CA2504494A1 - A method of playing a blackjack style card game having an accumulated jackpot - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of playing a wagering card game in which a dealer and a plurality of players participate in a Blackjack-type card game, wherein each player places an ante wager consistent with the table minimum to start the game. Each player then places a wager equal to the table minimum in a colored box unique to that player on the gaming tabletop. The dealer then deals the cards as in normal Blackjack, starting with the player who has the dealer button in front of him.
This button rotates after each hand. Players play their hands against the house's hand. In accordance with the method of playing the game, the house does not pay winning bets at a conclusion of each hand, but if a player's hand beats the house's hand, then that player's token is moved upwardly one space for each bet won, wherein the first person to reach, in a preferred embodiment, seven wins is the winner of an accumulated jackpot. If a player loses the hand to the house, then the dealer takes the player's wager and adds it to the pot, and also moves the player's token downward one space toward the start area. Each lost wager moves the player's token down one. If a player's hand pushes with the house's hand, the player's token does not move (neither up nor down). Players may double down at any time and may split cards of equal value, including aces, up to seven times.

Description

ACCUMULATED JACKPOT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wagering card game of the Blackj ack vaxiety which features 6 an accumulated j ackpot, and in particular relates to a method of playing a wagering card game of the Blackjack variety wherein players play against each other, not the house, to win seven more hands than they lose, in a preferred embodiment, to become the winner in a race for a share of the accumulated jackpot.

Casino type card games are well known and are particularly popular as wagering card games.
In particular, card games of the Blackjack variety are well known in the prior art. In such games, the cards have established numerical values, such as ace equals one or eleven, face cards equal ten and all other cards equal their face values (e.g. a two has a numerical value of two, a three has a 16 numerical value of three, etc.). To play these card games, a player tries to reach an established target numerical total by sequentially accumulating cards and summing their numerical values. Typically, two cards initially are dealt, and the player then has the option of either (1) "standing" with the two cards, or (2) requesting and being dealt one or more additional cards ("hits") 21 As noted above, one of the most common form of these games is the game of "Blackjack" or "21" wherein the established target numerical total is the value 21. A player wins a wager if the numerical total of the player's cards is less than or equal to 21 and is closer to 21 than the numerical total of the dealer's cards. If the numerical total of the player's or dealer's cards exceeds 21, the respective hand is a "bust", and loses to any hand having a numerical total of 21 or less. Conventional 26 rules of the card game Blackjack (Twenty-One) are well known in the prior art and can be found, for example, in the Official Rule of Card Games, Albert H. Morehead, Fawcett Crest, New York,1990.

1 Depending on your point of view, however, the traditional Blackjack variety card game has different faults. One, is that traditional Blackjack (or also known as "Twenty One") has been played virtually unchanged through the years. In an attempt to rectify so many of the faults inherent in "Blackjack" or "21", other similar Blackjack-type games have been devised. One such game is "California Blackj ack", as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,275,415 (Wisted), wherein the established 6 numerical total is the value 22. In "California Blackjack", a player tries to get closer to 22 than the dealer (usually a "player banker"). If the player's numerical total exceeds 22, the hand is not "bust".
Other established numerical target totals are of course possible. For example, in U.S. Patent No.
5,549,300 (Sardarian), the target numerical sum is 20. In fact, any target numerical sum that is consistent with the established values of the cards may be used.

However, the above-noted Blackjack variations still feature games where the players are competing against the house, and not each other, on a hand by hand basis.
These variations also do not feature a game having a progressive, accumulated jackpot that the players strive to win. In conventional poker games such as Texas Hold'em, by contrast, players do not play against the house, 16 but against other players. These types of games are called "player to player" games, and are considered games of skill under the current laws in most jurisdictions. With the growing world-wide popularity of games like Texas Hold'em, what would be desirable is to take the best elements of Poker and Blackjack; two very big and popular games, and integrate the best features thereof to make a unique and exciting game. Despite the development of numerous Blackjack-type card games and 21 methods of wagering, a need still exists for a wagering card game of the Blackjack variety which uniquely provides for a Blackjack-type card game where players play against each other, not the house, in a race for a share of an accumulated jackpot, wherein each player tries to win, as an example, seven more hands than they lose to become the winner of the accumulated jackpot.
Moreover, such a Blackjack-type card game should increase player excitement around the gaming 26 table and provide a desirable variation of winning possibilities for players when contrasted with conventional Blackjack type games.

SUNINIARY OF THE INVENTION
The obj ect of the present invention is to provide an improved method for playing a card game which utilizes fast action play.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of playing a wagering card 6 game where the house does not pay winning bets, but if a player's hand beats the house's hand, then that player's token is moved upwardly one space for each bet won, wherein the first person to reach seven wins is the winner of an accumulated jackpot.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method of playing a wagering 11 card game wherein players may double down at any time and may split cards of equal value, including aces, up to seven times.
It is yet another object of the present invention to combine elements of Poker and Blackjack, and integrate the best features thereof to make a unique and exciting Blackjack-type card game 16 where players play against each other, and not the house, as in conventional Blackjack.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of playing a card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of (a) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot; (b) the 21 dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules; (c) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time; (d) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized; (e) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type 26 of the winning combination that has occurred; (f) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's 1 accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated j ackpot; (g) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, 6 and losing wagers are added to the accumulated j ackpot; and (h) repeating steps (a) to (g) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.
A further aspect of the present invention provides for a method of playing a card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of (a) the two or more players place 11 an ante wager to start the game; (b) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the ante wager and the round wager being added to an accumulated j ackpot; (c) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules;(d) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time; (e) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players 16 have been finalized; (fJ a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred; (g) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total 21 credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;(h) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing 26 wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (i) repeating steps (b) to (h) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.
A still fixrther aspect of the present invention relates to a method of playing a card game 1 involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of (a) the two or more players positioning themselves at a gaming table having colour coded play areas; (b) the two or more players place an ante wager to start the game; (c) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the ante wager and the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot;(d) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two 6 cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules;(e) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time; (f) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized; (g) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred;(h) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat 11 the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated j ackpot; (i) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand 16 by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (j) repeating steps (c) to (i) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.
21 A still further aspect of the present invention provides for a method of playing a card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of-. (a) the two or more players positioning themselves at a gaming table having color coded play areas for each of the two or more players; (b) the two or more players place an ante wager to start the game;
(c) the two or more players then each place a round wager, wherein the ante wager and the round wager are added to an 26 accumulated j ackpot; (d) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackj ack rules, the cards being dealt from a deck or combination of decks of one color; (e) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time; (f) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more 1 players have been finalized; (g) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred; (h) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated 6 total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot; (i) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing 11 wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (j) repeating steps (c) to (i) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.
A further aspect of the present invention provides for a virtual card game involving two or 16 more players and a virtual dealer comprising (a) the two or more players place an ante wager to start the gam a (b) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the ante wager and the round wager being added to an accumulated j ackpot;(c) the virtual dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the virtual dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules; (d) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a 21 time; (e) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized;
(f) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred; (g) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit 26 having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;(h)a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (i) repeating steps (b) to (h) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.
6 A still further aspect of the present invention provides for a computer-based card gaming system comprising at least one display device; at least one user interface device; at least one non-volatile storage device; at least one computational device; and game software, wherein the game software is stored in the at least one non-volatile storage device and generates a user interface for display on the at least one display device, wherein the game software interprets input from the at least 11 one user interface device and the game software implements a card game in accordance withe the present invention.
A still further aspect of the present invention provides for a card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of (a) the two or more players then each place a round 16 wager, the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot; (b) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackj ack rules; (c) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time; (d) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized; (e) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has 21 occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred; (f) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, 26 wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot; (g) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (h) repeating steps (a) to (g) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer device comprising a processor for executing a set of instructions for playing a card game involving two or more players and a virtual dealer comprising:(a) displaying an ante wagering area on a display screen for the 6 computer device where the two or more players place an ante wager to start the game;
(b) displaying a round wagering area on the display screen for the computer device where the two or more players place a round wager, the ante wager and the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot, an amount of the accumulated jackpot being displayed on the display screen;
(c) the virtual dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players 11 who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules, the cards which have been dealt to each of the two or more players being displayed in respective Player Hand Areas on the display screen as two or more players hands each having a value, and the cards which have been dealt to the dealer being displayed in a Dealer Hand Area on the display screen as a dealer hand having a value; (d) the processor finalizing the hands of the two or more players one at a time;
16 (e) the processor finalizing the dealers hand once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized; (f) the processor effecting a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred ;(g) the processor effecting a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical 21 total closest to 21, and, if so, the processor awards that player a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits and displayed on the display screen, toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and the processor awards the accumulated j ackpot to the first player;(h) the processor effecting a determination is made 26 to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits by the processor, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated j ackpot by the processor; and (i) the processor repeating steps (b) to (h) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.
The advantage of the present invention is that it provides an improved method for playing a card game which utilizes fast action play, and a method of playing a wagering card game where the 6 house does not pay winning bets, but if a player's hand beats the house's hand, then that player's token is moved upwardly one space for each bet won, wherein the first person to reach seven wins is the winner of an accumulated jackpot.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that it allows a method of playing a 11 wagering card game wherein players may double down at any time and may split cards of equal value, including aces, up to seven times.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to combine elements of Poker and Blackjack, and integrate the best features thereof to make a unique and exciting Blackjack-type card 16 game where players play against each other, and not the house, as in conventional Blackjack.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the 21 accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating an example gaming table layout for use in playing the card game according to one embodiment of the method of the present invention;
26 Figure 2 is an illustration of an embodiment of an electronic scoreboard to display each player's accumulated credits;
Figure 3 illustrates a sample arrangement through which a virtual embodiment of the present invention can be effected; and Figure 4 illustrates an automated or computer/video terminal screen of the type which may be used to play the card game of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
6 The present invention is a variant of the standard game of casino Blackjack, and involves a playing method called "Seven". This is similar to traditional Twenty One played in casinos. The game can be implemented in a variety of embodiments, such as, but not limited to, a physical embodiment played at a casino, gaming establishment or as a board game and virtual embodiments played on a desktop computer or other computing device. By way of further illustration and without 11 intending to limit the present invention, virtual embodiments can include video lottery kiosks or other similar stand-alone devices configured to play the game, computer software implementing the invention which run's on a user's computer, and network based software which uses wired or wireless networks, such as the Internet or cellular telephone networks to communicate and coordinate the game with one or more remote computing devices.

Preferably, a standard game utilizing the method of the present invention may be set up at such a table, much like a blackjack table, with 7 designated positions for players, as shown in Figure 1, it being understood that there need be no limit or restriction on that number, whether more or less.
Referring now to the drawings, and with specific reference to Figure 1, the game "Seven" consists 21 of a gaming table top (10) having a number of playing positions or gaming station area (200) for individual players, and involves two or more players and a dealer who deals cards for the players and the house. Of course, cards dealt to and played by the players are positioned within each of the gaming station areas (200) and cards dealt to and played by the dealer (on behalf of the house) are positioned within the dealers area (100). The gaming station area (200) of each player is uniquely 26 color co-ordinated. For instance, there can be seven stations with each station bearing a different color-coded wagering area.
In a preferred embodiment, the game is designed for play with 8 (eight) decks of cards, 1 namely because 8 (eight) decks of cards is the number of decks many casinos currently use and the shoe and the discard rack (that holds the spent cards) in these casinos already accommodate that number of decks. It is also understood, however, that the game can function equally as well utilizing any given number of card decks, either higher or lower than 8. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a cut card (not shown) can be used by the casino to cut the cards. This cut card, 6 as it is known, is usually made of plastic and is the same size as a regular playing card. The dealer inserts this card into the decks used in the game, generally about a full deck from the end of the cards, before placing the cards into the shoe and starting a new game, though there is no restriction on where in the deck the cut card is placed. When a game is being played and this cut card comes out of the shoe, the round being played is completed, but it signals the dealer that no further rounds are 11 to be played until the cards are reshuffled.
The sequence of actions during the betting and playing of the hands according to the present invention typically consists of:
(a) each player antes the table minimum to start the game;
16 (b) each player wagers the table minimum in his colored box, the wagers being added to an accumulated jackpot;
(c) the dealer then deals two first cards to each of the players who have made a wager and two cards to the dealer (one face up and one face down), as in normal Blackjack, starting with the player who has the dealer button in front of him;
21 (d) after receipt of the first two cards, players have the option of doubling down or splitting cards of equal value, at any time;
(e) the hands of the players are finalized one at a time starting with the player who has the dealer button in front of him and proceeding sequentially therefrom in a clockwise direction;
(f) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of all the players have been finalized;
26 (g) a determination is made as to whether or not a speciality hand has occurred during the round and any winners are paid according to the type of specialty hand that has occurred;
(h) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has beat the dealer's hand, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one toward a final goal of achieving seven total 1 accumulated credits, wherein the first player to reach seven accumulated total credits is the ultimate winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;
(i) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand and, if so, then that player loses a credit, the value of which is removed from their accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated j ackpot; and 6 (j) repeating steps (b) to (i) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.
As evidenced above, a player moves up for each bet that is won. As is also evident from the above-noted description of game play, the house does not initially pay winning bets for players at the conclusion of a round of play, but instead moves the player's token upwards (on, preferably, an 11 electronic scoreboard, as hereinafter described) to reflect one credit gained for each bet won, wherein, of course, the first person to reach seven total credits is the winner, and collects the accumulated jackpot. If a player loses the hand to the house, then the dealer takes the player's wager and adds it to the accumulated j ackpot, and also moves the player's token downward one space on the electronic scoreboard toward the start area. With reference to Figure 1, such an electronic scoreboard (20) 16 could be provided right at the table (or on the screen for a video lottery kiosk, for example), or, alternatively, could be provided as a stand alone unit near the playing location, an example of which can be seen in Figure 2, which is viewable by the players. Each lost wager moves the player's token down one on the electronic scoreboard. If a player's hand pushes with the house's hand, in accordance with standard Blackjack rules, the player's token does not move (neither up nor down) on the 21 electronic scoreboard.
It should also be understood that specialty hands enable players to win a bonus amount. If any player obtains a specialty hand, these bonus payouts may be obtained. In a preferred embodiment, Blackj acks pay double and a "three 7s" (which total 21 ) in any hand pays 7 to 1. These bonus payouts 26 are awarded to the player in the from of credits which are added to the players total credit amount.
Accordingly, a regular Blackjack would be worth 2 credits, and the players total on the scoreboard would be revised upwardly to reflect this. In an alternative embodiment, specialty hands, with corresponding bonus payouts could also be awarded for, for example, ane same colored Blackjack, a "six", "seven" and "eight" of the same color, four "5"'s, and so forth.
It is understood that each table may have its own Minimum and Maximum Ante limits that will be posted at the table. In a preferred embodiment, players are not allowed to ante lower than the minimum, or higher than the table maximum. To start each new game, each player must place an ante 6 wager to be seated at the table, and then determine what they must also wager in the form of a round wager in any of their gaming station areas (200), in each round for that particular game. It will, of course, be understood to those skilled in the art that the ante wager which is placed by the player could be a differing wager amount from that which is placed in that players gaming station area (200). As noted previously, the Ante wager is first made at the start of a new game, before a player 11 ever sees any of the cards, and the round wager is also made by the player before a player ever sees any of the cards in a particular round.
It should be noted that the accumulated jackpot may be built by a single table, a network of tables within a casino, or on a wide area accumulated jackpot system, linking together tables at 16 varying remote locations over a network, through use of virtual embodiments which can include video lottery kiosks or other similar stand-alone devices configured to play the game, computer software implementing the invention which run's on a user's computer, and network based software which uses wired or wireless networks, such as the Internet or cellular telephone networks to communicate and coordinate the game with one or more remote computing devices.
In a still further 21 embodiment, the present invention could also be offered electronically at larger gaming tables that do not require a human dealer, such as presently offered for games such games as bingo and horse racing.
In accordance with the standard rules of Blackjack, card values are as follows:
26 Ace 1 or 11, King, Queen, Jack, Ten = 10 All other cards equal their face value (ie. 9=9, 8=8 . ..2=2, etc.) At the conclusion of a round, in the preferred embodiment, all players wagers and bets are left by the player's hand until the dealer plays their own hand. When the dealer effects a determination of players hands to see if a player's hand has beat the dealer's hand to find their new scoreboard score, the dealer would count the total wins, then the total loses and determine if the 6 player is moving up or down on the scoreboard. At the same time the dealer would remove the players lost wagers from that hand and add it to the game pot.
In accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention, it is possible forplayers to "split"
cards of equal value at any time, so as to create one, and possibly more, additional hands which the 11 player may play independently of one another. Here are some game examples of this, which include "splitting".
Example:
Player One 16 Hand - Gets King-Queen for 20 Player One "splits" the face cards, and thus creating two hands for the player to play simultaneously, independent of one another, by placing one additional wager on the table for the additional hand. The second card (the queen) is slide over to the second hand (the additional hand), and the dealer will play the first hand (the King), by giving it another card.

Hand 1 ) King - Ten (Totals 20, Split) Hand 2) Queen The player receives a "Ten" in Hand one, and places another wager on the table and provides 26 instructions to the dealer to "Split them", and create a third hand. The player also places one additional wager on the table for the newly created additional third hand. The "Ten" is slid over into the newly created third hand.

Hand 1) King - 7 (Totals 17, Stands) Hand 2) Queen - Jack (Totals 20, Splits) Hand 3) Ten Hand #1 received a "7" and the player stood with 17. The dealer than gave a card to hand #2 and it 6 was a "Jack", and the player decided to place another wager on the table and split this hand. The "Jack" is moved to Hand #4 and the dealer gives hand #2 a second card.
Hand 1 ) King - 7 (Totals 17, Stands) Hand 2) Queen - 4 (Totals Hard 14, Hits) 8 (Totals Over 21 or Bust) 11 Hand 3) Ten - Ace (Totals Blackjack, Player Stands) Hand 4) Jack - 5 (Totals Hard 15, Hits) 9 (Totals Over 21, Bust) What occurred above is relatively straightforward. To start the Dealer was playing hand #2 and the next card was a "4", for a Hard 14. The player decided to Hit, or take another card and it 16 busted Hand #2, for it was an 8. Playing hand #3 now the dealer adds to the " Ten" already in the hand, by drawing an "Ace" for a total of Blackjack and the player Stands. The dealer plays hand #4 now and draws a "5", for a total of hard 15. The player asks for a hit and draws a "9", busting this hand by going over 21.
21 When the dealer plays their own hand, for the sake of example we will presume the dealers hand ends up Busting. When the dealer comes to Player One's hands to evaluate and update the scoreboard, depending on the method used of our two collection methods and the player's previous score different final results occur. In the preferred embodiment of counting the hand as a whole, when the dealer counts up the player's hands in the above-noted example, the dealer would count Hand #1 26 as a Win, Hand #3 as a Blackjack, paying 2 to 1 for a total of 3 wins.
Player One has Hand #2 and Hand #4, both losses, so the player score is also amended downwardly to reflect two total losses. The dealer would take the wagers in Hands #2 and #4 and place this in the game pot. The dealer would say Player One has 3 Wins and 2 Loses, or Plus one and move Player One's scoreboard total up, 1 accordingly, by one credit.
If we did not play the Hand as a Whole, we could have collected the wagers in Occurrence and came up with a totally different possible result. For instance let's say the players score was Zero when the hand started. In the 'Hand as a Whole' method the player would have been plus one at the 6 end of the round, and now have a scoreboard total of Plus 1.
However, in an alternative embodiment, if we played this same hand in the Occurrence method of counting, a different result occurs. Player One, Hand # 1 would have been 17 and waited for the dealer result. Hand #2 would have busted and the dealer would have taken the cards from 11 Hand #2 and added them to the discard rack, taking the wager and adding it to the game pot and moving Player One's scoreboard down one accordingly. In a preferred embodiment, the player's score could not move lower to Zero, and it was at Zero, so it stays at Zero.
The dealer plays Hand 3 and it hits a Blackjack. Assuming we knew the dealer could not get a Blackjack, the dealer would give the player back their wager in Hand #3, take the cards and place them in the discard rack and 16 move Player One's scoreboard to Plus 2. Hand #4 is played next and it was a Bust, ultimately causing the players scoreboard to be revised downwardly to Plus 1. When the dealer finally plays their hand, Player One only has one hand left, the Hard 1? in Hand #1. When the dealer busts and comes around to player number one, this hand wins and the player's scoreboard is no revised upwardly to Plus 2.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the amount of the accumulated jackpot which can be won when any player achieves seven wins is dependent on the number of starting" players in the game. For example;
if 2 OR 3 PLAYERS...
26 Winner...95% of pot House..... 5%
if 4 OR 5 PLAYERS...
Winner...60% of pot 1 Second...35%
House..... 5 if 6 OR 7 PLAYERS...
Winner...50% of pot Second...30%
6 Third......15 House..... 5%
Of course, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that variations in the above-noted winning percentages could occur. It will also of course apparent that if, for example, two players finish tied for first, they also split the second prize. If three or more players finish tied for first, these 11 players will all split the first, second and third prizes. If there is only one winner, but two or more players tie for second, these players will split the second and third prizes between them.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, players could be offered the option to 'double down' at any time. For example, players could start with a two card hand and "hit" an 16 additional card, for a total of three cards, and then choose to double down, placing another wager on the table and receiving one card to their hand total. In another example, if the player did not double after the third card and "hit" an additional card and had a four card total, they may now double down, placing an extra wager on the table and receiving an additional card.
21 Of course, in accordance with the rules of the present invention, the house never pays when the player wins during a round ofplay, only once a player obtains a pre-determined number of credits (preferably seven), so the house wants to encourage the players to place as much money in the game, per hand, as possible, which makes this embodiment an attractive option. This also pays a secondary role in the game, as it helps bring the games to an end quicker.

Because "Seven" is essentially "no rules Blackj ack", another alternative embodiment that the players may be afforded in "Seven" is not only to double down, but to bet one full wager for each card in the hand that they already have. For example, a player starting with two cards would be 1 allowed to place two wagers on the table in total. If this player "hit" and asked for a third card and "hit" again and asked for a fourth card in their hand, this player could now place four wagers on the table. At times in Seven, it is proper strategy to try and place the most money on the table as possible to finish the game in one of the prize positions, as previously described. So, for example:
2 cards = 2 total wagers 6 3 cards = 3 total wagers 4 cards = 4 total wagers cards = 5 total wagers 6 cards = 6 total wagers 7 cards = 7 total wagers and so forth In the above-noted example, when players "double down", they would place UP TO
one wager for each number of cards they have, and receive one more card.
Because a player may split hands consisting of cards of equal value as many times as possible, 16 in accordance with the rules of the game, players would be allowed and afforded all doubling options after they split a hand. So if a player split a pair of "2"'s and received a "3" on that hand for a total of five, they could hit again. If they received a 2 for a total of 7, they could hit again. It they received a 4, they would have a four card total of 11 in this hand. Even though it is a split hand, this player would be allowed to place up to four wagers in this hand, and receive one additional card.

Another alternative embodiment of the present invention is to "double a double". In this embodiment, a player can be allowed to place one wager for each card in the hand he bet on and receive a card. If they like the result of this hand, they may be allowed several options. One is they can replace the last card drawn, pay the amount doubled to the pot and re-double again, receiving yet 26 another card. In essence, the player is afforded the option to buy an additional card. An Example of this is as follows:
Players hand 1 "3" and "6". Player adds one wager and doubles.
Receives a "2". Hand total is 11, with three total cards and two wagers.
Player places up to three more wagers (because three cards are in the hand) Receives a "4". Hand total is 15 with four total cards and in total up to 5 wagers.
6 There are many different variations of the game "Seven". It is possible to not only allow a player to split same valued cards as many times as they choose, or set (in an alternative embodiment) a maximum number of splits (up to Seven times, for example), but the player may be allowed to also split hands of different values, in a still further embodiment. An example of this is as follows:
11 Player gets a "4" and a "10" for 14 total.
Instead of playing the hard 14, they may split these two cards and create two separate starting hands;
one hand having a "4" and the other hand having a "10". Of course the player must place an additional wager on the table to play the additional hand thus created. If they were only allowed to do this from their original two cards, no matter what they received to the 4, other than another 4, they 16 could not re-split the hand again. Another option in "Seven" is to allow the players to split cards of the same value, no matter when they occur in the hand they are received into, as long as the hand did not bust out, or go over 21.
However, in a still further embodiment, if players are allowed to split cards of equal value 21 they could be required to split them off the last card. So a player having a 2,3,2 must decide then to split the "2"'s (after the second "2" is drawn to the hand), not after another card is drawn to the hand.
For example, if another card, a "4" was drawn to this hand, the hand now having 2,3,2,4 therein, the player would not be allowed to split the "2"'s.
26 In a still further embodiment, however, however a hand with 2,3,2,4 therein, if the next card drawn is a "2", "3" or "4", the hand could be allowed to split. Of course, the player would have to pay an additional wager to create every such additional "split" hand. An Example of this is as follows:

1 Players gets a "3" and a "9". Player hits and obtains a "3", for a hand total of 15 now.
Player may now choose to make two hands, by splitting the 3's.
Player would now have two hands, Hand 1 ) "3" and "9"
Hand 2) "3"

Or, in an alternative example, Hand 1) 2,3 then Draws "4"
Hand 1) 2,3,4 then Draws "6"
Hand 1) 2,3,4,6, then Draws "3"
11 Hand 1 ) 2,3,4,6, 3, player decides to split "3"'s Player Now has:
Hand 1) Now "2","3","4","6" (players could stay, hit, double) Hand 2) "3"
16 Of course, in accordance with game rules the player would have had to place an additional wager the table to "split" Hand 1 and create the additional Hand 2, as previously described herein. So, in essence, a player can split cards of equal value as long as they appear in the same hand and they do not have to be the first two cards in that hand.
21 In a further embodiment of the present invention, and unlike traditional Blackjack, players who split aces may take as many hits to the hands as they choose, and use all other splitting and double down rules afforded in the variation they are playing. Of course the Ace is counted as 1 or 11.
In "Seven", the player may split Aces or Face cards and receive a two card hand totalling 21, or Blackjack. All blackjacks, even ifthey occur after a split of any cards, pay at least 2 to 1 as a specialty 26 hand. In further variations of the game, suited Blackjacks may pay more, say 3 to 1. A spaded Blackjack could pay 5 to 1. These bonus payouts occur even after hands are split.
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, any hand, even after splitting, that 1 consists of 3 -"7"'s automatically pays 7 to 1. In an alternative embodiment, the rules of the game could also award the player the 7 to 1 payout for 3-"7"'s if the first card drawn to a hand derived from a pair of "7"'s that were split is a Seven. If this option is employed in the game, the 3-"7"'s would then go back to being one hand, and no more cards are drawn by that player, as he has an automatic winner, regardless of the house's final hand, even a Blackjack. In a preferred embodiment, this is the 6 most powerful hand you can receive in "Seven". If the next card was a seven, the 3= '7"'s are placed as one hand, and no matter what the dealer draws, this hand wins and the player gets his wagers) back; the wager is not added to the pot, even if the dealer draws a two card Blackjack.
In a further embodiment of "Seven" the present invention can be used in land based or online 11 tournaments where an unlimited number of players can play. Players participating in the tournament would have a set deadline to join and play. It would be conceivable for the players to pay some sort of entry fee, be it play money or live money say in casinos, online or the mobile markets, or, of course, having the fee deducted from their credit card.
16 Players may be given an amount of chips to use during tournament play. This could be any number, say 1,500. At the start of the tournament, a predetermined number ofplayers would be seated at tables, or a number dependant on the actual number of tournament entries.
The game would then start by all players following the normal rules of "Seven". However the 21 ante the players are required to pay to participate in the games would increase at some set time as defined in the tournament rules. So players playing the game might start with 1,500 chips and a $10 ante. When the determined time to increase antes occurs, players would all be required to pay the new ante amount. An example of this is every 30 minutes the ante increases. It could start at $10, then $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000 and so forth.

Eventually as the game progresses and the ante increases players are forced out of the tournament or eliminated. In this style of tournament there is eventually one player left.As players are eliminated by running out of money, tables are refilled automatically by the computer or by tournament officials, in that remaining players would be shifted to tables that have spots opening up, to ensure a slate of full tables (as opposed to a greater number of tables operating at partial capacity).
This table/player elimination continues until only one table remains, and eventually one player.
Tournaments like this could also offer prizes awarded to players who finish the tournament 6 in certain positions. These prizes may be predetermined before the start of the tournament but are more likely to be based of the entry fee of the total players involved in the tournament, minus a pre-determined percentage of house profits for the tournament host, if any.
As a bonus feature to this style oftournament, and in an alternative embodiment, players could 11 also partake in a live money progressive jackpot. This style of jackpot may be played in fim tournaments and even for real money. Predetermined player hand combinations would pay out from the progressive jackpot. Players may be required to pay into this progressive jackpot each hand, or as allowed in "Seven", pay one set price at the start of each game, or, in a further variation, pay just once at the start of the tournament to cover all the hands they play over the course of the entire 16 tournament. Players paying this set price participate in the progressive j ackpot, for all hands involved in that game. The longer the game progresses, the more likely the players are to hit the side bet, but the players are also suffering more losses along the way. In "Seven", the house could take some rake or percentage of the "Seven" pot which is built by player losses. A longer game usually means a higher pot, which in turn means a bigger rake for the house when the game is ended.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, players could play at a virtual table, with each player having some identifying characteristic differentiating them from each other player. This could be as simple as seat numbers. Players could play for fixn chips, real money and in tournaments.
The virtual table would have a virtual scoreboard where players could see what position they are in.
26 There are many different looks a table and scoreboard could take. These same or different looks could also be incorporated into a real casino or, in an alternative, a mobile download layout.
In an internet/mobile virtual game the computer would determine if each player won or lost each hand and adjust the scoreboard accordingly. If, after any round of play, a player has reached the required Seven wins, the game is over and the computer now determines which players won what percentage of the pot, splits the pot accordingly, and deposits the proper share into each of the appropriate players' virtual credit meter. The casino may or may not take a fee out of each pot, for each game. If the casino takes a fee, it would usually be done at the end of the game.

In a preferred embodiment of "Seven", players may have a limited time to make decisions.
For instance, in an online game or virtual embodiment of game play, players may have 15 seconds to make a decision. If they do not, the computer could, for example, play that hand like a Stand. This is intended to prevent players from intentionally slowing the game.

In "Seven", players may be allowed to sit out certain hands. In one embodiment, each time the player sits out a hand, it does not cost the player anything, but they are penalized by having their score on the scoreboard decreased by one credit after each such round. In such a manner, a player could not get to 5 wins and sit out a few hands to watch the pot build, as he would soon find himself 16 at zero. Players are further discouraged from anteing in, just to watch and wait, by this as well. A
player cannot ante in, and not play (in hopes that a huge pot grows, hot dealer for example), as it is not fair to those that are playing. Such a non-playing player would see his total number of credits drop. In a still further embodiment, the game may have a trigger amount that automatically folds this player out of the game if they reach a predetermined number of consecutive hands sat out. Seeing as 21 players must ante to play, say $10 at a $10 table, there is no advantage for a player sitting out, as they would lose their ante by sitting out the entire game, and quickly go into a minus score, where as other players playing each hand could only go as low as zero.
Joining a Game 26 In "Seven" players who join in a started game would seem to have an advantage as the players playing could have played 5 hands and all lost 5 straight times. They would all be at zero, and could be at, for example, a $10 table, their ante and S or more loses, so $60 or more each.
The pot could be $500.
To allow a player to join in after the game starts would seem unfair, as they have not contributed to the growing of that pot. Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention provides one option to allow a player to join in, wherein the player effects their ante wager, which is placed in a split pot, meaning they could not win the pot built while they were not in the game. From the time they join on, all losses would be added to this new pot.
6 Another embodiment of the present invention allows players to join in at any time, that is to say that each hand that is played from the start of the game, starts any new player to join at an accumulative minus one. For example, if a player came to a game and missed the first hand, he could join in, and start at minus 1. In another example, if the player missed the first 5 hands, he could still ante and join in a game 5 hands old, ifhe accepted starting at minus 5. This should be a great enough 11 deterrent to encourage this player to just sit and wait for the next game.
Leaving a game The average game of"Seven" takes approximately 12 minutes, but there is no set time. In one embodiment, should a player leaves a game, his scoreboard will be folded or go down one for each 16 hand they are gone dependant on the rules in place for that game. To keep game flow brisk, measures can be implemented to avoid lengthy games. (In "Seven", players joining a game could play unlimited games, ending only when someone's score reaches Seven wins, or players may join in games with a predetermined set number of hands to be played. In other words, a Seven game could play say, just 10 rounds in a game. The dealer would start the game by placing a token saying "Start"
21 in front of the player receiving the first card of round one. At the end of round one, if no player has reached the Seven wins it takes to end the game, the dealer could place in front of the next player who is now the dealer because they receive the first card and make the first decision, a button that now says for instance "9 Rounds Left", assuming we are playing a 10 round game. Each round the "rounds left"
are decreased. The game still ends if a player reaches Seven wins. However, in a 10 round game the 26 game will end whether any player has reached seven wins or not; the player with the highest score at the end of the tenth round will be declared the winner, the next highest will be second place and so forth dependant on the number of players in the particular game. This embodiment works great for land based casinos who may be concerned with the length of a potential long "Seven" game. Pots 1 will still build to exciting levels, and players waiting to play know more accurately how long they have to wait until a new game begins. Of course one skilled in the art understands that games may be any predetermined length, say 1 S or 21 rounds per game). In one embodiment, for example, after a preset amount of time has gone by, it would be conceivable to decrease the total wins necessary to win the accumulated jackpot by one credit. For example, it might be determined that if a winner is 6 not determined after 15 minutes, the players might only need to reach 6 wins to win the accumulated jackpot. Another possible embodiment to eventually force a quicker completion to a lengthy game is to say each time the dealer button reaches its starting point the game is reduced by one. A token could be placed in front of the player who has the rotating dealer button at the start of game. When the rotating dealer button reaches this player again, the game is reduced from a total of 7 required wins, 11 to 6 wins. Of course, if one of these methods is used to end lengthy games, it is possible that the reduction alone could cause an automatic end to the game. For example, a player having 6 wins would win the game automatically when the reduction drops from 7 wins to 6 wins and force the ending of a game.
16 As previously described herein, in accordance with the present invention, players may be permitted to play 2 hands, or more, at one time (such as when a hand is "split", for example) but each hand is played independently of the other. The player must, of course, place an ante wager for each additional hand created, as previously described herein, and it is preferable that each additional hand so created is marked independently on the scoreboard of the players other hand(s). Of course, it is also 21 possible for one player to occupy more than one gaming position at a gaming table (there are seven such gaming positions at a standard table). It is also conceivable that the hands dealt to and played from each of these separate gaming positions can themselves be "split" into multiple hands within that specific gaming position, with the proviso that each additional hand so created is played, and its wins and/or losses counted, within that specific gaming position's score, and is independent from any other 26 hand being played at a different gaming position. And of course, the two separate gaming positions will have their own respective scoreboards. (For example, "Oz" is gambling poorly at gaming positions 1 and 2 at the Seven table. He receives a pair of queens on gaming position 1, and a 6-3 (for a total of nine) on gaming position 2. He splits the queens ( making 2 hands within gaming position 1 1) and gets another facecard, then splits again (making 3 hands within gaming position 1) Well, barnng any other splitting or doubling-down on gaming position 1, he has 3 hands there. That could be three wins, three losses, or any combination thereof. The point is that whatever happens at gaming position 1 is tabulated to reflect gaming position 1's score on the scoreboard. In this example, if we assume it was a new game, and Oz won all three hands, his score for gaming position 1 is now 3 total 6 credits. Now we come to gaming position 2. He hits the 6-3, and wins the hand. Gaming position 2, which is also being played by Oz, now has a total of one win (or one credit). In this example, we can see that gaming position 1 and 2 are totally separate.
In another embodiment of game play, it is possible that all players' cards could be dealt face 11 down, rather than face up (in the preferred embodiment), which changes the game completely, wherein players' hands may be concealed until the dealer has played the house's hand and only then reveals each player's hand and adjusts their scores accordingly. Other variations could include the player revealing a Blackjack only when he gets it, at his turn or not at all, or until the dealer plays the house's hand.

In an alternative embodiment of game play, the present invention may incorporate a special set of colored cards. These special colored cards that may be used in the game allow for large progressive jackpots to be built in the game and accumulated. The idea is very simple, in that a full deck of cards is changed to one full color, for example, 'Green'. This deck has now 52 Green cards 21 comprising Green diamonds, spades, clubs and hearts, in the same manner as having 4 two's, 4 three's and so forth up to 4 Aces. In all respects other than its color it is a standard deck of cards. When eight such different colored decks are now mixed into one shoe the game has certain special winning hand combinations that can now occur. These hands include things like, for example, a "same colored Blackjack", "same colored" 6,7,8 combinations, and three 7's of the same color. In a still further 26 embodiment, if each player was also given a matching color on the table layout, a player could also obtain winning hand combinations in their own matching color. So now we can add a rather large growing progressive game to Seven using these special colored cards.

1 In a still further embodiment of the present invention, one option that could be employed in casinos, or online casinos, is when only one player is at the table, this player could be playing traditional blackjack while waiting for other players to arnve. In a virtual embodiment such as this, players could be moved automatically to open tables and just sit on a waiting list. Of course, if enough tables are offered in a virtual card room, players may have a choice to play at tables of different 6 denominations, different game round lengths, as well as with different numbers of players of varying abilities (ie: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, for example). If, in the virtual world or on a real table, more players are playing at one table than the 7 posted in the payouts, payouts could be altered accordingly to reflect this. For instance, at a table where 10 players are playing against one another, prizes could be awarded to the top 4 or 5 players accordingly, rather than the top 3, as would be 11 apparent to one skilled in the art. In a preferred embodiment, players sitting at the table in the virtual world could be required to click an "I accept" option icon before they sit down to play, which could include all the rules for that game, including ensuring the player has sufficient money or credit to play at least a round of the game.
16 In a preferred embodiment of "Seven", the operator of the game could take a sitting fee (or House fee) from the players and/or a percentage of the pots built each game.
This percentage would usually be under S% and would be posted in advance for the players. In the preferred embodiment, this percentage of sitting fees from the players andlor a percentage of the pots built each game is 5%, to be awarded to the "House". In a still further embodiment, the operator of the game may also 21 choose to take a percentage of any accumulated jackpot built by a single table, a network of tables within a casino, or on a wide area accumulated j ackpot system, which links together tables at varying remote locations over a network.
Players running out of money 26 In the preferred embodiment, when a player is out of money, they must leave the game. However, "Seven" offers a few alternative options when players run out of money during the game which could also be used. One option is to have the player's game end, but create a split pot. The score of the player when they ran out of money would be their final score at the end of the game. Another option is to allow the player to continue playing, but create a split game pot. So any further losses by this player would not cost them more money, but it would still drop their score for each loss. If the player does place in the prizes, they are only entitled to the amount in the split pot and not the amount they did not contribute to after they ran out of money. If this player had won first place, it is possible the other players at the table would continue to play for the main pot.

Another embodiment of the present invention, similar to the previous option, would involve creating a split pot. The player would be allowed to continue playing, however each time they lose they do not pay, for they have no money, but this is accumulated in a special total area. They are playing only for the side pot, but if they lose, the total amount they owe from the losses they did not 11 pay for is taken from their pot and added instead to the main pot. This is the fairest way to play a game where one player's out of money. This prevents them from indulging in reckless play because their winnings are being taken from them. In this embodiment, if their further accumulative losses reach a total greater than the total of the side pot which could be won, which is, of course, the most the player could conceivably win, then that player is folded out of the game and the side pot is then 16 added to the main pot.
In the preferred embodiment, and in accordance with standard Blackjack rules, the best hand is the hand closest to 21 without going over 21 (busting). It will, of course, be understood to those 21 skilled in the art that "busting" entails going over 21. However, it will be understood to persons skilled in the art that, the present invention could also be played utilizing any number, such as 31, as a numerical total.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the game play previously described 26 herein can also be applied to a virtual embodiment, as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, an embodiment of which is hereinafter described. For example, game play could begin with a player pressing a button to effect a computer "shuffling" a desired or pre-selected number of decks. Further interface buttons can be used to indicate the wager of "chips" by a player into the ante wagering area and the betting option areas. In a still further embodiment, Figure 4 illustrates a sample arrangement 1 through which a virtual embodiment of the present invention could be implemented. Such an arrangement supports a wide variety of implementations including, but not limited to, kiosks, home computers and client/server based arrangements (which may be useful in casinos and on the Internet).
As Figure 3 illustrates, a virtual embodiment will preferably display a user interface to a player through a display device (1). A user interface device (3) can include, but is not limited to, any of a 6 mouse, keyboard, touch screen display, joystick, touch pad or voice recognition system, which is preferably provided to effect user interaction with the virtual embodiment.
Game software (5) interprets the information from the user interface (3) and generates the user interface to be displayed on display device ( 1 ) based on the information and the rules of the game.
Information needed by the game software (5) such as bet values for the players) and the like, can be stored in a computer's 11 random access memory (7) and/or hard disk drive/Non-Volatile storage (9). A
Microprocessor (11), of course, would be the heart of any such system described, executing the computations necessary to run the game software (5).
With reference to Figure 4, one embodiment of the virtual or automated version of the game 16 play of the present invention is shown, wherein an example of a sample game is provided. Figure 4 shows an example of an automated video terminal or kiosk (51) useful to practice the game play methods of the present invention, and which includes a housing (53) of conventional design. The housing (53) contains a video display screen (55) which displays the various presentations during the play of the game, and which may be any form of display screen such as a CRT, plasma screen, liquid 21 crystal screen, LED screen or the like. The display screen may be a touch screen display, for example, in a preferred embodiment, or by providing a plurality of push buttons, or the like. Of course, the video display screen (55) provides a continuous display screen on which images of cards being dealt to the players, the dealer, the wagering amounts of the players) and touch screen player input functions are displayed.

As noted above, the automated video terminal or kiosk (51) provides means for enabling a player to make both an ante wager and around wager when playing the game, in accordance with game rules. These means, where the game is played for pure enjoyment, may simply be means for the 1 player to wager fictitious credits. Alternatively, as shown in the drawings, where the automated video terminal or kiosk (51 ) is to be used in a gaming establishment, such as a casino, the terminal or kiosk (51) may include a debit slot (57) or variation thereof by which the player can wager units such as currency, coins, tokens, identification cards, player tracking cards, ticket in/ticket out acceptance, and the like. While not illustrated, it is well known to provide a cash reader to accept cash denomination 6 wagers, the cash reader enabling the player to accumulate credits for wagering with the terminal or kiosk (51 ). Additionally, means may be provided for the player to wager from funds on a debit card, credit card or the like as known in the art.
In the present embodiment described herein, there is contained within the housing (53) a 11 processor (not shown) of conventional design. The processor includes a first data structure including data representing each card of 8 (eight) decks of cards, namely because 8 (eight) decks of cards is the number of decks many casinos currently use and the shoe and the discard rack (that holds the spent cards) in these casinos already accommodate that number of decks. It is also conceivable, however, that as few as a standard deck of 52 cards may also be used, and reshuffled as need be, as would be 16 apparent to one skilled in the art. The processor also includes a second data structure which includes data representing winning outcome combinations when comparing any of the player and dealer hands being played, along with the corresponding payouts to be added to the accumulated jackpot, or payouts to a players Credit meter (61), if that player has won the accumulated jackpot. Additionally, the processor, in the manner described below, is programmed to generate and control the presentations 21 at the video display screen (55), and play of the game according to the present invention using a set of programmable instructions. These instructions can, for example, be stored within a computer readable medium (not shown) configured for insertion within the processor.
With reference to FIG. 4, the video display screen (55) provides the player with the ability to 26 control the play of the game and make various selections as hereinafter described. Furthermore, the processor includes means for determining the amount wagered by the player.
This amount may be by the player wagering credits accumulated during game play, or by obtaining credits to play the game by inserting currency in one of the many forms noted previously described above into the debit slot (57) or variation thereof.
To start a new game, a player would first obtain credits to play the game by inserting currency in one of the many forms noted previously described above into the debit slot (57) or variation thereof.
A credit meter (61 ) for the player on the video display screen (55) would be incremented accordingly 6 to reflect the amount of the credits the player has obtained to play the game, or which would reflect totals if the accumulated jackpot is won.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the video display screen (55) can display a prompt on the display screen for the player to make a wager prior to beginning the game. A player 11 would then select wager area (63) on the video display screen (55) to place their ante wager, and could also be used by the player in placing their round wager for that particular round of play. In this example, the video display screen (55), utilizes a touch screen display whereby a player can effect selections, in a preferred embodiment, though other variations are conceivable, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art. The amount initially indicated in wager area (63) would, of course, be 16 subtracted from Credit Meter (61), just as round wagers made by the player would be similarly deducted from the Credit Meter (61 ). Of course, it is understood that the amount of the wager a player places initially into wager area (63) may have to conform to machine limits, casino limits, or another set limit. This limit may, of course, be posted somewhere on the machine or screen or otherwise, and may comprise minimum and maximum limits.

After a player has placed both their ante wager and round wager, the Deal/Draw Button (75) would light up, in a preferred embodiment, indicating to the player that the game is ready to play. To deal the cards the player would simply press the Deal/Draw Button (75), and the game would begin, in accordance with game play. With reference to Figure 4, after the player has pressed the Deal/Draw 26 Button (75), the processor is prompted to initiate play of the game, whereby the processor then selects from the first data structure data which represents cards to be initially drawn and placed in each the player hands (shown generally as "200" in Figure 4) and the dealer hand (shown generally as "200"
in Figure 4) , and to display that data on the video display screen (55) as representations of the faces of the cards drawn to these hands. Of course, it is also possible to illustrate the accumulated jackpot total (shown generally as "20" in Figure 4), and an outline of the table layout (shown generally as "30" in Figure 4).
In a further embodiment of the present invention, an instruction or help button (not shown) 6 may be placed upon the video display screen (55), so as to provide information to the player as to how to complete the round of play.
In accordance with the rules of the game, as the game continues, the processor then selects, 11 from the remaining card data of the first data structure, card data sufficient to complete each of the players hands and the dealers hands, whereby a winning hand can be determined, the winning hand being the hand closest to 21 without going over 21. Of course, the processor in making the determination as to what is a winning hand, compares the data of the cards represented in each of the players hands and the dealers hands to the winning combination data contained in a second data 16 structure to determine if winning outcomes have been obtained, and by whom.
Of course, the processor further comprises means on the video display screen (5 S) for allowing the player to place additional wagers or bets on the card game at various points when cards are drawn to any of the players hands, the additional wagers or bets being paid or collected in accordance with 21 a pre-established set of rules. It will, of course, be understood to those skilled in the art that these rules can include, but is not limited to, Doubling Down, and so forth. It will of course be understood that numerous variations are possible with respect to providing additional wagering or betting options, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art. For example, in accordance with game play, selected payouts for a spaded Blackjack, for example, could pay more than a suited Blackjack in Hearts, 26 Diamonds or Clubs, and Blackjack combinations involving any of these four of these could pay more than a regular Blackjack involving non-suited cards.
In a preferred embodiment, a player can effect an additional wager or bet (a side bet) on the video display screen (55) by again pressing by touching the screen at Betting Area (92). In an 31 alternative embodiment, the processor could also prompt the display screen, once cards are drawn, to provide pop up screens to allow the player to place the additional wager or bet, the amount of the additional wager or bet, or various options on placing the additional wager or bet, on the card game.
Optionally, a player can effect a "split" of their hand, in accordance with the game rules, on the video display screen (55) by again pressing by touching the screen at Split Area (93).

Once a round is over, the players would again have to select wager area (63) to place their wager to start a new round of play. In accordance with the game rules, as previously described herein, each of the player hands and dealer hand would then be reset by the processor so further game play could ensue. It is understood to one skilled in the art that, in the spirit of user friendliness, the present 11 invention will be programmed in such a way as to require the least amount of effort to play by its user and many of the fore mentioned prompts for the user to interact with the game, like placing a round wager could be done automatically by the game. The present invention could include click buttons on the screen that say such things as, "automatically place round wager" or "ante" to facilitate a faster played and more efficient game.

The present invention has been described herein with regard to preferred embodiments.
However, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.

Claims (54)

1. A method of playing a card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of:
(a) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot;
(b) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules;
(c) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time;
(a) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized;
(e) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred;
(f) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;
(g) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (h) repeating steps (a) to (g) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.

2. A method of playing a card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of:
(a) the two or more players place an ante wager to start the game;
(b) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the ante wager and the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot;
(c) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules;
(d) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time;
(a) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized;
(f) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred;
(g) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;
(h) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (i) repeating steps (b) to (h) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.

3. A method of playing a card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of:
(a) the two or more players positioning themselves at a gaming table having color coded play areas;
(b) the two or more players place an ante wager to start the game;
(c) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the ante wager and the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot;
(d) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules;

(e) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time;
(f) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized;
(g) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred;
(h) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;
(i) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (j) repeating steps (c) to (i) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, after receipt of the first two cards in step (d), the two or more players have the option of doubling down or splitting cards of equal value, at any time.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a value of the pre-determined number of credits required to be obtained to win the accumulated jackpot is seven.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a variable number of a plurality of players can play the card game.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the variable number of a plurality of players who can play the card game is seven.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the color coded play areas for each of the two or more players are distinct from one another.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the two or more players have a unique playing position at the gaming table.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the unique playing position of each of the plurality of players at the casino table is sequentially numbered.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, the subsequent rounds are played until the accumulated total credits of any of the two or more players equals the pre-determined number of credits, whereby the accumulated jackpot is awarded and the card game is then completed.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the gaming table has a minimum and a maximum limit set for placing the ante wager.

13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, in the event that any of the two or more players have achieved a numerical total for their hand which equals a numerical total of the dealer's hand and are tied, the player's hand is considered a "push" hand.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dealer draws and places the cards from a predetermined number of decks of cards.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined number of decks of cards is six or eight.

16. The method of claim 3, wherein the accumulated jackpot is connected to other on-going card games having the same or substantially similar rules, the other on-going card games being run at a same location as the card game, or elsewhere.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the other on-going card games are run simultaneously in occurrence with the card game.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the accumulated jackpot can be contributed to, and won by a player at any of the other on-going card games or the card game.

19. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a payout for said winning combination hand is as follows:
Payout to player Any Blackjack pays double Any suited Blackjack pays 3 to 1 Any spaded Blackjack pays 5 to 1 Three Sevens pays 7 to 1

20. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the two or players accumulated total credits are tallied and recorded on an electronic scoreboard or marking device as the game progresses.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein, when any of the two or more players has split a hand, in accordance with the rules of the game, at least one additional hand is created which the player may play.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein when any of the two or more players has split a hand to create the at least one additional hand, the player must place an additional wager on the table so as to play the at least one additional hand.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, in addition to the two or more players having the option of doubling down or splitting cards of equal value at any time, the two or more players are also afforded an opportunity to place one full additional wager for each card in the hand that they are playing, and, if the two or more players has split a hand, to place one full additional wager for each card in the at least one additional hand that they are also playing.

24. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the accumulated jackpot is won, the amount of the jackpot which is distributed is dependent upon an amount of players playing the card game.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, when 6 or 7 players are playing the card game and the accumulated jackpot is won, the amount of the jackpot which is distributed entitles a winner to receive 50% of the accumulated jackpot, a second place winner to receive 30% of the accumulated jackpot, a third place winner to receive 15% of the accumulated jackpot, and the house to receive 5% of the accumulated jackpot.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein, when 2 or 3 players are playing the card game and the accumulated jackpot is won, the amount of the jackpot which is distributed entitles a winner to receive 95% of the accumulated jackpot and the house to receive 5% of the accumulated jackpot.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein, when 4 or 5 players are playing the card game and the accumulated jackpot is won, the amount of the jackpot which is distributed entitles a winner to receive 60% of the accumulated jackpot, a second place winner to receive 35% of the accumulated jackpot and the house to receive 5% of the accumulated jackpot.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein when the accumulated jackpot is won, the amount of the jackpot which is distributed is variable.

29. A method of playing a card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of:
(a) the two or more players positioning themselves at a gaming table having color coded play areas for each of the two or more players;
(b) the two or more players place an ante wager to start the game;
(c) the two or more players then each place a round wager, wherein the ante wager and the round wager are added to an accumulated jackpot;
(d) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules, the cards being dealt from a deck of one color;
(e) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time;
(f) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized;
(g) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred;

(h) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;
(i) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (j) repeating steps (c) to (i) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the dealer draws and places the cards of the one color from a predetermined number of decks of cards.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the predetermined number of decks of cards of the one color is six or eight.

32. The method of any one of claims 29 to 31, wherein a payout, payable from a progressive jackpot, for said winning combination hand in step (g) is as follows:
Payout to player Any Blackjack pays double Any same colored Blackjack matching player's color pays 2 to 1 Any 6,7,8 pays 5 to 1 Any 6,7,8 matching player's color pays 5 to 1 Three Sevens pays 7 to 1 Three Sevens matching player's color pays 7 to 1

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the dealer drawing and placing the cards for the two or more players on the gaming table further comprises the dealer placing the cards dealt to the two or more players within the color coded game play areas on the gaming table.

34. A virtual card game involving two or more players and a virtual dealer comprising:
(a) the two or more players place an ante wager to start the game;
(b) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the ante wager and the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot;
(c) the virtual dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the virtual dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules;
(d) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time;
(e) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized;
(f) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred;
(g) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;
(h) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has to lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (i) repeating steps (b) to (h) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.

35. A method of playing the virtual card game as defined in claim 34.

36. A computer-based card gaming system comprising:
at least one display device;
at least one user interface device;
at least one non-volatile storage device;
at least one computational device; and game software, wherein the game software is stored in the at least one non-volatile storage device and generates a user interface for display on the at least one display device, wherein the game software interprets input from the at least one user interface device and the game software implements a card game as defined in claim 34.

37. The computer-based card gaming system of claim 36, further comprising at least one random access memory device.

38. The computer-based card gaming system of claim 36 or 37, wherein the at least one display device and the at least one user interface device are physically separate from remaining components of the system.

39. The computer-based card gaming system of claim 38, wherein the at least one display device and the at least one user interface device are connected to the game software via a network.

40. The computer-based card gaming system of claim 39, wherein the network is the Internet.

41. The computer-based card gaming system of claim 36, wherein the gaming system is implemented as a kiosk.

42. A card game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of (a) the two or more players then each place a round wager, the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot;
(b) the dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules;
(c) the hands of the two or more players are finalized one at a time;
(d) the dealers hand is finalized once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized;

(e) a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred;
(f) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then that player gains a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits, and toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and collects the accumulated jackpot;
(g) a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot; and (h) repeating steps (a) to (g) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.

43. A computer device comprising a processor for executing a set of instructions for playing a card game involving two or more players and a virtual dealer comprising:
(a) displaying an ante wagering area on a display screen for the computer device where the two or more players place an ante wager to start the game;
(b) displaying a round wagering area on the display screen for the computer device where the two or more players place a round wager, the ante wager and the round wager being added to an accumulated jackpot, an amount of the accumulated jackpot being displayed on the display screen;
(c) the virtual dealer starts a round of play by dealing two first cards from a first deck of cards to the two or more players who have made a round wager, and two cards to the dealer, as in normal Blackjack rules, the cards which have been dealt to each of the two or more players being displayed in respective Player Hand Areas on the display screen as two or more players hands each having a value, and the cards which have been dealt to the dealer being displayed in a Dealer Hand Area on the display screen as a dealer hand having a value;
(d) the processor finalizing the hands of the two or more players one at a time;
(e) the processor finalizing the dealers hand once the hands of the two or more players have been finalized;
(f) the processor effecting a determination is made as to whether or not a winning combination hand has occurred during the round of play and any winners are paid according to a type of the winning combination that has occurred;
(g) the processor effecting a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, the processor awards that player a credit having a numerical value of one which is added to the player's accumulated total credits and displayed on the display screen, toward a final goal of achieving an amount of a pre-determined number of credits, wherein a first player to reach the amount of the pre-determined number of credit is a winner and the processor awards the accumulated jackpot to the first player;
(h) the processor effecting a determination is made to see if a player's hand has lost to the dealer's hand by busting or not obtaining a numerical total closest to 21 and, if so, then that player loses a credit, a value of which is removed from the player's accumulated total credits by the processor, and losing wagers are added to the accumulated jackpot by the processor; and (i) the processor repeating steps (b) to (h) to continue play and begin subsequent rounds, if necessary.

44. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the set of instructions are stored within a computer readable medium configured for insertion within the computer device.

45. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the processor further comprises:
means to generate the display of the two or more players hands and the dealer hand on the display screen.

46. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the computer device has a minimum and a maximum limit set for placing the ante wager.

47. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the at least one deck of cards is a standard fifty-two deck of cards.

48. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the display screen is a CRT, plasma screen, liquid crystal screen, or LED screen.

49. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the display screen is a touch screen.

50. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the display screen provides a plurality of push buttons for enabling the two or more player to effect their selections.

51. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the processor further comprises means for determining an amount of the ante wager and round wager wagered by the player.

52. The computer device of claim 43, wherein the processor further comprises means for allowing the two or more players to each place a side bet on the card game, the side bet being paid or collected in accordance with a pre-established rules set of rules.

53. The computer device of claim 52, wherein the processor prompts the display screen to provide pop up screens which the two or more players can each utilize to place the side bet on the card game.

54. The computer device of claim 53, wherein the pop up screens on the display screen allow each of the two or more players to place the side bet, the amount of the side bet, and/or provide the two or more players various betting options when placing the side bet.