WO2012099711A1 - Novel variation on traditional poker - Google Patents

Abstract

A new variation to standard poker card games is provided involving the initial dealing of a token to each contestant in a tournament prior to the initial hand being played. The token may then be utilized by the holder at anytime after an individual hand has been fully played by all contestants and an initial winner is determined at that time. Such a token allows the holder to include the token within the pot of such an individual hand in order to have a subsequent card dealt in order to improve, potentially, any remaining contestant's hand. As a basic rule, if the dealt extra card then causes a change in terms of the individual hand winner, the initial winner loses half of the pot to the subsequent winner who also takes the token to use in the future as needed.

Description

NOVEL VARIATION ON TRADITIONAL POKER

Reference to Prior Related Application

The current application is a conversion of and claims the benefit of the prior filing date of United States Provisional Patent Application Number 61/429,432, filed on January 3, 2011. Said application is incorporated entirely by reference herein.

Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to a new variation to standard poker card games. Such a variation involves the initial availability of a token to each contestant in a tournament prior to the initial hand being played. The token may then be utilized by the holder at anytime after an individual hand has been fully played by all contestants and an initial winner is determined at that time. Such a token then allows the holder to include the token within the pot of such an individual hand in order to have a subsequent card dealt in order to improve, potentially, any remaining contestant's hand. As a basic rule, if the dealt extra card then causes a change in terms of the individual hand winner, the initial winner loses half of the pot to the subsequent winner who also takes the token to use in the future as needed. If no change occurs, then the initial winner takes the entire pot including the token (or, alternatively, the token is then removed from play, leaving only those contestants still holding tokens with the potential to utilize such a tool in future hands). Such token play is unavailable if the initial winner's hand cannot be overcome with a single card. Additionally, different variations including the utilization of such a token (including, for example, the ability to use two tokens simultaneously in order to have an extra card dealt solely for the benefit of the token player alone, rather than for the potential benefit of all contestants still alive in an individual hand), as well as the utilization of such a poker variation with electronic and on-line gaming systems is encompassed within the invention as well.

Background of the Invention

Poker has evolved over the last two-hundred years from a regional game of chance with limited numbers of cards to the worldwide phenomenon of today with multiple variations of a standard 52-card deck, played in casinos, homes, and other locations quite extensively. As well, with the advent and spread of the internet, poker has enjoyed an incredible boost in popularity due to the ease with which a person may take part in on-line games. From its rather humble beginnings in the Louisiana delta, through its spread via riverboat gambling throughout the United States, to its well-documented basis in the "wild west," poker has grown to become the primary card game of skill and chance in the betting world.

The game itself has evolved from a simple 3- or 4-card comparison configuration to include a number of different variations, all based on the premise of having contestants account for risks to place bets that one individual's final hand upon presentment to the table is better than all others. In such systems, however, a bettor (contestant) may also try to raise the stakes too high for all others to continue, or at least to such an extent that such other players do not believe their own hands would win in comparison. In essence, though, the game of poker is, as alluded to above, one of both chance (in terms of the cards dealt) as well as skill (to determine the best betting strategies in order to, again, either maximize a return in comparison with other contestants' hands or to force or even bluff others to fold).

In each type of poker variation, however, the game comprises a dealer dealing cards to each contestant and, ultimately, the contestants utilizing such dealt cards to compare their individual hands with those of such other contestants. The most popular poker variation in the world today is Texas Hold'Em, a game in which multiple contestants each receive two hidden cards during each round (or hand). Prior to dealing such hidden cards, two contestants are required to place ante contributions to the pot, one with half the contribution of the other, depending on the specific betting levels set at the time during the round at issue (basically, such a scenario guarantees that a base pot amount is present and that each contestant will eventually have to contribute a minimum amount to the pot in order to stay at the table). After the initial deal of such hidden cards (e.g., cards that are dealt face down for each individual contestant to view on their own and away from view of all other contestants at the table), the contestants are allowed to place initial bets as to the strength of their cards moving forward prior to seeing any further community cards. Once the bets are set at the same levels across the table, the dealer then lays down three face up community cards which form the basis of a comparison hand in combination with each contestant's hidden cards. This first deal, termed the "flop" thus provides the next basis for which the remaining contestants can then place bets on the strength of their own hidden cards in addition to the first three community cards (all contestants may utilize the community cards, in other words to add to their own hands for comparison purposes and thus from which to establish a strategic betting posture). Subsequent to settling the betting levels at that point, the dealer then deals one more face up community card (the "turn") to further establish a betting platform for the remaining contestants. A final card, the "river," then settles the table in terms of the comparison hands of the betting contestants and thus bets are made accordingly in order to, again, force a comparative showing of hidden cards, or to force all other contestants to fold due to a perceived lack of strength of one's hand in relation to the betting level of another. In any event, such a poker variation has been well established for many years and has a set protocol and basic rulebook in terms of card dealing and order in terms of betting. Other variations of poker are widespread and well-known, as well, such as draw poker (5-card draw, for instance, where the hands are all hidden to each contestant and the best five card hand is bet upon, with each contestant having the ability to give up and "draw" up to five cards in each hand to improve hand strength), stud poker (where each hand has multiple rounds with face up cards dealt in some and face down in others, thus allowing contestants to see certain component cards of others' hands during the betting process), and Omaha poker (which is, itself, a variant of Texas Hold'Em, but with four hidden cards, instead of two, and the requirement that each contestant must utilize at least two of her own hidden cards to complete a betting hand; no such requirement exists in Texas Hold'Em). Such poker variations have themselves evolved over many years to those now commonly played and understood. Importantly, however, such variations have enjoyed great popularity over time due to accepted changes from the basic poker games in the past. Poker's popularity, in other words, has been incumbent upon the ability to provide an exciting, challenging, and, over all, enjoyable game that continues to garner new fans and contestants as time passes.

Stagnation as to the standard protocols of different variations has, over the years, led to a decrease in popularity, unfortunately, of certain poker variations. Draw poker was once the most popular type of poker, due to ease in understanding the rules involved as well as the level of sophistication practiced by most contestants outside of the casino industry. With the reach of legal betting locations increasing over the years, the more esoteric variations of poker spread as well. Thus, what started as a very limited group of participants within the tournament known as the World Series of Poker (the "WSOP"), television, then cable, then the internet caused a significant increase in notoriety of the base game, Texas Hold'Em, even to the extent that some contestants have become household names due to their success stories and very large tournament winnings. As it is, the increased interest in the WSOP led to a reduction in interest in draw poker to the point that Texas Hold'Em far exceeds all other variations in popularity. Such a shift, though, shows that even the well-established variations may lose luster due a combination of issues, certainly, but apparently primarily due to, again, stagnation as to the set rules and ultimate results. Excitement and change in the poker world may not be simple to provide, but, at least in terms of possible stagnation in popularity (such as due to over-saturation in mass media), modifications of existing variations, or entirely new variations of poker games may be needed to retain the level of interest the poker industry now enjoys. For example, although it remains a very popular variant, interest in Texas Hold'Em has already been noticeable from its zenith in the early 2000s due to excessive presentations in mass media. At this point in time, though, a new variation, that could be introduced within any previous variation of poker, would be important to, at least, allow for poker to remain a robust, internationally popular game of skill and chance by providing something new without changing too much of the previously highly popular variations themselves.

To that end, there have been very few suggestions within the gaming world to inject any sort of effective and exciting changes into poker variations. For instance, there have been possibilities introduced for contestants to purchase insurance prior to each hand in order to reduce the level of betting loss after each successive hand. In that manner, each contestant may have the capability to use any part of their own chip amount to make such a purchase prior to the deal of the next hand. Such a situation, by its very nature, however, favors a contestant with the largest chip level from which to draw an amount for such an insurance purpose. As such, a level playing field is not in existence at that point, further giving the contestant with the chip lead greater leverage to effectively end the overall tournament (game) sooner. Another variety of this "insurance" scenario includes the ability of contestants to purchase tokens before each hand in order to request an extra card to be dealt for their sole benefit after all other hands have been shown. Again, though, such a situation is skewed in favor of the contestant with the most chips at that point; invariably, that contestant will have the resources to make such a purpose in each round (hand), thus effectively creating a situation that any contestant with an early lead can then start buying such insurance or extra tokens to end the entire game as early as possible, thus removing much of the chance (and skill, for that matter) needed to make such a poker variation fair in the first place.

To the contrary, what would be needed to continue the growth and spread of poker is a way to ensure that all the status of participating contestants is always determined by betting play and card dealing (e.g., at the start, everything is provided that can then be utilized for betting, etc., as desired throughout the game at issue) and that if any extra cards are desired for hand comparison purposes, then, if the contestant has met all required criteria, such an alternative may be exercised. As it is, again, the lack of a level playing field in that type of situation renders the prior attempts at introducing certain subsequent card dealing steps to such prior poker variations inadequate and unfair. Without a starting status providing the overall level field, but also all the alternative tools available to allow for any such modifications to the basic and prior poker variation rules, the possibility to alter such prior variations to any extent, and at least to one that will at least provide an increase in interest and excitement due to unexpected and potentially valuable single hand changes during an entire game, there is simply not anything provided in the prior art that would create the necessary excitement to such an end. Thus, unfortunately, to date, there is lacking any such potentially game-changing variation in the poker field, at least to the extent that the basic popular game variations are still in place, but discrete and momentary possible modifications may be introduced. Such a distinct need, at least in terms of providing an evolving alternative for the current popular poker variations throughout the gaming world today, has yet to be seen. The inventive poker variation thus overcomes these prior deficiencies to generate a new poker variation component that may be utilized with any number of poker variations. Advantages and Summary of the Invention

One distinct advantage of the present invention is the capability of a poker contestant to take further risks in order to improve upon a losing hand, thus injecting the potential for greater excitement into individual hands (or rounds). Another advantage of this inventive system and method is the simplicity of selling (or possibly, dealing) tokens to each contestant prior to a tournament, thereby placing each player on the same level and with the same capability of utilizing her token at any appropriate time. Yet another advantage of this inventive poker variation is the versatility of such a token system to apply to all common poker variations through the creation of an extra card deal within a community context, thus not only potentially aiding the token player, but also all other remaining contestants during the hand in question. Still another advantage of this novel variation is the resultant passing of such a token to the determined winner of the extra card hand, thus allowing such a contestant to utilize such a token in the future. Still another advantage of this novel poker variation is the ability to utilize this pre-dealt token configuration with different situations, if desired, in order to further interject variety into the skill and chance components of different poker games.

Accordingly, this invention is directed to a poker game variation including the steps of: a) prior to the dealing of the first round of a poker game including a plurality of contestants, an extra card token is made available for distribution to each contestant, wherein at least one contestant takes possession of an extra card token in this manner;

b) a first round and any number of successive rounds are then played with appropriate betting by contributing monetary amounts into a community pot and comparison of resultant individual hands to determine a winning hand according to acceptable card combination hierarchy, wherein, at any time once an initial individual winning hand is determined within a round after each remaining hand at that time is shown in total for review by each contestant, any remaining contestant possessing an extra card token may then place said token into the pot in order to have one further community card dealt for all remaining contestants to utilize in combination with their own individual hands such that any such remaining contestant may improve their individual hand in order to defeat the initial individual winning hand;

wherein said extra card token may only be played by a remaining contestant if the initial individual winning hand of another remaining contestant may be bested in terms of hand strength by the inclusion of a single card in combination with the token-playing contestants initial hand; and wherein if such extra card combines with an initial hand of any remaining contestant provides the strongest hand in comparison with the hands of all other remaining contestants, then such hand is deemed the subsequent individual winning hand, allowing for the holder of such subsequent individual winning hand to be awarded at least a portion of the pot for that hand; and wherein if said extra card causes two or more contestants to have the same hand strength, and thus to have the same effective subsequent individual winning hand, and thus exceeding the hand strength of the initial individual winning hand, then said contestants holding such subsequent winning hands are to be awarded a split of at least a portion of the pot for that hand.

Different variants of this standard method include the following, wholly dependent on the selection of any such variation by the contestants involved: a) the contestant with the initial individual winning hand is guaranteed a payout of at least half of the pot regardless of the result generated by the combination of said extra card with any other remaining contestant's hand; b) the necessity of the extra card to generate a better hand than that held by the contestant (rather than, for example, a tie) with the initial individual winning hand in order to allow for any payout of the round pot to any contestant other than the holder of the initial individual winning hand; c) another possible variation wherein a tie with the initial individual winning hand generates a payout for the other contestant of 25% of the pot; d) the complete overtaking of the initial individual winning hand to the extent that the holder of a subsequent individual winning hand would receive all of the pot winnings, rather than just 50% thereof; e) the possibility of multiple extra card tokens to be played by multiple contestants during a round, effectively allowing for more than one extra card to be dealt subsequent to the determination of the initial individual winning hand; f) a contestant with multiple tokens may play such multiple tokens to request an extra card that is solely available for their combination with their own hand; g) the contestant that holds the subsequent individual winning hand retains the extra card token for further potentially utilization during said overall game; h) any extra card token that is played is further removed from play for the remainder of the tournament; and i) any combinations of such variations that are consistent with one another.

Such an inventive token system can be utilized with all standard poker variations, including Texas Hold'Em, Omaha, draw, and stud, through the ability of the token player to request, in exchange for the token itself placed into the pot, such one last card to be dealt for the potential benefit of all remaining contestants during the hand in question. These different methods of utilizing the pre-dealt token(s) thus provide further potential excitement and interest within existing poker variations by prolonging the final determination of a round and allowing for certain contestants one final attempt to overcome a certain losing hand. Thus, the overall utilization of a token distribution procedure prior to the first hand of a poker tournament, thereby placing all contestants on the same level and with the same capability to request an extra card after a round has been initially set and a winning hand determined, is the basis of and is encompassed within this invention. The token itself may be of any actual material and/or configuration. For the present invention, the game utilizing such a pre-dealt token is called "Ocean" (as a variation on the final community card presented in Texas Hold'Em, the "river") and the token is known as the "Ocean token." Although an actual coin-like piece may be utilized for such a purpose, at the very least, such a token should be distinguishable from other pieces and equipment present at a poker table (such as poker chips, cards, etc.) and noticeable to all contestants as the actual token being presented for such a specific purpose. Thus, without any intention of limiting such a potential form of such a token, preferably such a token takes the form of a round coinlike piece that is shiny and having a diameter about twice the size of the largest size chip at the table at issue. Again, as noted above, the number of such tokens available for play at any table will be limited to the number of contestants qualified to play prior to the dealing of the first hand.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

A better understanding of the present invention will be had when a more specific description is provided below as to a specific poker hand. Such a depiction is for a presentation of the potentially preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the breadth of the invention in any manner. The ordinarily skilled artisan would have sufficient understanding and respect for this specific art in order to consider the true breadth of the invention itself in relation to the overall descriptions.

The following terms are intended to have the specific meaning ascribed in relation to this invention:

"round" or "hand" indicates each individual deal of cards to determine a winning combination held by a contestant; multiple "rounds" or "hands" constitute a "game" or "tournament." "Pre-dealt" is used in conjunction with the extra card token and means distribution to contestants prior to the dealing of a first "hand" or "round" during a "game" or "tournament." "Extra card token" thus means the "Ocean token" as it permits the contestant playing such a token to request an extra card to be dealt subsequent to the determination of an initial individual winning hand. "Initial individual winning hand" thus means the best comparison hand held by a contestant during any single "hand" or "round" prior to any further action in relation to the play of an "extra card token." "Subsequent individual winning hand" thus relates to the winning hand determined after an extra card has been dealt in response to the play of an "extra card token." The term "contestant" denotes a participant in a poker game or tournament that is sitting at the same table (either in person or on-line) as all others in the same game or tournament. A "remaining contestant" is one that has decided to continue with a hand and thus to call all bets during a component of a round; such a participant may fold during a round to remove themselves from the status of "remaining contestant" during a hand or round, but will still remain as a "contestant" for the overall game or tournament.

Fans of poker, particularly Texas Hold'Em, will no doubt understand the excitement that is generated upon the uncertainty of contestants' hands prior to the presentation of the "river" card during a round. Particularly if two or more contestants have decided to go "all- in" in terms of their available betting chips (or other resources) and thus show their cards in total prior to the dealing of the "river" card, the potential for an unexpected and/or odds-on unlikely card to be dealt in that respect creates a setting of excitement for a contestant hoping to win such a hand (and with the odds in her favor at that moment) as well as a long-shot hope for any other with far less odds on their side. The ability to generate such excitement and uncertainty can thus be compounded with the availability of the "Ocean Token" variation, effectively extending a potential game and causing certain contestants to rethink strategies and develop a different system and manner of betting, bluffing, etc., without abandoning the basic strictures of the texas Hold'Em game itself. As well, as noted above, such a token system allows for such refinement and extension of all other well-known poker variations, too, thus not only creating the potential for greater excitement overall (with the "end" of a round not necessarily the "end" due to the potential for a contestant to request one further card in this respect), but also providing impetus to create new strategies as to the utilization and possible expectation of competitors undertaking such a token alternative as a last-ditch effort to extend their own tournament lives. With that in mind, below is presented one possible hand (or, again, round) that involves the initial determination of a winning hand then the playing of an "ocean token" to extend the round. Again, it is important to note, that although this refers to a Texas Hold'Em round (as part of a tournament or game, of course), this token method may be utilized with any standard poker game variation to much the same effect. Furthermore, it is again important to note that the contestants involved received their own tokens (or were at least given the option to purchase a token at the table) prior to the dealing of the first hand of the pertinent game or tournament, thus putting all such contestants on the same footing and level; there is no purchase opportunity or other potential for a chip leader to buy any such token after the first hand or round is dealt (thus, the term "pre-dealt" referring to the extra card tokens distributed for this purpose).

In terms of hand strength hierarchy, it is important to note the following from lowest to highest, with the actual card values based on the number on the cards (such as a 2 being lower than a 3, with a 10 lower than a jack, which is lower than a queen, which is lower than a king, which is lower than an ace): single pair, two pairs, three of a kind, straight (direct sequence from a low card to high, regardless of suit), flush (five of the same suit), full house (three of a kind and a pair), four of a kind, and a straight flush. An ace may be used in a straight or flush as a high card (above a king) or a low card (below a 2). If a minimum of a pair is not present, then the hand with the highest card is considered the winning hand. Thus, if one contestant has a 2, 3, 5, 7, and king, without a flush, then their hand would be based upon the king's value alone; if another contestant thus has a 2, 3, 5, 7, and ace (again, without a flush), then this other contestant would have the better hand with the ace being a higher value than the king.

Example

In a standard, 10-seated Texas Hold'Em poker tournament, the contestants are all initially given the option to purchase extra card tokens prior to the start of the tournament; all such contestants exercised such an option. At a point in the overall tournament, four contestants remain to see the flop for a given hand (6 have thus chosen not to proceed past the deal of their own hidden cards), including both blinds (seats 1 and 2 in relation to the dealer at that moment; as alluded to above, the blinds are the contestants that contribute to the pot each hand, one a set amount and the other one-half of that set amount), the hijack position (seat 8), and the dealer (seat 10). The flop is dealt as the 8 of clubs, the 8 of diamonds, and the 10 of hearts. A round of betting ensues with the contestant at seat 1 leading out with a pot-sized bet (here, 100 tournament chips for the sake of simplicity). All other players call (contributing 100 chips each), making the pot a total of 500 chips for the moment. The turn is dealt being the 9 of clubs, and another round of betting ensures with the contestant at seat 1 again making the same pot-sized bet. All other contestant call, again, making the pot 2500 chips. The river is then dealt being the 7 of spades and another round of betting ensues in the same manner, leaving a total of 12,500 chips in the round pot. At that point, with all contestants calling to the same bet level, the showdown commences with the contestants all showing their hidden cards to establish their overall hands in relation to the community cards presented in the flop, turn, and river. Seat 1 thus exposes an 8 of hearts and a 3 of clubs, thus resulting in three 8s. Seat 2 shows the 10 of spades and the 2 of diamonds, thus showing two pairs of 10s and 8s. Seat 8 has a Jack of clubs and 10 of clubs, thus resulting in a Jack-high straight with a 7, 8, and 9 from the community cards. Seat 10 has a Jack of diamonds and the Queen of hearts, thus resulting in a Queen-high straight, and thus resulting in the initial individual winning hand (since a straight beats three of a kind, and the Queen is of higher value than the Jack of Seat 8's hand). In this situation, however, each other contestant has the capability of beating the initial individual winning hand as Seat 1 could have four of a kind with another 8, Seat 2 could have a full house with another 10, and Seat 8 could obtain a straight flush with either a 7 or Queen of clubs. Thus, the contestant at Seat 1 is given the option of playing his token first, which he declines (ostensibly because of the low odds of improving his own hand in relation to that possible for either of Seats 2 and 8). Seat 2 declines his option as well, for the same basic reason. The contestant at Seat 8 then is given the option to play her token and does so. The dealer then deals the final community card as the Queen of clubs. In this variation, then, Seat 8 holds the subsequent individual winning hand with a straight club flush from 8 to Queen, thereby retaining her "ocean token" and, for this game, winning 50% of the pot (with the other 50% going to the initial individual winning hand holder, the contestant in Seat 10). The other contestants, Seats 1 and 2, lose their bets in total.

Again, as noted above, other variations may be employed that change various end results and/or allow for specific actions to be taken. Thus, instead of allowing the initial individual winning hand holder to retain 50% of the pot, one variation would permit the subsequent individual winning hand holder to take 100% of the pot due to the playing of the "ocean token" in such a manner (although, again, such a winning hand may be held by any other contestant, not just the contestant that played the token itself). Such a variation is herein referred to as "Deep Ocean"; again, such a variant may be set by the contestants or the house.

Importantly, the general rule of "Ocean" is that the play of the "Ocean token" must result in a subsequent individual winning hand held by a contestant other than the initial individual winning hand holder. Using the Example above, if the contestant in Seat 8 played her token and the card was the Queen of diamonds instead of the Queen of clubs, then the best the Seat 8 contestant could do would be to tie Seat 10. In that situation, Seat 10 would be considered the "default" winner overall and would take the entire pot, token and all. Another variation, however, would allow for the Seat 8 contestant to at least be awarded 25% of the pot instead of nothing, simply because of the chance taken to generate at least a tying hand. This is referred to as "Riptide" (to continue the nautical themes).

A "Tidal Wave" variation allows a holder of multiple tokens to then play at least two tokens to ensure an extra card is dealt but solely for the benefit of the multiple token playing contestant. Additionally, a "typhoon" variation allows for multiple contestants to play individual tokens during a round, thus increasing the number of extra cards from one to as many as are available in accordance with the rules. Basically, though, the only way such a variation would be made possible is if each remaining contestant has a chance, with a single card, to usurp the initially individually winning hand (much like the scenario presented in the Example, above); each contestant would then be given the option to play their token (or tokens) with the initial individual winning hand holder given the final chance, if desired, to do so, as well. If such a contestant wins after all tokens and extra cards have been played, then she would take the entire pot and all tokens, too.

Combinations of such variations may, again, be employed as well. Again, the important issue is that the tokens are distributed, or at least provided on an even basis for purchase by all tournament contestants, prior to any game or tournament, thus ensuring all contestants are on the same level. As well, if there is no way a contestant could overcome an U 2012/020103 initial individual winning hand with a single card, then the option to play such a token is nonexistent for that round.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of

particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes and details of overall game structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

Claims

Claims What is claimed is:

1. A poker game variation including the steps of:

a) prior to the dealing of the first round of a poker game including a plurality of contestants, an extra card token is made available for distribution to each contestant, wherein at least one contestant takes possession of an extra card token in this manner;

b) a first round and any number of successive rounds are then played with appropriate betting by contributing monetary amounts into a community pot and comparison of resultant individual hands to determine a winning hand according to acceptable card combination hierarchy, wherein, at any time once an initial individual winning hand is determined within a round after each remaining hand at that time is shown in total for review by each contestant, any remaining contestant possessing an extra card token may then place said token into the pot in order to have one further community card dealt for all remaining contestants to utilize in combination with their own individual hands such that any such remaining contestant may improve their individual hand in order to defeat the initial individual winning hand;

wherein said extra card token may only be played by a remaining contestant if the initial individual winning hand of another remaining contestant may be bested in terms of hand strength by the inclusion of a single card in combination with the token-playing contestants initial hand; and wherein if such extra card combines with an initial hand of any remaining contestant provides the strongest hand in comparison with the hands of all other remaining contestants, then such hand is deemed the subsequent individual winning hand, allowing for the holder of such subsequent individual winning hand to be awarded at least a portion of the pot for that hand; and wherein if said extra card causes two or more contestants to have the same hand strength, and thus to have the same effective subsequent individual winning hand, and thus exceeding the hand strength of the initial individual winning hand, then said contestants holding such subsequent winning hands are to be awarded a split of at least a portion of the pot for that hand.

2. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1 , wherein the contestant with the initial individual winning hand is guaranteed a payout of at least half of the pot regardless of the result generated by the combination of said extra card with any other remaining contestant's hand.

3. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1, wherein said extra card must generate a better hand than that held by the contestant with the initial individual winning hand in order to allow for any payout of the pot to any contestant other than the holder of the initial individual winning hand.

4. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1, wherein if said extra card generates a tie in hand strength between the initial individual winning hand and another contestant's hand, then said other contestant is awarded a payout of 25% of the pot and the holder of the initial individual winning hand is awarded 75% of the pot and the token.

5. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1, wherein if said extra card generates a subsequent individual winning hand then the holder of said hand is awarded 100% of the pot amount and the token.

6. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1, wherein multiple extra card tokens may be played by multiple contestants during a round, effectively allowing for more than one extra card to be dealt subsequent to the determination of the initial individual winning hand.

7. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1 , wherein a contestant with multiple tokens may play such multiple tokens to request an extra card that is solely available for their combination with their own hand for comparison with the initial individual winning hand.

8. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1, wherein said extra card token played during a hand is handled by one of the three following alternatives: a) passed on to the holder of the subsequent individual winning hand if only one such hand results from the introduction of the extra card; b) passed on to the holder of the initial individual winning hand due to the lack of improved hand strength of any other contestant to overcome such an initial individual winning hand upon introduction of the extra card; c) passed on to the contestant playing said token if said contestant has a subsequent hand that at least ties in strength with that of another contestant; or d) said token is removed from play after utilization to generate an extra card during a hand.

9. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1, wherein said variation is employed in a game of poker selected from the group consisting of draw poker, stud poker, Texas Hold'Em poker, and Omaha poker.

10. The poker game variation as described in Claim 2, wherein said variation is employed in a game of poker selected from the group consisting of draw poker, stud poker, Texas Hold'Em poker, and Omaha poker.

1 1. The poker game variation as described in Claim 3, wherein said variation is employed in a game of poker selected from the group consisting of draw poker, stud poker, Texas Hold'Em poker, and Omaha poker.

12. The poker game variation as described in Claim 4, wherein said variation is employed in a game of poker selected from the group consisting of draw poker, stud poker, Texas Hold'Em poker, and Omaha poker.

13. The poker game variation as described in Claim 5, wherein said variation is employed in a game of poker selected from the group consisting of draw poker, stud poker, Texas Hold'Em poker, and Omaha poker.

14. The poker game variation as described in Claim 6, wherein said variation is employed in a game of poker selected from the group consisting of draw poker, stud poker, Texas Hold'Em poker, and Omaha poker.

15. The poker game variation as described in Claim 7, wherein said variation is employed in a game of poker selected from the group consisting of draw poker, stud poker, Texas Hold'Em poker, and Omaha poker.

16. The poker game variation as described in Claim 8, wherein said variation is employed in a game of poker selected from the group consisting of draw poker, stud poker, Texas Hold'Em poker, and Omaha poker.

17. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1, wherein said variation is employed in a casino setting.

18. The poker game variation as described in Claim 1, wherein said variation is employed in an on-line setting.

19. The poker game variation as described in Claim 9, wherein said variation is employed in a casino setting.

20. The poker game variation as described in Claim 10, wherein said variation is employed in a casino setting.