Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02714799 2013-04-09
76909-431
Methods and Devices for Multi-State Card Games with
Card Replacement
1
CA 02714799 2013-04-09
76909-431
BACKGROUND
In various types of multi-state card games, such as but not limited to
blackjack and
baccarat, a player competes against an opponent. For purposes of example, the
player may be
human and the opponent may be a dealer who plays on behalf of a "house" (e.g.,
a game
provider such as a casino). These card games are typically played in hands,
where each hand
involves an initial number of cards being dealt from a deck to each
participant. The cards that
each participant holds during a hand may be referred to as the participant's
hand, and cards may
be added to or taken away from each participant's hand during the course of
the hand.
The popularity of such card games is based in part on the strategy involved in
playing the
game, as well as the player being able to risk money or some other form of
currency on the
outcome of each hand. The possibility of gain and the risk of loss tend to
make these games
exciting and enjoyable. Nonetheless, for each type of multi-state card game,
there are certain
combinations of cards that result in a weak hand. When dealt such a hand, more
often than not
the player will lose to his or her opponent. Being dealt a weak hand reduces
the player's level of
excitement, as the player's optimal strategy may be to minimize losses rather
than to maximize
gains. The house that provides a card game usually expects a marginal profit
for each hand
played. Since exciting card games tend to encourage repeat play, the house
profit is likely
increased when the overall excitement level of a card game is enhanced.
2
CA 02714799 2013-04-09
76909-431
SUMMARY
The methods and devices disclosed herein provide enhancements to multi-state
card
games by giving players an opportunity to improve their positions at various
stages during a
hand of the card game. In doing so, the players may find the overall game more
enjoyable and
therefore engage in additional gameplay. As a result, the house may benefit
from the increased
gameplay, more players and/or a higher profit margin.
In one embodiment, a player and an opponent may be engaged in a multi-state
card game,
such as blackjack or baccarat. The opponent may be the house (e.g., a dealer)
or another player.
Preferably, the player is associated with an account that stores the player's
balance of credits.
After an initial wager, the player and the opponent may each be dealt a hand
of cards.
Depending on the rules of the game, the player may be able to view all of his
or her cards, and
possibly some or all of the opponent's cards as well. From any revealed cards,
the player may be
able to estimate the relative strength of his or her hand in comparison to the
opponent's hand.
At this point, the player may be offered an opportunity to redeal the player's
hand, the
opponent's hand, or both. Each of these offers may be associated with a cost.
For instance, the
player may have to pay a first number of credits to redeal his or her hand, a
second number of
credits to redeal the opponent's hand, and/or a third number of credits to
redeal both hands.
Preferably, the cost associated with each option is based on a relative
advantage to the player of
performing the redeal. If the player accepts one or more of the offers, the
player's account may
be debited by the cost associated with the offer, and the redeal may take
place. Then, with the
cards redealt, the card game may continue until a winner is determined.
Some multi-state card cards involve gameplay wherein the player and/or the
opponent
may add or remove cards from their respective hands in order to potentially
improve :their
3
CA 02714799 2016-08-11
76909-431
chances of winning the card game. For instance, in a game of blackjack, the
player may "hit"
to add cards to his or her hand until he or she is either satisfied and
stands, or goes bust.
Accordingly, in another embodiment, after the player adds a new card to his or
her hand, the player may be offered an opportunity to modify his or her hand
by discarding
the new card, replacing the new card with another new card, redealing the
player's hand,
redealing the opponent's hand, or some combination of these offers. Again,
each of these
offers may be associated with a cost, and the associated costs may be based on
a relative
advantage to the player of accepting the offer. Similar to the first
embodiment, if the player
accepts one or more of the offers, the player's account may be debited by the
cost associated
with the accepted offer(s), and the modification may take place. Then, with
the hand(s)
modified, the card game may continue until a winner is determined.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method
comprising: determining, by a gaming server device, a first hand of cards for
a client entity
device and a second hand of cards for an opponent entity, wherein the first
and second hands
of cards are selected from a deck using a random number generator of the
gaming server
device; providing, by the gaming server device over a communication network,
for display on
the client entity device, the first hand of cards to the client entity device
and an indication of at
least part of the second hand of cards to the client entity device; after
providing the first hand
of cards and the indication of at least part of the second hand of cards,
calculating, by the
gaming server device (i) a first offer to replace the first hand of cards at a
first cost, and (ii) a
second offer to replace the second hand of cards at a second cost, wherein the
first cost is
based on a probabilistic calculation of a first expected return, to the client
entity device, of
replacing the first hand, and wherein the second cost is based on a
probabilistic calculation of
a second expected return, to the client entity device, of replacing the second
hand, wherein the
first cost and second cost are determined by the gaming server device based on
values of cards
in the first hand of cards, the second hand of cards, and all remaining cards
in the deck;
providing, by the gaming server device over a communication network, for
display on the
client entity device, the first and the second offer; receiving, by the gaming
server device over
the communication network, an acceptance of one of the offers from the client
entity device;
if the acceptance indicates that the client entity device accepted the first
offer, (i) determining,
4
CA 02714799 2016-08-11
76909-431
by the gaming server device, a new hand of cards for the client entity device,
(ii) replacing, by
the gaming server device, the first hand of cards with the new hand of cards
for the client
entity device, and (iii) providing, by the gaming server device over the
communication
network, for display on the client device, the new hand of cards for the
client entity device,
wherein the new hand of cards for the client entity device is selected from
remaining cards in
the deck using the random number generator of the gaming server device; and if
the
acceptance indicates that the client entity device accepted the second offer,
(i) determining, by
the gaming server device, a new hand of cards for the opponent entity, (ii)
replacing, by the
gaming server device, the second hand of cards with the new hand of cards for
the opponent
entity, and (iii) providing, by the gaming server device over the
communication network, for
display on the client entity device, an indication of at least part of the new
hand of cards for
the opponent entity to the client entity device, wherein the new hand of cards
for the opponent
entity is selected from the remaining cards in the deck using the random
number generator of
the gaming server device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium,
having stored
thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a gaming server device,
cause the
gaming server device to perform operations comprising: determining a first
hand of cards for
a client entity device and a second hand of cards for an opponent entity,
wherein the first and
second hands of cards are selected from a deck using a random number generator
of the
gaming server device; providing the first hand of cards over a communication
network for
display on the client entity device and an indication of at least part of the
second hand of cards
to the client entity device; after providing the first hand of cards and the
indication of at least
part of the second hand of cards, calculating (i) a first offer to replace the
first hand of cards at
a first cost, and (ii) a second offer to replace the second hand of cards at a
second cost,
wherein the first cost is based on a probabilistic calculation of a first
expected return, to the
client entity device, of replacing the first hand, and wherein the second cost
is based on a
probabilistic calculation of a second expected return, to the client entity
device, of replacing
the second hand, wherein the first cost and second cost are determined by the
gaming server
device based on values of cards in the first hand of cards, the second hand of
cards, and all
5
CA 02714799 2016-08-11
,
76909-431
remaining cards in the deck; providing over a communication network, for
display on the
client entity device, the first and second offer; receiving an acceptance of
one of the offers
from the client entity device over the communication network; if the
acceptance indicates that
the client entity device accepted the first offer, (i) determining a new hand
of cards for the
client entity device, (ii) replacing the first hand of cards with the new hand
of cards for the
client entity device, and (iii) providing the new hand of cards for the client
entity device over
the communication network for display on the client entity device, wherein the
new hand of
cards for the client entity device is selected from remaining cards in the
deck using the
random number generator of the gaming server device; and if the acceptance
indicates that the
client entity device accepted the second offer, (i) determining a new hand of
cards for the
opponent entity, (ii) replacing the second hand of cards with the new hand of
cards for the
opponent entity, and (iii) providing an indication of at least part of the new
hand of cards for
the opponent entity over the communication network for display on the client
entity device,
wherein the new hand of cards for the opponent entity is selected from
remaining cards in the
deck using the random number generator of the gaming server device.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a
gaming server device comprising: a processor; data storage; and program
instructions, stored
in the data storage, that upon execution by the processor, cause the gaming
server device to
perform operations including: determining a first hand of cards for a client
entity device and a
second hand of cards for an opponent entity, wherein the first and second
hands of cards are
selected from a deck using a random number generator of the gaming server
device; providing
the first hand of cards over a communication network for display on the client
entity
deviceand an indication of at least part of the second hand of cards to the
client entity device;
after providing the first hand of cards and the indication of at least part of
the second hand of
cards, calculating (i) a first offer to replace the first hand of cards at a
first cost, and (ii) a
second offer to replace the second hand of cards at a second cost, wherein the
first cost is
based on a probabilistic calculation of a first expected return, to the client
entity device, of
replacing the first hand, and wherein the second cost is based on a
probabilistic calculation of
a second expected return, to the client entity device, of replacing the second
hand, wherein the
first cost and second cost are determined by the gaming server device based on
values of cards
5a
CA 02714799 2016-08-11
76909-431
in the first hand of cards, the second hand of cards, and all remaining cards
in the deck;
providing over a communication network, for display on the client entity
device, the first and
second offer; receiving an acceptance of one of the offers from the client
entity device over
the communication network; if the acceptance indicates that the client entity
device accepted
the first offer, (i) determining a new hand of cards for the client entity
device, (ii) replacing
the first hand of cards with the new hand of cards for the client entity
device, and (iii)
providing the new hand of cards for the client entity device over the
communication network
for display on the client entity device, wherein the new hand of cards for the
client entity
device is selected from remaining cards in the deck using the random number
generator of the
gaming server device; and if the acceptance indicates that the client entity
device accepted the
second offer, (i) determining a new hand of cards for the opponent entity,
(ii) replacing the
second hand of cards with the new hand of cards for the opponent entity, and
(iii) providing
an indication of at least part of the new hand of cards for the opponent
entity over the
communication network for display on the client entity device, wherein the new
hand of cards
for the opponent entity is selected from remaining cards in the deck using the
random number
generator of the gaming server device.
These and other aspects and advantages will become apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with
reference where
appropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further, it should be understood
that the
foregoing overview is merely for purposes of illustration and is not intended
to limit the scope
of the invention as claimed.
5b
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an illustration of an offer to redeal hands in a multi-state card
game, in
accordance with an example embodiment;
Figure 2 is an illustration of offers to redeal a players hand, or to replace
or discard a card
in the player's hand in a multi-state card game, in accordance with an example
embodiment;
Figure 3 is a diagram of a client/server networked computing system that may
be used to
facilitate play of a multi-state card game, in accordance with an example
embodiment;
Figure 4 is a block diagram of a computing device that may be used to execute
part or all
of a computerized multi-state card game, in accordance with an example
embodiment;
Figure 5 is a message flow diagram, in accordance with an example embodiment;
Figure 6 is a flow chart, in accordance with an example embodiment;
Figure 7 is another message flow diagram, in accordance with an example
embodiment;
and
Figure 8 is another flow chart, in accordance with an example embodiment.
6
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Multi-state card games that enable players to redeal their hand, their
opponent's hand, or
to discard or replace a drawn card are disclosed. Thus, a player of these
games may be able to, at
a cost, improve his or her hand. By providing these features, a house may
craft a gaming
environment in which players are more likely to remain engaged throughout
their gaming
sessions, while providing additional revenue opportunities for the house. The
card games
disclosed here may be played by humans, either as a table game or via a
computer medium.
Alternatively, the card games may be played by a human against a computer
opponent, or by two
computers.
In order to facilitate wagering and granting returns to players, a player may
establish an
account. The account may be managed either by the house or a third party. The
player may load
the account with a number of credits, and may wager these credits on the
outcome of these card
games. Such credits may be or may represent a denomination of money, a
representation of
money, or items of value that may be exchanged for money. Alternatively, the
credits may
represent play money and have no actual value, thus allowing players to enjoy
the card game
without risking actual financial loss. A player may load credits into their
account via cash
payment, credit card, electronic funds transfer, or some other means.
I. Game Descriptions
The embodiments herein are disclosed in the context of multi-state card games.
In
general, a multi-state card game may be one in which the state of a player's
hand of cards may
change through the course of the hand. For instance, the cards may be added to
or removed from
the player's hand according to the game's rules. Additionally, some cards in
the player's hand
may be replaced. Each time the cards in the player's hand or the opponent's
hand changes, the
7
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
state of the card game also changes. However, the state of the card game may
change without
the cards in any hand changing (e.g., cards may be drawn from a card supply
and then discarded
without being placed in a hand). Based on the state that the card game is in,
the player and/or the
opponent may be offered various gameplay options.
These multi-state card games may use a standard playing card deck of 52 cards,
divided
into four suits. These four suits may be, for example, clubs, diamonds,
hearts, and spades, or
some other type of suit may be used. Therefore, each suit may contain 13
cards, ten of which are
preferably labeled from 1 (ace) to 10, and three of which are preferably face
cards, such as a
jack, a queen, and a king. On the other hand, non-standard playing cards may
be used as well
without departing from the scope of the invention. Additionally, multiple
decks of 52 cards may
be used as the supply of any cards drawn or dealt.
The following sections describe the play of two popular multi-state card
games, blackjack
and baccarat. However, the embodiments herein may be used with other types of
multi-state
card games, and are not limited to blackjack or baccarat. Moreover, blackjack,
baccarat, and
other types of multi-state card games may be played according to alternate
rules and variations.
For instance, these games may be played according to house rules of the game
provider, or local
or regional jurisdictional rules. The embodiments here may be applied to these
alternate rules as
well.
A. Blackjack
Blackjack, which also may be referred to as "21," is a card game in which a
player
competes against an opponent to assemble a hand of cards that represents a
value equal to or less
than 21 points. The winner may be awarded the wagers of loser and get their
own wager back,
or the winner may be paid according to other rules. For example, when the
player wins against a
8
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
house, the player may be awarded returns according to a predetermined house
payout schedule
(i.e., a pay table), but when the house wins it may be awarded the player's
wagers.
Blackjack typically begins with the player and opponent placing any necessary
wagers.
Then, each is dealt a pair of cards. The player may be able to view both of
his or her cards,
while the player may only be= able to view one card of the opponent's hand.
Alternatively, the
player may be able to view both or none of the opponent's cards, and the
opponent may be able
to view none, one, or both of the player's cards.
In blackjack, assuming a standard playing card deck, each face card may be
worth 10
points, and each non-face card may be worth its labeled number of points.
However, aces may
take on a value of either 1 or 11, and this value is typically chosen to be
that which is most
advantageous to the holder of the ace. Thus, a hand consisting of a seven and
a queen may be
worth 17 points, while a hand consisting of a four and an ace may be worth
either 5 or 15 points.
The goal of both participants may be to achieve a hand with a total value of
less than or
equal to 21 points. To this end, the participants may "hit" to request one or
more additional
cards. Each additional requested card may be added to the participant's hand.
As long as the
total value of the participant's hand has not exceeded 21 points, the
participant may continue to
hit. Once the total value of the participant's hand exceeds 21 points, the
participant "busts" and
loses the game. After any hit that results in the participant's hand
containing 21 or fewer points,
the participant may decide to stop hitting and "stand" with their hand in its
present state.
A player may employ various strategies when determining whether or not to hit.
For
instance, if the total value of the player's hand is 11 or less, hitting can
only improve the player's
hand, so the player is likely to request at least one more card. However, if
the total value of the
9
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
player's hand is 17 or more, it is very likely that hitting will cause the
player to bust. Thus, in
the latter situation, the player may be less prone to hit.
Additionally, when making a decision of whether to hit, the player may take
into account
any cards in the opponent's hand that the player can view. For instance, if
one of two cards in
the opponent's hand is face up, and this face up card is a 10 or a face card,
the play may assume
that the total value of the opponent's hand is close to 21. Thus, in this
situation, the player may
hit more aggressively.
If the opponent is the house, the opponent may follow a particular set of
rules when
hitting. For instance, the opponent may be required to hit until the
opponent's total value is 17 or
higher, even if doing so would be likely to cause the opponent to bust.
Accordingly, when
playing against a house, the player may take such rules into account when
determining whether
to hit.
Assuming neither participant busts, when both participants are done hitting,
the total
value of each hand may be calculated. The participant with the hand of the
highest value may
win the hand. Before, during, or after this process, each participant's cards
may be revealed to
the other. In the case of a tie, each participant's wagers may be returned to
that participant, or a
winner may be designated by house rules. For instance, house rules may
establish that an
opponent playing on behalf of the house is declared winner of any tie.
B. Baccarat
Baccarat is a card game in which a player competes against an opponent to
assemble a
hand of cards that represents the highest value equal to or less than 9
points. Like blackjack, the
winner may be awarded the wagers of loser and get their own wager back, or the
winner may be
paid according to other rules. For example, when the player wins against a
house, the player
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
may be awarded return according to a predetermined house payout schedule, but
when the house
wins it may be awarded the player's wagers.
In baccarat nomenclature, a hand dealt to a human may be referred to as the
"player"
hand and a hand dealt to a house may be referred to as the "bank" hand. Each
participant in a
game of baccarat may wager on either the "player" or the "bank" winning the
hand. Thus,
although the term "player" used throughout this specification typically refers
to a hand controlled
by a human player, in baccarat, a player may actually be wagering on the
"bank" hand.
Assuming a standard playing card deck, in baccarat each face card may be worth
10
points, and each non-face card may be worth its labeled number of points.
However, the total
point value of a hand may be the sum of the point values of all cards in the
hand, modulo 10.
Thus, a hand consisting of a five and a two may be worth 7 points, a hand
consisting of a seven
and a queen may also be worth 7 points, and a hand consisting of three nines
may also be worth
7 points.
The gameplay of baccarat has several variations. One variation, called Punto
Banco (also
known as North American Baccarat) is typically a game of chance, with no skill
or strategy
involved. A player's "decisions" may be dictated purely by the cards that the
player is dealt. In
another variation, Chemin de Fer, the player has choices that allow the player
to apply skill and
strategy to the game.
In the Punto Banco variation, two cards are dealt to the player and two cards
are dealt to
the opponent. If this deal results in either the player's hand or the
opponent's hand having a total
value of 8 or 9 points, both participants must stand, no further cards are
dealt. If the player hand
has a total value of 5 points or less, a third card is dealt to the player's
hand, and then the player
must stand.
11
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
Whether the opponent draws a third card may be based on the point value of the
player's
third card, as well as the total point value of the opponent's two cards. For
example, the
opponent may draw a third card or stand based on the rules provided in Table
1. In Table 1, an
entry of D indicates that the opponent may draw, while an entry of S indicates
that the opponent
may stand. Thus, if the opponent's total point value is 4 and the player's
third card was a 2, the
opponent may draw a third card. However, if the opponent's total point value
is 6 and the
player's third card was a 5, the opponent may stand.
It should be understood that the opponent's third card rules encoded in Table
1 are for
purposes of example, and this and other variations of baccarat may be played
using other rules
for determining whether an opponent draws a third card.
Player's Opponent's Two Card Total
Third Card
0-2 3 4 5 6 7
N/A D DDD S S
1 D D S.S S S
2 D DDS S S
3 D DDS S S
4 D DDD S S
5 D DDD S S
6 D DDD D S
7 D DDD D S
8 D SS S S S
9 D DS S S S
10 D DS S S S
Table 1: Baccarat opponent third card rules.
Once both the player and the opponent stand, the total point value of the two
hands are
compared, and the hand with the higher value wins. In the case of a tie,
several options are
possible, including either the player or the opponent being designated as
winner by default, or no
return to either the player or the opponent.
12
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
In the Chemin de Fer variation of baccarat, two cards may be dealt to the
player and two
cards may be dealt to the opponent. Like the Punto Banco variation, if this
deal results in either
the player's hand or the opponent's hand having a total value of 8 or 9, both
participants may
stand, and no further cards are dealt. If the player's hand has a total value
of 6 or 7, the player
may stand. If the player's hand has a total value of 4 or less, a third card
may be dealt to the
player's hand, and then the player may stand. However, if the player's hand
has a total value of
5, the player may decide whether to stand, or to draw a third card then stand.
Once the player
stands, the opponent has the choice of whether to draw a third card.
Similar to the Punto Banco variation, once both the player and the opponent
stand, the
total point value of the two hands may be compared, and the hand with the
higher total point
value may win. Also like Punto Banco, in the case of a tie, several options
are possible. These
options include either the player or the opponent being designated as winner
by default, or no
return to either the player or the opponent.
11. Redeal, Replace, and Discard Variants
Each of the card games described in the previous section, as well as other
types of multi-
state card games, may be enhanced by optional rules allowing a player to
redeal the player's
hand, redeal the opponent's hand, replace a drawn card, discard a drawn card,
or some
combination of these options. Each of these options may be associated with a
cost, and the cost
may be based on the relative advantage that executing the option provides to
the player. By
offering these options, the player's interest in the card game may remain high
even if the player
is dealt a weak hand.
Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention, as applied to the
initial deal of a
hand of blackjack. In Figure 1, the opponent has been dealt a hand 110
consisting of a queen and
13
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
a ten, for a total of 20 points. On the other hand, the player has been dealt
a hand 112 consisting
of an eight and a seven, for a total of 15 points. According to traditional
blackjack rules, this
hand would likely be a weak hand for the player. If the player stands, he or
she will lose.
However, if the player hits, it is likely that he or she will bust, and thus
still lose.
In this embodiment, the player may be offered one or more ways of improving
his or her
odds of winning the hand. Figure 1 illustrates the player being offered the
options to redeal the
opponent's hand 114 and/or redeal the player's hand 116. These options are
associated with
costs of 10 credits and 15 credits, respectively. The player may choose one or
both of these
options. If the player chooses both options, then the associated cost may be
the sum of the cost
for each option (i.e., 25 credits) or some other amount. The player may also
choose the continue
option 118 to continue playing the hand without a redeal.
If the player chooses to redeal at least one of the hands, the cards in the
chosen hand may
be discarded and replaced by new cards, and play may continue. The player's
account may be
debited the cost of the selected option. Preferably, the new cards are drawn
from the same deck
as was used to deal the initial two hands. Once the redeal is complete, the
player may be once
again presented with the options shown in Figure 1. Thus, the player may
continue to redeal
either or both of the hands until he or she is satisfied with the result or
has run out of credits.
Alternatively, the player may be limited to no more than a given number of
redeals per hand.
The representation in Figure 1 of the opponent's hand 110, the player's hand
112, and the
redeal options 114 and 116, as well as the continue option 118 may be
incorporated into the play
of a table game, or may be presented to the player on a computer screen. In
the latter case,
redeal options 114 and 116 each may be presented as a virtual button on a
computer display.
14
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
Through an input device such as a mouse or a touchscreen, a player may depress
none, one or
both buttons before depressing continue 118.
Although Figure 1 has been described to represent a hand of blackjack, Figure
1 could
alternatively represent a hand of baccarat. Thus, after the initial cards are
dealt to the player and
the opponent, the player may be offered option 114 to replace the opponent's
hand, option 116 to
replace the player's hand, or both.
Figure 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention, also
applied to a game
of blackjack. Figure 2 picks up the card game where Figure 1 left off,
assuming that the player
did not accept any of the offered redeals. Thus, the card game has
transitioned to a state that
allowed the player to "hit." While the opponent's hand 110 remains with a
score of 20, the
player has "hit" and has been dealt a card that was added to his or her hand.
Thus, the player's
hand 210 consists of a seven and two eights, for a score of 23.
Normally, this would cause the player to bust and lose the hand. However, the
second
embodiment provides options with which the player can potentially improve his
or her hand. In
particular, the player may be offered one or more of the options shown in
Figure 2, including the
redeal player's hand option 212, the replace last card option 214, and the
discard last card option
216. Although an option to replace the opponent's hand is not shown in Figure
2, such an option
may also be offered to the player. Of course, the player may also be offered
the continue option
218, with which the player continues the hand using the card that was dealt.
If the player chooses the redeal player's hand option 212, all of the cards in
the player's
hand may be discarded and replaced. In one form of this option, the player's
hand may be
replaced by two cards, and in another form of this option, the player's hand
may be replaced by
the same number of cards that were discarded. If the player chooses the
replace last card option
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
,
214, the player's most recently drawn card may be replaced with a different
card drawn from the
deck. If the player chooses the discard last card option 216, the player's
most recently drawn
card may be discarded without replacement.
Once the redeal, replacement, or discard is complete, the player may be once
again
presented with the options shown in Figure 2. Thus, the player may continue to
redeal, replace,
or discard cards in his or her hand until he or she is satisfied with the
result or has run out of
credits. Alternatively, the player may be limited to no more than a given
number of redeals,
replacements, or discards per hand.
Like the representation of Figure 1, the representation in Figure 2 of the
opponent's hand
110, the player's hand 210, the redeal player's hand option 212, the replace
last card option 214,
and the discard last card option 216, as well as the continue option 218 may
be incorporated into
the play of a table game, or may be presented to the player on a computer
screen. In the latter
case, the redeal player's hand option 212, the replace last card option 214,
and the discard last
card option 216 each may be presented as a virtual button on a computer
display. Through an
input device such as a keyboard, keypad, set of buttons, mouse, or
touchscreen, a player may
depress none, one or both button before depressing the continue option 218.
Similar to Figure 1, Figure 2 has been described to represent a hand of
blackjack.
However, Figure 2 could alternatively represent a hand of baccarat. Thus,
after the player draws
a third card but before the opponent has an opportunity to draw a third card,
the player may be
offered the options shown in Figure 2.
Note that, for purposes of example, all cards in the opponent's hand are face
up in
Figures 1 and 2, and thus viewable by the player. However, in a typical game
of blackjack or
baccarat one or all of the opponent's cards may be placed face down instead,
and may be known
16
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
to the opponent but not viewable by the player. Accordingly, the multi-state
card games
discussed herein may include variations in which zero or more of the
opponent's cards are face
up or face down. Furthermore, when a player accepts an offer to redeal the
opponent's hand,
these variations may either redeal just the opponent's face up cards, just the
opponent's face
down cards, or all of the opponent's cards.
III. Calculating Costs
As discussed above, regardless of whether the game being played is blackjack,
baccarat,
or some other multi-state card game, each of the options illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2 may be
associated with a cost to the player. Preferably, the cost of an offer is
proportional to the
expected gain that acceptance of the offer will provide the player.
Thus, for example, if a blackjack player is holding a weak hand, as shown in
Figures 1
and 2, the cost associated with an offer to exchange the cards in that hand
may be relatively high.
However, if the player is holding a hand with a better chance of winning than
the pictured weak
hands, the cost associated with an offer to exchange the cards in this better
hand may be
relatively low. Furthermore, if the player is holding a hand that is likely to
beat the opponent's
hand, the cost associated with an offer to exchange the cards in such a strong
hand may be
negative or zero. In this way, the house can encourage a player to accept an
offer that is likely to
lower the strength of the player's hand.
The following blackjack scenario provides an example of how the cost of an
offer may be
calculated. Assume that a blackjack game is played with a single deck of cards
and that the
participants wager 100 credits per hand. Assume further that the player's
cards are an ace and a
9 and the opponent's hand is showing an ace and also contains a face down
card. Without a
redeal option, the optimal move for the player may be to stand. Assume, for
purposes of this
17
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
example, standing would result in an expected return of 113 credits for the
player, for a profit of
13% on the 100-credit wager.
Assume again that if the player accepts an offer to redeal the opponent's ace
(here it is
assumed that this offer only redeals the opponent's face up card), the
player's expected return
rises to 161 credits. In other words, by accepting the offer to redeal the
opponent's hand, the
player's expected return increases from 113 to 161 credits. Thus, the true
cost of the redeal to
the house is 48 credits, the difference between these two expected returns.
Therefore, the house
may determine the cost associated with the offer to be at least 48 credits.
For example, the house
may include a 5% margin (rounded up) of 3 credits on the offer, thus making
the cost associated
with the offer 51 credits.
Suppose the player decides to redeal the player's hand instead of redealing
the
opponent's hand. Suppose further than such a choice will reduce the player's
expected return, in
the absence of any further exchanges of cards, to 61 credits. In this
situation the true cost of the
redeal to the house is -52 credits, the difference between 61 and 113 credits.
In other words, the
house expects to gain 52 credits if the player accepts the offer. Thus, it
behooves the house to
attempt to get the player to accept this offer. To that end, the house may
associate a cost of zero
with the offer, or associate a negative cost with the offer, thus "paying" the
player to accept the
offer. Any such negative cost should pay the player no more than 52 credits.
For example, the
house may again include a 5% margin (also rounded up) of 3 credits on the
offer, thus paying the
player 49 credits to accept the offer.
These expected returns may be calculated in a number of ways. For instance,
the
expected returns may be based just on the cards in the hands of the player and
the opponent.
However, the remaining cards in the deck may also be considered, as well as
any cards that have
18
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
already been discarded. The costs associated with any offers provided at each
stage of the card
games may be calculated dynamically, calculated based on statistical tables,
or calculated based
on some combination of both.
For example, with reference to acceptance of the offer to redeal the
opponent's ace, the
opponent will receive a new card. The probability of the opponent receiving a
new card of a
given rank depends on the cards that have already been dealt prior to the
point of the offer to
redeal. In particular, the opponent has a probability of 2/48 of being redealt
an ace, as only two
aces remain in the deck and four cards have been dealt from the deck of 52
cards. The cost of
the redeal may then be calculated as the difference in the player's expected
returns between (a)
the current player and opponent hands, and (b) the average of all potential
outcomes with the
opponent's hand redealt.
IV. Game Playing Environments
In addition to being played as table games, the embodiments of card games
described
herein may be facilitated through the interconnection of computers and
computer networks. The
advantages of computerized gameplay include allowing the player to engage in
the card games
from the privacy of his or her own home, or via a mobile device from virtually
anywhere.
Figure 3 depicts an example of such a computerized arrangement. It should be
understood, however, that this and other arrangements and processes described
herein are set
forth for purposes of example only, and other arrangements and elements (e.g.,
machines,
interfaces, functions, orders of elements, etc.) can be added or used instead,
and some elements
may be omitted altogether. Further, as in most computer and communication
architectures, those
skilled in the art will appreciate that many of the elements described herein
are functional entities
that may be implemented as discrete components or in conjunction with other
components, in
19
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
any suitable combination and location. For example, systems and methods for
facilitating the
playing of games over a communication network are described in published PCT
application
WO 03/093921 A2, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In Figure 3, the system 300 includes the gaming server 310 and the client
devices 312,
each client device 312 preferably having a display 314. The gaming server 310
and the client
devices 312 may be capable of communicating with each other by means of the
communication
network 316. The communication network 316 may be a public Internet Protocol
(IP) network
such as the Internet, a private IP network, or a public or a private network
that operates
according to other communication protocols. Thus, the client devices may be,
for example,
personal computers, laptops, or wireless communication devices such as cell
phones.
Furthermore, the communication network 316 may be purpose-built or hardcoded
network designed for the support of networked games. For example, the gaming
server 310 may
be a mainframe computer and the client devices 312 may be terminals that only
communicate
with the gaming server 310. Thus, the communication network 316 may only
comprise
communication links between the devices they connect. Alternatively, the
gaming server 310
and one or more client devices 312 may be combined into a standalone gaming
machine, such as
a video game console.
The client devices 312 and the gaming server 310 may include various computing
technologies, such as those that are semiconductor-based, magnetic, optical,
acoustic, or
biological in nature, any combination of these computing technologies, or any
other technology
known today or developed in the future, that can be used in conjunction with
computational
devices. A networked game architecture may also be defined to comprise more or
fewer
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
elements. For example, the gaming server 310 may be distributed across more
than one physical
or logical device.
A. Server Devices
The gaming server 310 may comprise a computing device with input, output,
processing,
storage, and memory functions. The gaming server 310 may be a form of personal
computer, or
may be physically designed for server operation. For example, the gaming
server 310 may be a
rack-mounted or blade server component. With respect to the depiction of the
gaming server 310
in Figure 3, the gaming server 310 may actually take the form of multiple
physical components
or computers that are co-located or distributed. For example, the gaming
server 310 may be a
cluster of computing devices that operate in conjunction with one another to
enable networked
games. This cluster may be in a particular physical location, such as an
Internet service provider
(ISP), or may operate over a network between multiple physical locations.
The gaming server 310 may run a standalone or distributed operating system to
enable
server functions. This operating system may be based on Microsoft Windows,
Apple's MacOS,
Linux, FreeBSD or various other technologies. These operating systems
preferably support
multiple processes or threads of execution so that a single gaming server 310
can support a
potentially large number of card games simultaneously. Additionally, the
gaming server 310
may be provisioned with a network connection.
The gaming server 310 preferably operates under control of a server-stored
program (not
shown) capable of enabling the client devices 312 to participate in one or
more card games. The
stored program in the gaming server 310 may also maintain a dynamic register
of all participants
admitted to, and actively participating in, a card game, together with data
representative of the
corresponding card game.
21
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
Additionally, the gaming server 310 may contain, or have access to, accounts
associated
with each of these participants. Thus, the gaming server 310 may add credits
to or debit credits
from these accounts in accordance with the networked game being played.
Furthermore, the
gaming server 310 may have an interface from which a given participant may
access his or her
account in order to add more credits, or to cash out the account's credit
balance. Moreover, the
gaming server 310 may also have an administrative interface, from which an
administrator of the
gaming server 310 can add, delete, or modify accounts or game settings.
B. Client Devices
The client devices 312 may comprise personal computers, computer terminals,
laptop
computers, wireless communication devices such as cell phones, personal
digital assistants, or
similar devices. Furthermore, the client devices 312 may operate under an
operating system such
as Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS, Linux or FreeBSD, and are preferably
provisioned with a
web browser and network connection.
Using the client device 312, networked card games may be facilitated by a
client process
(not shown) that executes on the client device 312, and the server-stored
program (not shown), or
server process, that executes on the gaming server 310. In order to play a
networked game from
any client device 312, a client process may first be downloaded, for example,
from the gaming
server 310 to the client device 312. The downloaded client process may then be
installed in the
client device 312, where after it is ready for execution. Alternatively, the
client process may
execute from within a World Wide Web browser of the client device 312. In
either case, once the
client process is launched, communication between the client device 312 and
the gaming server
310 may then proceed.
22
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
The output functions of client devices 312 may comprise a graphical user
interface (GUI)
rendered on display 314. Such a GUI may represent networked game information
in some
combination of graphics and text. For example, a GUI on display 314 may
represent the state of
a card game associated with the client device 312, and include options to
perform the acts of
playing the card game, and, during the course of the card game, accepting or
rejecting offers to
redeal, replace, or discard cards. The client process executing on the client
device 312 may
display different trade marks, color schemes, or "look and feel" depending on
the card game
being played.
C. Functional Model of Gaming Servers and Client Devices
Figure 4 is a simplified block diagram depicting an example representation of
computing
device 400. Gaming servers, such as the gaming server 310, and/or client
devices, such as the
client device 312, may be arranged according to such an example
representation. Figure 4
illustrates some of the functional components that would likely be found in a
computing device
that operates in accordance with the embodiments herein. The computing device
400 preferably
includes a processor 402, data storage 404, a network interface 406, and an
input/output function
408, all of which may be coupled by a system bus 410 or a similar mechanism.
The processor 402 preferably includes one or more central processing units
(CPUs), such
as one or more general purpose processors and/or one or more dedicated
processors (e.g.,
application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or digital signal processors
(DSPs), etc.) The
data storage 404, in turn, may comprise volatile and/or non-volatile memory
and can be
integrated in whole or in part with the processor 402. Alternatively, part or
all of the data storage
404 may be external to computing device 400, and thus may take the form of
remote storage or
network storage. The data storage 404 preferably holds program instructions
executable by the
23
.õ
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
=
processor 402, and data that is manipulated by these instructions, to carry
out various functions
described herein. Alternatively, the functions can be defined by hardware,
firmware, and/or any
combination of hardware, firmware and software.
By way of example, the data in the data storage 404 may contain information
associated
with performing any of the methods, processes, or functions described herein
or represented by
any of the accompanying figures. For example, the data storage 404 may contain
data associated
with the state of a multi-state card game, data associated with a player's
account, and so on. The
data storage 404 may also contain program instructions that are executable by
the processor 402
to perform any of the gaming server or client device methods, processes, or
functions presented
herein or represented by any of the accompanying figures.
The network interface 406 may take the form of a wireline connection, such as
an
Ethernet, Token Ring, SONET, or T-carrier connection. The network interface
406 may
alternatively or additionally take the form of a wireless connection, such as
IEEE 802.11,
BLUETOOTH , CDMA, WIMAX , UMTS , LTE , or any other interface used to
communicate. However, other forms of physical layer connections and other
types of standard
or proprietary communication protocols may be used over network interface 406.
Furthermore,
the network interface 406 may comprise multiple physical or logical network
interfaces, each
capable of operating according to the same or different protocols.
The input/output function 408 facilitates user interaction with the computing
device 400.
The input/output function 408 may comprise multiple types of input devices,
such as a keyboard,
a mouse, a touch screen, and so on. Similarly, the input/output function 408
may comprise
multiple types of output devices, such as a monitor, printer, or one or more
light emitting diodes
(LEDs). Additionally or alternatively, computing device 400 may support remote
access from
24
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
another device, via the network interface 406 or via another interface (not
shown), such an RS-
232 port.
V. Example Methods
Figures 5-8 are message flow diagrams and flow charts of methods in accordance
with
example embodiments of this invention. Figures 5 and 6 depict a gaming server
offering a client
entity an opportunity to exchange cards after initial hands of cards are
dealt, while Figures 7 and
8 depict the gaming server offering the client entity an opportunity to
exchange cards after the
client entity has drawn an additional card. All cards dealt to a participant
or drawn by a
participant in such a card game are presumed to be determined randomly.
It should be understood that each of the methods illustrated by these figures
may include
more or fewer steps. Furthermore, the steps of any two or more of these
message flow diagrams
and flow charts can be combined with one another, in whole or in part, without
departing from
the scope of the embodiments herein. Moreover, the costs in each of the
example embodiments
related to Figures 5-8 may be determined according to any of the calculations
described in
Section III of this specification.
Figure 5 depicts a message flow 500 for facilitating a redeal of a hand of
cards. Message
flow 500 may occur between the gaming server 310 and the client entity 312. At
step 502, the
gaming server 310 may provide the client entity 312 with a representation of a
first hand of cards
and a second hand of cards. Each of these hands may be drawn from a deck
containing a fixed
number of cards, for instance, a standard deck of 52 cards.
Preferably, the first hand is played by a human via the client entity 312 and
the second
hand is played by the gaming server 310 on behalf of a house. The card game
being played may
be blackjack, baccarat, or some other multi-state card game. Accordingly,
there may be one or
_
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
more cards in each hand. For example, in blackjack or baccarat, the first hand
may contain two
cards and the second hand may also contain two cards. Zero, one or both of the
cards in the
second hand may be revealed to the client entity.
Additionally, the client entity 312 may be associated with an account, and the
account
may contain some number of credits that the client entity 312 may use to wager
during play of
the card game.
At step 504, the gaming server 310 may provide an offer to redeal the first
hand, the
second hand, or both to the client entity 312. At step 506, the client entity
312 may provide
acceptance of the offer to redeal the first hand. In response to receiving the
acceptance, the
gaming server 310 may determine a replacement hand (step 508), replace the
first hand with the
replacement hand (step 510), and debit the client entity's account by a first
cost associated with
redealing the first hand (step 512). Then, at step 514, the card game may
continue with the
replacement hand replacing the first hand.
In an alterative embodiment, the client entity 312 may provide acceptance of
the offer to
redeal the second hand. In response to receiving this acceptance, the gaming
server 310 may
determine a replacement hand, replace the second hand with the replacement
hand, and debit the
client entity's account by a second cost associated with redealing the second
hand. Then, the
card game may continue with the replacement hand replacing the second hand.
In another alternative embodiment, the client entity 312 may provide
acceptance of the
offer to redeal both hands. In response to receiving this acceptance, the
gaming server 310 may
determine a first replacement hand and a second replacement hand, replace the
first hand with
the first replacement hand and replace the second hand with the second
replacement hand.
Additionally, the gaming server 310 may debit the client entity's account by a
third cost
26
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
$ A
associated with redealing both hands. Then, the card game may continue with
the replacement
hands replacing the first and second hands.
In these embodiments, the replacement hand may be drawn from the same deck of
cards
from which the first and second hands were drawn. Furthermore, if the second
hand is redealt,
the replacement hand may not replace all of the cards in the second hand. For
instance, the
replacement hand may only replace the face up cards in the second hand.
Figure 6 is a flow chart 600 of a method for facilitating a redeal of a hand
of cards. This
method may be performed by a gaming server, such as gaming server 312. At step
602, a first
hand may be dealt to a client entity, and a second hand may be dealt to an
opponent. At 604, the
client entity may be provided with an offer to replace the first hand, the
second hand, or both.
At step 606, is it determined which option (if any) of the offer was accepted.
If no option
was accepted (not shown), the game continues with the first hand and second
hand in place.
However, if the option to replace the first hand was accepted, then at step
608, the client entity's
account may be debited by a first cost. Likewise, if the option to replace the
second hand was
accepted, then at step 610, the client entity's account may be debited by a
second cost.
Similarly, if the option to replace both hands was accepted, then at step 612,
the client entity's
account may be debited by a third cost. Then, at step 614, the card game may
be continued with
one or more hands replaced according to the accepted option.
Figure 7 depicts a message flow 700, between the gaming server 310 and the
client entity
312, for facilitating a redeal of a hand of cards, or a discard or replacement
of a recently drawn
card. At step 702, the gaming server 310 provides the client entity 312 with a
representation of a
first hand of cards and a second hand of cards. Each of these hands may be
drawn from a deck
containing a fixed number of cards, for instance, a standard deck of 52 cards.
27
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
Preferably, the first hand is played by a human via the client entity 312 and
the second
hand is played by the gaming server 310 on behalf of a house. The card game
being played may
be blackjack, baccarat, or some other multi-state card game. Accordingly,
there may be one or
more cards in each hand. For example, in blackjack or baccarat, the first hand
may contain two
cards and the second hand may also contain two cards. Zero, one or both of the
cards in the
second hand may be revealed to the client entity.
Additionally, the client entity 312 may be associated with an account, and the
account
may contain some number of credits that the client entity 312 may use to wager
during play of
the card game.
At step 704, the client entity may provide a card request to the gaming server
310. This
card request may be a request to "hit" in blackjack, a request for a third
card in baccarat, or some
other type of card request. At step 706, in response to receiving the card
request, the gaming
server 310 may determine a given card, and add this given card to the first
hand.
Then, at step 708, the gaming server 310 may provide to the client entity one
or more
offers to exchange cards in the first hand. For example, included may be
offers to discard the
given card, replace the given card with a new card, and/or to redeal the first
hand. At step 710,
the client entity 312 may provide acceptance of one of the offers to the
gaming server 310. In
response to receiving this acceptance, at step 712, the gaming server 310 may
debit a cost
associated with the offer(s) from the client entity's account. Then, at step
714, the card game
may continue with the first hand modified according to the accepted offer(s).
Figure 8 is a flow chart 800 of a method also for facilitating a redeal of a
hand of cards,
or a discard or replacement of a recently drawn card. This method may be
performed by a
28
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
gaming server, such as gaming server 312. Flow chart 800 presumes that the
client entity has
been dealt a hand of cards.
At step 802, the gaming server receives a card request from a client entity.
This card
request may be a request to "hit" in blackjack, a request for a third card in
baccarat, or some
other type of card request. At step 804, the gaming server may determine a new
card for the
client entity and adds the new card to the client entity's hand.
At step 806, the gaming server may provide the client entity with one or more
offers.
These offers may be to (i) discard the new card at a first cost, (ii) replace
the new card with
another card at a second cost, or (iii) redeal the client entity's hand at a
third cost. Accordingly,
at step 808, the gaming server may determine whether an offer has been
accepted. If an offer has
been accepted, the gaming server may debit the client entity's account by the
first cost (step
810), the second cost (step 812), or the third cost (step 814) according to
the offer accepted.
Then, at step 816, the card game may be continued with the client entity's
hand modified
according to the accepted option.
It should be understood that client entity 312 may be physically or logically
distinct from
gaming server 310. Thus, client entity 312 may be a client machine that is
communicatively
linked to the gaming server 310 by a network. In this case, the gaming server
providing
information (e.g., an offer) to the client entity 312 may comprise the gaming
server 310
transmitting a representation of the information through the network.
Alternatively, the client entity 312 may be physically or logically combined
with the
gaming server 310. Thus, the client entity 312 may be a user interface that is
coupled to the
gaming server 310, and the gaming server 310 providing information to the
client entity 312 may
comprise displaying a representation of the information on the user interface.
29
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
! I.
VI. Additional Description
The following clauses are offered as further description of the disclosed
inventions.
1. A method for a gaming server to engage a client entity in a card game,
wherein
the client entity is associated with an account, the method comprising:
the gaming server providing, to the client entity, an offer to replace at
least one of a first
hand of cards and a second hand of cards, wherein the first hand is associated
with the account
and replacing the first hand is associated with a first cost, and wherein the
second hand is
associated with an opponent and replacing the second hand is associated with a
second cost;
the gaming server receiving acceptance of the offer from the client entity;
in response to receiving the acceptance, the gaming server (i) determining at
least a first
replacement hand, (ii) according to the accepted offer, replacing at least one
of the first hand and
the second hand, and (iii) according to the accepted offer, debiting at least
one of the first cost
and the second cost from the account; and
the gaming server continuing play of the card game, wherein, according to the
accepted
offer, the first replacement hand replaces one of the first hand and the
second hand.
2. The method of clause 1, wherein the gaming server receives acceptance of
the
offer to replace the first hand, wherein the gaming server debits the first
cost from the account,
and wherein the gaming server continues play of the card game with the first
replacement hand
replacing the first hand.
3. The method of clause 2, wherein the first hand consists of two cards
revealed to
the client entity, and wherein the replacement hand replaces both of the two
cards in the first
hand.
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
4{ k
4. The method
of clause 1, 2, or 3, wherein the gaming server receives acceptance of
the offer to replace the second hand from the client entity, wherein the
gaming server debits the
second cost from the account, and wherein the gaming server continues play of
the card game
with the first replacement hand replacing the second hand.
5. The method
of clause 4, wherein the second hand consists of one card revealed to
the client entity and one card hidden from the client entity, and wherein the
replacement hand
replaces only the card in the second hand that is revealed to the client
entity.
6. The method of clause 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the gaming server
receives
acceptance of the offer to replace both the first hand and the second hand
from the client entity,
wherein the gaming server also debits a third cost from the account, and
wherein the gaming
server continues play of the card game with the first replacement hand
replacing the first hand
and a second replacement hand replacing the second hand.
7. The method of clause 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherein each of the first
hand, the second
hand and the replacement hand comprises cards from a deck containing a fixed
number of cards.
8. The method of clause 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, wherein the card game is
blackjack.
9. The method of clause 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, wherein the card game is
baccarat.
10. The method of clause 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, wherein the first
cost is based on a
first relative advantage of replacing the first hand with the replacement
hand.
11. The method of clause 10, wherein the client entity continuing play of
the card
game with the first hand is associated with a first expected return, and
wherein client entity
continuing play of the card game with the replacement hand is associated with
a second expected
return, and wherein the first relative advantage is based on a difference
between the first
expected return and the second expected return.
31
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
12. The method of clause 10, wherein the second cost is based on a second
relative
advantage of replacing the second hand with the replacement hand.
13. The method of clause 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12, wherein
the first cost is
negative.
14. The meth . d of clause 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13,
wherein the client
entity is a client machine that is communicatively linked to the gaming server
by a network, and
wherein providing the offer to the client entity comprises transmitting a
representation of the
offer through the network.
15. The method of clause 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13,
wherein the client
entity is a user interface coupled to the gaming server, and wherein providing
the offer to the
client entity comprises displaying a representation of the offer on the user
interface
16. A method for a gaming server to engage a client entity in a card game,
wherein
the client entity is associated with an account, the method comprising:
the gaming server providing, to the client entity, a representation of a first
hand of cards
and a second hand of cards, wherein the first hand is associated with the
account, and wherein
the second hand is associated with an opponent;
in response to receiving a card request from the client entity, the gaming
server (i)
determining a given card to fulfill the card request, (ii) adding the given
card to the first hand,
and (iii) providing one or more offers to modify the first hand to the client
entity, wherein each
of the one or more offers is associated with a respective cost; and
in response to receiving acceptance of a given offer of the one or more
offers, the gaming
server (i) debiting the respective cost of the given offer from the account,
and (ii) continuing the
card game with the first hand modified according to the given offer.
32
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
17. The method of clause 16, wherein the given offer comprises replacing
the given
card with a new card.
18. The method of clause 16, wherein the given offer comprises discarding
the given
card.
19. The method of clause 16, wherein the given offer comprises redealing
the first
hand.
20. The method of clause 16, 17, 18, or 19, wherein each respective cost is
based on a
relative advantage to the client entity of accepting the offer associated with
the respective cost.
21. The method of clause 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20, wherein at least one of the
respective
costs is negative.
22. The method of clause 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, or 21, wherein each of the
first hand and
the second hand comprises cards from a deck containing a fixed number of
cards.
23. The method of clause 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, or 22, wherein the card
game is
blackjack.
24. The method of clause 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, or 22, wherein the card
game is
baccarat.
25. The method of clause 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, or 24, wherein the
client
entity is a client machine that is communicatively linked to the gaming server
by a network, and
wherein providing the offer to the client entity comprises transmitting a
representation of the
offer through the network.
26. The method of clause 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, or 24, wherein the
client
entity is a user interface that is coupled to the gaming server, and wherein
providing the one or
33
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
more offers to the client entity comprises displaying a representation of the
offer on the user
interface.
27. A method for a gaming server to conduct a multi-state card game,
wherein the
gaming server is communicatively coupled to a client entity, wherein the multi-
state card game
begins in a first state, the method comprising:
based on the gaming server determining that the card game is in the first
state, the gaming
server (i) generating a first hand of cards for the client entity and a second
hand of cards for an
opponent, (ii) providing a representation of the first hand and the second
hand to the client entity,
and (iii) determining that the card game is in a second state;
based on the card game being in the second state, the gaming server providing
a first
offer to replace at least one of the first hand and the second hand to the
client entity; and
in response to receiving acceptance of the first offer from the client entity,
the gaming
server (i) generating a replacement hand of cards, (ii) replacing one of the
first hand and the
second hand with the replacement hand, and (iii) transmitting, to the client
entity, an indication
that at least one of the first hand and the second hand has been replaced by
the replacement hand.
28. The method of clause 27, wherein the client entity is associated with
an account,
wherein the first offer is associated with a first cost, the method further
comprising:
in response to receiving acceptance of the first offer from the client entity,
the gaming
server also debiting the first cost from the account.
29. The
method of clause 27 or 28, wherein, in response to receiving acceptance of
the first offer from the client entity, the gaming server also determining
that the game is in a third
state, the method further comprising:
34
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
based on the game being in the third state, the gaming server (i) adding the
new card to
the first hand, and (ii) providing a second offer to the client entity; and
the gaming server receiving acceptance of the second offer from the client
entity.
30. The method of clause 27, 28, or 29, wherein the client entity is
associated with an
account, wherein the first offer is associated with a first cost and the
second offer is associated
with a second cost, the method further comprising:
in response to receiving acceptance of the first offer from the client entity,
the gaming
server also debiting the first cost from the account; and
in response to receiving acceptance of the second offer from the client
entity, the gaming
server also debiting the second cost from the account.
31. The method of clause 27, 28, 29, or 30, wherein the second offer
includes an
opportunity to discard the new card, the method further comprising:
in response to receiving the acceptance of the second offer, the gaming server
(i)
removing the new card from the first hand, and (ii) providing an indication
that the card was
discarded to the client entity.
32. The method of clause 27, 28, 29, or 30, wherein the second offer
includes an
opportunity to replace the new card, the method further comprising:
in response to receiving the acceptance of the second offer, the gaming server
(i)
replacing the new card with another new card, and (ii) providing an indication
that the new card
was replaced with the another new card to the client entity.
33. The method of clause 27, 28, 29, or 30, wherein the second offer
includes an
opportunity to replace the first hand, the method further comprising:
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
in response to receiving the acceptance of the second offer, the gaming server
(i)
replacing the first hand with a new hand of cards, and (ii) providing an
indication that the first
hand was replaced with a new hand to the client entity.
34. A gaming server communicatively coupled to a client entity and engaging
the
client entity in a card game, the gaming server comprising:
a processor;
an interface with which to communicate with the client entity;
a data storage containing program instructions executable by the processor to
(i) via the
interface, provide an offer to replace at least one of a first hand of cards
and a second hand of
cards to the client entity, wherein the first hand is associated with the
account and replacing the
first hand is associated with a first cost, wherein the second hand is
associated with an opponent
and replacing the second hand is associated with a second cost, (ii) via the
interface, receive
acceptance of the offer from the client entity, (iii) in response to receiving
the acceptance, (a)
determine a first replacement hand, (b) according to the accepted offer,
replace at least one of the
first hand and the second hand, and (c) according to the accepted offer, debit
at least one of the
first cost and the second cost from the account, and (iv) continue play of the
card game, wherein,
according to the accepted offer, the first replacement hand replaces one of
the first hand and the
second hand.
35. The gaming server of clause 34, wherein the first cost is based on a
first relative
advantage of replacing the first hand with the replacement hand.
36. The gaming server of clause 34 or 35, wherein the client entity
continuing play of
the card game with the first hand is associated with a first expected return,
and wherein client
entity continuing play of the card game with the replacement hand is
associated with a second
36
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
expected return, and wherein the first relative advantage is based on a
difference between the
first expected return and the second expected return.
37. The gaming server of clause 34, 35, or 36, wherein the second cost is
based on a
second relative advantage to the client entity associated with replacing the
second hand with the
replacement hand.
38. The gaming server of clause 34, 35, 36, or 37, wherein the first cost
is negative.
39. The gaming server of clause 34, 35, 36, 37, or 38, wherein the client
entity is a
client machine that is communicatively linked via the interface to the gaming
server by a
network, and wherein providing the offer to the client entity comprises
transmitting a
representation of the offer through the network.
40. The gaming server of clause 34, 35, 36, 37, or 38, wherein the client
entity is a
user interface that is coupled to the gaming server, and wherein providing the
offer to the client
entity comprises displaying a representation of the offer on the user
interface.
41. A gaming server communicatively coupled to a client entity and engaging
the
client entity in a card game, the gaming server comprising:
a processor;
an interface with which to communicate with the client entity;
a data storage containing program instructions executable by the processor to
(i) via the
interface, provide a representation of a first hand of cards and a second hand
of cards, wherein
the first hand is associated with the account, and wherein the second hand is
associated with an
opponent, (ii) in response to receiving a card request from the client entity
(a) determine a given
card to fulfill the card request, (b) add the given card to the first hand,
and (c) via the interface
provide one or more offers to modify the first hand, wherein each of the one
or more offers is
37
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
associated with a respective cost, and (iii) in response to receiving
acceptance of a given offer of
the one or more offers (a) debit the respective cost of the given offer from
the account, and (b)
continue the card game with the first hand modified according to the given
offer.
42. The gaming server of clause 41, wherein the given offer is to replace
the given
card with a new card.
43. The gaming server of clause 41 or 42, wherein the given offer is to
discard the
given card.
44. The gaming server of clause 41 or 42, wherein the given offer is to
redeal the first
hand.
45. The gaming server of clause 41 or 42, wherein each respective cost is
based on a
relative advantage to the client entity of accepting the offer associated with
the respective cost.
46. The gaming server of clause 41, 42, 43, 44, or 45, wherein the first
cost is
negative.
47. The gaming server of clause 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, or 46, wherein the
client entity is a
client machine that is communicatively linked via the interface to the gaming
server by a
network, and wherein providing the offer to the client entity comprises
transmitting a
representation of the offer through the network.
48. The gaming server of clause 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, or 46, wherein the
client entity is a
user interface that is coupled to the gaming server, and wherein providing the
offer to the client
entity comprises displaying a representation of the offer on the user
interface.
49. A computer readable medium for use in a gaming server, the medium
containing
program instructions, executable by a processor in the gaming server, for
performing the steps
of:
38
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
the gaming server providing an offer, to a client entity, to replace at least
one of a first
hand of cards and a second hand of cards, wherein the client entity is
associated with an account,
wherein the first hand is associated with the client entity and replacing the
first hand is associated
with a first cost, wherein the second hand is associated with an opponent and
replacing the
second hand is associated with a second cost;
the gaming server receiving acceptance of the offer from the client entity;
in response to receiving the acceptance, the gaming server (i) determining at
least a first
replacement hand, (ii) according to the accepted offer, replacing at least one
of the first hand and
the second hand, and (iii) according to the accepted offer, debiting at least
one of the first cost
and the second cost from the account; and
the gaming server continuing play of the card game, wherein, according to the
accepted
offer, the first replacement hand replaces one of the first hand and the
second hand.
VII. Conclusion
For the embodiments described herein, the terms "random" or "randomly" shall
refer to
any realizable process of randomly generating events. Such processes shall
include, but not be
limited to, generating events without a deterministic pattern of occurrences.
Additionally, these
processes may be pseudo-random, thus resulting in a deterministic pattern of
occurrences that
exhibit some form of statistical randomness.
It should also be understood that use of any form of enumeration within an
element of
any of the claims should not be construed to imply that an ordering of events
within the claim is
required.
39
CA 02714799 2010-09-15
Furthermore, other variations from the disclosed embodiments may be made
without
departure from the scope of the invention. All questions concerning scope are
to be answered by
reference to the appended claims.
