Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
11 DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Casino type card games are well known and are particularly popular as wagering
card games.
In particular, card games of the Blackjack variety are well known in the prior
art. In such games, the
cards have established numerical values, such as ace equals one or eleven,
face cards equal ten and
all other cards equal their face values (e.g. a two has a numerical value of
two, a three has a
16 numerical value of three, etc.). To play these card games, a player tries
to reach an established target
numerical total by sequentially accumulating cards and summing their numerical
values. Typically,
two cards initially are dealt, and the player then has the option of either
(1) "standing" with the two
cards, or (2) requesting and being dealt one or more additional cards
("hits").
21 As noted above, one of the most common form of these games is the game of
"Blackjack" or
"21" wherein the established target numerical total is the value 21. A player
wins a wager if the
numerical total of the player's cards is less than or equal to 2I and is
closer to 21 than the numerical
total of the dealer's cards. If the numerical total of-the player's or
dealer's cards exceeds 21, the
1
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
respective hand is a "bust", and loses to any hand having a numerical total of
21 or less. Conventional
rules of the card game Blackjack (Twenty-One) are well known in the prior art
and can be found, for
example, in the Official Rule of Card Games, Albert H. Morehead, Fawcett
Crest, New York,1990.
Depending on the point of view of the casino, or the player, the traditional
Blackjack variety
6 card game has different faults. One, from the casino's point of view, is
that the game is actually
beatable. Players can actually win at Blackjack if they use the resources
available to them, such as
counting cards and wager variation depending on that count of cards.
Accordingly, with this fine line
that exists between winning and losing, casinos have added many side bets and
alterations to the
game, with the sole purpose of making more money. Although there are many
variations one simple
11 problem lays in the fact that these variations water down the game
Blackjack, taking too much
money from the player and making those variations less attractive than just
the original game.
Many casinos find the game is so tough they have altered the rules such as
Blackjack now
pay 6 to 5 in Las Vegas, compared to the original 3 to 2. Players are turned
off by these changes.
16 Although the game is considered beatable by the player who counts cards,
casinos discourage this
kind of play and even bar counters from their establishments. If a player is
barred from the casino,
obviously he can't win, but he also can't lose and that is how the casinos
make their money. They
need players playing the games otherwise they don't exist.
21 Players likely see more problems with the game of Blackjack than the
casino. One such
2
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
problem is that you cannot quickly win a lot of money in the game. Even when
Blackjacks pay 3
to 2, a player who bets $100 in a hand can only win $150. Players love action
and the opportunity
to win a lot of money at one time, such as a slot machine where one spin of
the reels can win $1,000
or much more. To win big money is action every player loves, and in
traditional Blackjack that is
just not offered unless players play side bets that are heavily stacked in the
casino's favor.
6
Another problem with the game is many times arguments occur at the tables
because a player
who doesn't know how to play is perceived to be the reason other players are
losing. This can be
considered a potentially serious fault with the game of Blackjack. Although
when things go well it
is a social game, there is a high degree of tension present that is sometimes
detrimental to one's
11 enjoyment level at the tables.
The game of Blackjack has never been a big tournament game and does not stack
up well
against this style of game. With the explosion of Internet gambling, this
style of game is in demand
and a Blackjack game that is great in a tournament atmosphere is very much in
demand.
16
With the continued growth of gambling and more recently the growth of poker,
there is a
need to offer a poker style Blackjack game with big payouts, but without
altering the traditional
game of Blackjack. United States Patent # 5,413,353 (Damarest et a~, makes an
attempt to combine
Blackjack and poker. In this variation there was described a method of playing
a Blackjack type of
21 card game in which the players play against one another, rather than
against a dealer, as in
3
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
conventional Blackjack. Initially, each player places an identical wager to
form a pot and then
receives two cards face down from a dealer. The dealer receives no cards but
the house collects a
rake from each pot. A player may split pairs, draw additional cards or stand.
A player receiving a
Blackjack on the first two cards (i.e., ace and ten value card) or scoring the
highest card sum without
exceeding 21 wins the pot. If two or more players receive a Blackjack on the
first two cards, all tie,
6 and the game is repeated using the same pot. If two or more players achieve
the same card sum, then
a predetermined schedule may be used to ascertain that all tie, and the game
is repeated using the
same pot.
In a game like Blackjack there have been likely a thousand or more variations
of the game.
11 Clearly many of these are similar but yet in their own way different. In
the game version described
above in Damarest et al, the game was altered too much and was not Blackjack.
Simply put, players
ante and receive a Blackjack hand, with the highest hand from among the
players winning the pot.
The problem here is the game described is not truly Blackjack, as players do
not play their hand
against the dealer's hand, and all known Blackjack strategies are rendered
useless. With the top hand
16 winning, players would have to ask for and receive another card (or "hit")
on a hard 19 if another
player had drawn, for example, a hard 20. By taking the strategies out of the
game, there is no reason
for the skilled player to play this game. The fun and enjoyment has been
tossed out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
21 It is an object of the present invention to provide an exciting variant of
the standard game of
casino Blackjack.
4
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a poker style
Blackjack game with the
potential for players to achieve big payouts, but without altering the
traditional game of Blackjack.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a poker style
Blackjack game which
provides more head to head play between players, whether in a casino or in a
virtual environment, as
6 opposed to the player vs. house play that occurs in regular Blackjack, and
which, as a result, lends
itself more appropriately to tournament play.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method
of playing a card
game involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of (a)
the two or more players
11 each placing an ante wager, the ante wager being added to a jackpot;(b) the
dealer beginning a round
of play by dealing two first cards to each of the two or more players, so as
to form a player hand for
each of the two or more players, and dealing two cards to the dealer, so as to
form a dealer hand, as
in normal Blackjack rules;(c) the hands of the two or more players are
finalized one at a time, the
dealer sequentially drawing and adding further cards to the hands of the two
or more players until a
16 numerical value of the hands either exceeds twenty-one or any of the
players choose to stand;
(d) the dealer's hand is finalized, the dealer sequentially drawing and adding
further cards to the
dealer hand until a numerical value of the dealer hand exceeds sixteen; (e) a
determination is
made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's hand
by obtaining a
numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then those players are eligible to
play subsequent rounds of
21 play, and, if any of the two or more players hands has not beat the
numerical total of the dealer's hand,
those players are eliminated from the game; and (f) repeating steps (b) to (e)
to continue play and
begin the subsequent rounds, if necessary, until only one player remains, the
one player being awarded
the jackpot.
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
A further aspect of the present invention provides for a method of playing a
card game
involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of (a)the two
or more players each
placing an ante wager, the ante wager being added to a jackpot;(b) the dealer
beginning a round of
play by dealing two first cards to each of the two or more players, so as to
form a player hand for each
of the two or more players, and dealing two cards to the dealer, so as to form
a dealer hand, as in
6 normal Blackjack rules;(c)the two or more players have the option of
standing, doubling down or
splitting cards of equal value so as to form an additional player hand that
player may play, the
additional player hand being played independently of the player hand; (d) the
hands of the two or
more players are finalized one at a time, the dealer sequentially drawing and
adding further cards to
the hands of the two or more players until a numerical value of the hands
either exceeds twenty-one
11 or any of the players choose to stand;(e) the dealer's hand is finalized,
the dealer sequentially drawing
and adding further cards to the dealer hand until a numerical value of the
dealer hand exceeds
sixteen;(f) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players
hands has beat the
dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then
those players are eligible
to play subsequent rounds of play, and, if any of the two or more players
hands has not beat the
16 numerical total of the dealer's hand, those players are eliminated from the
game; and (g) repeating
steps (b) to (f) to continue play and begin the subsequent rounds, if
necessary, until only one player
remains, the one player being awarded the jackpot.
A further aspect of the present invention provides for a method of playing a
card game
21 involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of: (a) the
two or more players
each placing an ante wager, the ante wager being added to a jackpot;(b) the
dealer beginning a round
of play by dealing two first cards to each of the two or more players, so as
to form a player hand for
each of the two or more players, and dealing two cards to the dealer, so as to
form a dealer hand, as
in normal Blackjack rules;(c) the two or more players have the option of
standing, doubling down,
26 or splitting cards of equal value so as to form an additional player hand
that player may play, the
additional player hand being played independently of the player hand; (d) the
hands of the two or
more players are finalized one at a time, the dealer sequentially drawing and
adding further cards to
the hands of the two or more players until a numerical value of the hands
either exceeds twenty-one
6
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
1 or any of the players choose to stand;(e) the dealer's hand is finalized,
the dealer sequentially drawing
and adding further cards to the dealer hand until a numerical value of the
dealer hand exceeds
sixteen;(f) a determination is made to see if any of the two or more players
hands has beat the
dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then
those players are eligible
to play subsequent rounds of play, and, if any of the two or more players
hands has not beat the
6 numerical value of the dealer's hand, those players are eliminated from the
game, and wherein if any
of the two or more players doubled down and successfully beat the numerical
value of the dealer's
hand, or the numerical value of the dealer's hand exceeds twenty-one, an
additional life token is
awarded to that successful player; and (g) repeating steps (b) to (f) to
continue play and begin the
subsequent rounds, if necessary, until only one player remains, the one player
being awarded the
11 jackpot.
A still further aspect of the present invention provides for a method of
playing a card game
involving two or more players and a dealer comprising the steps of (a) the two
or more players
each placing an ante wager, the ante wager being added to a jackpot;(b) the
dealer issues a life token
16 to each of the two or more players;(c) the dealer beginning a round of play
by dealing two first cards
to each of the two or more players, so as to form a player hand for each of
the two or more players,
and dealing two cards to the dealer, so as to form a dealer hand, as in normal
Blackjack rules;
(d) the two or more players have the option of standing, doubling down, or
splitting cards of equal
value so as to form an additional player hand that player may play, the
additional player hand being
21 played independently of the player hand;(e) the hands of the two or more
players are finalized one
at a time, the dealer sequentially drawing and adding further cards to the
hands of the two or more
players until a numerical value of the hands either exceeds twenty-one or any
of the players choose
to stand; (f) the dealer's hand is finalized, the dealer sequentially drawing
and adding further cards
to the dealer hand until a numerical value of the dealer hand exceeds
sixteen;(g) a determination is
26 made to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the dealer's
hand by obtaining a
numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then those players are eligible to
play subsequent rounds of
play, and, if any of the two or more players hands has not beat the numerical
value of the dealer's
hand, those players are eliminated from the game, and wherein if any of the
two or more players
doubled down and successfully beat the numerical value of the dealer's hand,
or the numerical value
31 of the dealer's hand exceeds twenty-one, an additional life token is
awarded to that successful player;
and (h) repeating steps (b) to (g) to continue play and begin the subsequent
rounds, if necessary, until
7
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
only one player remains, the one player being awarded the jackpot.
A still further aspect of the present invention provides for a virtual gaming
system for
effecting the card playing method of playing a card game as defined in the
present invention, the
virtual gaming system comprising a display device; at least one user interface
device; a processor for
6 executing a game program, including generating game play images on the
display device, wherein the
processor interprets input from the at least one user interface device and
carries out the game program
utilized by the virtual gaming system as follows:(a) each of the two or more
players utilizing the
interface device to place an ante wager, the ante wager being added to a
jackpot illustrated on the
display device;(b) electronically dealing an initial hand of two cards to each
player, so as to form a
11 player hand for each of the two or more players, the initial hand of two
cards being
represented on the display device;(c) electronically dealing an initial hand
of two cards to a virtual
dealer, so as to form a virtual dealer hand, the cards being represented on
the display device;
(d) electronically finalizing the hands of each of the two or more players one
at a time, the virtual
dealer sequentially drawing and adding further cards to the hands of the two
or more players until a
16 numerical value of the hands either exceeds twenty-one or any of the
players choose to stand;
(e) electronically finalizing the virtual dealer hand, the virtual dealer
sequentially drawing and adding
further cards to the virtual dealer hand until a numerical value of the
virtual dealer hand exceeds
sixteen; (f) an electronic determination is made to see if any of the two or
more players hands has beat
the virtual dealer's hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and,
if so, then those players are
21 eligible to play subsequent rounds of play, and, if any of the two or more
players hands has not beat
the numerical total of the virtual dealer's hand, those players are eliminated
from the game; and
(g) the processor repeating steps (b) to (f) to continue play and begin the
subsequent rounds, if
necessary, until only one player remains, the one player being awarded the
jackpot.
26 According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
virtual gaming
system for effecting the card playing method of playing a card game as defined
in the present
invention, the virtual gaming system comprising a display device;at least one
user interface device;
a processor for executing a game program, including generating game play
images on the display
device, wherein the processor interprets input from the at least one user
interface device and carries
31 out the game program utilized by the virtual gaming system as follows:(a)
each of the two or more
players utilizing the interface device to place an ante wager, the ante wager
being added to a jackpot
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
1 illustrated on the display device;(b) the processor electronically dealing
an initial hand of two cards
to each player, so as to form a player hand for each of the two or more
players, the initial hand of two
cards being represented on the display device;(c) the processor electronically
dealing an initial hand
of two cards to a virtual dealer, so as to form a virtual dealer hand, the
cards being represented on the
display device;(d) the processor providing the two or more players with the
option of standing,
6 doubling down, or splitting cards of equal value so as to form an additional
player hand that player
may play, the additional player hand being played independently of the player
hand, the option of
standing, doubling down, or splitting cards of equal value being selected by
any of the two or more
players through use of the interface device;(e) the processor electronically
finalizing the hands of each
of the two or more players one at a time, the virtual dealer sequentially
drawing and adding further
11 cards to the hands of the two or more players until a numerical value of
the hands either exceeds
twenty-one or any of the players choose to stand;(f) the processor
electronically finalizing the virtual
dealer hand, the virtual dealer sequentially drawing and adding further cards
to the virtual dealer hand
until a numerical value of the virtual dealer hand exceeds sixteen; (g) the
processor effecting an
electronic determination to see if any of the two or more players hands has
beat the virtual dealer's
16 hand by obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then those
players are eligible to play
subsequent rounds of play, and, if any of the two or more players hands has
not beat the numerical
total of the virtual dealer's hand, those players are eliminated from the
game, and wherein if any of
the two or more players doubled down and successfully beat the numerical value
of the dealer's hand,
or the numerical value of the dealer's hand exceeds twenty-one, an additional
life token is awarded
21 by the processor to that successful player; and (h) the processor repeating
steps (b) to (g) to continue
play and begin the subsequent rounds, if necessary, until only one player
remains, the one player being
awarded the jackpot.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
virtual gaming
26 system for effecting the card playing method of playing a card game as
defined in the present
invention, the virtual gaming system comprising a display device;at least one
user interface device;
a processor for executing a game program, including generating game play
images on the display
device, wherein the processor interprets input from the at least one user
interface device and carries
out the game program utilized by the virtual gaming system as follows:(a) each
of the two or more
31 players utilizing the interface device to place an ante wager, the ante
wager being added to a jackpot
illustrated on the display device;(b) the processor electronically issues one
life token to each of the
9
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
1 two or more players;(c) the processor electronically dealing an initial hand
of two cards to each
player, so as to form a player hand for each of the two or more players, the
initial hand of two cards
being represented on the display device;(d) the processor electronically
dealing an initial hand of two
cards to a virtual dealer, so as to form a virtual dealer hand, the cards
being represented on the display
device;(e) the processor providing the two or more players with the option of
standing, doubling
6 down, or splitting cards of equal value so as to form an additional player
hand that player may play,
the additional player hand being played independently of the player hand, the
option of standing,
doubling down, or splitting cards of equal value being selected by any of the
two or more players
through use of the interface device;(f) the processor electronically
finalizing the hands of each of the
two or more players one at a time, the virtual dealer sequentially drawing and
adding further cards
11 to the hands of the two or more players until a numerical value of the
hands either exceeds twenty-one
or any of the players choose to stand;(g) the processor electronically
finalizing the virtual dealer hand,
the virtual dealer sequentially drawing and adding further cards to the
virtual dealer hand until a
numerical value of the virtual dealer hand exceeds sixteen; (h) the processor
effecting an electronic
determination to see if any of the two or more players hands has beat the
virtual dealer's hand by
16 obtaining a numerical total closest to 21, and, if so, then those players
are eligible to play subsequent
rounds of play, and, if any of the two or more players hands has not beat the
numerical total of the
virtual dealer's hand, those players are eliminated from the game, and wherein
if any of the two or
more players doubled down and successfully beat the numerical value of the
dealer's hand, or the
numerical value of the dealer's hand exceeds twenty-one, an additional life
token is awarded by the
21 processor to that successful player; and (i) the processor repeating steps
(b) to (h) to continue play and
begin the subsequent rounds, if necessary, until only one player remains, the
one player being awarded
the jackpot.
The advantage of the present invention is that it provides an improved and
exciting variant
26 of the standard game of casino Blackjack, and, more specifically, to
provide a poker style Blackjack
game with the potential for players to achieve big payouts, but without
altering the traditional game
of Blackjack.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that it allows an
improved poker style
31 Blackjack game which provides for more "head to head" play between players,
whether in a casino
or in a virtual environment, as opposed to the "player vs. house" play that
occurs in regular Blackjack,
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
I and which, as a result, lends itself more appropriately to tournament play.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with
reference to the
6 accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure I is plan view illustrating an example gaming table layout for use in
playing a casino
version of a card game according to one embodiment of the method of the
present invention;
11 Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of playing a card game
according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a continuation of the flow chart shown in Figure 2;
16 Figure 4 illustrates a sample arrangement through which a virtual
embodiment of the present
invention can be effected; and
Figure 5 illustrates an automated or computer/video terminal screen of the
type which may
be used to play the card game of the present invention.
21
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention relates to a variant of the standard game of casino
Blackjack. The game
can be implemented in a variety of embodiments, such as, but not being limited
to, a physical
embodiment played at a casino, gaming establishment or as a board game, and
virtual embodiments
26 played on a desktop computer or other computing device. By way of further
illustration and without
intending to limit the present invention, virtual embodiments can include
video lottery kiosks or other
similar stand-alone devices configured to play the game, computer software
implementing the
invention which runs on a user's computer, and network based software which
uses wired or wireless
networks, such as the Internet or cellular telephone networks to communicate
and coordinate the game
31 with one or more remote computing devices.
The present invention offers a game of Blackjack played in a poker style form
where big
11
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
money can be won very quickly. The present invention has not altered the
traditional game of
Blackjack for the players and is offered in such a way casinos may allow the
best players in the world
to play at their tables without fear of losing.
The traditional game of Blackj ack is played with players placing a wager
conforming to house
6 limits and receiving two cards, usually, but not always, face up. Players
then, in order, make decisions
on their hand, usually also factoring in the dealer's hand, which is usually
comprised of one card face
up and one card face down. Each player acts by either Standing, Splitting,
Doubling down, Hitting,
Surrendering or any other house rule offered to the player in that game. After
all players have made
decisions the dealer plays their own hand. The dealer will usually hit (give
another card to) on a hand
11 of 16 or less and stay on all 17's or more. Any hand that goes over 21 is a
bust and a loss for the
player or for the dealer. After the dealer has played their hand they would
determine if the player won
or lost. A player who has a hand total higher than the dealer, without going
over 21, wins their wager.
A player with a lower total than the dealer, or who has busted, loses their
wager to the house. Hands
that are of the same value are considered a push or tie, and are neither a win
or a loss. Bonuses are
16 paid to the player for a two card 21, or a Blackjack.
In Blackjack, as in the present invention, each card in the deck has a certain
value. Both
Blackjack and the current invention use a standard deck of 52 cards, even
though many could be used
and dealt out of a shoe, say up to 8 or more decks combined. Each deck would
consist of 52 cards,
21 in 4 suits, ranked 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. A
two counts as 2, three counts
as 3 and so forth to the ten which counts as a total of 10 value. Jacks,
Queens and Kings also have
values of 10. An ace may be 1 or 11 and is always used to give the hand its
best value, closest to 21
without going over.
26 In one variation of the present invention, a rotating dealer button is used
to determine which
player would receive the first cards and make the first decisions, wherein the
dealer would randomly
determine which player receives the dealer button. In a preferred embodiment,
to start the game all
players would place an ante wager, of a predetermined amount of money, for
example, $100 on a
$100 table, and so forth. The dealer would take all of the antes and place it
in a Game Pot which will
31 eventually be won by a player(s). In the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, at least two
players will be required to play a game.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the dealer of the game would take
a special token
12
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
1 or chip (which can be considered a "life" token) and place it in a
predetermined area on each player's
layout to show that that player is alive in the game. Only players with one of
these "life" tokens
play each round. Of course, in an alternative embodiment, a game could start
with each player
receiving any number of "life" tokens. It should be noted that a "Life token"
is just what it sounds
like; a chip that represents a player's life in the game. Should a player
"lose" this token (by not
6 winning or even pushing a hand during a round), that player is out of the
game. In a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, a player may not have more than two life
tokens at any time
during the game.
In one embodiment, the present invention utilizes a rotating "Dealer Button"
or chip. This
11 is a physical (or virtual) dealer button that slides clockwise or counter
clockwise on the tabletop
representation depending on the way the game is offered. In the preferred
embodiment this button
would slide one player position in a clockwise fashion after each pot is won,
ending that game, or as,
in the preferred embodiment, after each round is played. Of course, as
indicated above, in an
alternative embodiment the Dealer button could slide one player position in a
counter clockwise
16 direction after each pot is won or each round is played. A new game, or
round, would begin with the
dealer button in front of a new player.
Now starting with the player who has the rotating dealer button the dealer
gives each player,
including themselves one card and then each player including themselves a
second card. These cards
21 may be face down, or some combination of one up or one down, or as in the
preferred embodiment
of the present invention, both of the players' cards would be face up and one
of the dealer's cards face
up. Starting with the player with the dealer button each player now determines
it they want to Stand,
Hit, Split or Double Down with their hand. In the preferred embodiment of the
present invention the
goal of each player is very simple. They want to at least tie the dealer's
point total at the end of this
26 hand (a push hand). If a player beats or ties to dealers total at the end
of the hand, that player is still
in the game and will get to play another hand in a subsequent round. Any
player who loses to the
dealer's hand loses a life token and is out of the game, provided they don't
have any more life tokens
they can use to stay alive in the game. If all players' hands lose in the same
round, the players with
additional Life tokens move on to the next round. If only one player has an
additional Life token, he
31 wins. If no one has an additional Life token, the players) whose hand is
closest to 21, without going
over, wins the Game Pot. It is also understood that if a player "hits" their
hand and goes over 21 they
lose a life token. The dealer would physically take the life token in front of
them and place it in the
dealer's tray.
13
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
If a player decides to Double Down, which may be any card total although in
the preferred
embodiment would be allowed only in a two card hand, the player would have to
place another Ante
in the Game Pot. The dealer would give one additional card to any hand the
player doubles on. If the
dealer busts or if the player's total exceeds the dealer's total this player
would win an additional life
6 token. In other words, if the player wins the double down, he is awarded an
additional life token. If
the players total ties that of the dealers (a push hand), that player does not
receive an additional Life
token for a double down push, but still moves on to the next round of play. If
a player's total is less
than the dealer's total that player would lose a life token. In any event to
double down on a hand a
player would have to add an Ante to the Game Pot and does not get this ante
back even if they win
11 the hand.
If a player decides to split their hand, they must add an additional Ante to
the Game Pot for
each new Split hand. Players may only Split two card hands of equal value. In
the preferred
embodiment a player may have in total 4 hands resulting from a total of 3
splits. The value of
16 splitting a hand is a player needs only tie the dealer on any of the hands
created through splitting. A
player would not lose a life token if they split three times, had four hands
and lost three of them, and
won or tied the last hand. In the preferred embodiment a player can hit,
double down or re-split after
splitting aces.
21 If a player has a two card Blackjack they automatically win a Blackjack
Bonus. The Blackjack
Bonus is equal to a full ante and is taken from the Game Pot and given to the
player with the
Blackjack. If a player stands, they receive no further cards on their hand and
the next player, usually
in a counter-clockwise position plays. After each player has played their hand
the dealer would flip
over their hole card and play their hand. The dealer would hit on all 16's and
stay on any hand of 17
26 or more. After the dealer has played their hand the dealer will determine
how each player did starting
at the button.
As noted previously, if all players lost all their life tokens on the same
hand, the player with
the closest hand to 21 without going over wins the Game Pot. A player with a
Blackjack would win
31 the pot over a player with a 21 if the Dealer flips over a Blackjack. After
splitting a hand, a two card
21 is not considered a Blackjack so would not get a Blackjack Bonus nor beat a
Dealers Blackjack,
although this hand could win the pot as the closest hand to 21 if no
Blackjacks appeared on the table.
14
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
If two players finish tied with the best hand, closest to 21 without going
over in the same hand
all players lose all their life tokens, these players would split the pot. An
example of this would be
the dealer drawing a 21 on the first hand of the game and the best hands on
the player's side totalled
20. In this example, any player having 20 would share equally in the game pot.
When each game
ends, which is usually after just a few hands the house would take a
predetermined amount of the
6 Game Pot, say one ante or 5% of the Game Pot and a new game begins with each
player placing a
new ante wager for the new game and each also receiving a new life token.
Referring now to the drawings, the game consists of a table felt layout with a
number of
playing positions, and, preferably, a standard game utilizing the method of
the present invention may
11 be set up at such a table, with 7 designated positions for players, it
being understood that there need
be no limit or restriction on that number, whether more or less. In a
preferred embodiment, the game
is designed for play with 8 (eight) decks of cards, namely because 8 (eight)
decks of cards is the
number of decks many casinos currently use and the shoe and the discard rack
(that holds the spent
cards) in these casinos already accommodate that number of decks. It is also
understood, however,
16 that the game can function equally as well utilizing any given number of
card decks, either higher or
lower than 8. In another embodiment of the present invention, a cut card (not
shown) can be used by
the casino to cut the cards. This cut card, as it is known, is usually made of
plastic and is the same
size as a regular playing card. The dealer inserts this card into the decks
used in the game, generally
about a full deck from the end of the cards, before placing the cards into the
shoe and starting a new
21 game, though there is no restriction on where in the deck the cut card is
placed. When a game is
being played and this cut card comes out of the shoe, the round being played
is completed, but it
signals the dealer that no further rounds are to be played until the cards are
reshuffled.
With reference to Figure 1, on the table felt (1) of the casino table used in
one embodiment
26 of the present invention there will be betting spaces for each player, as
hereinafter described. It is
understood that each table will have its own Minimum and Maximum Ante limits
that will be posted
at the table. In a preferred embodiment, players are not allowed to ante lower
than the minimum, or
higher than the table maximum, which will be the same amount. To start each
new game, each player
must place an ante wager. As noted previously, the Ante wager made by each of
the players is first
31 made at the start of a new game, and before a player ever sees any of the
cards.
Here are some examples from the start of the game. Life tokens for the players
are initially
placed on the casino table in their respective life token area (3). After all
players at the table have
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
placed their ante wager, of course, the game begins. With reference again to
Figure 1, cards dealt to
each of the players are placed in their respective hand areas (5) on the
casino table.
Game Examples
6 Game #1, Round (A) -All Players Ante
*Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
*Player #1 draws Queen--Ace= Blackjack, (and player is paid BJ Bonus) Total BJ
Player #2 draws 2--9 (player Doubles Down by Adding Another Ante to Pot) then
draws a
"Ten", for a Total of 21
11 Player #3 draws 6--Ace (player Doubles Down by Adding Another Ante to Pot),
then draws a
"7", for a Total of 14
Player #4 draws an 8--Ten, player Stays, for a Total of 18
Player #S draws Queen - 9, player Stays, for a Total of 19
Player #6 draws a Queen - 7, players Stays, for a Total of 17
16 Player #7 draws a King - 3, player Stays, for a Total of 13
Dealers Hand Up Card is a "6", Down Card is a "2", Dealer then draws a "7",
then an "8" _
Busted
Pot = $700 in antes, Minus $100 BJ Bonus, Plus $200 in Double Downs = $800
All Players Move to next Round, Players #2 & #3 earn extra Life token (as a
result of winning
21 their double downs).
Game #1 Round (B)
*Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
26 Player #1 draws 6 - 9, then Hits again and draws an Ace, hits again and
draws a "4", Stays,
Total =20 (Pushes, moves to next round)
*Player #2 (life x2) draws an Ace - 2, then Hits again and draws a Jack, then
Hits again and
draws a "S", Stays Total =18 (Lost, still has 1 life)
Player #3 (life x 2) draws a King - 3, then Hits again and draws a "5", Stays,
Total =18 (Lost,
31 still has 1 life)
Player #4 draws 2 - 8, then Hits again and draws a "5", then Hits again and
draws an Ace,
then Hits again and draws a "9"= Busts (Out of Game # 1 )
Player #5 draws a King - 9, Stays, Total=19 (Lost - Out of Game # 1 )
Player #6 draws a Ten - 4, then Hits again and draws a King, Busts (Out of
Game # 1 )
36 Player #7 draws 5 - 3, then Hits again and draws a "7", then Hits again and
draws a King,
Busts (Out of Game #1)
Dealers Hand Up Card is Ace (looks, no Blackjack), Down Card is a "4", then
Hits again and
draws a "5" = 20
Pot = $800
41 Player #1 moves to next round, by virtue of tying the dealer's total (a
push). Players #2 and #3
can also move to the next round by using the extra life tokens awarded to them
in the last round.
All other players eliminated.
46 Game #1 Round (C)
*Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
Player #1 draws 8 - 2, then Hits again and draws a Jack, Stays, Total =20
(Lost, closest to
21, Wins Pot)
Player #2 draws 2 - Jack, then Hits again and draws a Jack, Busts (Out of Game
#2)
51 *Player #3 6 - Ace, then Hits again and draws a "Ten", Stays, Total 17
(Lost, Out of Game
#1)
Dealers Hand Up Card is Jack, Down Card is a "2", then Hits again and draws a
"3", then Hits
16
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
1 again and draws a "6" = 21
Pot = $800
Notes: Both Players #1 and #3 lost to Dealers Hand of 21. Player #2 busted and
is eliminated
also. If all players lose on the same hand, and no player has extra life
tokens which would enable
them to move to another round, the game is over with the closest total to 21
without going over
6 winning the pot. In this example, Player #1 wins the pot, for being the
player with the closest
hand to 21 without going over.
Pot Distribution: Player #1 Gets 95% of Pot, or $760 and House 5% or $40
11 Game #2 Round (A) - All Players Ante
*Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
Player #1 draws King - 3, Hits 7, Stays, Total= 20 (Pushes)
Player #2 draws King - 7, Stays, Total=17 (Lost, Out of Game #2)
Player #3 draws 4 - Jack, then Hits again and draws a "Ten", Busts (Out of
Game #2)
16 *Player #4 draws 9 - 3, then Hits again and draws a King, Busts, (Out of
Game #2)
Player #5 draws Ten - 3, then Hits again and draws a "Ten", Busts, (Out of
Game #2)
Player #6 draws 7 - King, Stays, Total=17 (Lost, Out of Game #2)
Player #7 draws Ten - 3, then Hits again and draws a "4", Stays, Total=17
(Lost, Out of
Game #2)
21 Dealers Hand Up Card is Ten, Down Card Ten = 20
Pot = $700
Notes: All players lost except player #1, who pushed. Player #1 wins the pot,
for being the
player with the closest hand to 21 without going over.
Pot distribution: Player #1 Gets 95% of Pot, or $665 and House 5% or $35
26
Game #3 Round (A) - All Players Ante
*Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
Player #1 draws a 4 - 4, Splits by Adding Another Ante to Pot. Hand 1A draws 4
- 2, then
31 Hits again and draws a "6", then Hits again and draws a King, Busts, Hand
1B
draws 4 - 2, then Hits again and draws a "5", then Hits again and draws a "2",
Stays, Total= 13
Player #2 draw 3 - King, Stays, Total= 13
Player #3 draws 8 - Queen, Stays, Total =18
36 Player #4 draws Queen - Ace = Blackjack, paid BJ Bonus Total= BJ
*Player #5 draws 2 - 2, Splits by Adding Another Ante to Pot. Hand SA) 2 -
Ace, Doubles
Down by Adding Another Ante to Pot, then Hits again and draws a "Ten",
Total=13, Hand SB) draws 2 - Queen, then Hits again and draws a "9", Stays,
Total =21
41 Player #6 draws King - Jack, Stays, Total= 20
Player #7 draws King - 9, Stays, Total =19
Dealers Hand Up Card is 4, Down Card 4, Draws 7, Draws 9 = Busts
Pot = $700 in Antes, Minus $100 BJ Bonus, Plus $100 in Double Downs, Plus $200
in Splits =
$900
46 All Players Move to next Round. Player #5 earns extra Life token (as a
result of winning the
double down).
51 Game #3 Round (B)
*Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
Player #1 draws 5 - 5, Doubles Down by Adding Another Ante to Pot, then Hits
again and
draws a Queen, Total=20
17
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
1 Player #2 draws 3 - Queen, Stays, Total= 13
Player #3 draws Queen - 7, Stays, Total =17
Player #4 draws Ten - 6, Stays, Total =16
Player #5 (life x 2) draws 9 - Queen, Stays, Total=19
*Player #6 draws King - 7, Stays, Total= 17
6 Player #7 draws Ten - Jack, Stays, Total= 20
Dealers Hand Up Card is 5, Down Card is a "7", then Hits again and draws a
Jack= Busts
Pot = $1000
All Players Move to next Round. Player #1 earns extra Life token (as a result
of winning the
double down).
11
Game #3 Round (C)
*Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
Player #1 (life x 2) draws 2 - Ten, then Hits again and draws a King, Busts
16 (Lost hand, life x 1)
Player #2 draws Jack - 4, then Hits again and draws a "9", Busts (Out of Game
#3)
Player #3 draw Jack - Ace = Blackjack, paid BJ Bonus Total BJ
Player #4 draws 3 - Ace, Hits 7, Stays, Total =21
Player #5 (life x 2) draws 4 - Queen, then Hits again and draws a "7", Stays,
Total =21
21 Player #6 draws 5 - Queen, then Hits again and draws a "9", Busts (Out of
Game #3)
*Player #7 draws 5 - Ten, then Hits again and draws a King, Busts (Out of Game
#3)
Dealers Hand Up Card is Ten, Down Card is a "4", Draws Jack, = Busts
Pot = $900
Players #1,3,4 and 5 move to the next round. Players #2,6 and 7 eliminated.
26
Game #3 Round (D)
*Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
*Player #1 draws 4 - 3, then Hits again and draws a "9", then Hits again and
draws a "6",
Busts (Out of Game #3)
31 Player #3 draws Jack - King, Stays, Total=20
Player #4 draws 3 - Jack, then Hits again and draws a King, Busts (Out of Game
#3)
Player #5 (life x 2) draws Ten - 7, Stays, Total=17
Dealers Hand Up Card is Queen, Down Card is a "9", Total=19
Pot = $900
36 Notes: Player #3 moves on to next round. Player #5 Lost, but still has one
life left, and as such
will move on to the next round. Players #1 and 4 eliminated.
Game #3 Round (E)
41 *Means Player has Dealer Button and Plays First
*Player #3 draws Ace - King = Blackjack, paid BJ Bonus Total BJ
Player #5 draws 5 -2, Hits Ace, Stays, Total=18
Dealers Hand Up Card is 8, Down Card 8, then Hits again and draws a "5", Total
= 21
Pot = $800
46 All players lost except player #3, who pushed. Player #3 wins the pot.
Pot Distribution: Player #3 Gets 95% of Pot, or $760 and House 5% or $40
Of course, in an alternative embodiment, the present invention may also be a
online game
51 found in online poker rooms. The advantage to this is that the game can be
played not only for any
denomination but in tournaments where thousands of players can play against
each other at one time.
18
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
1 For instance, an online Poker room could offer a tournament where players
pay a predetermined
amount to join in a tournament, for example, $25. Another embodiment of the
present invention
could involve a charge for joining such a tournament, say $3 per person, or
the operator of the
tournament could take a percentage of the total Prize Pool. If one thousand
players joined in this
online tournament there would be a prize pool of $25,000. At the start each
player could be randomly
6 seated at a poker style table with any number of players, say 10. Each
player could be given any
number of starting chips, say $1,500 in play money. At the start of the
tournament the Ante could be
any amount, say $25. This ante could increase every 30 minutes, or any
predetermined amount of
time. So the ante could go from $25, to $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000 and so
forth as the game goes.
By increasing the ante, players are slowly forced out of the game as in poker
tournaments played
11 online and eventually you have one final table and one final winner. Of
course a predetermined
number of prizes could be offered if not winner take all. This kind of
tournament could be very
popular amongst Blackjack players.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the game play
previously described
16 herein can also be applied to a virtual embodiment, as would be apparent to
a person skilled in the
art. For example, game play could begin with a player pressing a button to
effect a computer
"shuffling" a desired or pre-selected number of decks. Further interface
buttons can be used to
indicate the ante wagering of "chips" by a player. Such an arrangement
supports a wide variety of
implementations including, but not limited to, kiosks, home computers and
client/server based
21 arrangements (which may be useful in casinos and on the Internet). In a
still further embodiment,
Figure 4 illustrates a sample arrangement through which a virtual embodiment
of the present
invention could be implemented. Such an arrangement supports a wide variety of
implementations
including, but not limited to, kiosks, home computers and client/server based
arrangements (which
may be useful in casinos and on the Internet). As Figure 4 illustrates, a
virtual embodiment will
26 preferably display a user interface to a player through a display device
(39). A user interface device
(41) can include, but is not limited to, any of a mouse, keyboard, touch
screen display, joystick, touch
pad or voice recognition system, which is preferably provided to effect user
interaction with the
virtual embodiment. Game software (43) interprets the information from the
user interface (41) and
generates the user interface to be displayed on display device (39) based on
the information and the
31 rules of the game. Information needed by the game software (43) such as bet
values for the players)
and the like, can be stored in a computer's random access memory (45) and/or
hard disk drive/Non-
Volatile storage (47). A microprocessor (49), of course, would be the heart of
any such system
described, executing the computations necessary to run the game software (43).
19
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
With reference to Figure 5 one embodiment of the virtual or automated version
of the game
play of the present invention is shown, wherein an example of a sample game is
provided. Figure 5
shows an example of an automated video terminal or kiosk (51) useful to
practice the game play
methods of the present invention, and which includes a housing (53) of
conventional design. The
6 housing (53) contains a video display screen (55) which displays the various
presentations during the
play of the game, and which may be any form of display screen such as a CRT,
plasma screen, liquid
crystal screen, LED screen or the like. The display screen may be a touch
screen display, for example,
in a preferred embodiment, or by providing a plurality of push buttons, or the
like. Of course, the
video display screen (55) provides a continuous display screen on which images
of cards being dealt
11 to the players, the dealer hand, the ante wagers of the players) and touch
screen player input functions
are displayed.
As noted above, the automated video terminal or kiosk (51) provides means for
enabling a
player to make a wager when playing the game. These means, where the game is
played for pure
16 enjoyment, may simply be means for the player to wager fictitious credits.
Alternatively, as shown
in the drawings, where the automated video terminal or kiosk (51) is to be
used in a gaming
establishment, such as a casino, the terminal or kiosk (51) may include a coin
slot (57) or variation
thereof by which the player can wager units such as currency, coins, tokens,
identification cards,
player tracking cards, ticket in/ticket out acceptance, and the like. While
not illustrated, it is well
21 known to provide a cash reader to accept cash denomination wagers, the cash
reader enabling the
player to accumulate credits for wagering with the terminal or kiosk (51).
Additionally, means may
be provided for the player to wager from funds on a debit card, credit card or
the like as known in the
art.
26 In the present embodiment described herein, there is contained within the
housing (53) a
processor (not shown) of conventional design. The processor includes a first
data structure including
data representing each card of 8 (eight) decks of cards, namely because 8
(eight) decks of cards is the
number of decks many casinos currently use and the shoe and the discard rack
(that holds the spent
cards) in these casinos already accommodate that number of decks. It is also
conceivable, however,
31 that as few as a standard deck of 52 cards may also be used, and reshuffled
as need be, as would be
apparent to one skilled in the art. The processor also includes a second data
structure which includes
data representing winning outcome combinations of any of the player and dealer
hands that are
finalized, along with the corresponding payouts. Additionally, the processor,
in the manner described
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
below, is programmed to generate and control the presentations at the video
display screen (55), and
play of the game according to the present invention using a set of
programmable instructions. These
instructions can, for example, be stored within a computer readable medium
(not shown) configured
for insertion within the processor.
6 With reference to FIG. 5, the video display screen (55) provides the player
with the ability to
control the play of the game and make various selections as hereinafter
described. Furthermore, the
processor includes means for determining the amount wagered by the player.
This amount may be by
the player wagering credits accumulated during game play, or by obtaining
credits to play the game
by inserting currency in one of the many forms noted previously described
above into the coin slot
11 (57) or variation thereo~
To start a new game, a player would first obtain credits to play the game by
inserting currency
in one of the aforementioned forms described above into the coin slot (57) or
variation thereof. A
credit meter (61) for the player on the video display screen (55) would be
incremented accordingly
16 to reflect the amount of credits the player has obtained. In one embodiment
of the present invention,
the video display screen (55) can display a prompt on the display screen
instructing the player to make
a wager prior to beginning the game. A player would then select Ante area (63)
on the video display
screen (55) to place their ante wager. In this example, the video display
screen (SS), utilizes a touch
screen display whereby a player can effect selections, in a preferred
embodiment, though other
21 variations are conceivable, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art.
The amount initially
indicated in Ante area (63) would then be subtracted from Credit Meter (61).
Of course, it is known
that the amount of the wager a player places initially into Ante area (63) may
have to conform to
machine limits, casino limits, or another set limit. This limit may, of
course, be posted somewhere
on the machine or screen or otherwise, and may comprise minimum and maximum
limits.
26
After a player has placed an ante wager in Ante area (63), the Deal/Draw
Button (75) would
light up, in a preferred embodiment, indicating to the player that the game is
ready to play. To deal
the cards the player would simply press the Deal/Draw Button (75). After the
player has pressed the
Deal/Draw Button (75), the processor is prompted to initiate play of the game,
whereby the processor
31 then selects from the first data structure data which represents cards to
be initially drawn by the virtual
dealer and placed in each of the dealer hand area (65) and the various player
hand areas (67), and to
display that data on the video display screen (55) as representations of the
faces of the cards drawn.
As the game continues, the processor then selects, from the remaining card
data of the first data
structure, card data sufficient to complete the hands contained in each of the
dealer hand area (65) and
21
CA 02516802 2005-08-22
1 the various player hand areas (67).
In one embodiment of the present invention, an instruction or help button (not
shown) may
be placed upon the video display screen (55), so as to provide information to
the player as to how to
complete the round of play.
6 Of course, in another embodiment, the processor further comprises means on
the video display
screen (55) for allowing the player to place additional wagers or bets on the
card game at various
points when cards are drawn to any of the various player hand areas (67), the
additional wagers or bets
being paid or collected in accordance with a pre-established set of rules. It
will, of course, be
understood to those skilled in the art that these rules can include, but are
not limited to, Doubling
11 Down, Splitting, and so forth. It will of course be understood that
numerous variations are possible
with respect to providing additional wagering or betting options, as would be
apparent to one skilled
in the art. In another variation, it would also be conceivable to have a
progressive jackpot, whereby
if certain designated hands come into play during game play, players engaging
in the additional
wagering or betting options could obtain the jackpot, or a percentage of it,
for example.
16
In another embodiment, the terminal or kiosk (51) also includes a cash out
button (59) to
enable the player to prompt the processor to distribute to the player in a
known fashion accumulated
credits (not shown) in the form of coins or tokens. Thus, at the conclusion of
a game, if a player
wanted to end the session, he could do so by pressing the Cash Out button
(59).
21
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be
varied in many
ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit
and scope of the invention,
and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are
intended to be included
within the scope of the following claims.
26
31
22
