Combination card and dice game utilized with player mats

Abstract

A game of chance played with dice and cards, the dice bearing symbols corresponding to those appearing on the cylinders of a gambling device known as a slot machine and color indicia as a coded indication of their required reading sequence. The dice are especially shaped to afford a maximum number of winning play combinations without unduly interfering with their rolling capabilities. Cards are provided bearing the same symbols as appear on the facets of the dice being thus adapted to provide additional opportunities for making winning plays. The game also provides play mats for each player having three designated card placement areas, each area being color coded in the identical manner as said dice.

Description

The invention relates to dice games and, in particular, to such games which are played generally according to rules which govern the play of chance apparatus of the kind commonly known as a slot machine.

Dice games are known which attempt to simulate the play of gaming devices including slot machines. See, for example, British Pat. No. 964,296. However, the desired simulative effect resulting from the play of such games is somewhat limited due to the fact that the markings on the game dice are numerically limited as a consequence of their conventional cubic shape and also because the throw of winning combinations cannot be made to imitate the sequential order of appearance of such markings which occurs in actual slot machine operation. As a result, popular interest in such games is diminished, their play being not truly simulative of the operation of the devices on which they are based.

According to the present invention there is provided a set of dice for playing a game which simulates a gambling device known as a slot machine comprising three dice each having twelve plane faces and bearing on their faces a selection of five different markings representing symbols which correspond to those appearing on the cylinders of the slot machine, the dice being individually distinguishable from each other by additional coding indicia, preferably colors, which serve to establish a reading sequence in true simulation of the slot machine read out.

There are also provided cards bearing the same symbols as appear on the facets of the dice and being preselected by all the players on each turn in an effort to anticipate the roll of the dice and thus provide further prize winning possibilities.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved dice game the play of which bears a simulative relation to the operation and play of a gaming device known as a slot machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined dice and card game the play of which affords prize winning opportunities in addition to those afforded by the simulation play and operation of a slot machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be appreciated on reading the following description of one embodiment thereof which is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a first die;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the die in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a second die;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the die in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the third die;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the die in FIG. 5;

FIGS. 7a-7e are views of the various playing cards associated with the game;

FIG. 8 shows the back view of the several cards; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a mat for use as an individual playing surface.

Referring to the drawings, the set of dice for playing a game comprises three dice, each 12 faceted or dodecahedronal in shape, dice of this shape being well known in the prior art, see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 645,112. The dice are made of any suitable material such as plastic, wood, ivory or celluloid. Each die is provided on its surfaces with indicia representing five different objects, for example, bars, bells, and fruit such as lemons, oranges and cherries.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 die A has one bar, two bells, two lemons, three oranges and four cherries. The die is drawn to show that it is colored blue by accepted patent drafting convention.

Die B is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, being drawn for the color yellow. This die bears the same symbol indicia on its twelve faces as does the die A.

Die C is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and is drawn for the color white. This die bears on its faces illustrations of one bar, one bell, three lemons, three oranges and four cherries.

In order to play the game there is provided a variety of play money bills which are valued in the following denominations and with the quantity of each indicated: 1 million dollars, 90; 5 million dollars, 60; 10 million dollars, 30; 20 million dollars, 18; 50 million dollars, 12; hundred million dollars, 6; and a billion dollar bill, 1.

As shown in FIG. 7 the game components include cards, which are preferably 75 in number so that as many as five persons can play with each receiving 15 cards including three cards for each of the five slot machine symbols. That is, there are provided fifteen cards bearing an illustration of a bar on one face, 15 cards bearing bells, 15 cards bearing lemons, 15 cards bearing oranges and 15 cards bearing cherries.

As will be later understood the game apparatus also includes a play mat 10, trapazoidal in shape and having imprinted thereon three rectangularly delineated areas, the area 12 on the left being colored blue, the middle area 14 colored yellow and the righthand area 16 white. If desired the mats may be placed edge-to-edge to form a continuous playing surface and a central bank area which together constitutes the game board for the players.

A principal object of the game is to throw the dice to secure one of a series of pre-arranged winning combinations which may be as follows:

BLUE DIE YELLOW DIE WHITE DIE A B C ______________________________________ 1. bar bar bar 2. bell bell bell 3. lemon lemon lemon 4. orange orange orange 5. cherries cherries cherries 6. bar bar bell 7. bar bar lemon 8. bar bar orange 9. bar bar cherries 10. bell bell bar 11. bell bell lemon 12. bell bell orange 13. bell bell cherries 14. lemon lemon bar 15. orange orange bar 16. cherries cherries bar 17. cherries cherries bell 18. cherries cherries lemon 19. cherries cherries orange ______________________________________

If desired, game equipment may include a single cardboard cylinder for rolling the colored coded dice.

The game is played with from two to five players. One of these players can be selected as the banker. Each player receives 15 playing cards -- three of each symbol. He chooses the three cards he wishes to try and match with his throw of the three colored dice. He places these cards in the area provided for him face down in the sequence he desires to provide a winning combination. If he chooses two bars and one cherry -- then he would put them in the proper sequence -- one bar on blue, one bar on yellow and one cherry on white. The cards are placed in the same order as the dice are read, i.e. blue is first, yellow is second and white is third.

Each player receives equal amounts of play money as does the banker with the exception that the banker gets the one billion dollar bill as his reserve. The first player to start the game would be decided by rolling the blue die for high roll. The bar may be highest, bell second, lemon is third, orange is fourth and cherry is last. In case of ties a roll off would continue between those players who tied until a player is selected to start the game. Then the play would continue clockwise.

The first player to roll would decide upon his bet and place the amount in the wager spot in front of him. His bet would receive odds which have been established by the bank prior to starting the game. Now the player cups the dice and rolls them in the rolling area of the playing surface. If he or she rolls a winning combination, then the bank must pay this player those odds for his bet, i.e. if the player rolled three cherries and the odds were 5 to 1 and he bet 5 million dollars he would receive 25 million from the bank plus keep his original 5 million wager. If he lost by not throwing one of the winning combinations then the bank would take his 5 million dollar wager and proceed to the next player. However, if he wins as explained above, he has an opportunity to play "match cards" on his winning combination still showing on the dice.

He can now bet any sum that he desires or can afford, that he has matched his winning roll of the dice with his match cards shown on his play mat 10 which are face down and arranged in the proper order on the blue area 12, next on the yellow area 14 and finally on the white area 16 for a winning combination. The player naturally knows if he has matched his cards before he chooses to wager. If he has not matched his cards, he may still wish to bet and try to run a bluff, which has some advantages. He can, of course, decline to bet and the next player would roll the dice. However, if he chooses to bet that he has the perfect match, e.g. a 10 million dollar bet, then each player can challenge or agree as to whether he has a match. If a player agrees he has a match then he must pay the match card bettor the amount of his wager, i.e., 10 million dollars, and drop out of this game without seeing his match cards on the board. If a player challenges then each player that challenges stays in the game. Now the original bettor must turn over his match cards and if he has matched his dice roll, then each of the challengers must pay him the same odds paid him by the bank on his original win, i.e. in this instance he would collect fifty million from each challenger. If he is bluffing and does not produce a perfect match then he must pay each challenger the amount of his bet. Now if a player either has or does not have a match between his three turned down cards and the originally rolled dice, he can declare a double challenge providing the original bettor was bluffing. A double challenge means that a player has the opportunity of placing a bet of any amount he chooses that he has a perfect match between the rolled dice and his turned down cards. All the players left in the game can accept the double challenge in anticipation of a possible bluff or decline the double challenge. If a player declines the double challenge he must pay the double challenger the amount of his bet without seeing his match cards and drop from the game.

If a player accepts the double challenge, then the double challenger must show his match cards to him. If he produces a perfect match then he collects double the amount of his bet from each player still in the game. If he was bluffing and couldn't produce a perfect match he must pay all the players still in the game who accepted the double challenge double the amount of his bet. The rest of the players then in turn may declare a double challenge. Each double challenger can do this until he has exposed his cards. Once a player's cards have been exposed then all he can do is stay in the game or get out by agreeing with the double challenger and paying the bet.

The object of the game is to have one player break all the other players and with this done he attempts to break the bank by wagering any desired amount on the roll of the dice at the established odds for the various winning combinations.

Various modifications of the invention may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope and principle thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A combination card and dice game utilized with player mats comprising three similarly-shaped dice each die being color coded with the color coding of each die being different from the color coding of each of the other dice, a series of markings on each die, each marking of the series being different with the number of markings in the series being less than the number of faces on a die and with each face of a die having one of the markings thereon so as to repeat some of the markings on each die, the repeated markings on the faces of two of the dice being identical and differing from the repeated markings on the third die, a plurality of series of cards, all of said cards having identical backs, the number of cards in each series being equal, each card of a series having the same markings on the face thereof as the other cards of the series, the marking of each series being a respective different one of the different markings of each die, and a plurality of play mats, one for each player, with each play mat having three designated areas for the play of cards thereon with each of the designated areas of each play mat being color coded differently from the color coding on the other designated areas of the play mat, each play mat having its designated areas color coded identical to those areas of the other play mats, and the color coding on the play mat areas being the same as the color coding on the dice.