Multiplayer gaming

• US 20020103029A1
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Published: 08/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Michael Low, Scott Finlayson, Stephen Mulcahy
• Original Assignee: Michael Low, Scott Finlayson, Stephen Mulcahy
• Inventors: Low, Michael, Mulcahy, Stephen, Finlayson, Scott
• Application Number:
  US09/859,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103029A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A method of administration of a live electronic card game in which two or more players wager in a networked environment. The invention relates to the players being assigned virtual cards from a game server, which cards are displayed and used to construct a hand by the players. More specifically the method of the invention comprises the step of assigning to each player, a virtual deck from which their cards are dealt.

Claims

1. A method of administration of a live electronic card game in which two or more players wager in a networked environment, the players being assigned virtual cards from a game server, which cards are displayed and used to construct a hand by the players, the method comprising the step of:

assigning to each player, a virtual deck from which their cards are dealt.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic card game requires certain shared cards;

each player'"'"'s virtual deck having virtual cards removed by the game server which correspond to the shared cards.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

a player'"'"'s screen display includes an animation, the animation depicting a deck graphic, the animation further illustrating removal of cards from the deck graphic which suggests the removal of the shared cards from said player'"'"'s virtual deck.

4. In the administration by a game server of a live networked multi-player wagering game, a method of resolving an interruption caused by the loss of a player, the method comprising:

assigning to a player, a virtual assistant which is adapted to complete a game in which the player is lost,

the virtual assistant adapted to act independently once the player is lost.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the virtual assistant acts, once the player is lost in accordance with instructions received from or parameters dictated by the player prior to the loss of the player.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

each player is assigned a virtual assistant which behaves identically.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein:

a player'"'"'s virtual assistant may be activated by the player before the player is lost.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein:

when a player is lost and the virtual assistant begins to play in place of the lost player, other players are not notified of the event.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein:

when a player is lost and the virtual assistant begins to play in place of the lost player, other players are notified of the event.

10. In the administration of a live networked multi-player wagering game, a method for resolving interrupted games comprising the steps of:

detecting the presence of a player that has been lost to a game, then requiring the player to participate in the resolution of that game before the player is allowed to participate in another game.

11. In the administration of a networked multi-player wagering game by a game server, which game was once live, then became interrupted due to loss of a player, a method for resolving the game comprising the step of:

providing a procedural method, outside of the once live game, for each player to correspond with the game server so that when it is a player'"'"'s turn to perform an action in furtherance of a game, the state of the game is forwarded to that player and then that player'"'"'s action is received by the game server and acted on by the game server toward reaching a conclusion to the game.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the procedural method is for the game server to notify players of game status and receive player actions by e-mail or web interface.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the game server will not abide by a player'"'"'s request to play a new game until the player'"'"'s action is received.