Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to casino or
cardroom gaming involving a progressive jackpot. More
particularly, it relates to a progressive jackpot that is
available to be played by participants in various casino or
cardroom table games.
It has become common practice in gaming establishments
to provide a progressive jackpot component in connection with
electronic or mechanical gaming devices, such as slot machines,
video poker machines or keno machines. Typically a plurality or
"bank" of machines are electronically interconnected to a common
progressive jackpot meter. As gaming tokens are fed into each
machine, the amount shown on the jackpot meter progresses
incrementally until some lucky player lines up the winning
combination, such as three or four 7's on the same row of a slot
machine. In video poker, a Royal Flush normally wins the jackpot,
although in some variations, a player must achieve a Royal Flush
in an exact order, such as A-K-Q-J-10 from left to right, or in a
particular suit, such as Spades. In video keno, a player
typically must match 15 out of 15 numbers to win the progressive
jackpot.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
progressive jackpot component to typical casino or cardroom table
games such as poker or Twenty-One.
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1 It is a ~eature of the present invention to have each
2 participant in ~he progressive jackpot component win all or par~
3 oE the amount sllown on ~he progressive jackpot meter if the par-
4 ticipant achieves a particular predetermined playing hand.
It is an advantage oE the present invention-that when
6 the progressive jackpot component is added to typical table games
7 such as poker or Twenty-One that the players will enjoy these
8 games more and that the amount of play will increase.
9 It is a further object oE the present invention to pro-
vide apparatus useful in providing the progressive jackpot com-
11 ponent to casino or cardroom table games such as poker or Twenty-
12 One.
13 It is a fur~her feature of the present invention to have
14 a progressive jackpot meter electronically interconnected to one
or more gaming ta~les to allow each player at his playing location
16 to participate in the progressive jackpot component by wagering a
17 gaminy token which au~omatically activates an indicator showing
18 the player's participation and also automatically increments the
19 progressive jackpot meter.
It is an advantage o~ the present invention that the
21 apparatus makes it easy for each player to participate in the
22 proyressive jackpot component of the game.
23 BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
24 The method of the present invention generally involves a
typical casino or cardroom game modified to include a progressive
26 jackpot component. During the play of a Twenty-One game, for
27 example, in addition to his normal wager, a player will have the
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optlon of maklng an addltional wager that becomes part of, and
makes the player ellglble to wln, the progresslve ~ackpot. If the
player's Twenty-One hand comprlses a partlcular, predetermlned
arrangement of cards, the player wlll wln all, or part of, the
amount showlng on the progresslve ~ackpot. Thls progresslve
~ackpot feature ls also adaptable to any other caslno or cardroom
game such as Draw Poker, Stud Poker, Lo-Ball Poker or Carlbbean
StudTM Poker
The apparatus used to practlce the present lnventlon
comprlses a gamlng table, such as those used for Twenty-One or
poker, modlfled wlth the addltlon of a coln acceptor that ls
electronlcally connected to a progresslve ~ackpot meter. When a
player drops a coln lnto the coln acceptor, a llght ls actlvated
at the player's locatlon lndlcatlng that he ls partlclpatlng ln
the progresslve ~ackpot component of the game durlng that hand.
At the same tlme, a slgnal from the coln acceptor ls sent to the
progressive meter to lncrement the amount shown on the progresslve
meter. At the concluslon of the play of each hand, the coln
acceptor ls reset for the next hand. When a player wlns all or
part of the progresslve ~ackpot, the amount showlng on the
progresslve ~ackpot meter ls reduced by the amount won by that
player. Any number of gamlng tables can be connected to a slngle
progresslve ~ackpot meter.
In one aspect, the lnventlon resldes ln an apparatus for
lncludlng a ~ackpot component ln a llve caslno table game
comprlslng: (a) a gamlng table havlng a plurallty of player
locatlons; (b) actlvator means at each player locatlon for
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permlttlng a player to wager at least one gamlng token to
partlclpate ln a ~ackpot component of the llve caslno game; (c)
lndlcator means for dlsplaylng the amount ln the ~ackpot; and (d)
means for decrementlng the amount shown on the lndlcator means by
the amount won by a player lf the player achleves a predetermlned
wlnnlng arrangement ln accordance wlth the rules of the llve
caslno game.
In another aspect, the lnventlon resldes ln an apparatus
for lncludlng a ~ackpot component as an addltlonal feature ln a
llve caslno table game comprlslng: (a) a gamlng table havlng a
plurallty of player locatlons at whlch a player recelves playlng
cards from a dealer, (b) means assoclated wlth each player
locatlon for the player to lnsert a gamlng token to partlclpate ln
the addltlonal ~ackpot component of the llve caslno table card
game, (c) means for lndlcatlng on a ~ackpot meter the amount ln
the ~ackpot, (d) means for lncreaslng the amount shown on the
~ackpot meter a preselected amount for each gambllng token
lnserted, and (e) means for decrementlng the amount shown on the
~ackpot meter by the amount won by a player lf the player achleves
a predetermlned arrangement of the playlng cards.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Flg. 1 shows the apparatus of the present lnventlon
uslng a caslno gamlng table wlth coln acceptors at each playlng
locatlon electronlcally connected to a progresslve ~ackpot meter.
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1 Figure 2 shows an alternate embodiment of the present
2 invelltion using a cardroom gaming table with coin acceptors at
3 each playing location electronically connected to a progressive
4 jackpot meter.
I;igure 3 shows a block diagram o~ the operation oE the
6 present invention.
7 Fiyure 4 shows a schematic diagram oE the electronic
8 circuitry oE the present invention.
g DETAILE~ DESCRIPrION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in Figure 1, a casino gaming table 10 is pro-
11 vided having a plurality o~ playing locations 12 for players par-
12 ~icipa~iny in the game being conducted, e.g., Twenty-One. A
13 dealer is positioned at the dealer's location 14 adjacent a chip
14 rack 16. Adjacent to each player location 12 is a coin acceptor
20. Each coin acceptor 20 is electronically connected to a main
16 control board 40 to which is connected a number of odometer-type
17 counters 42 corresponding to the number of playing locations 12
18 provided on the gaming table 10. As shown in Figure 1, seven
19 playing locations 12 are preferably provided, although the number
of playing locations can be more or less than seven. A reset
21 switch 50 is located adjacent the dealer's location 14 and is
22 electronically connected to the main control board 40 and provides
23 a means whereby the dealer can reset the coin acceptors 20 prior
24 to the beginning o~ the play of each hand. A lockout switch 55,
is also provided adjacent to the dealer's location 14 which is
26 activated by the dealer to prevent later wagering as will be more
27 fully explained hereln.
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A main control board 40 is electronically connected to a
progressive jackpot control box 60 which receives the signals Erom
3 each coin acceptor 20 and in response to those signals increments
4 the progressive jackpot meter 70, as will be more Eully explained
5 herein. Also electronically connected to the progressive control
6 box G0 is the jackpot reset control 80 which provides means ~or
7 resetting the amount shown on the progressive jackpot meter when-
8 ever a player wins all, or part of, the amount shown on the pro-
9 gressive jackpot meter 70.
In operation, the present invention operates as ~ollows.
11 A conventional Twenty-One game is conducted on gaming table 10.
12 At the beginning oE each hand, each player, in addition to making
13 his usual wager Eor the play of the Twenty-One hand, may also make
14 an additional wager to be eligible to participate in the progres-
sive jackpot component oE the game during that hand. To do so, a
16 player places a gaming token into the coin acceptor 20 associated
17 witll that player's particular playing location 12. As will be
18 more Eully explained herein, the coin acceptor 20 "recognizes"
19 that a gaming token has been placed therein and an indicator
signal 22, preEerably a light, adjacent to the coin acceptor 20 is
21 activated showing that that particular player is participating in
22 the progressive jackpot component oE the game during the play oE
23 that hand.
24 Besides activating the indicator signal 22, the coin
acceptor 20 also sends an electronic signal to the main control
26 board 40. This signal is sent by the main control board 40 to the
27 odometer-type counter 42 corresponding to the particular playing
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~'1 location 12 to keep a sequential count oE the number of gaming
2 tokens that are placed in the particular coin acceptor 20.
3 The main control board 40 also activates the progressive
4 jackpot control box 60 which in turn controls the progressive
jackpot meter 70. Each gaming token placed in a coin acceptor 20
6 results in the amount shown on the progressive jackpot meter being
7 increased by a predetermined amount. If, for example, each gaming
8 token has a value of one dollar, then the amount shown on the
g progressive jackpot meter would be increased by any amount up to
one dollar for each gaming token placed into a coin acceptor 20.
11 In the preferred embodiment oE the present invention, the progres-
12 sive jackpot would be increased between 93~ to 97% of the amount
` 13 oE each gaming token being wagered, the balance representing the
14 house's share of the amount wagered for providing the progressive
jackpot component of the game.
16 ~hen each player has had a reasonable opportunity to
17 make a progressive jackpot wager, the dealer activates lockout
18 switch 55 which deactivates each coin acceptor 20. Any tokens
19 placed in a coin acceptor 20 after lockout switch 55 is activated
will not register. This prevents late wagering aEter the cards
21 are dealt.
22 The amount shown on the progressive jackpot meter will
23 continue to increase for each gaming token wagered until a player
24 achieves a winning hand. Preselected winning hands earn a player
all or part of the amount shown on the progressive jackpot meter.
26 In a preferred embodiment, the preselected wining hands and
27 payoff amounts in Twenty-One game are as follows:
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1 ~inning llandAmount of Jackpot
Four 5's and an Ace100%
2 Ace, two, three, four,
five and six 4%
3 Six, seven and eight
of same suit100 tokens
4 Three 7's 50 tokens
The invention is not limited to these particular combinations of
6 winning hands or payoffs; other winning hand combinations or pay-
7 oE~ amoun~s can be utilized.
8 ,When a player achieves a winning hand, the jackpot reset
9 control 80 is manually activated by pushing a~button that corres-
ponds to the type of hand that the player achieved. The amount
11 won by the player is thus electronically deducted from the amount
12 showing on the progressive jackpot meter.
13When a particular hand is completed at gaming table 101,
14 the dealer presses the reset switch 50, which deactivates the in-
dicator siynal 22. Lockout switch 55 is also manually deactivated
16 by the dealer. The coin acceptor 20 is thus readied to receive
17 another gaming token Eor the next hand.
18The progressive jackpot component of the present inven-
19 tion can also be used in connection with other types of casino
games, e.g., Caribbean Stud~ Poker, which is the subject matter of
21U. S. Patent Application Serial No. 182,374 filed April 18, 198~,
22 which is incorporated herein by reference thereto. Caribbean
23 Stud~ Poker is a modification of conventlonal five-card stud
24 poker. Each player makes an ante and a dealer deals five cards to
each player and ~o himself. The player's cards are dealt face
26 down and the dealer's cards are dealt four cards face down and one
27 card face up. Each player views his hand and then decides whether
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1 to continue to play by making an additional bet or to Eold or
2 drop, in which case he loses his ante. The dealer then reveals
3 his entire hand; iE the dealer's hand does not have a poker value
4 oE at least Ace-King, then the dealer is not permitted to continue
to play. In that case, the dealer pays even money on the re-
6 maining players' antes, and returns their bets to them. If the
dealer's hand has a poker value of Ace-King or better, the dealer
8 compares his hand to each player's hand, paying or collecting the
g bets as appropriate. The dealer also pays odds `of more than even
money on each winning player's hand of two pair or better accord-
11 ing to a bonus payment schedule. This game can be played using
12 the gaming ta~le shown in Figure 1. Each player makes a progres-
13 sive jaclcpot wager by placing a gaming token in the coin acceptor
14 20 which makes that player eligible to participate in the pro-
yressive jackpot amount shown on the meter 70. The winning hands
16 and amounts Eor Caribbean Stud Poker are preferably as follows:
17 Hand Amount
Royal Flush 100%
18 Straight Flush 10%
Four oE a ICind 1%
19 Full House 50 tokens
Flush 25 tokens
20 Again tlle invention is not limited to these particular combina-
21 tions of hands or payoff amounts; other hand combinations or pay-
22 off amounts can be utilized.
23 The invention can also be adapted to other casino or
24 cardroom poker games such as Stud Poker, Draw Power or Lo-Ball
Poker. The gaming table 100 used to play each of these games is
26 modified as shown in Figure 2 by the addition of coin acceptors
27 120 an~ indicator signals 122 at each player's location 112. The
1 3 3 5 3 8 1
electronics is the same as that shown in Figure 1 and includes a
2 Inain control board 140, an odometer-type counter 142, a progres-
3 sive jackpot control box 160, a progressive jackpot meter 170 and
4 a jackpot reset control 180. A reset switch 150 and a lockout
switch 155 are located adjacent the dealer's location 114 next to
6 t:he chip rack 116.
7 The progressive jackpot meter 170 is incrementally in-
8 creased in the same manner as that described in connection with
9 Figure 1 by each player placing a gaming token in the coin accep-
tor 120.
11 The winning hands and payoff amounts are preselected as
12 appropriate for the type of game being played. In the preferred
13 embodiment, the winning hands and payo~ amounts are as follows:
: 14 I. Five Card Draw Poker
Hand Amount
Royal Flush 100%
Straight Flush 10%
16 Four of a Kind 100 tokens
Full House 25 tokens
17 II. Five Card Stud Poker
Hand Amount
: 18 Royal Flush 100%
;: Straight Flush 10%
19 Four of a Kind 100 tokens
. Full House 25 tokens
III. Seven Card Stud Poker
i Hand Amount
i 2 Royal Flush 100%
~- 1 Straight Flush 10%
22 Four of a Kind lO0 tokens
Full House 25 tokens
23 IV. Lo-~all Poker
Iland Amount
24 5-4-3-2-Ace 100%
6-4-3-2 Ace 5%
6-5-3-2-Ace 100 tokens
; 7-4-3-2-Ace 25 tokens
. 9
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1 These winning hands and payoEf amounts are merely preferred
2 embodiments and the invention may be practiced using any appro-
3 priate combination oE winning hands and payoEE amounts.
4 As an alternative embodiment, progressive jackpot com-
ponellt oE the yame may ~e utilized as a consolation payoEE Eor a
6 player who otherwise loses during the play oE the regular game.
7 For example, assume the regular game being played is ~ive Card
8 Stud. Players A and B are both eligible Eor the progressive
9 jackpot amount because each has placed a gaming token in the coin
acceptor prior to the beginning of the play o~ the hand. Player A
11 holds a hand having Four oE a Kind. Player B holds a Full House.
12 ~ecause Ylayer A's hand is higher according to the customary poker
13 hand ranking priority, Player A wins the pot wagered on the Five
14 Card Stud game. As a consolation, however, Player B receives a
payoEE amount Erom the progressive jackpot Eor his Full House,
16 e.g., 25 tokens. Player A does not receive a payoE~ from the
17 progressive jackpot because he already has won the pot Erom the
18 regular Five Card Stud game. Thus, under this alternative em-
19 bodiment, a player only receives a payo~E Erom the progressive
jackpot iE the player both has a hand of the preselected type and
21 loses to a higher hand in the game being played.
22 Another modiEication would have the two players sharing
23 in the progressive jackpot amount; the player with the preselected
24 type oE hand receiving a percentage oE the progressive jackpot
amount and the player with the higher poker hand receiving the
26 rest o~ the progressive jackpot amount. With reEerence to the
27 example above, Player B would receive 80% oE the progressive
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jackpot amount Eor a Full House and Player A would receive 20% of
2 the progressive jackpot amount for a Full House.
3 Figure 3 shows in block diagram form the operation oE
4 ~he present invention. Each playing location has a coin a accep-
tor 210 into which a player places a gaming token in order to be
6 eligible Eor the progressive jackpot amount. When all players
7 have had sufficient l~ime to decide whether to participa~e in the
8 progressive jackpot for that hand the dealer activates the lock-
9 out switch 220 which prevents late wagers. Each gaming token
placed in a coin acceptor 210 energizes the progressive output
11 control 230 which in turn activates three separate devices. An
12 integrated circuit timer is energized which causes an indicator
13 light 250 ~o be illuminated at the location on the coin acceptor
14 in ~ront of the player. This gives a visual indication to the
dealer thal: that player is participating in the progressive jack-
16 pot duriny the play of that hand.
17 The signal from l;he progressive jackpot control 230 also
18 activates an odometer-type counter 255 which increments by one
19 unit Eor each gaming token wagered through the coin acceptor.
This allows the gaming establishment to keep an accurate count of
21 the number of wagers made on the progressive jackpot.
22 The third signal from the progressive jackpot control
23 230 yoes directly to the progressive jackpot meter 270. The pro-
24 gressive jackpot meter 270 shows the total amount available to be
won by a player who obtains one of the preselected winning hands.
26 ~ The amount of the progressive jackpot meter 270 automatlcally in-
27 creases a predetermined amount for each gaming token placed in a
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coin acceptor. The progressive jackpot meter 270 is programmed to
2 increase a specified percentage of the amount wagered in the coin
3 acceptor 210. In the preEerred embodiment, the progressive jack-
4 pot meter will be increased between about 93% to 97% of the amount
5 wagered in the coin acceptor 210.
6 The dealer then deals the cards to each player and the
- 7 hand is played 280. If a player has a preselected wining hand,
8 the player is paid the amount corresponding to the type of winning
9 hand that the player has. The jackpot rese-t control 290 is
10 manually activa~ed which results in the amount of the payoff being
11 automatically deducted from the amount displayed on the progres-
12 sive jackpot meter 270.
13 A~ter the winning players have been paid, the dealer
14 activates the reset switch 295 which both turns ofE the integrated
circuit timer 240 and turns off the indicator light 250 and the
16 dealer deactivates the lockout switch 297 thereby activating the
17 coin acceptor 210 i~or the next hand.
18 Figure 4 in schematic form depicts the electronic cir-
19 cuitry to operate the apparatus of the present invention. The
20 coin acceptor circuitry 300 is activated when a gaming token is
21 dropped into the slot on the gaming table where the coin acceptor
22 is mounted. The gaming token passes between an ultraviolet trans-
; mitter DSl and an optic receiver Ql (Model #MRD 300 transistor).
24 This causes a pulse to be passed from the collector of Ql to the
base oE receiver Q2. Q2 is a Model #2N3906 transistor and acts as
26 an emitter follower and sends a pulse which is received by the
27 integrated circuit 322,324 of the main control board 320. The
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integrated circuit 322, 324 is a Model #LM-556 Timer. The pulse
from Q2 is received at pin 325 of the lower portion 324 of thc
3 integra~ed circuit and this pulse causes pin 326 of the lower
4 portion 324 to go high and turn on diode DS2 (a Model P3G7 diode).
This diode DS2 is the indicator light 22 shown in Figure 1 and
6 this indica~or light 22 stays on until the play of the hand is
7 E inished .
8 The pulse from Q2 also is received by pin 323 on the
9 upper portion 322 of the integrated circuit and this pulse creates
a pulse at pin 327 of the upper portion 322 which causes transis-
11 tor Q3 (a Model #TlPl20 transistor) to turn on, then off for the
12 duration of the pulse created at pin 327. The turning on and ofE
13 of transistor Q3 causes the odometer-type counter 42 shown in
14 Figure 1 to increment one digit. The odometer-type counter 330 is
a six-digit non-resetable electronic 12VDC counter, WICO Model
16 #31-443400.
17 The pulse created at pin 327 of the upper potion 322 of
18 the integrated circuit also goes to the opto isolator 340 (which
19 is a Model #HllAl6E Opto Isolator). The opto isolator 340 passes
this pulse to the base of transistor Q4 (a Model #2N3906 trans-
21 istor) tllereby turning on transistor Q4 for the duration of the
22 pulse. When transistor Q4 is turned on, the pulse is passed to
23 the progressive jackpot display meter 350 where the amount shown
24 on the display meter 350 is increased by a predetermined percent-
age of the value of the gaming token placed in the coin acceptor
26 300. The progressive jackpot display meter 350 can typlcally be
27 a Game Technology Model having 3" LED characters on a 44" length
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1 single progressive display.
2After all bets are made, the dealer manually presses a
3 lockout switch 360 which will clamp the output of transistor Q2 at
4 a low level which ensures that there can be no late wagers made
throuyh the coin acceptor 300. Once the output of transistor Q2
6 is clamped at a low level, a gaming token placed in the coin
7 accep~or 300 will not cause a pulse to flow through the res~ oE
8 the circuitry.
9The ~ame is then played and once the game is completed,
the dealer will manually press the reset switch 370 which creates
11 a reset pulse that activates pin 32~ which resets the lower por-
12tion 324 oE the integrated circuit. This resetting causes pin 326
13 to go low which will extinguish diode DS2 which turns off the
14 indicator light 22 on the gaming table.
15The dealer also manually presses the lockout switch 360
16 to open the circuit and remove the clamp on the emitter of tran-
17 sis~or Q2 which allows another hand to be played. The players
18 commence the next hand by placing gaming tokens in the coin ac-
19 ceptor 300 and the process is repeated.
20As will be apparen~ to those skilled in the art, various
21 resistors and capacitors are provided to complete the circuitry.
22 The specifications on the resistors and capacitors shown in Figure
23 4 is as follows:
24 Resistors Capacitors
Rl - G~ Ohm Cl-.lufd/35v
R2 - 3 Kohm
R3 - 1 Kohm C2-.01ufd/35v
26 R4 - 200 Ohm
R5 - 4.7 Kohm C3-.lufd/35v
27 RG - 10 Kohm
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1 R7 - 1 Mohm C4-.lufd/35v
R8 - 240 Ohm
2 R9 - 1 ICohm
R10 - 4.7 Kohm
3 Rll - 240 Ohm
R12 - 1 Kohm
4 While the invention has been illustrated with respect
to several speciEic embodiments thereoE, these embodiments should
6 be considered as illustrative rather than limiting. Various
7 modiEications and additions may be made and will be apparent to
; 8 those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention should not
: 9 be limited by the foregoing description, but rather should be de-
fined only by the following claims.
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