AU764953B2 - A card game - Google Patents

Description

WO 01/02068 PCT/AU00/00732

I

A CARD GAME FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to card games upon which wagers may be placed and in particular, relates to a variation on the game of Blackjack or Twenty-One.

BACKGROUND ART The present invention will be described with particular reference to the game of Blackjack. However, it will be appreciated that the game of the present invention can be used as a variation of similar types of games such as Pontoon, Twenty-one and Baccarat and no limitation is intended thereby.

Blackjack or Twenty-One is a very popular game played in casinos. In the conventional game of Blackjack, each player and the dealer are dealt two cards. Each player and dealer then elect whether to receive one or more further cards. If a player's hand totals more than twenty-one, the player busts and loses his wager. A player wins if his hand is greater than the dealers, but less than or equal to twenty-one.

Part of the appeal of Blackjack is that it is not simply a game of chance in which a player has no input after the wager has been placed. The player can play an active role in the game and there is a degree of competition between the player and the dealer.

Variations of the game of Blackjack have been proposed to increase the excitement and appeal. Such variations typically allow a player to make an optional bet on whether one or more cards which are dealt are of a specific value. Such variations are often referred to as side bets.

One of the appeals of side-betting is that it allows a player to score a win, even if the player loses the main Blackjack hand.

A popular Blackjack sidebet is known as Super 7's in which a player wins if the first card dealt is a seven, the first or second cards dealt are sevens, or the first, second and third cards dealt are sevens. A disadvantage with the Super 7's game is that it is relatively rare for a player to score a significant win. Also, the chances of receiving three straight 7's is extremely low.

In the vast majority of cases, a player will lose a Super 7's wager WO 01/02068 PCTIAUO0/00732 2 immediately after the first card is dealt. Casino games which have such a low rate of success fail to receive popularity with players.

Another disadvantage of Super 7's, apart from the high risk, is that there is generally an immediate loss of the wager and loss of player interest after the first card has been dealt. It is possible to provide other types of side-betting in which the side bet wager is not won or lost until conclusion of the main hand. Although such variations maintain interest throughout the entire hand, they can conflict with the playing strategies of the main Blackjack hand. This can introduce complications into the game and can detract from to the nature of the Blackjack game. This is also unpopular with many players.

In general, a successful casino game must catch and maintain a player's interest and attention, it must provide a reasonable expectation of a win to the player, whilst providing a reasonable percentage for the house.

With Blackjack side bets, it is desirable that the side bets at least partially satisfy the above qualifications but do not overcomplicate or interfere with the play of the main Blackjack game.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a variation of a Blackjack type card game which may at least partially overcome the above disadvantages or provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first broad form of the invention, there is provided a method of playing a variation of a card game of the type in which cards are dealt such that each hand receives at least two cards and a player places an initial wage before or during play and can score either a win or a loss on the initial wager, wherein the method includes providing the player with an option of placing a second wager before the cards are dealt and the player wins the second wager if the first two cards dealt are a pair and the player loses the second wager if the first two cards dealt are not a pair.

In the game of the present invention, the player optionally plays a second wager or side bet. Typically, the outcome of the second wager does not affect the outcome of the first wager. In this way, a player can still win, even if the player busts the main hand.

Generally, the second wager will be finalized, i.e. payouts made WO 01/02068 PCT/AU00/00732 3 to any winners and the dealer taking away the losing wagers before further cards are dealt in playing the main Blackjack game.

The winning payments may be varied according to the type of pairs, for example, pairs of different coloured suits (mixed pair), same coloured suits (coloured pair) or the same suit (perfect pair). Typical payouts when using 6 decks of cards would be as follows.

Winning Hands Odds Odds Odds Mixed pair 5 to 1 or 5 to 1 or 6 to 1 Coloured pair 10 to 1 10 to 1 12 to 1 Perfect pair 30 to 1 28 to 1 25 to 1 Such payouts give an acceptable house advantage of 5.79% when using 6 decks of cards, as used in most casino Blackjack games.

The game of the present invention may typically be played in a casino situation with a dealer and one or more players. However, the game can also be played using mechanical or electronic methods of dealing and also for the payment and collection of wagers. The game can also be adapted to be played on a video screen with a single player.

BEST MODE By way of example only, the present invention will now be described with reference to the following set of rules.

Definitions In this part- "face value" of a card means the number of the card, namely, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10; or the type of card, namely jack, queen, king or ace.

"odd colour pair" means a pair that is comprised of 1 red suited card and 1 black suited card.

"pair" means 2 cards with the same face value.

"perfect pair" means a pair with both cards the same suit.

"same colour pair" means a pair that is comprised of 2 cards that are different suits; and both cards are red suited cards; or both cards are black suited cards.

WO 01/02068 PCT/AU00/00732 4 Additional perfect pair wagers A player must choose to place an additional wager if the boxes for wagers on the Blackjack, Spanish Blackjack or Sunshine Pontoon, table layout provide for perfect pairs wagers (a "perfect pairs wager").

Placing a perfect pairs wager A player may place a perfect pairs wager on any box on which the player has placed a Blackjack, Spanish Blackjack, Sunshine Pontoon, Baccarat or similar game wager.

The wager must be placed before any cards in the game are 1o dealt.

Winning and losing perfect pairs wagers and payout odds A perfect pairs wager wins if the first and second cards dealt to the player are a pair.

Winning perfect pairs wagers have the following payouts for an odd coloured pair 5 to 1; for a same coloured pair 10 to 1; for a perfect pair 30 to 1 A perfect pairs wager loses if the first and second cards dealt to the player placing the wager are not a pair.

How perfect pairs wagers are dealt with After each player has been dealt the player's first 2 cards, the dealer takes away all losing perfect pairs wagers.

The dealer then makes payouts to each player who has a pair.

It can be seen that the game of the present invention can provide an interesting variation to the game of Blackjack. The game provides a higher chance of a player winning than conventional side bets such as Super 7, whilst still providing the house with a reasonable return.

Further, it can be seen that a player does not lose after the first card has been dealt. There is always the chance that the second card is a pair. This is quite different to Super 7 in which the side bet is lost or won after the first card is dealt. With the present game, the player's interest is maintained until the second card is dealt.

After the second card is dealt, the side bet wagers are either lost WO 01/02068 PCT/AU00/00732 or won. Thus, the player can proceed to play his normal Blackjack game without undue influence from the side bet.

The game of the present invention can provide a method of sidebetting which is interesting to the player without being unduly complicated and it provides a player with a reasonable expectation of success whilst maintaining an acceptable house advantage. Still further, the game provides a variation to a Blackjack game without interfering with or influencing how a player plays the main game. In other words, the game of the present game can add to but not detract from the principles of the Blackjack game.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made to the present invention as described and claimed herein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

EDITORIAL NOTE APPLICATION NUMBER 55108/00 This specification does not contain page 6.

Claims (9)

1. A method of playing a variation of a card game with at least two decks of cards in which cards are dealt such that each hand receives at least two cards and a player places an initial wager before or during play, wherein the method includes providing a player with an option of placing a second wager before the cards are dealt and the player wins a payout from the second wager if the first two cards have the same face value and the player loses the second wager if the first two cards do not have the same face value whereby the amount of the payout is dependent upon whether the two cards are of the same colour, two cards of different colour or two cards of the same suit.

2. The method of claim 1 which provides a player a further option of placing a third wager and the player wins the third wager if the first two cards dealt have the same face value and are of the same suit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the game is played with six decks of cards each deck having four suits, two suits having one colour and two suits having a second colour and the payout for two cards having the same face value and different colours is 5 to 1, the payout for two cards having the same face value and the same colour is 10 to 1, and the payout for two cards having the same face value and the same suit is 30 to 1.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the payout for two cards having the same face value and different colours is 5 to 1, the payout for two cards having the same face value and the same colour is 10 to 1, and the payout for two cards having the same face value and the same suit is 28 to 1.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the payout for two cards having the same face value and different colours is 6 to 1, the payout for two cards having the same face value and the same colour is 12 to 1, and the payout for two cards having the same face value and the same suit is 25 to 1.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the card game is Blackjack.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the cards are displayed on an electronic screen.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a win or loss on the first wager is AMENDED 81HEET OWNAL PCT/AUO0O00732 Received 15 March 2001 8 determined after a win or loss has been determined on the second wager.

9. A method of playing a variation of a card game of the type in which cards are dealt such that each hand receives at least two cards and a player places an initial wager before or during play and can score either a win or a loss on the initial wager, wherein the method includes providing means for dealing at least two cards to the or each player, and a playing surface having a first zone to allow a player to place an initial wager and a second zone to allow a player to optionally place a second wager and means for allowing the face value of the at least two cards to be displayed, and a player wins any second wager if the first two cards dealt have the same face value and the method further includes providing means for calculating and providing a winning pay-out based on the second wager if the second wager has been won, and means for calculating and providing a winning pay-out based on the initial wager whereby a win or loss of the initial wager is determined after a win or loss has been determined on the second wager, the win or loss of the initial wager being independent of any win or loss of the second wager. AJAENDED SHEET OVAAlU