Multi-player platforms for special multiplier bonus game in Pai Gow poker variant

• US 20060084505A1
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Snow, Roger M., Yoseloff, Mark L., Dunn, R. Brooke
• Application Number:
  US11/294,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20060084505A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A multi-player platform that provides multiple player positions for live players to engage in an interactive wagering game with a virtual dealer and virtual cards comprising at least two player positions that enable live players to place wagers on the game. The game comprises the steps of: placing a wager on a Pai Gow game using Pai Gow hands of seven cards; providing the player in the Pai Gow game with the opportunity to place a side bet wager wherein the outcome of the side bet wager depends on achieving at least a predetermined minimum poker hand rank using the player'"'"'s seven cards in the Pai Gow hand; providing cards to the player and the dealer to form the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand and the dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow hand, respectively; resolving the Pai Gow game according to the rules of Pai Gow poker; determining the highest ranking poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand if the player placed the side bet wager; comparing the highest ranking poker hand with the predetermined minimum poker hand rank if the player placed the side bet wager; and providing an award to the player if the highest ranking poker hand is of equal or greater rank than the predetermined minimum poker hand rank.

Claims

1. A multi-player platform that provides multiple player positions for live players to engage in an interactive wagering game with a virtual dealer and virtual cards comprising at least two player positions that enable live players to place wagers on the game, a display system for showing a virtual dealer, a display system for showing the virtual cards used in play of the game, and a database that contains the rules of the wagering game, the processor enabling play for each player according to the rules in the database, wherein the game comprises the steps of:

a) placing a wager on a Pai Gow game using Pai Gow hands of seven cards;

b) providing the player in the Pai Gow game with the opportunity to place a side bet wager wherein the outcome of the side bet wager depends on achieving at least a predetermined minimum poker hand rank using the seven cards in the Pai Gow hand;

c) providing cards to the player and the dealer to form the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand and the dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow hand, respectively;

d) resolving the Pai Gow game according to the rules of Pai Gow poker;

e) determining the highest ranking poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand if the player placed the side bet wager;

f) comparing the highest ranking poker hand with the at least a predetermined minimum poker hand rank if the player placed the side bet wager; and

g) providing an award to the player if the highest ranking poker hand is of equal or greater rank than the predetermined minimum poker hand rank.

2. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the outcome of the side bet wager is a multiple of the amount wagered.

3. The multi-player platform of claim 2, wherein the multiple is variable and depends at least partially on the poker hand rank achieved.

4. The multi-player platform of claim 2, wherein the multiple is variable and depends at least partially on the amount of the side bet wager.

5. The multi-player platform of claim 2, wherein the multiple is variable and depends at least partially on the highest poker hand rank possible using the cards in the dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

6. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the side bet wager is required.

7. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the side bet wager is optional.

8. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the poker hand rank associated with the side bet wager is determined based on the highest five card poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

9. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the poker hand rank associated with the side bet wager is determined based on the highest seven card poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

10. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the poker hand rank associated with the side bet wager is determined based on the highest three card poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

11. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the poker hand rank associated with the side bet wager is determined based on the highest four card poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

12. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the game further comprises an Envy bonus event, wherein the outcome of the Envy bonus event depends on at least one of the highest ranking poker hands being of a poker hand rank equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum Envy bonus poker hand rank.

13. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the Envy bonus event is actuated by any player placing the side bet wager.

14. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the Envy bonus event is actuated by any player placing a side bet wager of at least a preset amount.

15. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the Envy bonus event is actuated by a separate wager that may be placed by any player in the Pai Gow game.

16. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the Envy bonus event can only be won by a player having placed the side bet wager.

17. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the Envy bonus event can not be won by any player having the poker hand rank equal to or greater than the predetermined minimum Envy bonus poker hand rank.

18. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein a winning outcome of the Envy bonus event is a payout comprising a multiple of the side bet wager.

19. The multi-player platform of claim 18, wherein the multiple is variable and depends at least partially on the poker hand rank achieved.

20. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein a winning outcome of the Envy bonus event is a payout comprising a fixed amount depending at least partially on the poker hand rank achieved.

21. The multi-player platform of claim 18, wherein the multiple is variable and depends at least partially on the amount of the side bet wager.

22. The multi-player platform of claim 18, wherein the multiple is variable and depends at least partially on the poker hand rank of the cards in the dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

23. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the poker hand rank associated with the Envy bonus event is determined based on the highest five card poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

24. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the poker hand rank associated with the Envy bonus event is determined based on the highest seven card poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

25. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the poker hand rank associated with the Envy bonus event is determined based on the highest three card poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

26. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the poker hand rank associated with the side bet event is determined based on the highest four card poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand.

27. The multi-player platform of claim 12, wherein the predetermined minimum Envy bonus poker hand rank is four of a kind.

28. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the predetermined minimum poker hand rank is three-of-a-kind.

29. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the predetermined minimum poker hand rank is a straight.

30. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the virtual cards comprise a standard fifty-two card deck and at least one joker card.

31. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein any player having placed a side bet wager loses the side bet wager if the highest poker hand rank possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand is less than the predetermined minimum poker hand rank.

32. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the award is enhanced if the highest poker hand rank possible using the cards in the dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow hand is equal to or less than a predetermined dealer qualifying poker hand rank.

33. The multi-player platform of claim 32, wherein the predetermined dealer qualifying poker hand rank is Ace high.

34. The multi-player platform of claim 1, wherein the award is doubled if the highest poker hand rank possible using the cards in the dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow hand is equal to or less than a predetermined dealer qualifying poker hand rank.

35. A system for playing a wagering game comprising:

a) a database for storing game data relating to rules of Pai Gow, rules of a poker-type game, player and dealer hand information, and a predetermined hierarchy of poker hands in a pay table relating to the poker-type game;

b) a processor for

i) receiving a wager from a player relating to a Pai Gow game using seven-card Pai Gow hands;

ii) receiving a side bet wager wherein the outcome of the side bet wager depends on achieving a predetermined minimum poker hand rank using the seven cards in the Pai Gow hand;

iii) communicating the identity of cards in the player'"'"'s and a dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow hands, respectively;

iv) resolving the Pai Gow game according to the rules of Pai Gow poker contained in the database;

v) determining the highest ranking poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand;

vi) comparing the player'"'"'s highest ranking poker hand with the predetermined minimum poker hand rank; and

vii) providing an award to the player if the player'"'"'s highest ranking poker hand is of equal or greater rank than the predetermined minimum poker hand rank; and

c) a user interface for receiving wagers and communicating game activity.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the user interface is configured to operate over the world wide web to provide the player with access to the game using the world wide web.

37. A machine readable media for facilitating a method of playing a wagering game, comprising:

a) a data segment for,

i) storing game data relating to rules of a Pai Gow game;

ii) storing game data relating to rules of a poker-type game;

iii) storing player and dealer information;

iv) storing a predetermined hierarchy of poker hands in a pay table relating to the poker-type game;

b) a code segment for,

i) receiving a wager from a player relating to a Pai Gow game using seven-card Pai Gow hands;

ii) receiving a side bet wager wherein the outcome of the side bet wager depends on achieving a predetermined minimum poker hand rank using the seven cards in the Pai Gow hand;

iii) communicating the identity of cards in the player'"'"'s and a dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow hands, respectively;

iv) resolving the Pai Gow game according to the rules of Pai Gow poker contained in the database;

v) determining the highest ranking poker hand possible using the cards in the player'"'"'s Pai Gow hand;

vi) comparing the player'"'"'s highest ranking poker hand with the predetermined minimum poker hand rank; and

vii) providing an award to the player if the player'"'"'s highest ranking poker hand is of equal or greater rank than the predetermined minimum poker hand rank.