavailable. In an optional embodiment, the identities of the
unused and unavailable cards from the subset are not revealed to
the player.
[0042] In another optional tournament embodiment, all players may
begin with an identically constituted deck, but following
completion of replacement on one or more rows 210, 220, 230 240,
the remaining available cards may be reshuffled, such reshuffling
independent for each player. Such an embodiment gives the players
the impression that skill will have at least some influence in
determining the tournament winner, because each player begins with
an identically constituted deck.
[0043] In yet another optional embodiment, each terminal may use a
different deck of cards. In such an optional embodiment, a single
deck is continuously depleted as cards are dealt, either initially
to a row or as replacement cards.
[0044] In conducting a game according to the present invention, the
hands of the matrix are dealt and play of each hand is conducted.
In an optional embodiment, the decision regarding which cards to
hold or discard and replace are made by the player, such as through
an input selection. For example, if a player is dealt A J.diamond.
7.diamond. 9 J, the player may choose to hold the J.diamond. J (or
discard and replace the A 7.diamond. 9, as the case may be). In
another optional embodiment, the player may have the option of
allowing the terminal to conduct the hand on the player's behalf.
In various embodiments, the terminal may prescribe a strategy, play
an optimum strategy, or allow the player to select from a set of
strategies in conducting the hands. Thus, if a player is dealt J 8
9 10 J.diamond., the terminal conducting the hand for the player
may hold the J J.diamond. or to hold the 8 9 10 J.diamond.,
depending upon the strategy employed or, in an alternate
embodiment, selected by the player. In one application of such an
embodiment, a player could purchase a quantity of games and allow
the terminal to run the games without the player's supervision.
[0045] As noted above, a player may have the option to allow a
terminal to conduct a game, or play the game for himself or
herself. For example, a player could purchase a quantity of games
at a certain fixed price per game, such as $0.01 per game, and upon
initiating play at a terminal, such as by entering a code at a
personal computer, inserting a ticket at a kiosk or gaming machine,
or the like, the terminal conducts the quantity of games, either
under the direction of the player, or on its own using a
predetermined strategy. FIG. 7 illustrates the wagers collected
over various periods of time based on various numbers of players
simultaneously playing a game according to the present invention,
assuming each game lasts fifty-five seconds. FIG. 7 also
illustrates a possible allocation between the player win, i.e. the
amount allocated to a payout for which the players are competing,
and the house rake, i.e. the amount allocated to the operator of
the tournament. For example, as illustrated in the figure, in a
game in which each player game is bought for a fixed price of
$0.01, in one optional allocation, the house rake could be $500.00
and the payout could be $10,000.00, assuming play by one million
players for that game. Similarly, as shown in the figure, over a
period of twenty-four hours, the house rake would accrue to a total
of $785,454.00 and the payouts would total $15,709,080.00, assuming
continuous play by one million players over that time period for a
payment of $0.01 per game.
[0046] In an optional tournament embodiment of the present
invention, the winner of the tournament is determined by tracking
the final matrix values of the players during the tournament. While
the specific calculation of final matrix value could vary, in an
optional embodiment, the final matrix value is the sum of the
values of the hands of the final matrix. The winner is the player
with a final matrix value greater than all other players. If two or
more players tie, no winner is declared and additional rounds may
be conducted until a player has a greater final matrix value than
all other players.
[0047] In an optional embodiment involving wagering, a player may
be required to wager at or above a predetermined tournament
threshold quantity to participate in the tournament. In an
alternate tournament embodiment, each player wagers an equal amount
to participate in a tournament, but does not wager upon each hand.
In such optional tournament embodiments, a portion of a wager equal
to, or greater than, the tournament threshold quantity may be
allocated to a tournament payout. The tournament payout is awarded
to the tournament winner. If a tie occurs, the tournament payout
may be carried over to a subsequent round until a tournament winner
is declared.
[0048] In an alternate tournament embodiment, in order to avoid
such ties, hand valuations could take into account the rank of the
hand, as well as the category of the hand, see Table 3.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 3 Hand Hand Value Pair of Twos 101 Pair of
Threes 102 Pair of Fours 103 . . . . . . Pair of Twos and Threes
201 Pair of Twos and Fours 202 Pair of Twos and Fives 203 . . . . .
. Three of a Kind Twos 301 Three of a Kind Threes 302 Three of a
Kind Fours 303 . . . . . . Six High Straight 501 Seven High
Straight 502 Eight High Straight 503 . . . . . .
[0049] In another optional tournament embodiment, in order to
synchronize play, remove player advantage for slow play, and speed
up the hand, all participating players could be given an equal time
to designate their cards to be held within each row 210, 220, 230,
240, 250. At the end of such time period, designated cards would be
held, non-designated cards would be discarded and replaced. For
example, as decisions for each row 210, 220, 230, 240, 250 becomes
increasingly complex, players might receive five seconds to
indicate their choices in the first row 210, eight seconds for the
second row 220, eight seconds for the third row 230, twelve seconds
for the fourth row 240, and twenty seconds for the fifth and final
row 250. Players failing to designate selections within such time
will have all cards in that row 210, 220, 230, 240, 250 discarded
and replaced.
[0050] 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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