US20020145255A1

US20020145255A1 - Electronic multi-format video poker games

Info

Publication number: US20020145255A1
Application number: US09/774,387
Authority: US
Inventors: Brian Rudolph
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-01-30
Filing date: 2001-01-30
Publication date: 2002-10-10

Abstract

A player makes a wager and selects a first poker hand format and a second different poker hand format. An initial poker hand is dealt and displayed to the player. The player holds desired cards and discards unwanted cards as is conventional in video poker. Replacement cards for the unwanted cards are dealt and displayed to the player. The final poker hand is analyzed for poker hand ranking. The poker hand ranking of the final poker hand is compared to the pay table for each poker hand format to determine whether the final poker ranking is a winning combination for that poker hand format. Winning hand combinations are paid in accordance with the pay table for each poker format and based on the amount wagered by the player.

Description

This invention relates primarily to electronic video poker games, and more particularly to electronic video draw poker games that are based on poker hand rankings and allow the player to play a single hand in two different poker formats at the same time. The player selects two poker formats from a menu of poker formats at the beginning of a round of the game. The player makes a wager for each poker format that the player wishes to play. The computer game controls then deal out a poker hand, the player stands or discards and receives replacement cards as is conventional in video draw poker. The resulting final hand is then analyzed to determine its poker hand ranking. The poker hand ranking of the final hand is then compared to a pay table for each poker format and winning and losing events are determined. The player receives an award for each winning event and the player loses his wager for each losing event.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Five card draw poker in an electronic video gaming machine format has been a staple in gaming casinos for many years and this well known game is a single player game based on draw poker. The player attempts to achieve a winning poker hand ranking by discarding from an initial five card hand and drawing new cards in order to try and improve his poker hand. A pay table is provided to show the player what he can win based on the poker hand ranking achieved after the draw step and the amount wagered by the player.

There have been single hand versions of video draw poker in gaming machines for a long time. The first video draw poker machines offered the player a single poker format—usually what is called plain “Draw Poker.” In this poker format, the winning hand combinations included a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pair and a Pair of Jacks or Better (a Pair of Jacks, Pair of Queens, Pair of Kings or Pair of Aces). Any other final poker hand combination was a losing event. A player would wager one to five coins (or credits if the gaming machine has a credit meter which is now conventional) and the player would win coins or credits based on the amount wagered and the final winning poker hand combination achieved by the player. The possible awards to be won by the player are shown in a pay table associated with the poker format being played by the player.

A typical pay table for plain Draw Poker is shown in Table 1:

TABLE 1


DRAW POKER	NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

ROYAL FLUSH	250	500	750	1000	4000
STRAIGHT FLUSH	50	100	150	200	250
FOUR-OF-A-KIND	25	50	75	100	125
FULL HOUSE	9	18	27	36	45
FLUSH	6	12	18	24	30
STRAIGHT	4	8	12	16	20
THREE-OF-A-KIND	3	6	9	12	15
TWO PAIR	2	4	6	8	10
JACKS OR BETTER	1	2	3	4	5

This pay table awards the player based on the final poker hand ranking achieved by the player and the number of coins or credits wagered by the player. Typical electronic video poker gaming machines provide for a maximum wager of five coins or credits. If the final hand does not achieve a winning hand combination as shown in the pay table, then the player has a losing hand and his wager is lost.

Other poker formats have been developed for video poker. The Deuces Wild poker format provides that each deuce in the deck of playing cards is a wild card. The Deuces Wild poker format uses a different pay table of winning hand combinations because other card combinations can be treated as winning hand combinations based on the mathematical probability of various card combinations occurring. For example, when wild cards are used, it is possible to obtain Five-of-a-Kind, Four Wild Cards (Four Deuces when the Deuce is the wild card) and a Wild Royal Flush (a Royal Flush that includes one or more wild cards).

A typical pay table for Deuces Wild poker format is shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2


DEUCES WILD

DRAW POKER

NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

ROYAL FLUSH	250	500	750	1000	4000
FOUR DEUCES	200	400	600	800	1000
WILD ROYAL FLUSH	25	50	75	100	125
FIVE-OF-A-KIND	15	30	45	60	75
STRAIGHT FLUSH	13	26	39	52	65
FOUR-OF-A-KIND	4	3	12	16	20
FULL HOUSE	3	6	9	12	15
FLUSH	3	6	9	12	15
STRIAGHT	2	4	6	8	10
THREE-OF-A-KIND	1	2	3	4	5

Other poker formats have been developed for video poker. Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, Triple Bonus Poker, Super Double Bonus Poker, Sevens Wild and One-eyed Jacks Wild are among the poker formats that use standard draw poker hand rankings as winning hands, with variations being made in the amounts paid out for the different winning hand combinations.

Poker hand formats have been developed that use Jokers as wild cards—such as Joker Poker, Deuces Joker Poker and Double Joker Poker. In Joker Poker, a single Joker is added to a standard fifty-two card deck of playing cards resulting in a fifty-three card deck; in Double Joker Poker, two Jokers are added resulting in a fifty-four card deck. In Deuces Joker Poker a single Joker is added to the deck and both this Joker and the Deuces are wild cards. In video poker with one or more Jokers added as wild cards, winning hand combinations include Five-of-a-Kind and Wild Royal Flushes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and exciting video poker game in which the player has the opportunity to achieve two winning occurrences while playing a single video poker hand.

It is a feature of the present invention that a single video poker hand is played and is then analyzed with respect to two poker formats at the same time. The player can achieve a winning hand relative to both poker formats, the player can achieve a winning hand relative to one of the poker formats and a losing hand relative to the other poker format and the player can achieve two losing hands.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the player will be able to participate in two poker game formats while playing a single hand. The player will have two opportunities to win and could win on either poker game format or on both poker game formats. It is a further advantage that the operator of the gaming machine can offer pay tables with a theoretical return in excess of 100% for each poker format while the overall theoretical game return will be below 100%. This occurs because the optimal game strategy for one poker format results in a player disadvantage against the other poker format.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The method of present invention involves the player making a wager that is allocated between two poker hand formats. The player can play the same number of credits on each poker hand format or a different number of credits on each poker hand format.

Once the player has made his wager, the player selects a first poker hand format and a second poker hand format. Each poker hand format must be different. The player can select each poker hand format from a group of poker hand formats provided in a menu on the video poker gaming machine. Each poker hand format has a pay table associated therewith showing the winning hand combinations for that poker hand format and the payouts available based on the number of credits wagered by the player.

Then the initial poker hand is dealt and displayed to the player. The player holds desired cards and discards unwanted cards as is conventional in video poker. Replacement cards for the unwanted cards are dealt and displayed to the player. The final poker hand is analyzed for poker hand ranking.

The poker hand ranking of the final poker hand is compared to the pay table for each poker hand format to determine whether the final poker ranking is a winning combination for that poker hand format. Winning hand combinations are paid in accordance with the pay table for each poker format and based on the amount wagered by the player.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the screen display for the method of play of the present invention prior to the initial deal of the cards. [0018]
FIG. 2 shows a second screen display used to select the poker formats to be used in the method of play of the present invention. [0019]
FIG. 3 shows the screen display for the method of play of the present invention after an initial deal of cards that could occur during the play of the game. [0020]
FIG. 4 shows the screen display for the method of play of the present invention and shows a result that could occur during the play of the game. [0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention includes an electronic video poker game. Each electronic video poker game is designed to be played by having the poker hand displayed on a video screen to a player. By manipulating the buttons on the gaming device or by using conventional touch screen technology, the player selects how much he wishes to wager, which poker hand formats the player wishes to use for that play of the game and which cards the player wishes to hold and which cards the player wishes to discard. [0022]
FIG. 1 shows a gaming machine upon which the method of the present invention can be carried out. The [0023] gaming machine 10 includes a video screen display 20 on which is shown the playing cards that will be used during the play of the method of the present invention. The video screen display 20 also includes other information and data presented to the player to allow the player to understand the play of the game and to effect the operation of the method.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the video screen display shows a [0024] credit meter 22 and a display of the total number of credits 24 wagered for a particular round of play of the game. The video screen display also has touch screen locations to allow the player to DEAL 47 the initial display of cards which comprise the initial hand dealt to the player. Other touch screen locations allow the player to make his initial wager, which can be made one credit at a time using the BET ONE location 26 or which can be made by wagering the maximum number of credits allowed by the gaming machine using the BET MAX location 28. The screen display 20 also displays the playing cards 60 dealt to the player and the player can effect his hold of the cards by pressing each card location on the screen display. When the player has selected which cards he wishes to hold, the player can cause the replacement cards to be dealt by pressing the DRAW 47 location on the screen display 20. The DEAL/DRAW location 47 toggles between a DEAL symbol and a DRAW symbol depending on whether the deal step is active or the draw step is active, as is conventional.
Finally, yet another touch screen location allows the player to determine the poker formats the player wishes to play. [0025] POKER FORMAT location 31 is used by the player to select the first poker hand format that the player wishes to play. POKER FORMAT location 33 is used by the player to select the second poker hand format that the player wishes to play.
The [0026] gaming machine 10 also has a button panel 40 which includes typical buttons that the player may press to activate various actions during the play of the method of the present invention. A CASH OUT button 41 is provided to allow the player to collect any credits which the player has accrued on the credit meter 22. A BET MAX button 42 and a BET ONE button 44 are provided to allow the player to wager either the maximum amount of credits or to wager one credit at a time on the play of the game as desired by the player. A DEAL/DRAW button 46 is provided to allow the player to effect the initial deal step of the method of play as desired should the player prefer to use the button panel instead of the DEAL/DRAW screen location 47 on the video screen display 20.
The [0027] gaming machine 10 also includes a coin head 50 to allow the player to insert coins or gaming tokens as wagers to allow play of the gaming machine 10. A bill acceptor slot 52 is also provided on the gaming machine 10. In order to accrue credits that may be used to play the gaming machine 10, the player inserts paper currency or other suitable script or gaming coupons into the bill acceptor slot 52 behind which, on the interior of the gaming machine, is mounted a bill acceptor which takes in and validates the currency. The monetary value of the inserted currency is then applied to the credit meter 22, the credits on which the player may use to play the gaming machine. As is conventional in video poker gaming machines, the player may effect a wager by inserting coins or gaming tokens or the player may effect a wager by using credits accrued on the credit meter 22.
Any other conventional and suitable equipment can be included in the gaming machine. [0028]
The preferred embodiment of the present invention uses a standard fifty-two card deck, and may add one or more Jokers as wild cards when a Joker wild card format is selected by the player. A player makes an initial wager to activate the game and the player selects the two poker hand formats that the player wishes to play during that round of the game. The player also determines the amount of the wager that is to be allocated to each poker hand format that the player will play. [0029]
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the amount wagered by the player will be equally divided between each poker hand format. Alternatively, the computer controls of the gaming machine can be configured to allow the player to wager different amounts on each poker hand format. As shown in FIG. 1, the player has elected to wager five credits on each poker hand format that the player will play. [0030]
In order to select the first poker format to be used during the round of play, the player presses the [0031] POKER FORMAT 1 screen location and a second screen display 100, see FIG. 2, is shown to the player. This second screen display 100 can display in any suitable manner the various poker formats available to the player to select from. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the available poker formats can be shown in a touch screen location on the screen display 100—Draw Poker 102, Bonus Poker 104, Double Bonus Poker 106, Double Double Bonus Poker 108, Deuces Wild Poker 110 and Joker Poker 112. The player simply touches the screen location associated with the poker format the player wishes to select. The method of the present invention requires that the poker formats be different—the player may not select the same poker format for both plays in the same round of play of the game.
As shown in FIG. 3, the player has chosen Draw Poker as the first poker format and Deuces Wild Poker as the second format. [0032]
After the wager has been made and after the player has selected his desired poker hand formats for that round of play of the game, an initial hand of five cards is randomly dealt (after the playing cards have been randomly shuffled electronically as is conventional) and displayed to the player on the screen display. A representative initial deal is shown in FIG. 3 and the player has been dealt the Two of [0033] Spades 61, the Queen of Clubs 62, the Four of Hearts 63, the Two of Clubs 64 and the Seven of Diamonds 65.
As is conventional in video poker gaming machines, the player selects which cards he player wishes to hold be pressing the “Hold” button under each card or by touching the card on the touch screen display. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the player would most likely hold the Two of [0034] Spades 61 and the Two of Clubs 64 since this is a Pair in Draw Poker and two wild cards in Deuces Wild Poker.
The player then presses the “Draw” button to discard the unwanted non-held cards and replacement cards from the original deck of playing cards are dealt and displayed to the player. The resulting five card hand is the player's final hand. In the example as shown in FIG. 4, the player was dealt as replacement cards the Two of [0035] Diamonds 66, the Seven of Hearts 67 and the Seven of Spades 68.
The final hand is analyzed by the computer controls to determine the poker hand ranking. The poker hand ranking of the final hand is compared to the pay table for each poker hand format to determine whether a winning hand combination has been achieved. [0036]
With reference to the example shown in FIG. 4, the player has a Full House relative to the Draw Poker format. Using any suitable pay table for the Draw Poker format, such as the one shown in Table 1, the player would be awarded nine credits for each credit wagered for a Full House achieved in Draw Poker. [0037]
The player also has five Sevens relative to the Deuces Wild Poker format. Using any suitable pay table for the Deuces Wild Poker format, such as the one shown in Table 2, the player would be awarded fifteen credits for each credit wagered for a Five-of-a-Kind achieved in Deuces Wild Poker. [0038]
Any suitable pay table may be devised for each of the poker formats that can be used in the method of the present invention. The selection of the appropriate pay table is based on the mathematical probability of video poker and the desired game return to be offered to the player. [0039]
As discussed above, any of the myriad of poker formats that have been devised may be used and the method of the present invention can be easily adapted to any new poker formats that may be devised in the future. [0040]
Following are examples of pay tables that can be used with some well-known poker formats, but these examples should be considered as illustrative and the method of the present invention is not intended to be limited to any particular pay table or groups of pay tables. [0041]

A typical pay table for Bonus Poker is shown in Table 3:

TABLE 3


BONUS POKER	NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

ROYAL FLUSH	250	500	750	1000	4000
STRAIGHT FLUSH	50	100	150	200	250
FOUR ACES	80	160	240	320	400
FOUR 2'S, 3'S, 4'S	40	80	120	160	200
FOUR 5'S THRU KINGS	25	50	75	100	125
FULL HOUSE	8	16	24	32	40
FLUSH	5	10	15	20	25
STRAIGHT	4	8	12	16	20
THREE-OF-A-KIND	3	6	9	12	15
TWO PAIR	2	4	6	8	10
JACKS OR BETTER	1	2	3	4	5

A typical pay table for Double Bonus Poker is shown in Table 4:

TABLE 4


DOUBLE BONUS POKER	NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

ROYAL FLUSH	250	500	750	1000	4000
STRAIGHT FLUSH	50	100	150	200	250
FOUR ACES	160	320	480	640	800
FOUR 2'S, 3'S, 4'S	80	160	240	320	400
FOUR 5'S THRU KINGS	50	100	150	200	250
FULL HOUSE	7	14	21	28	35
FLUSH	5	10	15	20	25
STRAIGHT	4	8	12	16	20
THREE-OF-A-KIND	3	6	9	12	15
TWO PAIR	1	2	3	4	5
JACKS OR BETTER	1	2	3	4	5

A typical pay table for Double Double Bonus Poker is shown in Table 5:

TABLE 5


DOUBLE DOUBLE

BONUS POKER

NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

ROYAL FLUSH	250	500	750	1000	4000
STRAIGHT FLUSH	50	100	150	200	250
FOUR ACES	400	800	1200	1600	2000
WITH 2, 3 OR 4
FOUR ACES	160	320	480	640	800
FOUR 2'S, 3'S, 4'S	160	320	480	640	800
WITH ACE, 2, 3 OR 4
FOUR 2'S, 3's, 4'S	80	160	240	320	400
FOUR 5'S THRU KINGS	50	100	150	200	250
FULL HOUSE	6	12	18	24	30
FLUSH	5	10	15	20	25
STRAIGHT	4	8	12	16	20
THREE-OF-A-KIND	3	6	9	12	15
TWO PAIR	1	2	3	4	5
JACKS OR BETTER	1	2	3	4	5

A typical pay table for Joker Poker is shown in Table 6:

TABLE 6


JOKER POKER	NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

ROYAL FLUSH	250	500	750	1000	4000
STRAIGHT FLUSH	50	100	150	200	250
WILD ROYAL FLUSH	100	200	300	400	500
FIVE-OF-A-KIND	50	100	150	200	250
FOUR-OF-A-KIND	15	30	45	60	75
FULL HOUSE	10	20	30	40	50
FLUSH	6	12	18	24	30
STRAIGHT	4	8	12	16	20
THREE-OF-A-KIND	3	6	9	12	15
TWO PAIR	1	2	3	4	5
PAIR OF ACES	1	2	3	4	5

A typical pay table for Joker Poker is shown in Table 6:

TABLE 7


DEUCES JOKER

WILD POKER

NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

FIVE WILD CARDS	1600	3200	4800	6400	10000
ROYAL FLUSH	800	1600	2400	3200	4000
FOUR DEUCES	25	50	75	100	125
WILD ROYAL FLUSH	12	24	36	480	60
FIVE-OF-A-KIND	9	18	27	36	45
STRAIGHT FLUSH	6	12	18	24	30
FOUR-OF-A-KIND	3	6	9	12	15
FULL HOUSE	3	6	9	12	15
FLUSH	3	6	9	12	15
STRAIGHT	2	4	6	8	10
THREE-OF-A-KIND	1	2	3	4	5

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the player cannot select which two poker formats the player may play during any round of the game. Instead the gaming machine is programmed to offer the player two preselected poker formats and those two preselected poker formats are the two that the player will use during each round of play of the game. [0047]
For example, the two preselected poker formats could be Double Double Bonus Poker and Deuces Wild Poker. The pay table for each of these preselected poker formats can be set to have a game return in excess of 100%. However, the overall game return will be less than 100% because the optimal hold and draw strategy for one poker format would not be the optimal hold and draw strategy for the other format. [0048]

For example, in this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Double Double Bonus Poker format pay table is shown in Table 8 and has a theoretical game return of 103.1179%:

TABLE 8


DOUBLE DOUBLE

BONUS POKER

NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

ROYAL FLUSH	800	1600	2400	3200	4000
STRAIGHT FLUSH	50	100	150	200	250
FOUR ACES	500	1000	1500	2000	2500
WITH 2, 3 OR 4
FOUR ACES	160	320	480	640	800
FOUR 2'S, 3'S, 4'S	160	320	480	640	800
WITH ACE, 2, 3 OR 4
FOUR 2'S, 3'S, 4'S	80	160	240	320	400
FOUR 5'S THRU KINGS	50	100	150	200	250
FULL HOUSE	11	22	33	44	55
FLUSH	7	14	21	28	35
STRAIGHT	4	8	12	16	20
THREE-OF-A-KIND	3	6	9	12	15
TWO PAIR	1	2	3	4	5
JACKS OR BETTER	1	2	3	4	5

The Deuces Wild Poker format pay table is shown in Table 9 and has a theoretical game return of 103.8111%:

TABLE 9


DEUCES WILD

DRAW POKER

NUMBER OF CREDITS BET

POKER HAND	1	2	3	4	5

ROYAL FLUSH	800	1600	2400	3200	4000
FOUR DEUCES	500	1000	1500	2000	2500
WILD ROYAL FLUSH	30	60	90	120	150
FIVE-OF-A-KIND	18	36	54	72	90
STRAIGHT FLUSH	10	20	30	40	50
FOUR-OF-A-KIND	4	8	12	16	20
FULL HOUSE	3	6	9	12	15
FLUSH	2	4	6	8	10
STRIAGHT	2	4	6	8	10
THREE-OF-A-KIND	1	2	3	4	5

The overall game return when Double Double Bonus Poker and Deuces Wild Poker are the two preselected poker formats would be 98.2134% because the optimal play for each initially dealt hand may not be the same for each poker format. For example, if a player is initially dealt three Deuces, a King of Spades and an Ace of Spades, the player on the deal would have a Wild Royal Flush in the Deuces Wild Poker format but only a Three-of-a-Kind in the Double Double Bonus Poker format. If the player holds all five initially dealt cards, the player would win the payout for a Wild Royal in the Deuces Wild Poker format and the payout for Three-of-a-Kind in the Double Double Bonus Poker format. But the player would give up the opportunity to achieve four Deuces (with or without the kicker) in the Double Double Bonus Poker format which has a very high payout. Likewise, if the player only holds the three Deuces and tries to achieve a higher payout in the Double Double Bonus Poker format, the player would be giving up a guaranteed payout for the Wild Royal Flush in the Deuces Wild Poker format. [0051]
Other preselected poker format combinations can be used, particularly those that combine a wild card poker format with another wild card poker format. For example, the Joker Poker format can be combined with the Deuces Joker Poker format. [0052]
Another variation of the present invention can use three or more poker formats played from a single player poker hand. The player would make a wager that would be allocated among the three or more poker formats and the final five card hand is then analyzed relative to each of the three or more poker formats to determine winning and losing hands. [0053]
While the invention has been illustrated with respect to several specific embodiments thereof, these embodiments should be considered as illustrative rather than limiting. Various modifications and additions may be made and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited by the foregoing description, but rather should be defined only by the following claims. [0054]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of playing a poker game in which a player plays a single hand relative to two different poker formats comprising:

a) a player selecting a first poker format and a second poker format which is different from the first poker format;

b) displaying a five card hand face up to the player;

c) the player selecting none, one or more of the face up cards as cards to be held;

d) discarding the face up cards that were not selected to be held and replacing each of those cards with a face up card to create a final five card hand;

e) determining the poker hand ranking of the final five card hand;

f) determining whether the poker hand ranking of the final five card hand is a winning combination relative to the first poker hand format; and

g) determining whether the poker hand ranking of the final five card hand is a winning combination relative to the second poker hand format.

2. The method of claim 1 including the steps of:

a) a player making a wager which is allocated between the first poker format and the second poker format;

b) paying the player a preestablished amount based on the amount of the wager allocated to the first poker format if the final five card hand is a winning combination relative to the first poker format; and

c) paying the player a preestablished amount based on the amount of the wager allocated to the second poker format if the final five card hand is a winning combination relative to the second poker format.

3. The method of claim 1 in which each poker format is selected from the group consisting of Draw Poker, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild Poker and Joker Wild Poker.

4. A method of playing a poker game in which a player plays a single hand relative to a first preselected poker format and a second preselected poker format which is different from the first poker format comprising:

a) displaying a five card hand face up to the player;

b) the player selecting none, one or more of the face up cards as cards to be held;

c) discarding the face up cards that were not selected to be held and replacing each of those cards with a face up card to create a final five card hand;

d) determining the poker hand ranking of the final five card hand;

e) determining whether the poker hand ranking of the final five card hand is a winning combination relative to the first poker hand format; and

f) determining whether the poker hand ranking of the final five card hand is a winning combination relative to the second poker hand format.

5. The method of claim 4 including the steps of:

6. The method of claim 4 in which each poker format is selected from the group consisting of Draw Poker, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild Poker and Joker Wild Poker.

7. The method of Clam 4 in which the first poker format is Double Double Bonus Poker with an associated pay table and the second poker format is Deuces Wild Poker with an associated pay table.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the pay table associated with Double Double Bonus Poker is:

DOUBLE DOUBLE BONUS POKER NUMBER OF CREDITS BET POKER HAND 1 2 3 4 5 ROYAL FLUSH 800 1600 2400 3200 4000 STRAIGHT FLUSH 50 100 150 200 250 FOUR ACES 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 WITH 2, 3 OR 4 FOUR ACES 160 320 480 640 800 FOUR 2'S, 3'S, 4'S 160 320 480 640 800 WITH ACE, 2, 3 OR 4 FOUR 2'S, 3'S, 4'S 80 160 240 320 400 FOUR 5'S THRU KINGS 50 100 150 200 250 FULL HOUSE 11 22 33 44 55 FLUSH 7 14 21 28 35 STRAIGHT 4 8 12 16 20 THREE-OF-A-KIND 3 6 9 12 15 TWO PAIR 1 2 3 4 5 JACKS OR BETTER 1 2 3 4 5

and the pay table associated with Deuces Wild Poker is:

DEUCES WILD DRAW POKER NUMBER OF CREDITS BET POKER HAND 1 2 3 4 5 ROYAL FLUSH 800 1600 2400 3200 4000 FOUR DEUCES 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 WILD ROYAL FLUSH 30 60 90 120 150 FIVE-OF-A-KIND 18 36 54 72 90 STRAIGHT FLUSH 10 20 30 40 50 FOUR-OF-A-KIND 4 8 12 16 20 FULL HOUSE 3 6 9 12 15 FLUSH 2 4 6 8 10 STRAIGHT 2 4 6 8 10 THREE-OF-A-KIND 1 2 3 4 5