WO2008048417A2

WO2008048417A2 - Apparatus for determining a pre-flop advantage

Info

Publication number: WO2008048417A2
Application number: PCT/US2007/020996
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Vostoris
Original assignee: Vsl Innovations, Inc.
Priority date: 2006-10-13
Filing date: 2007-09-28
Publication date: 2008-04-24
Also published as: WO2008048417A3

Abstract

An apparatus for determining a pre-flop advantage in a Texas Holdem game includes (a) a display displaying hole card values, number of players, pre-flop hand ranking and win percentage, (b) a physical keyboard including (i) a plurality of first keys corresponding to card values within a deck of cards, (ii) a plurality of second keys corresponding to numbers of possible players and (iii) a plurality of third keys corresponding to a suited condition and an off suit condition. The first keys are arranged as a first row having seven keys and a second row having six keys located below the first row. The second keys are arranged in a single row below the first keys. The third keys are arranged in a single row below the first keys and above the second keys. The processor couples the display and the physical keyboard.

Description

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING A PRE-FLOP ADVANTAGE

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/829,367, filed October 13, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Field of the Invention

The • present invention relates to gaming devices generally and, more particularly, to an apparatus for determining a pre-flop advantage.

Background of the Invention

Texas Holdem is a game that can be played between two players to as many as 10 players. There are 1,326 possible two card starting hand combinations with 169 distinct combinations of suited or unsuited two card hands. In the game, regardless of the number of players, each player receives two cards dealt face down. Betting occurs. Three community cards (i.e., the flop) are then dealt face up. Betting occurs. One community card (i.e., the 4^th street or turn) is dealt face up. Betting occurs. A last community card (i.e., the river) is dealt face up, and betting occurs. The winner is the person who has the best five card poker hand using his or her two face down cards along with the five face up community cards. When playing online, the time frame, as a player, for the decision making process is limited from as little as 10 seconds to as much as 45 seconds. It would be desirable to have a way of determining a pre-flop advantage within the time frame for online play.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention concerns an apparatus for determining a pre-flop hand ranking and win percentage including a display, a physical keyboard and a processor. The display for displaying hole card values, number of players, the pre-flop hand ranking and the win percentage. The physical keyboard includes (i) a plurality of first keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alpha-numeric characters corresponding to card values within a deck of playing cards, (ii) a plurality of second keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with numeric characters corresponding to numbers of possible players in a Texas Holdem game, (iii) a plurality of third keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a suited condition and an off suit condition. The plurality of first keys is arranged as a first row having seven keys and a second row having six keys with the second row located below the first row. The plurality of second keys is arranged in a single row below the plurality of first keys. The plurality of third keys is arranged in a single row below the plurality of first keys and above the plurality of second keys. The processor is coupled between the display and the physical keyboard. The hole card values and number of players are entered using the physical keyboard. The processor determines the pre-flop hand ranking and the win percentage based upon the hole card values and number of players. The objects, features and advantages of the present invention include providing an apparatus for determining a pre- flop advantage that may (i) determine a win percentage based on cards in a hand, (ii) determine a hand ranking based on cards in a hand, (iii) determine a number of outs that will improve a hand based on the cards in the hand and in a flop, (iv) provide a physical keyboard arrangement that allows quick entry of card and number of players information, (v) allow updating the number of players with a single press of a button and/or (vi) provide a backlit display.

Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a variety of views of a device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an isometric view of the device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of the device of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a variety of views of another device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of the device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6A is a circuit diagram illustrating an example implementation of the present invention; and

FIG. 6B is a circuit diagram illustrating an example keyboard implementation of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring to FIG. 1, a diagram is shown illustrating a device 100 implemented in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In one example, the device 100 may measure approximately 5 inches by four and one-half inches. However, other dimensions may be implemented accordingly to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation. The device 100 may comprise a display portion 102 (further illustrated in view A) and a keyboard portion 103 (further illustrated in view B) . The display portion 102 may be raised at a 30 degree angle with respect to the keyboard portion 103 for easy viewing. A battery compartment 104 may be implemented as part of the display portion 102. The device case may include rubber feet 105 to prevent sliding.

The display portion 102 may comprise a liquid crystal display (LCD) . In one example, the LCD may be implemented as a 24 character by 2 line display (e.g., a PYC2402A display from Palm Technology Co., Ltd.) . However, other types and dimensions of displays may be implemented accordingly to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation. In one example, the display portion 102 may be configured to present information about cards in a hand of a player, number of players in a game, hand ranking for the cards displayed and win percentage (pre- flop) for the cards displayed and the number of players.

The keyboard portion 103 may comprise a first set of keys (or buttons) 106, a second set of keys (or buttons) 108, a third set of keys (or buttons) 110 and a fourth set of keys (or buttons) 112. The portion 103 may further include an area 114 and an area 116 that may be labeled or left blank. For example, the areas 114 and 116 may be used to hold advertisements or identifying logos. Each key of the first set of keys 106 may be labeled with corresponding indicia including alpha-numeric characters. In one example, the keys in the first set may be labeled with characters corresponding to card values within a deck of playing cards (e.g., A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2). The first set of keys 106 may be arranged in two rows; an upper row and a lower row. The upper row may have keys labeled A, K, Q, J, 10, 9 and 8. The lower row may have keys labeled 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. The lower row may be centered under the upper row. In one example, the keys in the first set of keys 106 may be black with contrasting colored indicia (e.g., white, yellow, etc.) silk screened thereupon. However, other color combinations- may be implemented accordingly to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation.

Each key of the second set of keys 108 may be labeled with corresponding indicia including numeric characters. In one example, the keys in the second set of keys 108 may be labeled with characters corresponding to a number of possible players in a Texas Holdem game (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10). In one example, the second set of keys 108 may be centered below the first set of keys 106. In one example, the keys in the second set of keys 108 may be black with contrasting colored indicia (e.g., white, yellow, etc.) silk screened thereupon. However, other color combinations may be implemented accordingly to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation. Each key of the third set of keys 110 may be arranged in a single row and labeled with corresponding indicia including alphabetic characters. In one example, the keys in the third set of keys 110 may include a key labeled SUITED, a key labeled UNSUITED and a key labeled CLEAR. In one example, the pair of keys labeled SUITED and UNSUITED may be centered below the first set of keys and above the second set of keys. The key labeled CLEAR may be in line with the other keys of the third set of keys 110, but offset to one side. In one example, the keys in the third set of keys may be brightly colored (e.g., red, green and blue, respectively) with contrasting colored indicia (e.g., black, etc.) silk screened thereupon. However, other color combinations may be implemented accordingly to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation.

The fourth set of keys 112 may include a first key configured to switch the device 100 ON and a second key configured to switch the device 100 OFF. The fourth set of keys 112 may be located above and to the right of the first set of keys 106. The relative arrangement of the sets of keys 106, 108 and 110 and the relatively large, square shape of the keys of the first set of keys 106 and the second set of keys 108 may provide for quick and easy input of card and player information.

In one example, the keys of the first set of keys 106 and second set of keys 108 may be implemented measuring approximately one-half inch square with indicia having a height of approximately 6 millimeters (mm) . The keys of the third set may be implemented, in one example, with a substantially rectangular shape and indicia having a height of approximately 3 mm. The keys of the fourth set of keys 112 may, in one example, be small and oval shaped with indicia having a height of approximately 2 mm. In one example, the indicia on the keys may be implemented with a similar font (e.g., Arial, etc.) . The font on the second, third and fourth sets of keys may be italic to be visually distinguishable from the first set of keys. In one example, the sets of keys may be implemented as part of a single rubber key pad cover for placement over appropriately positioned key switches.

Referring to FIG. 2, a diagram is shown illustrating an isometric view of the device 100. In one example, the first set of keys 106 may have an associated label (e.g., Pre-flop cards) identifying the keys to the user as allowing input of the user's pre-flop (or hole) cards. The second set of keys 108 may also have an associated label (e.g., Total Players) identifying the keys to the user as allowing entry of the number of players in the game. The present invention generally provides a user (e.g., a Texas Holdem player) with the odds of the player's two facedown (hole) cards winning against the cards of any remaining opponents, prior to laying down of the flop (e.g., the first three community cards dealt face up) . The present invention generally presents a two down card ranking order or hand ranking (e.g., 10 of 169, etc.) and a percentage that that hand will win dependant upon the number of players in the game (e.g., 29.56%, etc . ) . The hand ranking and the win percentage may vary significantly between, for example, a ten player game and a five player game. For example, a Jack(J), King(K) suited (e.g., both cards have the same suit) hand in a ten player game may win or tie 19.08% of the time (e.g., 1 in 5 odds) and rank as the tenth best starting hand (e.g., 10 of 169) . The same hand, a J and K suited, in a five player game may win or tie 32.59% of the time (e.g., 1 in 3 odds), yet rank as the twelfth best starting hand

(e.g., 12 of 169) . The same two cards may win or tie at different percentages in 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 player games.

The hand may rank differently as well.

The present invention may provide statistical probabilities based upon a random sampling of, for example, around three billion simulated hands in two player through ten player games. Such statistical probabilities are readily available. For example, a random sampling available to the public can be found on the internet at www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~akapadia/nofoldem/ .

In one example, the present invention may inform the user how a particular hand (e.g., J, K suited) ranks against the other 168 possible starting hands in a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 player game. The present invention may identify a tie/win percentage against the other hands as well, based on the random sampling. In general, the present invention may identify 1,521 different rankings and 1,521 different percentages.

In general, the present invention may assist the player by providing him or her with valuable information, determined in fractions of a second, which may allow the player to make at least an educated risk assessment as to whether or not to bet, raise or fold. When playing online, the time frame as a player for decision making may be limited to a range from as little as ten seconds to as much as 45 seconds. The present invention provides a quasi calculator device that may be advantageous. The way the keys or pads are arranged on the device 100 facilitates the usability of the device 100 in situations where time is short. The present invention is player friendly.

In an example operation, a button (or key) from the second set of keys 108 that represents the number of players is pressed first. When the first two cards are dealt to the user, the user simply presses the buttons (or keys) in the first set of keys 106 that correspond to the first two cards the player received (e.g., the hole cards) and then presses either the "suited" button or the "unsuited" button in the third set of keys 110. Once the information about the number of players, the hole cards, and whether the hole cards are suited or non-suited is entered, the hand ranking (e.g., of the dealt cards out of a possible 169) and the win percentage (pre-flop) are automatically determined and presented to the user via the display portion 102 along with the cards entered, whether the cards are suited or non-suited and the number of players currently selected. If a mistake is made while entering information, a press of the "clear" button back steps through the data entry process allowing new data to be input. In one example, the probability of being dealt various starting hands may be explicitly calculated. In Texas Hold 'em, a player is dealt two down (or hole) cards. The first card may be any one of 52 playing cards in the deck and the second card may be any one of the 51 remaining cards. This gives 52 x 51 ÷

2 = 1,326 possible starting hand combinations (e.g., since the order of the cards is not significant, the 2,652 combinations are divided by the 2 ways of ordering two cards) . Alternately, the number of possible starting hands may be expressed as the following binomial coefficient:

which is the number of possible combinations of choosing 2 cards from a deck of 52 playing cards. The 1,326 starting hands may be reduced for purposes of determining the probability of starting hands for Texas Hold 'em, because suits generally have no relative value in poker. Many of the possible starting hands are identical in value before the flop. The factors determining the strength of a starting hand are the ranks of the cards and whether the cards share the same suit. Of the 1,326 combinations, there are 169 distinct starting hands that may be grouped into three shapes: 13 pocket pairs (paired hole cards) , 13 x 12 ÷ 2 = 78 suited hands and 78 unsuited hands; 13 + 78 + 78 = 169. The relative probability of being dealt a hand of each given shape is different. Referring to FIG. 3, a diagram is shown illustrating an isometric view of a device 140 in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the device 100. The device 140 may be implemented similarly to the device 100 except for minor variation in the placement (or arrangement) of the sets of keys. In one example, a first set of keys 142 may be implemented similarly to the first set of keys 106 of the device 100. A second set of keys 144 may be implemented similarly to the second set of keys 108 of the device 100, but the set of keys 144 may be placed next to the set of keys 142. A third set of keys 146 may be implemented similarly to the set of keys 110 of the device 100. However, the third set of keys 146 may be arranged in two rows below the first set of keys 142.

A single backlight key 148 may be implemented on the device 140 in place of the fourth set of keys 112 of the device 100. A set of instructions may be located below the second set of keys 144. Site names (or other labeling) may be placed at locations on the device 140 corresponding with the areas 114 and 116 on the device 100. Although the placement of the sets of keys is different from the device 100, the device 140 may operate similarly to the device 100.

Referring to FIG. 4, a diagram is shown illustrating a device 150 implemented in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The device 150 may comprise a display portion 152 (further illustrated in view A) and a keyboard portion 153 (further illustrated in view B) . The display portion 152 may be raised at a 30 degree angle with respect to the keyboard portion 153 for easy viewing. A battery compartment 154 may be implemented as part of the display portion 152. The device case may include rubber feet 155 to prevent sliding.

The display portion 152 may comprise a liquid crystal display (LCD) . In one example, the LCD may be implemented as a 24 character by 2 line display (e.g., a PYC2402A display from Palm Technology Co., Ltd.) . However, other types and dimensions of displays may be implemented accordingly to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation. In one example, the display portion 152 may be configured to present information about hole cards in a hand of a player, a current hand including community cards, the number of players in the game, the hand ranking for the cards displayed, a number of outs to improve the players hand and the win percentage (pre-flop) for the cards displayed and the number of players.

The keyboard portion 153 may comprise a first set of keys (or buttons) 156, a second set of keys (or buttons) 158, a third set of keys (or buttons) 160, a fourth set of keys (or buttons) 162 and a fifth set of keys (or buttons) 164. The portion 153 may further include an area 166 and an area 168 that may be labeled or left blank. For example, the areas 166 and 168 may be used to hold advertisements or identifying logos. The first set of keys 156, the second set of keys 158, and the third set of keys 160 may be implemented similarly to the first set of keys 106, the second set of keys 108 and the third set of keys 110 of the device 100 (described above in connection with FIG. 1) . The fourth set of keys 162 may include a first key configured to switch the device 150 ON and a second key configured to switch an outs function of the device 150 ON or OFF. The fourth set of keys 162 may be located above and to the right of the first set of keys 156. The fifth set of keys 164 may be located between the second set of keys 158 and the third set of keys 160. Each key of the fifth set of keys 164 may be arranged in a single row and labeled with corresponding indicia including graphical characters. In one example, the keys in the fifth set of keys 164 may be labeled with graphical symbols representing the suits in a deck of cards (e.g., spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds). The fifth set of keys 164 generally allows a player to enter the suits of the hole cards as well as the flop, turn and river cards as they are drawn. The fifth set of keys 164 may be centered below the third set of keys 160 and above the second set of keys 158. In one example, the keys in the fifth set of keys may be white with appropriately colored indicia (e.g., black and red) silk screened thereupon. However, other color combinations may be implemented accordingly to meet the design criteria of a particular implementation. Referring to FIG. 5, a diagram is shown illustrating an isometric view of device 180 in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention. The device 180 may be implemented similarly to the device 140, except that the device 180 may include additional keys similar to (i) the fifth set of keys on the device 150 that may facilitate entry of card suits in the players hand and in the flop and (ii) the key on the device 150 for switching an outs function ON and OFF. For example, a first set of keys 182 may be implemented similarly to the first set of keys 142 of the device 140. A second set of keys 184 may be implemented similarly to the second set of keys 144 on the device 140. A third set of keys 186 may be implemented similarly to the set of keys 146 of the device 140. A backlight key 188 and an outs function key 190 may be implemented on the device 180 instead of just the backlight key 148 of the device 140. The key 190 may be configured to switch the outs function of the device 180 ON and OFF.

In one example, a fifth set of keys 192 may be implemented within the set of keys 186. The fifth set of keys 192 may comprise four keys located below the keys corresponding to the "suited" and "unsuited" keys and above the keys corresponding to the "clear" key and an optional "calculate outs" key. The fifth set of keys 192 generally allows a player to enter the suits of the hole cards as well as the flop, turn and river cards as they are drawn. Similarly to the device 140, a set of instructions may be located below the second set of keys 188. The device 180 may also have areas where labels (e.g., site names, etc.) may be placed.

The devices 150 and 180 may provide the functionality described above in connection with the device 100, as well as determining "Outs" for any particular 2 card player hand, after the initial 3 community cards (e.g., the flop) and once again after the 4^th community card (e.g., the turn). In an example operation, the player enters the number of players, the specific hole cards, and the specific flop cards. The devices 150 and 180 analyze the input and identify how many cards remain unseen to the player that may improve his or her hand. For example, a player may have the following cards:

Ac Jc 9c 5c 6d where Ac and Jc represent the players two down cards, the ace of clubs and jack of clubs, and 9c, 5c, and 6d represent the first three community cards (or flop) (e.g., the nine of clubs, the five of clubs and the six of diamonds) . In one example, the devices 150 and 180 may determine that for the above example cards there are 15 outs remaining that may improve the player's hand; any one of the remaining 9 club cards, 3 of the remaining aces and any 3 of the remaining jacks for a total of 15. The more outs remaining, the better chance the player has of improving the hand, thus beating his competition. During play (e.g., from the flop and onward) drawing probabilities come down to a question of outs. In general, all situations that have the same number of outs, have the same probability of winning. For example, an inside straight draw (e.g. 34_67 missing the 5 for a straight), and a full house draw

(e.g. 66KK drawing for one of the pairs to become three-of-a- kind) are equivalent. Each can be satisfied by four cards—four

5s in the first case, and the other two 6s and other two kings in the second case. The probabilities of drawing these outs are easily calculated. At the flop there remain 47 unseen cards, so the probability is (outs ÷ 47) . At the turn there are 46 unseen cards so the probability is (outs ÷ 46) . The cumulative probability of making a hand on either the turn or river can be determined as the complement of the odds of not making the hand on the turn and not making the hand on the river. The probability of not drawing an out is (47 - outs) ÷ 47 on the turn and (46 - outs) ÷ 46 on the river. Taking the complement of these conditional probabilities gives the probability of drawing an out by the river. The probability of drawing the out by the river may be expressed by the following equation:

. (47 - outs 46 - outs

_/0 = 1 - x

V 47 46 where p represent the probability of drawing an out. For reference, the probability and odds for some of the more common numbers of outs are summarized in the following TABLE 1:

TABLE 1

In contrast to the 7 outs line in TABLE 1, when drawing to a full house or four of a kind with a pocket pair that has hit trips (three of a kind) on the flop, there are 6 outs to get a full house by pairing the board and one out to make four of a kind. This means that if the turn does not pair the board or make four of a kind, there will be 3 additional outs on the river, for a total of 10, to pair the turn card and make a full house. This makes the probability of drawing to a full house or four of a kind on the turn or river 0.334 and the odds are 1.99: 1. This makes drawing to a full house or four of a kind by the river about 8 and one-half outs.

In general , when a player does not fold before the river, a hand with at least 14 outs after the flop has a better than 50% chance to catch one of its outs by the river. With 20 or more outs, a hand may be a better than 2 : 1 favorite to catch at least one out by the river. The buttons 192 generally allow a player to enter the flop cards after they are drawn and the display will then show the number of "outs" the player has to obtain a better positioned hand. The buttons 192 generally include four buttons with graphical indicia corresponding to the four suits (e.g., clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts). The number of outs may be automatically calculated upon entry of the player's cards. Alternatively, an optional "calculate outs" button that acts in a similar manner to an "enter" button on many calculating devices may also be implemented.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, circuit schematic diagrams are shown illustrating an example implementation of the present invention. The device 100 of FIG. 1 may comprise a processor 200, a storage device 202, a display 204, a power supply 206 and a physical keyboard 208 (FIG. 6B) . In one example, the processor 200 may be implemented as an 8-bit microcontroller (e.g., a PIC16LF72-I/SO RISC processor). The storage device 202 may be implemented, in one example, as a serial electrically erasable programmable read only memory

(EEPROM) . In one example, the storage device 202 may be implemented as a 24LC64-I/SN memory device. The display 204 may be implemented as a liquid crystal display. In one example, the display 204 may be implemented with two lines of 24 characters (e.g., a PYC2402A LCD display from Palm Technology Co., Ltd.).

A first terminal (e.g., RB7) of the processor 200 may be connected to a serial clock input (e.g., SCL) of the storage device 202. A second terminal (e.g., RB6) of the processor 200 may be connected to a serial data/address (SDA) pin of the memory device 202. A third terminal of the processor 200 (e.g., RB5) may be connected to a write protect pin (e.g. , WP) of the storage device 202. The resistor R9 may be connected between the supply voltage VCC and the SCL pin of the storage device 202. The resistor RlO may be connected between the supply voltage VCC and the SDA pin of the storage device 202. A number of address pins (e.g., AO, Al and A2 ) of the storage device 202 may be connected to a system (or circuit) ground. The display 204 may be connected to a number of terminals of the processor 200 (e.g., RBO, RBl, RB2, RB3 , RB4 , RC6 and RC7). The power supply 206 may be implemented, in one example, using discrete components and a number of battery cells. In one example, the power supply 206 may be implemented with four AAA 1.5V cells connected in series to form a 6V battery and a circuit comprising a transistor Ql, a transistor Q2 , a transistor Q3, a diode Dl, a resistor R2 , a resistor RlI, a resistor R12, a resistor R13, a resistor R14 and a switch Sl. The transistor Ql may be implemented as a p-channel logic level enhancement mode field effect transistor (e.g., a Fairchild NDS356 transistor). The transistor Q2 may comprise a KTC3875S transistor. The transistor Q3 may comprise either a KTC3875S transistor or a ZUMT617A transistor. The diode Dl may comprise a 1N4148 diode. The resistor R2 may be implemented as a 1OK ohm resistor. The resistor RlI may be implemented as a 51K ohm resistor. The resistor R12 may be implemented as a 51K ohm resistor. The resistor R13 may be implemented as a 51K ohm resistor. The resistor R14 may be implemented as a 7.5K ohm resistor. The switch Sl may be implemented as a single-pole pushbutton switch.

A positive pole of the battery may be connected to a first terminal of the switch Sl, a first terminal of the resistor RIl and a source of the transistor Ql. A second terminal of the resistor RlI may be connected to a gate of the transistor Ql and a collector of the transistor Q2. A supply voltage VCC may be presented at a drain of the transistor Ql. An emitter of the transistor Q2 may be connected to a negative terminal of the battery and to a system (or circuit) ground. A base of the transistor Q2 may be connected to a first terminal of the resistor R12. A second terminal of the resistor R12 may be connected to a cathode of the diode Dl and a terminal of the processor 200 (e.g., RB5) . An anode of the diode Dl may be connected to a second terminal of the switch Sl and a first terminal of the resistor R13. A second terminal of the resistor R13 may be connected to a base of the transistor Q3 and a first terminal of the resistor R14. A second terminal of the resistor R14 may be connected to the circuit ground. An emitter of the transistor Q3 may be connected to the circuit ground. A collector of the transistor Q3 may be connected to a terminal of the processor 200 (e.g., MCLR) and a first terminal of the resistor R2. A second terminal of the resistor R2 may be connected to the supply voltage VCC.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the physical keyboard 208 may comprise a number of single-pole pushbutton switches S2-S32. The switches S2-S32 may be connected to the processor 200 such that the switches S2-S32 are arranged in a row-column format. For example, a first terminal of the switches S2-S8 and S28-S30 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RCl) of the processor 200 and a pull-down resistor R5. A first terminal of the switches S9, S12, S15, S18, S21, S24, S27, S31 and S32 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RC2) of the processor 200 and a pull-down resistor R6. A first terminal of the switches SlO, S13, S16, S19, S22, and S25 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RC3) of the processor 200 and a pull-down resistor R7. A first terminal of the switches SIl, S14, S17, S20, S23, and S26 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RC4) of the processor 200 and a pull-down resistor R8. The pul-down resistors R5-R8 may be implemented as 1OK ohm resistors.

A second terminal of the switches S2, S9, SlO and SIl may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RCO) of the processor 200. A second terminal of the switches S3, S12, S13 and S14 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RA5) of the processor 200. A second terminal of the switches S4, S15, S16 and S17 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RA4) of the processor 200 and a IK ohm pull-up resistor R3. A second terminal of the switches S5, S18, S19 and S20 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RA3 ) of the processor 200. A second terminal of the switches S6, S21, S22, S23 and S30 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RA2 ) of the processor 200. A second terminal of the switches S7 , S24, S25, S26, S28 and S29 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RAl) of the processor 200. A second terminal of the switches S8, S27, S31 and S32 may be connected to a terminal (e.g., RAO) of the processor 200.

In one example, the switches S2-S5 and S9-S17 may be configured as the first set of keys 106. The switches S18-S26 may be configured as the second set of keys 108. The switches S6, S7 and S27 may be configured as the third set of keys 110. The switches Sl (FIG. 6A) and S8 may be configured as the fourth set of keys 112.

The present invention may provide the player with an instant analysis of how the player's cards stack up against the competition. With only seconds to act, the present invention eliminates the need to search through reams of statistical data by providing instant real-time hand rankings and winning percentages. Based on more than 3 billion random hands, the present invention may eliminate guess work and gut feelings. The present invention provides for quick and easy use without having to learn numerous steps. For example, results may be obtained with virtually no learning curve at all by performing a few simple steps:

1. Power the device on by pressing "ON" button. 2. Enter a number of players by pressing corresponding "Total Players" button.

3. Enter first two cards by pressing corresponding card buttons .

4. Enter either "suited" if cards are the same suit or "unsuited" if the cards are different suits.

5. Observe the display for the hand ranking and winning percentage of the entered cards.

If at any time a mistake is made in entering the cards, the "clear" button may be pressed to go back one step. Repeatedly pushing the "clear" button generally reverses the card input one step for each push until the display is clear. If a mistake is made in entering the number of players, or the number of players changes, simply pressing the key corresponding to the correct number of players corrects the display. The "clear" button does not have to be used to input the next hand or new information. Most information may be changed at any time by simply pressing the button (or buttons) corresponding to the information. For example when an A, J, suited with 6 players is displayed and the player wants to change to 4 players, simply pressing the "4" button in the second set of keys 108 will change the display accordingly.

There is no specific order for entering information with the exception of whether the cards are "suited" or "unsuited" . The "suited" or "unsuited" buttons should be pressed after the cards are selected and may be changed by either entering new cards or by pressing the "clear" button once when hand ranking is displayed. For example, if a K, 3, suited with 6 players is selected and displayed and the player wants to change to "unsuited", simply pressing the "clear" button once and then pressing the "unsuited" button will change the display accordingly. In the event any pair is selected, the display reads "pair" and the "suited" and "unsuited" buttons have no effect until cards other than a pair are selected. This stems from the fact that all pairs are unsuited. The "ON" button may also act as a clear or reset. A large LCD display generally facilitates reading the results quickly and without confusion about what is being displayed. The display generally has enough room so that the results can be read all at once. There is generally no scrolling or waiting for a next part of a word to be displayed.

Large buttons generally make it easy for the player to input hand information quickly, without having to fumble around or concentrate on hitting the right itty bitty buttons as found on so many electronic devices today. When playing Texas Hold-em, it is desirable that the player be able to input information quickly and get results quickly so that decisions may be made and the player may focus on playing the game . The larger buttons are a purposeful design to allow the above to be achieved easily. Bright colors may be used to make it easy to see and read the buttons, avoiding confusion and allowing the player to enjoy the game and not spend all of his or her time learning how to input data. Single purpose buttons may keep the learning curve to an absolute minimum so a player can take the device out of the package and start playing quickly.

Two to ten player input generally assures that the calculations are accurate for the right number of players. The percentages may change drastically depending on how many players are involved. The present invention allows the number of players to be changed from 2 to 10 at any time and the results updated immediately. The present invention does not just present statistics for a 10 player game. Winning percentage shows the percentage that the entered cards go on to win for the number of players selected. The present invention may include an automatic shut down feature that automatically turns the device OFF when no activity has occurred for a predetermined amount of time. In one example, the automatic shut down may be performed after approximately 20 minutes. The automatic shut down may help to preserve battery life in the event that a user gets distracted and forgets to turn the device OFF.

The function performed by the devices of FIGS. 1-5 may be implemented using a conventional general purpose digital computer programmed according to the teachings of the present specification, as will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s). Appropriate software coding can readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure, as will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s). While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining a pre-flop hand ranking and win percentage comprising: a display for displaying hole card values, number of players, the pre-flop hand ranking and the win percentage; a physical keyboard comprising (i) a plurality of first keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alpha-numeric characters corresponding to card values within a deck of playing cards, (ii) a plurality of second keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with numeric characters corresponding to numbers of possible players in a Texas Holdem game and (iii) a plurality of third keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a suited condition and an off suit condition, wherein the plurality of first keys is arranged as a first row having seven keys and a second row having six keys with the second row located below the first row, the plurality of second keys is arranged in a single row below the plurality of first keys and the plurality of third keys is arranged in a single row below the plurality of first keys and above the plurality of second keys; and a processor coupled between said display and said physical keyboard, wherein said hole card values and number of players are entered using said physical keyboard and said processor determines the pre-flop hand ranking and the win percentage based upon the hole card values and number of players.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first keys is associated with an indicia selected from the group consisting of A₇ K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: each of the plurality of first keys in the first row is associated with indicia selected from the group consisting of A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, and 8; and each of the plurality of first keys in the second row is associated with an indicia selected from the group consisting of 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of second keys is associated with an indicia selected from the group consisting of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of third keys and corresponding indicia further include a key associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a clear condition.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the physical keyboard further comprises a fourth plurality of keys and associated indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to an ON condition and an OFF condition.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the physical keyboard further comprises: a fourth plurality of keys and associated indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to an ON condition and an OUTS function; and a fifth plurality of keys and associated indicia including keys associated with graphical symbols corresponding to suits in said deck of playing cards.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a database stored in a computer readable medium, said database comprising statistical probabilities based upon random samples of simulated hands in two player through ten player Texas HoIdem games .

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor immediately updates the pre-flop hand ranking and the win percentage displayed in response to one of the plurality of second keys being pressed.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first keys and each of the plurality of second keys is approximately one-half inch square in shape.

11. An apparatus for determining a pre-flop hand ranking and win percentage comprising: means for displaying hole card values, number of players, the pre-flop hand ranking and the win percentage; a physical keyboard comprising (i) a plurality of first keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alpha-numeric characters corresponding to card values within a deck of playing cards, (ii) a plurality of second keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with numeric characters corresponding to numbers of possible players in a Texas Holdem game, (iii) a plurality of third keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a suited condition and an off suit condition, wherein the plurality of first keys is arranged as a first row having seven keys and a second row having six keys with the second row located below the first row, the plurality of second keys is arranged in a single row below the plurality of first keys and the plurality of third keys is arranged in a single row below the plurality of first keys and above the plurality of second keys; and means for processing information coupled between said display means and said physical keyboard, wherein said hole card values and number of players are entered using said physical keyboard and said processing means determines the pre-flop hand ranking and the win percentage based upon the hole card values and number of players.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of first keys is associated with an indicia selected from the group consisting of A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: each of the plurality of first keys in the first row is associated with indicia selected from the group consisting of A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, and 8; and each of the plurality of first keys in the second row is associated with an indicia selected from the group consisting of 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of second keys is associated with an indicia selected from the group consisting of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of third keys and corresponding indicia further include a key associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a clear condition.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the physical keyboard further comprises a fourth plurality of keys and associated indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to an ON condition and an OFF condition.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a database stored in a computer readable medium, said database comprising statistical probabilities based upon random samples of simulated hands in two player through ten player Texas HoIdem games .

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processing means immediately updates the pre-flop hand ranking and the win percentage displayed in response to one of the plurality of second keys being pressed.

19. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of first keys and each of the plurality of second keys is approximately one-half inch square in shape.

20. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: the physical keyboard further comprises (i) a fourth plurality of keys and associated indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to an ON condition and an OUTS function and (ii) a fifth plurality of keys and associated indicia including keys associated with graphical symbols corresponding to suits in said deck of playing cards; and said displaying means further displays rank and suit of cards in a current hand and a number of outs for the current hand.