WO2003101174A2

WO2003101174A2 - Split pairs blackjack side bet

Info

Publication number: WO2003101174A2
Application number: PCT/US2003/016580
Authority: WO
Inventors: E. Collins Bryon; Mark T. Dunow
Original assignee: Bryon E Collins; Dunow Mark T
Priority date: 2002-05-29
Filing date: 2003-05-27
Publication date: 2003-12-11
Also published as: WO2003101174A3; AU2003243311A1; US20030222400A1; AU2003243311A8

Abstract

The method of the present invention involves a conventional live casino table game, or video machine type twenty-one game (also known as Blackjack), in which, in addition to a player's normal wager, a player (3, 4) has the option to make an additional bonus side-bet wager that makes the player eligible to win at a pre-selected ratio for having been dealt a predetermined combination of one or more of the bonus side bet cards (15). As well, there is the addition of player making a bonus side bet winning at a predetermined ratio when the dealer has a blackjack and the player has been one or more bonus side bet cards.

Description

¹ SPLIT PAIRS BLACKJACK SIDE BET

² TECHNICAL FIELD:

³ The present invention relates to the field of casino gaming and

⁴ specifically to the game of Blackjack.

⁵ BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

⁶ Several blackjack jackpot and bonus side bet wagers have

⁷ appeared in recent years, most involve a wager and payout based only on

⁸ the first two cards dealt:

⁰ 1. Top of the Deck is a bonus side bet on whether or not the player

Ό and/or dealer will receive a "natural" (a two-card 21 ). ii 2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041 includes a bonus side bet for a progressive

12 jackpot.

13 3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,077 discloses an alternative payout structure for a

14 progressive jackpot component of a twenty-one game, with the objective

15 of providing predetermined winning arrangements of cards that do not

16 interfere with the play of the underlying twenty-one game.

17 4. Over/Under 13 is a bonus side bet on whether the player's first two is cards will total over or fewer than 13. The side wager is made at the

19 start of a new hand. 0 5. Royal Match, U.S . Pat. No. 5,098, 107 is a bonus side bet on whether i the player's first two cards will be of the same suit. The wager is made 2 at the start of the new hand. 3 6. Super 7s involves a bonus side bet on whether or not the player will 4 receive one or more sevens in the hand dealt to them.

l ¹ 7. Bust-Out includes a bonus side bet wager made while the blackjack

² hand is in the progress of play. When the dealer's hand is "stiff," i.e. a

³ hard hand with value between 12 and 16, the players are allowed to

⁴ wager on whether the next card will have the value of 10.

⁵ 8. U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,485 includes a bonus side bet for blackjack

⁶ wherein a player is allowed to wager on whether the player will receive

⁷ a "stiff" hand. A variation allows the player to place a bonus side bet on s whether he/she will be dealt a non-pair "stiff" hand or a pair of aces. In ⁰ a still further embodiment, a player in a blackjack game is provided with o the option of wagering a bonus side bet on whether the first two cards i will result in a "stiff" hand or a "soft" hand, i.e. that the player's first 2 two cards include an ace and either: 1 ) any non-ten denomination, i.e., an ace through nine, or 2) any non-ten and non-ace denomination, i.e. two through nine. s 9. U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,705 involves a bonus side bet wherein the player 6 elects to bet on the player obtaining a winning hand by placing a wage 7 on a second betting area, or whether to bet on the dealer obtaining a 8 winning hand by placing a wager on a first betting area. 9 10. U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,579 involves a side bet to conventional 0 blackjack wherein the player is wagering on whether the dealer will i either bust on his hand or achieve a hand count of exactly 21 . 2 11. U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,934, involves a bonus side bet to blackjack 3 wherein a player can play not only his own hand against the dealer but 4 by an extra bonus side bet on those hands of the other players at the table. 12. Destiny 21 , U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,917, allows players to wager on the number of hits (cards) they and/or the dealer will ultimately take. 13. U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,308, involves the player receiving a pair for his or her first two cards in order to have a chance at an enhanced payoff, and forfeits the bonus side bet if the player elects to take additional cards. If the player does not beat the dealer then the player looses the bonus bet as well. Normal house rules are noted concerning the splitting of pairs. 14. U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,741 involves a side bet and the player winning for having combinations of cards equaling twenty and the dealer having a card showing with a value of ten. 15. U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,575 involves a complex combination of cards comprising of 4-5, 3-6, ten, Jack, Queen, King, or ace as predetermined on the playing table. The game also allows for a side bet that the dealer is going to "bust" or get more than twenty-one. This game is limited by the game layout and a limited number of card combination choices. 16. U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,730 involves a side bet which whereby a player bets on achieving a consecutive set of pre-determined cards. The entire disclosures of the aforementioned patents are incorporated by reference herein as jackpot or side-bet bets. It is a feature of the present invention to maintain basic blackjack strategy for all players at the table, whether they choose to participate in the optional side bet or not. According to basic blackjack strategy, a player should always split certain pairs of cards: the optimal pairs being that of aces and eights. It is a feature of this invention is that the player as part of basic strategy, seeks to achieve a predetermined arrangement or arrangements of cards that constitute winning hands based on two different pre-selected bonus side bet cards chosen from the cards being used. The present invention may, for the enjoyment of the player be varied to allow any two different cards from a standard deck to be pre-selected as the bonus pair. It is a feature of this game that if two players are dealt the same combination of cards as winning hands, each player is paid at a pre-determined ratio. Many of the above- disclosed patents incorporate a "jackpot" component, which "progressively" increases as the game is played, and is then split between tying winning hands held by the players. It is also a feature of this game that if the dealer has twenty-one and the player has been dealt one or more bonus side bet cards the player will be paid on the side bet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the following accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 Overview of the table layout with the side bet circle. Fig. 2 Close-up view of a single player' s initial hand consisting of a pair of aces. Fig. 3 Close-up view of a single player's initial pair of aces being split. Fig. 4 Close-up view of additional cards dealt to the players hand. Fig. 5 Single view of player achieving maximum bonus cards. Fig. 6 Flow chart for play of the game. Fig. 7 Table of sample payout odds. Fig. 8 Table of statistical probabilities for any two cards chosen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS : The method and rules of playing a twenty-one game is described in detail in U.S . Pat. No' s. 4,861 ,041 and 5,984,308. Referring to the drawings in more detail and initially to Figure 7, prior to the start of play two different bonus side bet cards are selected 10 and the payout odds for achieving specific combinations of the bonus cards are established 11. (Fig. 7) Here, for illustration purposes only, we will use the ace-eight combination of bonus cards and sample table of payout odds set forth in Table 1 of Fig. 7. Since many different embodiments of pre-selected cards and payouts may be made with this invention with out departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is a preferred embodiment of this invention, that unlike a "jackpot" or "progressive" bet, the winning Split Pairs Blackjack Side Bet bonus payout is paid to the winning player according to a pre- selected pairing criteria as no part of the split pairs side bet wager is retained so as to accumulate specifically for future winnings. It is a preferred embodiment of the present invention that the pre- determined statistical odds for bonus side bet card combinations are statistically the same for any other two cards selected from a standard deck of cards and thus allows different cards to be substituted while maintaining the same statistical probability. A conventional live casino twenty-one game is conducted on a gaming table with any number of decks of cards selected. (Fig. 1 ) Under normal rules 12 at the start of the game 13, the dealer deals two initial cards to the players 3,4 and the dealer 5 according to the normal method of play. (Fig. 2) The Split Pair Blackjack Side Bet table layout includes a standard side bet circle 1 and a bonus side bet circle 2. (Fig. 1 ). Referring to Table 1 (Fig. 7) and Table 2 (Fig. 8), "suited" means each of the bonus side bet cards must be of the same card suit - Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs. "Unsuited" means that at least two of the bonus side bet cards in the players hand are of different suits. At the beginning of each hand, each player, in addition to making his standard twenty-one wager 6,13 (Fig. 2,7) may also make an optional split pair side-bet wager 7,14 (Fig. 2,7). To be eligible to win the side bet wager, the first two cards dealt to the player must contain at least one predetermined bonus side bet card 3,4,15. (Fig. 2,7) As listed in Table 1 for an example, the minimum winning bonus side bet card a player must have would be an ace or eight 15. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, that when pre- selected bonus side bet cards such as with the ace-eight combination are chosen, optimal player strategy is maintained for all players at the table, removing conflict seen in other side-bet games. Often with other side bet games, players to have to choose between a winning hand and splitting a pair of bonus side bet cards in an attempt to achieve a higher winning ratio hand for the bonus side bet. With the present invention, pairs of pre-selected bonus side bet cards 10 which are split as part of traditional twenty-one game play, effect players with or without a side- bet equally. Table 2 (Fig. 8) lists the statistical probabilities for achieving the individual winning hands for any two different pre-selected bonus side bet cards. For illustrative purposes, ace-eight combinations are choosen. In each instance, the predetermined winning arrangement of cards must consist of at least one of the first two cards received being a bonus side bet card 15. Pairs of bonus side bet cards 18 may be split and matched with subsequent pairs or winning cards for higher payouts if the dealer does not have blackjack or twenty-one 17. (Fig. 6) The order of the winning bonus side bet cards dealt to the player need not be specific as to suit, but may be one of the pre-chosen payout options to enhance the interest of the player. (Fig. 8). It is a preferred embodiment of the invention that there are no conflicts involving two or more players achieving the same winning hands, as both are paid by the house at the predetermined ratio and are undivided between players as in done in a "jackpot" or "progressive" side bet. All players at the table achieving a winning hand are paid according to the pre-determined payout odds. (Fig. 7) It is a preferred embodiment of this invention that a player being dealt an initial hand consisting of one bonus side bet card, one of each bonus side bet card, or a pair of bonus side bet cards wins on the bonus side bet even when the dealer has a blackjack 17,21. (Fig. 6) This preferred embodiment of the present invention provides the player with a psychological incentive and adds to the overall player enjoyment of the game, as well as rewards the player even when the player looses the initial twenty-one bet. It is a preferred embodiment of this invention that the multiple possible winning bonus side bet card combinations rewards the player at a more frequent interval than other side-bet games, and provides a high winning payout ratios of 20 or more possible winning combinations of bonus side bet cards (Fig. 7). This form of Split Pairs Blackjack Side Bet is a preferred embodiment over that of other side bet variations. In variations such as the Royal Match (king-queen), the player seeks a suited jack-queen or a queen-king combination on the first two cards dealt only, and progressive jackpot blackjack seeks only four suited or unsuited aces. It is an embodiment of this invention that the order in which bonus side bet cards are dealt to the player after splitting pairs of bonus side bet cards may, but does have to be based on the suit of the cards 8,9. (Fig. 4,7) In addition, if a non-preselected card is dealt to the player during the course of play, the order in which it is dealt with a bonus card does effect the player winning on the bonus side bet 18-20. The player wins at the maximum ratio calculated for the total winning combinations achieved in the hand 21. Normal play is then continued with the next player at the table 22 or a new game is started 13.

Referencing Figure 7 Table 1 , a player may split aces (Fig. 3) two times (giving the player three aces) 18-20 and then be dealt only one eight on any of the next three cards dealt. In the present invention the player will be paid on the bonus side bet for three aces and one eight. The object is to get as many sets of the pre-selected bonus cards as possible. (Fig. 5)

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . A method of playing a wagering game in which two different cards are selected as bonus side bet cards, each having a specific numeric value and suit of identification.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 , including the step of establishing pre-selected payout odds based on the statistical probability of a player being dealt a specific number of combinations of the pre-selected bonus side bet cards.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 and claim 2 for playing a 0 wagering game in which cards are distributed to the players and i dealer; said method comprising the steps of: 2 a. At least one player making a first wager to participate in 3 the traditional twenty-one game; 4 b. The same player as in (a) above making a second wager 5 to participate in the bonus side bet. c. Dealing a hand comprising of two playing cards to each 7 player at the table and the dealer. s d. A player's first two cards comprise at least one, a 9 combination, or a pair of pre-selected bonus side bet cards. e. If no bonus side bet cards are contained in the players i hand, the bonus side bet is lost, but the player may continue normal twenty-one play. 3 f. If the player' s hand comprises at least one pre-selected bonus side bet card and the dealer has blackjack, the player wins on the bonus side bet, although loosing the twenty-one bet. g. If the player's hand contains a pair of the pre-selected bonus side bet cards, the player may split the cards in an attempt to gain the maximum combination of winning hands. h. When the player chooses to discontinue play by indicating he does not want any more cards dealt, the player is paid for the wining combination of cards achieved.

4. An alternative method of claim 1 through claim 3 to be included as a component to a live or on-line computerized video twenty-one game comprising the same steps and claims as that of the casino table version except wherein the collection of bets is electronic, and payment of winnings is done by coins, tokens, receipt method, or electronically to a player' s given account and winnings are paid to the player at the termination of all play.

5. An alternative method of claim 1 through claim 3 wherein the pre- selection of bonus side bet cards and payout odds may be applied in combination with other casino games which include but are not limited to Fortune-Pia-Gow, Three-card poker, Spanish Twenty- one, Match the Dealer, Royal Match, Sweet Sixteen, and Lucky Ladies, which would include the bonus side bet on each hand dealt.