U.S. patent application number 11/215474 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-01 for system and method for providing poker player tracking and bonus events.
Invention is credited to Eric W. Lancaster, Richard M. Rader.
Application Number | 20070045958 11/215474 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37803010 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070045958 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rader; Richard M. ; et
al. |
March 1, 2007 |
System and method for providing poker player tracking and bonus
events
Abstract
A gaming system having a gaming table and including a
progressive jackpot funded by a portion of the house rake of a card
game played at the gaming table. The gaming system includes a
tracking system capable of identifying and tracking cards dealt and
wagers placed in order to identify frequent players and provide
complimentary items accordingly. The gaming system is also capable
of notifying a player at a remote gaming device that a seat at the
gaming table is open.
Inventors: |
Rader; Richard M.; (Albany,
OR) ; Lancaster; Eric W.; (Las Vegas, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLC
P.O. Box 1135
Chicago
IL
60690-1135
US
|
Family ID: |
37803010 |
Appl. No.: |
11/215474 |
Filed: |
August 30, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/274 ;
463/25 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3211 20130101; G07F 17/322 20130101; G07F 17/3237 20130101;
G07F 17/3234 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/274 ;
463/025 |
International
Class: |
A63F 3/08 20060101
A63F003/08; A63F 9/24 20060101 A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at
least one processor, said gaming system comprising: a table for a
live card game, said table including a support structure, a playing
surface, a plurality of player positions, a dealer position, and at
least one wagering area, and wherein said card game employs at
least one deck of playing cards; a tracking system operable with
the processor to determine for plays of the card game at the table,
a total amount wagered in the wagering area and a house rake amount
based on said total amount wagered; and a progressive jackpot award
provided if a hand in a play of the card game at the table includes
a predetermined combination of cards, wherein the progressive
jackpot award is funded at least partially by a portion of the
house rake for plays of the card game at the table.
2. A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at
least one processor, said gaming system comprising: a table for a
live card game, said table including a support structure, a playing
surface, a plurality of player positions, a dealer position and at
least one wagering area, and wherein said card game employs at
least one deck of playing cards; at least one display device
operable to display game information to a dealer at the dealer
position; a tracking system including at least one chip identifier
operable to identify one or more chips representing an amount of
each wager placed in the wagering area for plays of the card game
at the table, said tracking system operable to communicate the
identified wager amounts to the processor, wherein the processor is
operable to calculate the value of a rake for plays of the card
game at the table based, in part, on a sum of the wager amounts
communicated from the tracking system; and a progressive jackpot
award funded at least partially by a portion of the house rake for
plays of the card game at the table.
3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the
progressive jackpot award is provided if a hand includes a
predetermined combination of cards.
4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the card game is a poker
game and the predetermined combination of cards is a Straight Flush
or Four-of-a-Kind.
5. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the poker game is Texas
Hold'em and the progressive jackpot award is provided only if a
player achieves the predetermined combination of cards using both
hole cards dealt to the player.
6. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the poker game is Seven
Card Stud and the progressive jackpot award is provided only if a
player achieves the predetermined combination of cards using both
face-down cards dealt to the player.
7. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined
combination of cards is a Royal Straight Flush.
8. A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at
least one processor, said gaming device comprising: a table for a
live card game, said table including a support structure, a playing
surface, a plurality of player positions, a dealer position, and at
least one wagering area, and wherein said card game employs at
least one deck of playing cards; a tracking system including at
least one player identification input device, and a card identifier
operable to identify each card dealt to each player position in a
play of the card game and communicate the identity of the cards to
the processor, wherein at an end of the play the processor updates
a player profile associated with the player identification card
with the rank of the player's hand; and a progressive jackpot award
adapted to be provided to a player, based at least in part, on game
play information stored in the player profile.
9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the progressive jackpot
award is provided to the player that has achieved the highest
ranking hand during a predetermined period of time over a series of
plays of the card game at the table.
10. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the tracking system
includes a chip identifier operable to identify one or more chips
which represent the amount of each wager placed in the wagering
area, said tracking system operable to communicate the identified
wager amounts to the processor, wherein the processor is operable
to calculate the value of the rake based, in part, on a sum of the
wager amounts communicated from the tracking system.
11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the progressive jackpot
award is funded at least partially by a portion of the house rake,
wherein the house rake is based on a value of a pot.
12. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the table includes an
input device which enables a dealer to input the value of each
wager.
13. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the progressive jackpot
award is provided to a randomly selected player if the player had
placed at least one wager during a determined period of time.
14. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein the determined period of
time is selected from the group consisting of: the previous
twenty-four hours; the previous calendar day; the previous hour;
and the previous calendar week.
15. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the card game is a
no-limit poker game where each of a plurality of players have a
number of wagering chips, and wherein the progressive jackpot award
is provided to a randomly selected player, if said player has been
registered at the table for a determined amount of time, and if on
a determined play of the game said player wagers all of said
player's remaining chips and loses the hand.
16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the determined period of
time is selected from the group consisting of: the previous hour;
the previous twenty-four hours; the previous calendar day; and the
previous calendar week.
17. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the progressive jackpot
award is funded at least partially by a portion of a house rake for
each play of the game at the table.
18. A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at
least one processor, said gaming system comprising: a table for a
card game, said table including a support structure, a playing
surface, a plurality of player positions and a dealer position, and
wherein said card game employs at least one deck of playing cards;
and a notification system operable to (a) identify a vacant player
position at the table, (b) retrieve a waiting list of potential
players, and (c) determine if a next potential player on the
waiting list is registered at one of a plurality of remote gaming
devices connected to the gaming system through a network, and (d)
cause the processor to send a vacancy notification through the
linked network to the potential player playing at the remote gaming
device.
19. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of
remote gaming devices include player identification input devices
enabling player registration.
20. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein the vacancy notification
is a message displayed on a display device of the remote gaming
device at which the potential player is registered.
21. The gaming system of claim 18, which includes a progressive
jackpot award, wherein the progressive jackpot award is funded at
least partially by a portion of a house rake for each play of the
game.
22. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein the card game is a poker
game selected from the group consisting of: Five Card Draw, Five
Card Stud, Seven Card Stud, Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hold'em.
23. A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at
least one processor, said gaming system comprising: a table for a
card game, said table including a support structure, a playing
surface, a plurality of player positions, a dealer position and at
least one wagering area, and wherein said card game employs at
least one deck of playing cards; and a tracking system including at
least one chip identifier operable to identify one or more chips
which represents an amount of each wager placed in the wagering
area for each play of the card game at the table, said tracking
system operable to associate a wager with a player and communicate
the identified wager amounts to the processor, wherein the
processor is operable to update a player profile with the wager
amounts, wherein a player comp rating is based, at least in part,
on the total amounts wagered in the player profile.
24. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein the player comp rating
is further based on a percentage of the value of the pot for each
play of the card game at the table.
25. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein the player comp rating
is further based on the amount of time a player actively plays.
26. The gaming system of claim 24, wherein the player comp rating
is further based on the amount of time a player actively plays.
27. The gaming system of claim 23, wherein the player comp rating
is further based on the number of plays of the card game stored in
the player profile.
28. The gaming system of claim 24, wherein the player comp rating
is further based on the number of plays of the card game stored in
the player profile.
29. The gaming system of claim 24, wherein the player comp rating
is based on a percentage of a house rake for each play of the card
game at the table.
30. A gaming system operated at least partially under control of at
least one processor, said gaming system comprising: a table for a
live poker game, said table including a support structure, a
playing surface, a plurality of player positions, a dealer position
and at least one wagering area, wherein said poker game employs at
least one deck of playing cards; at least one display device
operable to display game information to a dealer at the dealer
position; and a tracking system including at least one chip
identifier, said chip identifier operable to identify one or more
chips representing an amount of each wager placed in the wagering
area for a play of the poker game at the table, wherein the
tracking system is operable to communicate the wager amounts to the
processor, wherein the processor is operable to calculate a house
rake for said play of the poker game based on the wager amounts and
cause said display device to display said rake for said play of the
poker game.
Description
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection.
The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction
by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in
exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office
patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights
whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In recent years poker has become very popular. Gaming
establishments are increasingly offering poker rooms that include
many live gaming tables where players can play against each other.
In return for providing these gaming tables and services to the
players, the casinos generally take a small percentage of the total
amounts wagered in each hand. This percentage is generally referred
to as the rake and the amount represents a fair return to the
casino for providing these services to the players. Despite the
current popularity of poker, many gaming establishments do not
realize the full profit potential of the gaming tables because
poker seats remain empty, because there is not enough advertised
interest in the poker room, or because the games do not hold the
player's interest over an extended period of time. Also, when the
poker room is busy, players may be frustrated by having to wait in
line in order to get a seat at the table.
[0003] In general, poker hands consist of five cards dealt from a
52 card deck. There are nine general categories of hands, ranked
from highest to lowest, as shown in Table 1. TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1
Ranking of Poker Hands by Category Rank Name Example 1 Straight
Flush KQJ109 2 Four of a Kind JJ J.diamond-solid.J3 3 Full House A
A.diamond-solid.A6.diamond-solid.6 4 Flush AJ862 5 Straight
8.diamond-solid.7654 6 Three of a Kind QQ
Q.diamond-solid.6.diamond-solid.2 7 Two Pair 8.diamond-solid.8 5 52
8 One Pair K.diamond-solid.K872 9 No Pair A
107.diamond-solid.53
[0004] Within each category, hands are ranked according to the rank
of individual cards, with an Ace being the highest card and a two
being the lowest card. There is no difference in rank between the
four suits of cards. All hands can be ranked in a linear ranking
from highest to lowest. Because suits are all of the same value,
however, there are multiple hands that have identical rankings. For
example, there are four equivalent hands for each type of straight
flush, four of a kind, or flush, there are over a hundred
equivalent hands for each two pair variation, and there are over
1,000 equivalent hands for each type of no-pair hand.
[0005] Poker is characterized by rounds of card dealing and
wagering. Numerous variations of poker exist, including Five Card
Draw, Five Card Stud, Seven Card Stud, Hold'em (also called Texas
Hold'em), Omaha (also called Omaha Hold'em), and Pai-Gow. The
variations in these games generally differ in the manner in which
cards are dealt and in the manner and frequency in which bets are
placed. Various criteria may also be used to determine the winning
hand, including highest ranking hand, lowest ranking hand
(Low-Ball), and high and low hands each win half (High-Low).
[0006] In certain variations of poker, a round of play begins when
each player has placed an initial bet, called the ante, into the
pot. The term pot refers to the total accumulation of antes and
wagers made during a particular game. However, in other poker
variations, such as Texas Hold'em, only two players at a table make
the initial bets, commonly referred to as blinds. These blinds
include a large blind and a small blind. The large blind is
typically twice the value of the small blind. In a blind based
game, all players are eligible to play, even if they did not
initially place the large blind or the small blind. After the
players have anted or placed the blinds, depending on the game,
each player eligible for play is dealt an initial set of cards.
[0007] The number of cards dealt depends on the particular
variation of poker being played. For example, in Five Card Draw,
each player is initially dealt five cards. In Texas Hold'em, Five
Card Stud and Seven Card Stud, each player is initially dealt two
cards. These cards are typically dealt face-down; however,
depending on the game, some of the cards may be dealt face-up to
the player. For example, in Five Card Stud, each player is
initially dealt one card face-up and one card face-down. In Texas
Hold'em, each player is initially dealt two cards face-down which
are commonly referred to as the hole cards.
[0008] After the initial deal, a first round of betting begins,
where the players have the opportunity to place wagers. If a player
places a wager, that wager must be matched (i.e., called) or raised
by each player that wants to remain in the game. A raise includes
matching the previous wager and increasing the total bet. A player
who does not match a bet drops out of the game or folds. A round of
betting ends when either every player but one has folded, or when
the highest bet or raise has been called by each remaining player
such that each remaining player has wagered the same amount into
the pot during the round.
[0009] Depending on the variation of poker being player, each game
may have several rounds of wagering, each round of wagering
generally preceded by dealing one or more cards. If two or more
players remain after a particular round of wagering, either more
cards are dealt, or there is a showdown, depending on the game
variation being played. A showdown occurs when two or more players
remain in a game after the last round of wagering has been
completed for a particular round. A player wins a game of poker
either by having the highest ranking hand when a showdown occurs,
or by being the last remaining player in the game after all other
players have dropped out, or folded. At a showdown, each player
displays the player's hand to the other players. If two or more
players have identically ranked hands that are the highest ranking
hands, the pot is split evenly between them.
[0010] Gaming establishments have long recognized that progressive
jackpots tend to increase excitement and hold a player's interest
in a game. Recent developments in live gaming table technology
include the incorporation of a progressive jackpot feature. For
example, one system provides a live card game that includes a
progressive jackpot feature, where a player becomes eligible to win
the progressive jackpot by making an optional additional wager. The
additional wager funds the progressive jackpot. Another known
system provides for an optional progressive wager, where the gaming
table includes a separate coin acceptor at each player position
that is operable to receive an optional progressive bet. In another
system, a gaming table includes an apparatus operable to receive
the optional progressive game token and to control a jackpot meter.
The apparatus is built into the game table and any number of tables
can be networked together for a single progressive jackpot.
[0011] A common characteristic of all of the above approaches that
include conventional progressive systems for live gaming tables, is
the requirement that each player must place a separate optional
progressive wager. Therefore, participation in the progressive
jackpot feature is at the option of the player, and contributions
are only made to the progressive jackpot when a player makes the
optional wager. Furthermore, the variety of progressive table games
is limited and they do not adequately reward the frequent
players.
[0012] In addition to recognizing the value of progressive
jackpots, gaming establishments have also recognized the value of
building customer loyalty through identifying frequent customers
and rewarding them for their patronage. These rewards are typically
referred to as comping. To properly identify customers that are
deserving of special comp rewards, automated player tracking
technologies exist to accurately identify these individuals. The
cumulative history of a particular player's gaming activity, which
is included in a player profile, enables gaming establishments to
target individual players with direct marketing promotions or
customized compensation plans.
[0013] In existing player tracking systems, a player is issued a
player identification card which has an encoded player
identification number that uniquely identifies the player. Player
tracking on gaming devices such as slot machines, is typically
accomplished with a card reader mounted to the gaming device. When
the player first sits down at a gaming machine, the player inserts
the card into the card reader. The reader reads the player
identification number off the card and communicates information
through a network to a central computer regarding the player's
subsequent gaming activity.
[0014] Subsequent systems have adapted the card reader technology
to live gaming tables. Existing live gaming table tracking systems
include magnetic stripe card readers mounted to the table for
entering player identification information on the magnetic stripe
cards. In certain of these systems, wagering information is entered
by a pit boss using a touch screen mounted to the table. These
systems require a manual data entry of the wagers, and thus do not
fully automate data collection for player tracking.
[0015] Other systems have enhanced tracking systems for live gaming
tables that incorporate chip identifiers and card identifiers.
These technologies help to further automate the tracking and
comping process. One example of an optical chip reading technology
includes mounting a black and white CCD sensor into a reading
turret placed in proximity to a player's wagering area. In this
system, each wagering chip includes patterns of repeated coding
around the periphery of the chip. The patterns are identifiable by
the CCD sensor. Therefore, the gaming system is able to determine
the amount of each wager by imaging all of the chips and
associating the patterns with a chip value.
[0016] One example of a playing card identifier is described in
U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0171142 to Toshiyuki et al., which
discloses a card data reader where the card data recorded on the
back of the playing card will be read by an internal image sensor.
Another example of tracking technology is described in U.S. Patent
Application No. 2002/0049085 to Richard et al. ("Richard"), which
discloses a table monitor that automatically images the activity
occurring at a gaming table. The Richard application describes an
imaging system that makes a periodic comparison of captured images
identifying player wagering, as well as the appearance, removal and
position of cards and other game objects on the gaming table.
Therefore, a card tracking system enables the casino to
automatically track cards dealt to a player and wagering patterns,
and store the information into memory.
[0017] Although gaming establishments are able to comp frequent
players based on information obtained from tracking systems on live
gaming tables, the gaming tables do not include progressive jackpot
features. Also, the progressive jackpot features are not funded by
a portion of the rake. Furthermore, gaming tables that include
progressive jackpot features do not provide a jackpot award based,
in part, on tracked cards and/or historical game play information
obtained through a tracking system.
[0018] A need exists for a progressive jackpot system for live
gaming tables that permits progressive jackpot awards while
minimizing interference with the conventional play of the game by
not requiring a separate progressive wager.
[0019] A need exists for new progressive jackpot features for live
gaming tables where the jackpot features are, at least in part,
related to player tracking information and where the jackpot award
effectively reward (i.e., comp) a player for frequent play.
SUMMARY
[0020] One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a gaming
system including a processor, a gaming table for a card game, and a
progressive jackpot funded by a portion of the house rake. More
specifically, the gaming table includes a plurality of player
positions, a dealer position, at least one wagering area, and at
least one display device operable to display the progressive
jackpot award, wherein the card game employs at least one deck of
playing cards. The deck of playing cards may be a standard
fifty-two card deck, or may be any other suitable type of deck,
such as a forty-eight card Pinochle deck, and may further include
Jokers or Wild cards. The progressive jackpot is awarded to a
player if a player satisfies a predetermined set of criteria.
Therefore, in the gaming system of this embodiment, every player at
the table is automatically qualified to win the progressive jackpot
award without having to place a separate additional wager. This
adds excitement to the game and encourages more players to
participate at the gaming table.
[0021] In one embodiment, the house rake is automatically
calculated. The gaming system includes a gaming table with a
tracking system, where the tracking system includes at least one
chip identifier. The chip identifier identifies the amount of each
wager placed in one or more wagering area and the tracking system
communicates this information to a central processor. The processor
calculates the value of the rake, based in part, on the sum of all
wagers identified by the tracking system. Therefore, the calculated
rake enables the dealer to determine and remove the rake from the
table (at the end of the game) and functions as a check and balance
against the manual chip count. This enables the casino to track at
least part of the revenue from the gaming room. In one embodiment,
the gaming system also includes a progressive jackpot that is
funded by a portion of the house rake. Because the rake is
automatically calculated based on information obtained from the
tracking system, the gaming system is operable to apply a
predetermined portion of the collected rake to the progressive
jackpot and causes this increased award to be updated on a display
device. Accordingly, the progressive jackpot award continues to
grow without any apparent interference with the game play.
[0022] In one embodiment, a gaming system includes a progressive
jackpot award that is based on the highest ranking hand achieved
during a particular period of time. The gaming system includes a
tracking system which includes at least one player identification
input device, and a card identifier operable to identify each card
dealt to a player position. The tracking system communicates the
identity of each card to the processor. At the end of a round of
play, the processor updates a player profile associated with the
player identification card with the rank of the player's hand.
Therefore, the gaming system keeps a record of every hand dealt to
a player along with the date and time the hand was dealt. Players
that have achieved the high ranking hand are encouraged to continue
playing until the progressive jackpot is awarded. Furthermore, if
the highest recorded ranking hand can be beaten, other players are
encourage to continue playing in hopes of getting an even higher
ranking hand. The more hands that a player plays during a
particular period of time, the more likely it is that the player
will achieve the highest ranking hand. Accordingly, the gaming
system of this embodiment tends to reward frequent players and
functions as a type of comp. In one embodiment, the period of time
is configurable and may include off peak hours. In one embodiment,
the progressive jackpot award is funded by a portion of the rake,
as mentioned above.
[0023] In one embodiment, a gaming system includes a gaming table
and a progressive jackpot award. The gaming system includes a
tracking system, as described above, to keep a record of every hand
played and the time the hands were played. In this embodiment, the
progressive jackpot award is provided to a randomly selected player
if the player is actively registered at the gaming system and if
the player profile indicates that the player had placed at least
one wager during a previous period of time. Therefore, this system
rewards frequent players and encourages people to come back and
play at later times. In one embodiment, the previous period of time
may be during off peak hours to encourage play during slow
periods.
[0024] In one embodiment, the gaming system includes a table
configured for a poker game and includes a progressive jackpot that
is awarded to a player achieving one of several high ranking poker
hands (e.g., Four of a Kind or a Straight Flush), where the
progressive jackpot is funded by a portion of the rake. In one
embodiment, the poker game includes dealing at least one hole card
and at least one community card. In this embodiment, the
progressive jackpot award is provided to the player that has
achieved a predetermined combination of cards utilizing the
player's hole cards. Therefore, the progressive feature of this
embodiment provides excitement to a player that has first been
dealt one or more hole cards that could potentially form one of the
predetermined high ranking hands. This adds an additional twist to
the game, because a poker player that is dealt qualifying hole
cards may reveal their excitement to other players at table. Other
players at the table may have an advantage by being able to
determine what cards the player is holding.
[0025] In one embodiment, a gaming system includes a progressive
jackpot feature for a no-limit poker game. In this embodiment, the
gaming system randomly selects a player at a particular point in
time. The jackpot award is provided to the randomly selected player
if that player has wagered all of their chips and subsequently
loses the hand. Therefore, a player that has lost all of their
chips has the possibility of being compensated by winning a
potentially large jackpot. Also, this may encourage more players to
risk going all-in in the hope of winning a progressive jackpot. In
one embodiment, the gaming system causes the display device to
display the randomly selected player prior to the player's decision
to go all-in. In another embodiment, the jackpot award is provided
to a randomly selected player that has gone all-in a predetermined
number of times, regardless of whether the player wins or loses
each of the hand. Alternatively, the jackpot award is provided to a
player that has gone all-in a predetermined number of times and won
each hand.
[0026] In one embodiment, a gaming system including a table for a
card game including a notification system to inform players that a
seat at a poker table is vacant. The gaming system includes a
notification system operable to identify a vacant player position
at the gaming table, retrieve a waiting list of potential players
from a database and determine if the first potential player on this
waiting list is actively playing at one of a plurality of remote
gaming devices or gaming tables. The remote gaming device or remote
gaming table must be connected to the card table through a linked
network and must include a player identification input device. The
notification system causes the processor to send a vacancy
notification through the linked network to the potential player
playing at the remote gaming device. In one embodiment, the
notification may be a message displayed on a the remote gaming
device or remote gaming table.
[0027] Additional features and advantages of the present invention
are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed
Description and the figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0028] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the
gaming system of the present disclosure.
[0029] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the data network that one
or more of the gaming systems of the present disclosure are
connected to.
[0030] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the dealer display
device.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a top view of one embodiment of the gaming system
of the present disclosure including a progressive jackpot
feature.
[0032] FIG. 5 is a top view of one embodiment of the gaming system
of the present disclosure including a progressive jackpot
feature.
[0033] FIG. 6 is a top view of one embodiment of the gaming system
of the present disclosure including a progressive jackpot
feature.
[0034] FIG. 7 is a top view of one embodiment of the gaming system
of the present disclosure including a progressive jackpot
feature.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure comprise a
gaming system including a live table game and an activity tracking
and reward system. The tracking system is configured to collect and
store raw data relating to the wagering activities of players at a
gaming table. The present disclosure also includes methods of
utilizing the obtained data. For example, the data may be used to
calculate the house rake, where the house rake may be based on the
size of the pot at the end of a hand. In one embodiment, certain
criteria are applied to the obtained data to determine if a player
qualifies to receive a progressive jackpot award. In another
embodiment, the collected data is analyzed to determine a player's
wagering history to determine whether or not the player is entitled
to certain complimentary items. In another embodiment, the gaming
system notifies a player that a seat is vacant at a poker table,
where the player is located at a remote gaming device or gaming
table.
[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a typical live gaming table
includes several components. The gaming table 100 includes a
suitable support structure 101, such as one or more legs. The table
includes a playing surface 102, a plurality of player positions
104a, 104b, 104c, 104d and 104e, and a dealer position 104f. The
gaming table generally includes a chip tray 106 for holding several
stacks of the dealer's chips. The dealer may use the chip tray 106
to collect a percentage of chips from the pot according to the
house rules. This percentage take is generally referred to as the
rake, as described above. The dealer may also use the chip tray to
make change for a player or allow a player to buy into a game. In
this example, there are five player positions. It should be
appreciated that the gaming table could accommodate any suitable
number of playing positions and players so as not to interfere with
game play. In one embodiment, the table game includes a plurality
of wagering areas 108a, 108b, 108c, 108d and 108e where all players
place their bets. It should be appreciated that the table game may
also include a community wagering area (not shown), that includes
all the chips in the pot. The table game also includes a plurality
of play areas 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d and 110e associated with each
of the player positions. Cards are dealt by the dealer
substantially within the respective play areas, such that cards
dealt to a first player position are not confused with cards dealt
to a second different player position. In the illustrated
embodiment, the gaming table includes at least one display device
114 operable to display any active bonus games and/or the current
value of one or more progressive jackpots. In another embodiment,
the gaming table could include a plurality of display devices each
associated with a player position. In the illustrated embodiment,
the display device provides information to the player that includes
the value of any progressive jackpots.
[0037] As illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of the gaming systems
120a, 120b and 120c are capable of being connected to a data
network. In one embodiment, the data network is a local area
network (LAN), in which one or more of the gaming systems are
substantially proximate to each other and an on-site central server
or controller 122 as in, for example, a gaming establishment or a
portion of a gaming establishment. In one embodiment, on or more
gaming systems may be connected to a plurality of different gaming
machines 124 and 126 and/or gaming tables 128. For example, the
gaming system may be connected to one or more slot machines, video
poker machines, or Blackjack tables, provided that the gaming
devices or gaming tables have appropriate player identification
input devices, such as a magnetic card reader.
[0038] In another embodiment, the data network is a wide area
network (WAN) in which one or more of the gaming systems are in
communication with at least one off-site central server or
controller. In this embodiment, the plurality of gaming systems may
be located in a different part of the gaming establishment or
within a different gaming establishment than the off-site central
server or controller. Thus, the WAN may include an off-site central
server or controller and an off-site gaming system located within
gaming establishments in the same geographic area, such as a city
or state. The WAN gaming system may be substantially identical to
the LAN gaming system described above, although the number of
gaming systems in each system may vary relative to each other.
[0039] In another embodiment, a plurality of gaming systems at one
or more gaming sites may be networked to a central server in a
progressive configuration, wherein a portion of the rake may be
allocated to bonus or secondary event awards. In one embodiment, a
host site computer is coupled to a plurality of the central servers
at a variety of mutually remote gaming sites for providing a
multi-site linked progressive automated gaming system. In one
embodiment, a host site computer may serve gaming systems
distributed throughout a number of properties at different
geographical locations including, for example, different locations
within a city or different cities within a state. In one
embodiment, a community display device (not shown) displays a
progressive award that can be viewed from a plurality of gaming
systems. The progressive award may be determined by several rounds
of poker, or it may be determined by contributions from different
gaming tables throughout the gaming establishment, each gaming
table linked through a network, as described above.
[0040] In one embodiment, the host site computer is maintained for
the overall operation and control of the system. In this
embodiment, a host site computer oversees the entire progressive
gaming system and is the master for computing all progressive
jackpots. All participating gaming sites report to, and receive
information from, the host site computer. Each central server
computer is responsible for all data communication between the
gaming system hardware and software and the host site computer.
[0041] In an embodiment, the gaming table is associated with a
tracking system. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the tracking system
includes at least one computer interface 140 located at each gaming
table and which is accessible to the dealer. In one embodiment, the
computer interface includes a player identification card reader 142
and a touch screen monitor 144. The touch screen monitor enables a
dealer to input information related to a player or the individual
wagers. For example, the dealer may manually enter the amount of
each wager for each player. It should be appreciated that any
suitable method may be used to identify a player or to input
wagers.
[0042] In another embodiment, the tracking system further includes
an automatic chip identifier (not shown) capable of identifying the
amount of each wager. The chip identifier may include technology
based on RFID or optically based, as described above. In one
embodiment, the dealer is able override the chip identification
system and manually input a wager. In another embodiment, the
tracking system further includes a card identifier operable to
identify the cards dealt to each player and communicate the
information to the processor.
[0043] Gaming Table Vacancy Notification
[0044] In one embodiment, where the gaming device includes a
tracking system, the gaming table includes an integrated player
identification input device operable to check a player into a
table. In one example, the input device is a magnetic card reader
operable upon swiping a magnetic player identification card (not
shown). Therefore, the system is capable of keeping track of the
players at a table as well as how many empty seats there are. If
all of the gaming tables are full, a processor generates a waiting
list for other players wishing to play and stores this into a
memory device. Referring back to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the
gaming systems 120a, 120b and 120c are networked to different
gaming machines and/or gaming tables throughout the casino, as
described above. The gaming machines may be traditional slot
machines, video poker games, video Blackjack games, or any other
suitable type of gaming machine connected through the network. In
this embodiment, if a potential player 132 on the waiting list is
playing at another remote gaming machine 124 that includes a player
identification input device (not shown), the player can log into
the network by inserting their player identification card into said
gaming machine. The gaming system 120a with the vacant player
position 130 causes the processor to provide notification to the
potential player 132 through the network that a seat at a gaming
table is available. For example, a player may be playing a
traditional slot machine on the opposite end of the casino from the
table games. In one embodiment, the slot machine includes a display
capable of displaying a message informing the player that a poker
seat is available and they are next on the waiting list. In one
embodiment, the gaming machine 124 further includes an input 136 to
allow the player to accept or decline the open seat at the poker
table. If the player declines the poker seat, a notification is
sent from the remote gaming machine 124 to the gaming table 120a.
The gaming system then attempts to notify the next potential poker
player on the waiting list. This allows for maximum utilization of
both the gaming tables and of other gaming devices by limiting the
need to wait in line for a gaming table. Moreover, this eliminates
or minimizes any player frustration associated with having to wait
for a seat in physical proximity to the poker room.
[0045] In another embodiment, the display device on the remote
gaming device informs the player of the value of any progressive
jackpots associated with the gaming system 120a. In another
embodiment, the gaming establishment provides a number of large
community displays (not shown) that indicate the value of any
progressive jackpots. Therefore, when the jackpots become large
there will be a larger motivation for the player to participate at
the gaming tables.
[0046] Table Game Progressive Jackpot Funded by the House Rake
[0047] In one embodiment, at least one type of bonus game will be
available to all players in the form of a progressive jackpot. The
progressive jackpot is funded by a portion of the rake and does not
require a separate optional wager by a player. The casino allocates
a portion of the rake to be applied to a progressive jackpot in one
or more different bonus games. In the example illustrated in FIGS.
4A and 4B, the gaming table 100 includes a wagering area 160 and a
progressive jackpot display 162. The progressive jackpot award is
initially $100,000.00 as indicated by the progressive jackpot
display 162. FIG. 4A illustrates the end of a particular round of a
card game where the resultant pot 164 is one-hundred dollars. The
house rake for this particular game is 5% of the pot, or $5.
However, it should be appreciated that the rake may be determined
in any suitable matter, as discussed above. As illustrated in FIG.
4B, 20% of this rake 168 amount, or one dollar, is allocated to the
progressive jackpot. However, it should be appreciated that the
portion of the house rake may be any suitable amount or percentage,
and determined in any suitable manner. The progressive jackpot
award increases to $100,001.00, as indicated by the progressive
jackpot display 162. Accordingly, the dealer provides the winning
player(s) with the resultant pot 166 of ninety-five dollars and the
gaming establishment retains four dollars. In one embodiment,
several gaming systems are linked together through a network as
described above, and a portion of the rake from each table
contributes to the progressive jackpot award.
[0048] Lose to Win Progressive Jackpot
[0049] In one embodiment, a progressive jackpot game is applied to
a poker game. In certain poker variations such as Pot Limit or No
Limit games, the player often has the option to wager all of their
remaining chips. This is commonly referred to as going all-in. In
one embodiment, the progressive jackpot is randomly awarded at a
particular point in time to a player who has gone all-in and lost
all of their chips. The player must have registered at a gaming
table at a previous point in time and must also have been
continuously playing up to the point in time at which the
progressive jackpot is awarded. The player can become registered at
a table by swiping a player card into a card reader, as discussed
above with reference to FIG. 3. In one example, in order to qualify
to win the progressive jackpot award, the player must have been
registered at the gaming system at the beginning of the hour. In
one example, at five minutes after the hour, a central processor
randomly selects a single player position located at one of a
plurality of gaming tables. If the selected player had wagered and
lost all of their chips, the player would win at least a portion of
the progressive jackpot.
[0050] In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the card game is the
poker variation Texas Hold'em. As discussed above with regard to
Texas Hold'em, the player's final hand is the best five cards
selected from two hole cards and five community cards 170. The
central processor randomly selected the player at the fourth player
position 104d. This example illustrates the end of a round of play
where the player's hand at the first player position 104a is only
Ace-High (i.e., A), the player at the second player position 104b
has folded, the player's hand at the third player position 104c is
Three-of-a-Kind (i.e., K.diamond-solid.KK ); the player's hand at
the fourth player position 104d is Two-Pair (i.e., J
J.diamond-solid.3.diamond-solid.3 ), and the player at the fifth
player position 104e has folded. Therefore, the player at position
104c wins the pot by having the highest ranking hand of
Three-of-a-Kind. However, because the player in the fourth player
position 104d was randomly selected by the processor, was
registered to play at the beginning of the hour, wagered all of
their chips, and lost the hand to the player in the third player
position 104c, the gaming system provides the fourth player with at
least a portion of the progressive jackpot award.
[0051] In one embodiment, the gaming system informs the player that
they are eligible to win the progressive jackpot award prior to the
player deciding to wager all of their chips. In another embodiment,
the player would be informed that they are eligible after they have
wagered all of their chips. In another embodiment the player would
be notified of winning the progressive jackpot award after they
have wagered and lost the hand. In another embodiment, the
progressive jackpot is funded by a portion of each rake from one or
more gaming tables.
[0052] Therefore, winning the progressive jackpot award would more
than compensate a player after they have wagered and lost all of
their chips. Players may also be encouraged to wager all of their
chips in the hope that they may qualify for the larger progressive
jackpot award. Players that may not normally wager all of their
chips with a particular hand may be more inclined to do so if they
believe that they may be eligible for a potentially large
jackpot.
[0053] Four of a Kind and Straight Flush Progressive Jackpot
[0054] In one embodiment, a progressive jackpot is applied to poker
game variations that include one or more community cards, such as
Texas Hold'em. Although examples are provided with reference to the
poker variation of Texas Hold'em, it should be appreciated that the
progressive jackpot may be applied to any suitable poker variation,
as described above. The progressive jackpot is awarded when the
player achieves a predetermined combination of cards.
[0055] In one embodiment, the predetermined combination of cards is
a natural Four-of-a-Kind. A natural Four-of-a-Kind requires that
the player is dealt a pair for their hole cards and then the
remaining pair to form the Four-of-a-Kind is dealt during the flop,
the turn, or the river. Therefore, two of the four cards are the
player's hole cards and the other two cards are selected from the
community cards.
[0056] In another embodiment, the predetermined combination of
cards is a natural Straight Flush. A natural Straight Flush
requires that the player is dealt two suited connectors for their
hole cards. According to one definition, suited connectors are two
cards of the same suit that are consecutive in rank (e.g., 2 3 or Q
K ). Under this definition, the player receives a natural Straight
Flush only when the hole cards are consecutive and of the same
suit. According to a second definition, suited connectors are any
two cards of the same suit which, together with three additional
cards, can potentially form a straight. Under this second
definition, some examples of suited connectors include: A 3; Q 9 ;
and 7.diamond-solid.9.diamond-solid.. Hands such as 2 4 are also
commonly known as one gap hands because exactly one card (i.e., the
3) is required to connect the 2 and the 4 to form the Straight
Flush. Similarly, two gap and three gap hands can potentially form
a straight with three additional cards. The remaining three cards
to form the Straight Flush must be dealt on the flop, the turn, or
the river. Therefore, two of the five cards to form the Straight
Flush are the player's hole cards and the other three cards are
community cards.
[0057] In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, both players
seated at player position 104c have achieved a Royal Straight
Flush. In FIG. 6, both of the player's hole cards (i.e., A 10 )
formed part of the Straight Flush (i.e., A K Q J 10 ). Therefore,
this player achieved a natural straight flush and is provided at
least a portion of the progressive jackpot award 114. However, in
FIG. 7, only one of the player's hole cards (i.e.,
10.diamond-solid.) formed part of the Straight Flush (i.e.,
A.diamond-solid.K.diamond-solid.Q.diamond-solid.J.diamond-solid.10.diamon-
d-solid.). Therefore, this player did not achieve a natural
straight flush because only one the hole cards was used.
Accordingly, although this player will undoubtedly win the pot, the
player does not win the progressive jackpot award.
[0058] Best Hand Progressive Jackpot.
[0059] In one embodiment, the gaming system includes a gaming table
adapted for a poker game and includes a progressive jackpot award
provided to a player who achieves the highest ranking hand during a
specific time period. In one example, the tracking system tracks
every hand dealt for all registered players during a specific
period of time, such as a twenty-four hour period. After the
expiration of the time period, the gaming system awards at least a
portion of the progressive jackpot to the player who has achieved
the highest ranking hand during the previous time period.
[0060] In an example where the card game is Five Card Draw, the
best hand may be the first five cards dealt to the player or it may
be the player's final hand after drawing new cards. In another
example, the poker game is a poker variation involving hole cards
and community cards, such as Texas Hold'em. In this example, the
best hand must include both of the player's hole cards. In other
embodiments, the best hand progressive jackpot may be applied to
other table games including, for example, a Blackjack game. In an
example of a Blackjack game, the progressive jackpot may be awarded
to the player that has achieved the best five card poker hand
formed from the cards dealt in a play of the underlying Blackjack
game. In this example, the five card poker hand is preferably
formed from an underlying Blackjack hand including at least five
cards.
[0061] In one embodiment, the best hand progressive jackpot is only
awarded to a player only if they are registered at the time the
progressive jackpot is awarded. Therefore, a player who either
knows or believes that they have the best hand would be motivated
to continue playing until the expiration of the time period.
Otherwise, the player may end up forfeiting the award to a
different player. This possibility of forfeiture also motivates
players who may have the second or third highest hands to continue
to play. The gaming establishment may further include a linked
display device that displays the current highest ranking hand.
Therefore, all players would know what they would need to beat in
order to win the progressive jackpot.
[0062] In one embodiment, the progressive jackpot is funded at
least partially by a portion of the rake.
[0063] Play to Win Progressive Jackpot
[0064] In one embodiment, the progressive jackpot is randomly
awarded to a player who placed at least one wager during a previous
qualifying time period and who is currently registered at a gaming
table. In this embodiment, the gaming system includes a tracking
system as described above, and the tracking system provides
wagering information to the processor, such that a wagering history
can be made for each player. In one example, the gaming system
randomly selects a currently registered player and then determines
from that player's wagering history whether or not the player had
placed at least one wager during the specified time period. If the
player had placed at least one wager, the player receives at least
a portion of the jackpot award. If the randomly selected player did
not place a wager, the gaming system randomly selects another
player. Therefore, this type of progressive jackpot rewards the
frequent player and encourages people to play more often. Also,
players do not need to achieve a high ranking hand in order to
qualify to win the jackpot award.
[0065] In one embodiment, the gaming establishment may provide the
jackpot award during times when activity in the gaming
establishment is slow. This strategy would encourage more players
to play during off-peak periods. In another embodiment, the
qualifying time period may be during these off-peak periods. In one
embodiment, the progressive jackpot is at least partially funded
from a portion of the rake.
[0066] Game Play Management
[0067] In one embodiment, the gaming table computer interface (as
shown in FIG. 3) enables the dealer to set the wagering structure
for a particular gaming table. The computer interface may include a
touch screen input, as described above. For example, in a Blackjack
game, the dealer can input using the touch screen the minimum and
maximum bet. In a poker game, the dealer can input variation of
poker being played and the amount of the ante or the blinds,
depending on the variation of poker being played. In one
embodiment, the system enables the dealer to enter information
regarding the rake percentage. Alternatively, the game parameters
can be established by the casino's central computer and downloaded
to the computer interface to be displayed to the dealer. Therefore,
the dealer would be informed on any changes in the betting
structure or house rake percentage.
[0068] In one embodiment, the gaming system includes a gaming table
configured for a live poker game, where the poker game is played
with a fixed limit betting structure (i.e., fixed limit poker).
With this type of betting structure, a player simply chooses
whether or not to bet, and the amount of the bet is fixed by the
house rules. In this embodiment, the gaming system includes a
computer interface with an input that enables the dealer to enter
information regarding whether a player has folded, bet, or raised.
Therefore, because the wagering amounts are fixed by the house
rules, the dealer can quickly enter whether the player has bet or
raised and the processor is able to update the size of the pot by
inferring the amount of the wager from the wagering rules. In
another embodiment, the computer interface includes three inputs,
one for folding, betting and raising, respectively. In another
embodiment, the computer interface includes an additional input
that enables the dealer to correct a previous input error. In one
embodiment, the gaming system further includes at least one player
identification card reader. In this embodiment, the dealer is able
to associate a particular player with a particular player position.
Therefore, when the dealer enters wagering information, the gaming
system is able to credit the player with these amounts.
Accordingly, the gaming establishment is better able to identify
frequent players that are deserving of special compensation
rewards. This system can be employed in any of the embodiments
disclosed herein.
[0069] In another embodiment, the gaming system is configurable
through a central controller connected through a network, as seen
in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, each gaming table includes a
computer interface, as described above. The computer interface
enables the gaming system to communicate with the central
controller and further includes a player identification input
device for player tracking. The central controller is operable to
issue commands to any of the gaming system regarding required
changes in wagering structure, type of game, rules for a particular
game, and any changes in the rules regarding the progressive
jackpot award. In response to commands from the central controller,
the gaming system causes the information to be displayed to the
dealer on the computer interface, enabling the dealer to implement
the changes.
[0070] It should be understood that various changes and
modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described
herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes
and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present invention and without diminishing its intended
advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and
modifications be covered by the appended claims.
* * * * *