CA2755163A1 - Casino wagering game with scoring based on cribbage - Google Patents

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage to implement a casino wagering game using cribbage-style scoring. A player makes a wager and a player's five card hand and a dealer's five card hand are dealt. The player selects one card to discard and the dealer selects one card to discard. The player's hand and the dealer's hand are then scored using cribbage-style scoring. The player's wager is then resolved based on a relationship between the player's score and the dealer's score.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

CASINO WAGERING GAME WITH SCORING BASED ON CRIBBAGE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention [01] The present general inventive concept is directed to a method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium directed to a casino wagering game based on the conventional game of cribbage.

Description of the Related Art:

[02] There are many casino wagering games that have been developed for a casino setting. Frequently, new games are developed which are variants of classic games such as blackjack, poker, and baccarat.

[03] Cribbage is a well known card game that has not been successfully introduced to a casino as a casino table game. One challenge in designing a casino table game based on a conventional game is providing a desirable house advantage as well as working into the gameplay a dealer that typically does not take discretionary actions (e.g., the dealer plays according to a "house way").

[04] Therefore, what is needed is a game that is related to cribbage that can be played as a casino table game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[05] It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an exciting casino wagering game.

[06] The above aspects can be obtained by (a) providing a physical gaming table and a physical deck of cards in a live casino; (b) receiving a first wager from a player in the casino; (c) dealing, by a dealer in the casino, an initial player's hand to the player and an initial dealer's hand to the dealer; (d) offering an option to the player to raise or fold, wherein the player decides to raise and places a second wager; (e) receiving a player discard from the player out of the player's initial hand; (f) revealing a starter card, wherein the player's final hand comprises the starter card and the cards not discarded from the player's initial hand; (g) revealing the dealer's hand; (h) discarding a dealer discard out of the dealer's initial hand, the dealer discard being determined as a card out of the dealer's initial hand that results in a highest score of the remaining dealer's initial hand and the starter card, wherein the dealer's final hand comprises the starter card and the cards not discarded from the dealer's initial hand; and (i) resolving the first wager and the second wager based on a relationship between a player's score of the player's final hand and a dealer's score of the dealer's final hand.

[07] These together with other aspects and advantages which will be subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[08] Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

[09] Figure 1 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method of implementing a wagering game based on cribbage, according to an embodiment;

[10] Figure 2A is an exemplary table layout that can be used to implement a table implementing the methods described herein;

[11] Figure 2B is an individual betting layout for an individual player;

[12] Figure 3A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary hardware that can be used to implement the methods described herein, according to an embodiment; and

[13] Figure 3B is a block diagram illustrating hardware that can be used to track play at one or more gaming tables, according to an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[14] Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[15] The present inventive concept relates to a method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium to implement a casino table game related to the card game of cribbage. Cribbage is a well known card game, for a description of the conventional game of cribbage please see U.S. patent publication 2005/0073101 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[16] Table I below illustrates one possible set of rules for the game. In general, the player places an "open" wager and an optional "go" wager. The go wager can be considered a side bet, as it pays using a paytable on the player's final hand.
The player and dealer are both dealt hands, and the player has the option to raise or fold. If the player raises, then the hands are scored "cribbage style" and the bets are resolved based on a relationship between the player's hand and the dealer's hand.

Table I
1. The game is played with one standard 52-card deck of playing cards.
2. Play begins with each player making the mandatory open Wager, and if desired, the optional Go Wager. These wagers need not be the same size.
3. Each player receives five cards, face-down, and the dealer receives five cards, face-down.
4. Each player looks at his cards, and then must decide whether to fold, and forfeit their Open Wager and Go Wager (if played), or whether to call by discarding one card, then placing a Show Wager of any amount ranging between the amount of the Open Wager and three times the amount of the Open Wager.
5. Once all players have made their play choice (and discard choice, if applicable), the dealer then reveals the Starter.
6. The dealer then reveals his five cards, keeps four cards which result in the highest score (see Table II), and discards the fifth.
7. The dealer then reveals each player's hand in turn, and resolves the wagers in the following manner:
a. First, if the dealer has four points or less, the dealer does not qualify, and the Show Wager is pushed and returned to the player.
b. Next, the dealer compares his hand score to the player's hand score:
i. If the player has a higher score than the dealer, his Open Wager is paid at even money, and his Show Wager is paid at even money if the dealer has qualified.
ii. if the player has a lower score than the dealer, his Open Wager loses and is collected, and his Show Wager loses and is collected if the dealer has qualified.
iii. if the player has the same score as the dealer, his Open Wager is pushed, as is his Show Wager if the dealer has qualified.
c. Next, the player's hand is eligible for the Open Wager Bonus, and sufficiently high scoring hands are paid according to the supplied Open Wager Bonus paytable irrespective of whether or not he beats the dealer.
d. Finally, if the player made the Go Wager, his hand is compared to the Go Paytable (see Appendix), and sufficiently high scoring hands are paid according to the paytable irrespective of whether or not he beats the dealer.
8. Finally, all cards are collected and a new round begins.

[17] The scoring of the hands is done "cribbage style" but more particularly, according to the rules in Table H. It can be appreciated that the rules in Table II are merely one exemplary set of scoring rules, and other configurations can be used to score the hands cribbage style as well. The player's hand and the dealer's hand are both scored identically.

Table II
1. Two points are awarded for each possible combination of two or more cards that total to 15, with each Ace counting for one, each face card counting as ten, and each other card counting equal to its number value.
2. Two points are awarded for each pair, six points are awarded for three of a kind, and twelve points are awarded for four of a kind.
3. The hand is awarded points for each combination of three or more consecutive cards, where the Ace is only low and can only make a run of A-2-3, as follows:
a. A run of three consecutive cards is worth three points, a run of four consecutive cards is worth four points, and a run of five consecutive cards is worth five points.
b. Note that a hand with five consecutive cards (e.g. 4-5-6-7-8) would count as one run of five and not three runs of three (that is, five points for 4-5-6-7-8, not nine points for 4-5-6, 5-6-7 and 6-7-8).
c. Likewise, a hand with four consecutive cards and a pair (e.g. 4-5-5-6-7) would count as two runs of four and not four runs of three (that is, four points twice for each of the two 4-5-6-7 runs for a total of eight points, not three points awarded four times for each of the two 4-5-6 runs and each of the two 5-6-7 runs).
4. Five points are awarded for a flush.
a. If either side has four cards of the same suit that do not match the same suit of the starter, that side is awarded four points.
b. In addition to any flush awards, one point is awarded for holding a jack of the same suit as the starter card.

[18] Some examples of scoring hands will not be presented. Consider a hand of:

diamonds/ace-spades/ace-clubs/8-diamonds/8-clubs. This hand has two pairs (2's and 8's) but no other scoring combinations. Since each pair is worth 2 points, this hand totals 4 points.

[19] Consider another hand of. 2-diamonds/2-hearts/4-hearts/7-spades/7-clubs.
This hand scores 8: there are 2 pairs (2's and 7's) at 2 points each. There are two ways to make a total of 15: 2-diamonds/2-hearts/4-hearts/7-spades, and 2-diamonds/2-hearts/4-hearts/7-clubs, for 2 points each. Thus, 2+2+2=2= a total of 8 points for this hand.

[20] Consider another hand of: 5-diamonds/ace-hearts/4-hearts/6-spades/10-hearts.
This hand scores 9. There are three ways to make 15: 5-diamonds/4-hearts/6-spades; 5-diamonds/10-hearts; ace-hearts/4-hearts/10-hearts. There is also one three card run 4-hearts/5-diamonds/6-spades for a point total of 3.

[21] Consider another hand of: 3-spades (starter card)/2-clubs/8-clubs/10-clubs/king-clubs. This hand has two ways to make 15: 3-clubs/2-clubs/10-clubs and 3-clubs/2-clubs/king-clubs, for 2 points each of 4 points. According to Table II, since the four hole cards are all of the same suit, this is worth an additional 4 points (for a total of 8 points) as a player's hand.

[22] The game can be played with one dealer and multiple players at the gaming table simultaneously, each player playing against the one dealer hand. The description herein, for simplicity, refers to the situation where a single player is playing against the dealer.

[23] Figure 1 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method of implementing a wagering game based on cribbage, according to an embodiment.

[24] The method begins with operation 100, which receives an open wager from the player. The open wager is placed as known in the art, which is by placing chips (which are directly redeemable for cash at the casino cashier) into an open wager betting circle on the table felt. The player can also optionally place a go wager, which does not have to be the same amount as the open wager. The go wager is also placed in a go wager betting circle.

[25] From operation 100, the method proceeds to operation 101, which deals the player's initial hand and the dealer's initial hand. The player's initial hand comprises five cards which is either dealt face up or face down but viewable by the respective player. The dealer's initial hand also comprises five cards face down. A
starter card can also be dealt face down, or alternatively it can be dealt later on (e.g., in operation 106).

[26] From operation 101, the method proceeds to operation 102, wherein the player raises or folds. The player makes this decision based on his or her hand dealt in operation 101. Of course, if the player feels he or she has a good hand then the player would typically raise, otherwise the player would fold. The player can communicate his or her course of action to the dealer verbally or using hand signals.

[27] If in operation 102, the player decides to fold, then the method proceeds to operation 103, wherein the player loses both the open wager and the go wager (if placed).
The method ends here for the particular player.

[28] If in operation 102, the player decides to raise, then the method proceeds to operation 104, which receives a show wager from the player. The show wager can be any amount (chosen by the player) between the amount of the open wager and three times the amount of the open wager (or other range as the house predetermines).

[29] From operation 104, the method proceeds to operation 105, wherein the player discards one card out of the player's hand dealt in operation 101. The player would optimally (although not required) to choose the card to discard which would result in the highest score for the player (using the scoring rules in Table II). The player can indicate his or her chosen discard (the player's discard) by separating it from the remaining cards.
The player's hand is now considered the remaining four cards.

[30] From operation 105, the method proceeds to operation 106 which reveals the starter card and the dealer's hand (dealt in operation 101). The starter card is a single card that was previously dealt face down that is now turned face up, or it is newly dealt in operation 106 face up so everyone can see it. The starter card is used in combination with the player's remaining four cards and the dealer's remaining four cards to make their respective hands (in other words, both the dealer and the player start their hand with the same starter card).

[31] From operation 106, the method proceeds to operation 107 wherein the dealer must choose the dealer's discard which will result in the remaining four cards having the highest score (using the rules in Table II). The dealer can indicate the card which is chosen as the dealer's discard by separating it from the dealer's other four cards or by putting it into a discard rack on the table. The dealer's hand (or dealer's four card hand) is considered the remaining dealer's four cards,

[32] From operation 107, the method proceeds to operation 108, which determines whether the dealer qualifies. The dealer's score is determined, which is the score of the dealer's four card hand plus the starter card. If the dealer's score is four points or less, the dealer does not qualify. If the dealer's score is greater than four points than the dealer does qualify. In other embodiments, a different point total other than four can be used to determine whether the dealer qualifies.

[33] If in operation 108, it is determined that the dealer does not qualify, then the method proceeds to operation 109, wherein the show wager pushes (neither wins nor loses). However, the open wager is can still be won or lost depending on the player's and the dealer's score. From operation 109, the method proceeds to operation 110.

[34] If in operation 108, it is determined that the dealer qualifies, then the method proceeds to operation 110.

[35] In operation 110, the player's score is determined (the dealer's score already having been determined in operation 108). The player's score is the score of the player's four cards (not including the player's discard) plus the starter card, using the rules in Table II. If the player's score ties (equals) the dealer's score, then the method proceeds to operation 112, wherein the open wager pushes and the show wager pushes (it doesn't matter whether or not the dealer qualified). The method then proceeds to operation 114.

[36] If in operation 110, it is determined that the player has the higher score, then the method proceeds to operation 111, wherein the open wager wins even money and the show wager wins even money if the dealer qualified. If the dealer did not qualify, then the show wager would push (in operation 109). The method then proceeds to operation 114.

[37] If in operation 110, it is determined that the dealer has the higher score, then the method proceeds to operation 113, wherein the player loses the open wager and the player also loses the show wager if the dealer qualified. If the dealer did not qualify, then the show wager would push (in operation 109). The method then proceeds to operation 114.

[38] In operation 114, it is determined if the open wager has earned a bonus payout based on the score of the player's score. Table III illustrates one example of a bonus payout structure. Of course, it can be appreciated that other paytables can be used as well.

Table III
hand range bonus payout 0-11 none

[39] From operation 114, the method proceeds to operation 115, which determines if the player has earned a payout on the go wager (if placed), and if so, how much.

[40] With the rules and paytables in Tables I, II, and III, For the open and show Wagers, assuming optimal strategy by the player, the house will win, on average, an amount equal to 3.07% of the betting unit, or 1.41% of all money wagered; the former figure is commonly referred to as the "house edge", the latter is commonly referred to as the "element of risk."

[41] Table IV below illustrates a first paytable for the go wager. A payout of indicates that the player loses the go wager.

Table IV
Score #(Score) P(Score) Payout Value 0 3,775,020 0.030904506 -1 -0.030904506 1 424,404 0.003474418 -1 -0.003474418 2 14,972,112 0.122570403 -1 -0.122570403 3 3,517,884 0.028799441 -1 -0.028799441 4 20,257,880 0.165842769 -1 -0.165842769 5,014,768 0.041053803 -1 -0.041053803 6 17,941,780 0.14688183 -1 -0.14688183 7 7,171,508 0.058710129 -1 -0.058710129 8 20,436,844 0.167307872 1 0.167307872 9 6,591,752 0.05396391 1 0.05396391 7,442,144 0.060925712 1 0.060925712 11 1,129,876 0.009249821 1 0.009249821 12 7,393,052 0.060523817 2 0.121047633 13 539,024 0.004412763 2 0.008825527 14 2,239,544 0.018334208 2 0.036668415 284,624 0.002330097 2 0.004660195 16 1,925,874 0.015766323 3 0.047298969 17 392,134 0.003210237 3 0.00963071 18 102,560 0.000839616 3 0.002518847 17,256 0.002597242 8 0.020777935 21 94,488 0.000773534 8 0.006188269 22 18,744 0.000153449 8 0.001227594 23 13,192 0.000107997 8 0.000863979 24 151,376 0.001239252 15 0.018588778 28 3,092 2.53129E-05 50 0.001265645 29 188 1.53908E-06 100 0.000153908 Total 122,151,120 1 Return: -0.027073579

[42] Table V below illustrates a second (alternative) paytable for the go wager. Of course, it can be appreciated that other paytables in addition to Table IV and V can be used as well.

Table V
Score #(Score) P(Score) Payout Value 0 3,775,020 0.030904506 -1 -0.030904506 1 424,404 0.003474418 -1 -0.003474418 2 14,972,112 0.122570403 -1 -0.122570403 3 3,517,884 0.028799441 -1 -0.028799441 4 20,241,656 0.16570995 -1 -0.16570995 5,014,768 0.041053803 -1 -0.041053803 6 17,955,732 0.146996049 -1 -0.146996049 7 7,171,508 0.058710129 -1 -0.058710129 8 20,436,444 0.167304598 1 0.167304598 9 6,592,328 0.053968625 1 0.053968625 7,443,304 0.060935209 1 0.060935209 11 1,129,864 0.009249723 1 0.009249723 12 7,399,104 0.060573362 2 0.121146724 13 539,296 0.00441499 2 0.00882998 14 2,237,800 0.01831993 2 0.036639861 285,500 0.002337269 2 0.004674538 16 1,926,786 0.015773789 3 0.047321367 17 391,626 0.003206078 3 0.009618234 18 102,684 0.000840631 3 0.002521893 313,068 0.002562956 5 0.012814782 21 92,792 0.000759649 5 0.003798246 22 18,744 0.000153449 5 0.000767246 23 12,488 0.000102234 5 0.00051117 24 152,928 0.001251957 20 0.025039148 28 3,092 2.53129E-05 100 0.002531291 29 188 1.53908E-06 500 0.000769539 Total 122,151,120 1 Return -0.029776526

[43] For the For the Go Wager, assuming optimal discard strategy by the player, the house will win, on average, an amount equal to 2.71% of the amount wagered using Table IV, and 2.98% of the amount wagered using Table V.

[44] Figure 2A is an exemplary table layout that can be used to implement a table implementing the methods described herein. The game can be played on a physical gaming table using physical cards with physical chips being used to place/pay wagers.

[45] A physical gaming table 200 can be used to play the game which is the standard gaming table used in casinos. Shown on the gaming table 200 is the dealer's hand 201 and the dealer's discard 202. The table 200 has one active player which has made all three wagers (the open, show, and go wager). The player's hand 205 and the player's discard 204 is shown.

[46] Figure 2B is an individual betting layout for each individual player.

[47] An open wager betting circle 210 is used by the player to place the open wager.
A show wager betting circle 211 is used by the player to place the show wager.
The go wager betting circle 212 is used by the player to place the go wager. Of course, other configurations of betting circles can be used and this is merely one example.

[48] Some examples of the game will now be presented. Ralph places a $1 open wager and a $1 go wager. Ralph is dealt five cards: 2-clubs/3-spades/9-hearts/4-diamonds/10-spades. The dealer is dealt five cards face down. A starter card is dealt face down. Ralph now decides to raise and places a $3 show wager. Ralph chooses to discard the 10-spades. The starter card is now revealed to be a 3-diamonds.
The dealer now reveals (all cards used on the game are now revealed) his hand to be: 8-clubs/ace-hearts/2-diamonds/5-hearts/8-spades. The dealer discards the ace-hearts. The dealer's score is: pair of 8's (2 points) + 15 point total using 8-clubs/2-diamonds/5 hearts (2 points) + 15 point total using (8-spades/2-diamonds/5-hearts) = 6 points.
Ralph's hand is (3-diamonds (starter card)/2-clubs/3-spades/9-hearts/4-diamonds which has a score of 10, i.e., 2 points for the pair of 3's + 3 points for a three card run (2-clubs/3-diamonds/4-diamonds) + 3 points for a three card run (2-clubs/3-spades/4-diamonds) + 2 points for a point total of 15 (9-hearts/4-diamonds/2-clubs). The dealer qualifies (because the dealer's score is greater than 4 points) and Ralph has the higher score (10 points vs. the dealer's score of 6 points). Thus, both the player's open wager and show wager win (thus the player wins a payout of $4). Ralph's score of 10 points does not qualify him for an open wager bonus payout. Regarding the go wager, since Ralph has a score of 10 Joe wins a payout of $1 (according to Table IV). Thus Ralph has bet $5 and wins a payout of $5 for a total of $10 in chips on the table Ralph can now take.

[49] Another example of the game will now be presented. Alice makes a $1 open wager and a $1 go wager. Alice is dealt five cards (viewable by Alice): ace-diamonds/6-hearts/8-spades/10-clubs/queen-hearts. The dealer is dealt five cards face down. A starter card is dealt face down. Alice now decides to raise and places a $1 show wager. Alice chooses to discard the queen-hearts. The starter card is now revealed to be a 3-diamonds.
The dealer now reveals (all cards used on the game are now revealed) his hand to be: 3-spades/6-hearts/8-clubs/king-clubs/queen-clubs. The dealer discards the 8-clubs. The dealers final point total is: 2 points for the pair of 3's (the dealer has no other valuable combinations). Alice's point total is 0 since Alice cannot make any of the valuable combinations. The dealer does not qualify since the dealer has a score of 2 (which is less than 4). The dealer wins since the dealer's score of 2 is higher than the player's score of 0. Thus, Alice's show wager pushes (since the dealer did not qualify) and Alice's open wager loses (since the dealer has a higher score and thus the dealer wins the game).
Alice's go wager also loses (since according to Table IV a point total of zero is a loss).
Thus, Alice had wagered $3 of her own money and lost $2, while the $1 pushed show wager is available for Alice to take back.

[50] Figure 3A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary hardware that can be used to implement the methods described herein, according to an embodiment. The methods described herein can also be used with any type of electronic gaming apparatus, such as a personal computer, a personal computer playing at an Internet (online) casino, an electronic gaming device, an application (app) for a cell phone, etc.

[51] A processing unit 300 can be a microprocessor and associated structure (e.g., bus, cache, power supply, etc.) The processing unit 300 can be connected to an input device (e.g., buttons, a touch-screen, keyboard, mouse, etc.), and an output device 302 (a touch-screen, LCD, CRT, speaker, etc.) The processing unit 300 is also connected to a network connection 303 which connects to any type of computer communications network (e.g., Internet,'LAN, WAN, will, etc.). The processing unit 300 can also be connected to a payment acceptor, which can be one or more of a bill/ticket validator, card reader (to accept credit card or other electronic card payments), etc., The processing unit can be connected to a ROM 306, a RAM 305, and a storage device 307 (which can be a hard-drive, CD-ROM drive, BLU-RAY drive, or any electronic storage device) and a computer readable storage medium 308 which is read by the storage device 307 and can store programs and assets to implement any of the methods described herein.
The processing unit 300 can also be connected to a payout deice 309 which can dispense payouts (in the form of tickets, cash, etc.) or initiate an electronic transfer of funds to the player.

[52] Figure 3B is a block diagram illustrating hardware that can be used to track play at one or more gaming tables, according to an embodiment. Typically, casinos like to track play by players so the players can be offered complimentaries, etc. A
player tracking system is described in U.S. patent 5,836,817, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

[53] A casino table A is associated with a card reader 311 so that a player can present their player's card to the dealer. The dealer can swipe the player's card in the card reader (the card has computer readable coding to electronically identify the card such as a magnetic strip). The card reader 311 can communicate with electronic casino database 312. The casino database 312 can also communicate with card reader 313 associated with gaming table B 314 and other gaming tables/card readers (not pictured).
The casino database 312 tracks play at the gaming tables and stores data such as the average bet and time played for players who participate in the player tracking system.

[54] Any description of a component or embodiment herein also includes hardware, software, and configurations which already exist in the prior art and may be necessary to the operation of such component(s) or embodiment(s).

[55] Further, the operations described herein can be performed in any sensible order.
Any operations not required for proper operation can be optional. Further, all methods described herein can also be stored on a computer readable storage to control a computer.

[56] The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims (12)

What is claimed is:

1. A method to play a casino wager game, the method comprising:

providing a physical gaming table and a physical deck of cards in a live casino;
receiving a first wager from a player in the casino;

dealing, by a dealer in the casino, an initial player's hand to the player and an initial dealer's hand to the dealer;

offering an option to the player to raise or fold, wherein the player decides to raise and places a second wager;

receiving a player discard from the player out of the player's initial hand;
revealing a starter card, wherein the player's final hand comprises the starter card and the cards not discarded from the player's initial hand;

revealing the dealer's hand;

discarding a dealer discard out of the dealer's initial hand, the dealer discard being determined as a card out of the dealer's initial hand that results in a highest score of the remaining dealer's initial hand and the starter card, wherein the dealer's final hand comprises the starter card and the cards not discarded from the dealer's initial hand; and resolving the first wager and the second wager based on a relationship between a player's score of the player's final hand and a dealer's score of the dealer's final hand.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the player's score is determined by applying cribbage rules to the player's final hand and the dealer's score is determined by applying cribbage rules to the dealer's final hand.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the cribbage rules give points for a predetermined set of combinations, the set of combinations comprising a pair and cards that total 15.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising after the discarding and before the resolving, determining if the dealer qualifies, and if not then the show wager pushes, and if not, then the show wager wins or loses with the open wager.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dealer qualifies if the dealer's score is greater than a predetermined qualifying point total.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the predetermined qualifying point total is 4.

7. An electronic gaming apparatus to play a casino wager game, the apparatus comprising:

an input device and an output device;

a processing unit connected to the input device and the output device and executing instructions to perform:

receiving a first wager from a player;

dealing, by a dealer in the casino, an initial player's hand to the player and an initial dealer's hand to the dealer;

offering an option to the player to raise or fold, wherein the player decides to raise and places a second wager;

receiving a player discard from the player out of the player's initial hand;
revealing a starter card, wherein the player's final hand comprises the starter card and the cards not discarded from the player's initial hand;

revealing the dealer's hand;

discarding a dealer discard out of the dealer's initial hand, the dealer discard being determined as a card out of the dealer's initial hand that results in a highest score of the remaining dealer's initial hand and the starter card, wherein the dealer's final hand comprises the starter card and the cards not discarded from the dealer's initial hand; and resolving the first wager and the second wager based on a relationship between a player's score of the player's final hand and a dealer's score of the dealer's final hand.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the player's score is determined by applying cribbage rules to the player's final hand and the dealer's score is determined by applying cribbage rules to the dealer's final hand.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the cribbage rules give points for a predetermined set of combinations, the set of combinations comprising a pair and cards that total 15.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, further comprising after the discarding and before the resolving, determining if the dealer qualifies, and if not then the show wager pushes, and if not, then the show wager wins or loses with the open wager.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the dealer qualifies if the dealer's score is greater than a predetermined qualifying point total.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the predetermined qualifying point total is 4.