US20120064958A1

US20120064958A1 - Casino wagering game incorporating elements of poker and baccarat

Info

Publication number: US20120064958A1
Application number: US12/987,082
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeff Lisandro; Peter Costa
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-09-13
Filing date: 2011-01-08
Publication date: 2012-03-15

Abstract

A method to implement a casino wagering game that allows the player to play two hands simultaneously. Each hand can be scored using a different scoring method and is compared to a dealer's hand. The dealer only is dealt one hand which is used to play against the two player hands. The player is also given the option to double one of his or her wagers depending on the point total of the player's first hand. The player is also given the option to raise one of his or her wagers depending on a poker rank of the player's second hand.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit to U.S. provisional application No. 61/382,414, entitled, “Casino Wagering Games”, filed in the USPTO on Sep. 13, 2010, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept is directed to a method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium directed to a casino wagering game.
2. Description of the Related Art
Casino table games are widely utilized by casinos in hopes of attracting gaming action from a wide variety of players. Standard casino games such as blackjack have been growing old as players are looking for a new and exciting game to play.
What is needed is a new wagering game that players will find exciting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an exciting casino wagering game.
The above aspects can be obtained by (a) providing a physical deck(s) of cards; (b) receiving, from a player, a first wager and a second wager; (c) dealing, to the player, a player's first hand and a player's second hand; (d) dealing a dealer's hand; (e) dealing a set of community cards; (f) determining a player's point total of the player's first hand; (g) determining a dealer's point total of the dealer's hand; (h) determining a player's poker hand using the player's second hand and the community cards; (i) determining a dealer's poker hand using the dealer's hand and the community cards; (j) resolving the first wager based on a relationship between the player's point total and the dealer's point total; and (k) resolving the second wager based on a relationship between the player's poker hand and the dealer's poker hand.
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

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:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing a wagering game, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a drawing of an exemplary table layout, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2B is a drawing of an exemplary betting circle configuration for a single player, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary hardware to implement an electronic version of a wagering game, according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary hardware that can be used to track play at the gaming table, according to an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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.
The present inventive concept relates to a method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium to implement a wagering game that can allow the player to play two hands simultaneously. Each hand can be evaluated against a dealer's hand with its own respective evaluation criteria. One hand can be evaluated using a baccarat numerical score while the other hand can be evaluated using a poker evaluation.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of implementing a wagering game, according to an embodiment.
The method can begin with operation 100, wherein the player places at least two wagers, a baccarat wager (a first wager) and a poker wager (a second wager). The wagers can be placed as known in the art, wherein the player places a wager in a respective betting circle on a physical gaming table. The wager can be placed using cash or chips, the chips can be directly exchangeable to and from cash.
The method can proceed to operation 101, wherein the dealer's deals out the respective hands. The dealer can deal a first hand of two cards (although other numbers of cards can be used) to the player and a second hand of two cards (although other numbers of cards can be used) to the player. The dealer also deals himself/herself a dealer's hand of two cards (although other numbers of cards can be used). The dealer's hand is typically dealt face down (so the players cannot see) while the player's cards are typically dealt face up (or alternatively dealt face down but viewable by the respective player).
From operation 101, the method proceeds to operation 102 which determines whether the player qualifies for double on the first hand. Certain point totals would qualify the player for doubling and certain point totals would not (the player's first hand dealt in operation 101 is used to determine the qualification). For example, the player can only double on point totals of 2 through 5. Doubling can pay particular payouts depending on the double number. Table I illustrates one example of point totals, whether doubling is possible, and respective payouts if the player wins after doubling.

TABLE I

Point total	Qualifies for double?	Double pays

1	no	n/a
2	yes	4:1
3	yes	3:1
4	yes	1:1
5	yes	1:1
6-9	no	n/a

It is noted that the qualifiers and payouts in Table I are merely examples and other configurations can be used. For example, doubling down on 4 can pay 6:5 on the doubled bet while paying even money on the original bet, or doubling down on 2 can pay 5:1. Or in alternate embodiments, other totals can qualify for doubling (e.g., a total of 6 could qualify for doubling).
Point totals can be computed by adding the numerical values of the player's initial first hand. If the point total is greater than 9, then the first digit is dropped (Baccarat style). For example, a point total of 15 becomes 5, a point total of 10 becomes 0, a point total of 20 becomes 0, etc. The highest score that can be achieved is 9. Aces count as 1.
Predefined rules (such as that in Table I) can be used to determine which initial point totals of the player's initial hand can be doubled on by the player (e.g., which point totals qualify for a double wager) and which point totals cannot.
If the player's point total of the first hand does not qualify for doubling, then the method proceeds to operation 105 which is discussed below in more detail.
If the player's point total of the first hand does qualify for doubling, then the method proceeds to operation 103, which determines whether the player actually doubles. Double is optional by the player, if the player feels that he might prevail by doubling he or she will double, but if the player does not wish to place the double wager then the player can decline to place the double wager. If the player chooses not to double (the player simply declines to place a double wager on the top or orally tells the dealer that the player does not wish to double) then the method proceeds to operation 105.
If in operation 103, the player decides to double, then the method proceeds to operation 104, wherein the player places the double wager alongside the first wager. The double wager is typically equal in value to the first wager (although it can be lesser in value than the first wager). The dealer would then deal a single double card to the player (typically face up) which is then added to the player's numerical point total (subject to the modulo 10 rule as discussed herein).
From operation 104, the method proceeds to operation 105, which determines whether the player qualifies to raise on the player's second hand. Certain hands qualify for a raise and certain hands do not. For example, a table such as Table II can be used to determine which hands would qualify for a raise. The player's second hand (dealt in operation 101) is used to determine the qualification.

	TABLE II

	Hand	Qualify for raise?

	A4	yes
	A3	yes
	A2	yes
	22	yes
	33	yes
	44	yes
	55	yes
	all others	no

If the player's second hand does not qualify for a raise, then the method proceeds to operation 108.
If the player's second hand does qualify for a raise, then the method proceeds to operation 106, which determines if the player actually chooses to raise.
If the player's second hand does qualify for a raise, then the method proceeds to operation 106, which determines whether the player actually chooses to place the raise wager. If the player declines to raise (by not placing a raise wager or verbally telling the dealer that he does not wish to wish to raise), then the method proceeds to operation 108.
If in operation 106, the player chooses to make the raise wager, then the method proceeds to operation 107, which receives the raise wager from the player. The player can place the raise wager alongside the second wager. The raise wager can be equal in value to the second wager (or it may be lesser in value to the second wager).
In operation 108, the dealer deals five community cards (although other numbers of community cards can be used as well). The community cards are typically dealt face up.
From operation 108, the method proceeds to operation 109, which evaluates the hands. A point total of the player's first hand (as described in operation 102) and a point total of the dealer's hand (also computed as described in operation 102, which is by adding the numerical values in the hand modulo 10).
The player's second hand is evaluated. The best five card poker hand is formed out of the player's second hand (dealt in operation 101) and the community cards (7 total cards). The dealer's hand is also evaluated as well, by determining the best dealer's poker hand using the dealer's initial hand and the community cards. It is noted that when forming the player's best poker hand, 0-2 cards of the player's hand (dealt in operation 101) can be used, and when forming the dealer's best poker hand, 0-2 cards of the dealer's hand (dealt in operation 101) can be used as well. Thus, all five community cards can be used to form the best hand for either the player, dealer, or both.
From operation 109, the method proceeds to operation 110, which resolves the first wager and the second wager based on the evaluation of the hands. The first wager is resolved based on who (the player or the dealer) has the hand with the highest point total. If the player's first hand point total is higher than the dealer's point total, then the player wins the first wager and thus will be paid a payout on the first wager. If the dealer's point total is higher than the player's first hand point total, then the player loses the first wager and the dealer would take the first wager from the player. If the player's first hand point total ties the dealer's point total, then this is a tie. A tie can be resolved in numerous ways, for example, a tie can push the first wager (the player neither wins or loses). Or on event of a tie, the player can win the first wager or lose the first wager.
If (in operation 104) the player placed the double wager and loses the first wager then the player would also lose the double wager. If the player placed the double wager and ties the first wager then the player would typically tie on the double wager as well. If the player placed the double wager and wins the first wager then the player would typically win the double wager as well, and could win a different payout on the double wager than on the first wager (depending on the payout schedule being used).
The second wager is resolved based on who (the player or the dealer) has the hand with the best poker rank. The player's poker hand is formed taking the best poker hand using the player's second hand (dealt in operation 101) and the community cards (dealt in operation 108). The dealer's poker hand is formed taking the best poker hand using the dealer's hand (dealt in operation 101) and the community cards (dealt in operation 108). There is no requirement that the player use all or any of the cards in the player's second hand when forming the player's best poker hand. Similarly, there is no requirement that the dealer use all or any of the cards in the dealer's hand when forming the dealer's best poker hand. If the player's best poker hand ranks higher than the dealer's best poker hand, then the player wins the second wager and thus will be paid a payout on the second wager. If the player's best poker hand ranks lower than the dealer's best poker hand, then the player loses the second wager and it will be taken by the dealer. If the player's best poker hand ties the dealer's best poker hand, then this is a tie. A tie can be resolved in numerous ways. For example, in case of a tie regarding the poker hands, the player can push, win, or lose the second wager.
Poker hands can be formed as known in the art. For example, a table such as that in Table III can be used to rank poker hands (ranked from highest to lowest). For example, for a discussion of how to rank poker hands, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,068 which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

	TABLE III

		Royal flush
		Straight flush
		Four of a kind
		Full house
		Flush
		Straight
		Three of a kind
		Two pair
		Pair
		High card

If the player placed the raise wager (in operation 107), then the raise wager wins or loses along with the second wager. A winning raise wager may also pay at a different payout than the second wager, depending on the payout schedule being used. For example, the player could win even money on the second wager but a 3:1 payout on the raise wager.
FIG. 2A is a drawing of an exemplary table layout, according to an embodiment.
A physical gaming table can be placed in the casino. A felt (typically green) can be on top of the table with a layout imprinted on it. This table can accommodate seven players, although of course any other number of players can be accommodated as well. The dealer's hand 202, the player's hand 204, and the community cards 203 are dealt. A shoe 201 is used to hold the deck or decks of cards (one to 8 decks can be used of standard 52 card decks).
FIG. 2B is a drawing of an exemplary betting circle configuration for a single player, according to an embodiment.
A baccarat bet betting circle 210 is used for the baccarat wager and a poker bet betting circle 211 is used for the poker wager. Each of the seven player areas in FIG. 2A has such a betting circle configuration.
An example of the game described herein will now be presented. Joe places a $1 baccarat (first) wager and a $1 poker (second) wager. The dealer deals (using a single standard deck of 52 cards) Joe a first hand of 4-diamonds and king-hearts, and a second hand of ace-spades and 8-clubs. The dealer also deals himself two cards face down. Joes score on the first hand is two (4+10=12, and since 12 is greater than 9 the first digit is dropped), and according to Table I, this qualifies Joe to place a double wager for the first hand (doubling the first wager). Joe can exercise the option to double or decline. Joe decides to double and places another $1 wager alongside the first wager. The dealer then deals Joe an additional card which is a 5-diamonds, giving Joe a total of 7. According to Table II, Joe's hand does not qualify him to raise on the second hand (i.e. raise the second wager). The dealer then deals face up (or reveals them if they were already dealt face down) the five community cards which are: 6-diamonds/6-spades/king-hearts/2-clubs/9-clubs. The dealer also reveals the dealer's cards to be (or deals them face up if they were not yet already dealt): 5-hearts/ace-clubs. Thus, the dealer's point total is 6 (since aces count as 1). The dealer's point total is determined the same way the player's point total is determined (modulo 10). Since Joe's point total of 7 is greater than the dealer's point total of 6, Joe wins and gets an even money payout on the original first wager of $1 and wins a 4:1 payout on the double wager for $4. If the dealer would have had the higher point total, then Joe would have lost both the first wager and the double wager. Regarding the second wager, Joe's best 5 card poker hand is a pair of 6's (using the five community cards and Joe's initial two cards dealt. The card dealt for the double wager is not used to determine the poker hand). The dealer's best poker hand is three of a kind (three 6's) using the five community cards and the dealer's two cards. Thus, the dealer has the better poker hand and thus the player loses the second (poker) wager. If the player would have had the better poker hand then the player would have won the second wager. Thus, the player wagered $3 ($1 for the first wager, $1 for the second wager, and $1 for the raise wager) and was paid $5 ($1 payout on the first wager and $4 payout on the double wager) and lost the second wager. Thus the player ends the game with $7 in chips for a $4 profit.
FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary hardware to implement an electronic version of a wagering game, according to an embodiment.
A processing unit 300 can be a microprocessor and associated structure (e.g., cache, bus, etc.) The processing unit 300 can be connected to an output device 301 (e.g., touch-screen, LCD, speaker, CRT, etc.) and an input device (e.g., touch-screen, keyboard, mouse, buttons, etc.) The processing unit 300 can also be connected to a network unit 303 which can connect to any type of computer communication network(s) such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, wifi, etc. The processing unit 300 can also be connected to a ROM 304, a RAM 305, and a storage unit 306 which can be a hard drive, CD-ROM drive, BLU-RAY drive, EPROM, etc. A computer readable storage medium 307 can be a CD-ROM, BLU-RAY, etc, which is read by the storage unit 306 and can store assets and instructions to direct the processing unit 300 to perform the methods described herein. The processing unit 300 can also be connected to a bill acceptor 308 which can be accept cash and convert the cash into playable credits. The bill acceptor 308 can also accept cashless tickets (vouchers) and any other payment forms. The processing unit 300 can also be connected to a payment unit 309 which can dispense payment to the player (in the form of coins or a cashless voucher). Payment can also be accepted/paid to the payer using electronic methods of funding/payment such as using debit cards (or other electronic card), wire transfers, etc.
FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary hardware that can be used to track play at the gaming table, according to an embodiment. Player tracking devices are well known in the art, for example see U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,817, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.
A first gaming table 310 and a second gaming table 311 can be tracked using a computer which can be connected to an electronic card reader 312. Thus, for example a player at either of the tables presents his or her players card to the dealer, who then passes it on to a pit staff member who then swipes the card in the card 312. The card reader 312 reads electronically encoded information on the card and transmits play information for the player to an electronic casino database 313. The database 313 can track things for each player such as playing times, average amount bet, win/loss, etc.
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).
All of the methods herein can be implemented using one or more deck(s) of cards. The deck(s) can be standard 52 decks of cards or special decks (such as a Spanish deck). All wagers described herein can be placed using cash or physical chips, the chips being redeemable for cash at the casino cashier.
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.
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

What is claimed is:

1. A method for playing a wagering game, the method comprising:

providing a physical deck(s) of cards;

receiving, from a player, a first wager and a second wager;

dealing, to the player, a player's first hand and a player's second hand;

dealing a dealer's hand;

dealing a set of community cards;

determining a player's point total of the player's first hand;

determining a dealer's point total of the dealer's hand;

determining a player's poker hand using the player's second hand and the community cards;

determining a dealer's poker hand using the dealer's hand and the community cards;

resolving the first wager based on a relationship between the player's point total and the dealer's point total; and

resolving the second wager based on a relationship between the player's poker hand and the dealer's poker hand.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the player's point total is determined using modulo 10.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dealer's point total is determined using modulo 10.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein after the player's first hand is dealt, offering the player an option to place a double wager on the first wager, the double wager on the first wager wins and loses along with the first wager.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the double wager is paid at a different payout than the first wager.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein after the player's first hand is dealt, determining if the player's first hand qualifies the player to place a double wager, and if so, then offering the player an option to place the double wager on the first wager, the double wager on the first wager wins and loses along with the first wager.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein after the player's second hand is dealt, offering the player an option to place a raise wager on the second wager, the raise wager on the second wager wins and loses along with the second wager.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the raise wager is paid at a different payout than the second wager.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein after the player's second hand is dealt, determining if the player's second hand qualifies the player to place a raise wager, and if so, then offering the player an option to player the raise wager on the second wager, the raise wager on the second wager wins and loses along with the second wager.

10. An electronic device to player playing a wagering game, the device comprising:

an input device and an output device;

a processing unit configured to operate with the input device and the output device, the processing unit configured to execute instructions to perform:

receiving, from a player, a first wager and a second wager;

dealing, to the player, a player's first hand and a player's second hand;

dealing a dealer's hand;

dealing a set of community cards;

determining a player's point total of the player's first hand;

determining a dealer's point total of the dealer's hand;

11. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein the player's point total is determined using modulo 10.

12. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein the dealer's point total is determined using modulo 10.

13. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein after the player's first hand is dealt, offering the player an option to place a double wager on the first wager, the double wager on the first wager wins and loses along with the first wager.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the double wager is paid at a different payout than the first wager.

15. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein after the player's first hand is dealt, determining if the player's first hand qualifies the player to place a double wager, and if so, then offering the player an option to place the double wager on the first wager, the double wager on the first wager wins and loses along with the first wager.

16. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein after the player's second hand is dealt, offering the player an option to place a raise wager on the second wager, the raise wager on the second wager wins and loses along with the second wager.

17. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein the raise wager is paid at a different payout than the second wager.

18. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein after the player's second hand is dealt, determining if the player's second hand qualifies the player to place a raise wager, and if so, then offering the player an option to player the raise wager on the second wager, the raise wager on the second wager wins and loses along with the second wager.