Poker game with blind bet and player selectable play wager

• US 20060284378A1
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Charron, Daniel P., Smith, Philip S., Snow, Roger M., Yoseloff, Mark L., Savage, Daymon B., Dunn, Russell Brooke
• Application Number:
  US11/409,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284378A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/005 Poker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082

Abstract

A system and method for conducting wagering games utilizing one or more decks of standard playing cards preferably including the steps of: receiving an ante wager from a player; receiving a blind wager from the player; dealing a plurality of cards to the player to form a player'"'"'s hand; dealing a plurality of cards to a dealer to form a dealer'"'"'s hand; receiving a play wager from the player or the player folding; comparing the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand with the poker rank of dealer'"'"'s hand to resolve the ante and play wagers, wherein the player wins the ante and play wagers if the player'"'"'s hand outranks the dealer'"'"'s hand; and comparing the player'"'"'s hand with a predetermined winning criteria to resolve the blind wager, wherein the player wins the blind wager if the player'"'"'s hand satisfies the predetermined winning criteria and outranks the dealer'"'"'s hand, the blind wager pushes if the player'"'"'s hand outranks the dealer'"'"'s hand but does not satisfy the predetermined winning criteria, and the blind wager loses when the dealer hand outranks the player hand and the player does not satisfy the predetermined winning criteria.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a wagering game utilizing one or more decks of standard playing cards comprising the steps of:

receiving an ante wager from a player;

receiving a blind wager from the player;

dealing a first number cards to each player to form at least one player hand;

dealing a second number of cards to a dealer to form a dealer'"'"'s hand;

receiving a play wager from the player, the play wager being a multiple of the ante wager, the multiple being at least 1 and being selectable by the player;

comparing the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand with the poker rank of dealer'"'"'s hand to resolve the ante and play wagers, wherein the player wins the ante and play wagers if the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand outranks the poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand; and

comparing the player'"'"'s hand with a predetermined winning criteria to resolve the blind wager, wherein the player wins the blind wager if the player'"'"'s hand satisfies the predetermined winning criteria and the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand outranks the poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand, the blind wager pushes if the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand outranks the three card poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand but the player'"'"'s hand does not satisfy the predetermined winning criteria, and the blind wager loses if the player'"'"'s hand has a lower poker rank than the dealer'"'"'s hand and the player hand does not satisfy the predetermined winning criteria.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the final number of cards in the player and dealer hands is equal to three.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the final number of cards in the player and dealer hands is equal to four.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein an initial number of cards in the player and dealer hands is at least five.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the player views his cards, the player must make an additional Play wager that is a multiple of the Ante wager to stay in the game, wherein the multiple is selectable by the player.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the Ante wager and Blind wager are forfeited if the play wager is not received from the player.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

revealing the dealer'"'"'s hand to the player upon the play wager being received from the player; and

comparing the poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand with a predetermined qualifying rank, wherein the ante wager is returned to the player if the predetermined qualifying rank outranks the poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand and the player wins the play wager if both the predetermined qualifying rank and poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand outrank the poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand.

39. A system for playing a wagering game method according to claim 1 comprising:

a) a database for storing game data relating to rules of a poker game, and a predetermined blind wager winning criteria and a pay table relating thereto;

b) a processor for;

i) receiving an ante wager from a player;

ii) receiving a blind wager from the player;

iii) dealing at least four cards to the player to form a player'"'"'s hand;

iv) dealing at least four cards to a dealer to form a dealer'"'"'s hand;

v) receiving a play wager from the player, the play wager being a player selectable multiple of the ante wager;

vi) comparing the four card poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand with the four card poker rank of dealer'"'"'s hand to resolve the ante and play wagers, wherein the player wins the Ante and Play wagers if the player'"'"'s hand outranks the dealer'"'"'s hand;

vii) comparing the player'"'"'s hand with the predetermined blind wager winning criteria to resolve the blind wager, wherein the player wins the blind wager if the player'"'"'s four-card poker hand satisfies the predetermined blind wager winning criteria and outranks the dealer'"'"'s four-card poker hand, the blind wager pushes when the player'"'"'s hand outranks the dealer'"'"'s four-card poker hand but does not satisfy the predetermined winning criteria, and the blind wager loses when the player'"'"'s four-card poker hand does not beat the dealer'"'"'s four-card pokere hand and does not satisfy the predetermined winning criteria; and

c) a user interface configured for facilitating player wagers and communicating game activity.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the user interface is a portable device configured to provide the player with access to the game through wireless communication.

7. (canceled)

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the ante and blind wagers must be wagers of an equal amount.

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the Bonus wager is resolved prior to the step of receiving a play wager from the player and the Bonus payout is provided to the player regardless of whether the Play wager is received from the player.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the Bonus payout increases depending on the rank of the player'"'"'s poker hand rank.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the Bonus payout amount is a whole number multiple of the Bonus wager.

15. (canceled)

16. A method of conducting a wagering game based on poker utilizing one or more decks of standard playing cards comprising the steps of:

receiving an Ante wager from a player to participate in a round of a game;

receiving a Blind wager from the player;

dealing a plurality of cards to the player to form a player'"'"'s hand, wherein the player is permitted to view the player'"'"'s hand;

dealing a plurality of cards to a dealer to form a dealer'"'"'s hand, wherein the dealer'"'"'s hand is not displayed to the player;

receiving a play wager from the player, wherein the player forfeits the Ante and Blind wagers and does not continue in the round if the play wager is not received;

revealing the dealer'"'"'s hand to the player;

comparing the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand with the poker rank of dealer'"'"'s hand to resolve the ante and play wagers, wherein the player wins the Ante and Play wagers if the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand outranks the poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand; and

comparing the player'"'"'s hand with predetermined winning criteria to resolve the blind wager, wherein the player wins the blind wager if the player'"'"'s hand satisfies the predetermined winning criteria and the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand outranks a poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand, the blind wager pushes if the poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand outranks the poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand but the player'"'"'s hand does not satisfy the predetermined winning criteria; and

the blind bet loses when the dealer'"'"'s hand outranks the player'"'"'s poker hand and the player'"'"'s hand does not satisfy the predetermined winning criteria.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

comparing the four card poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand with a predetermined qualifying rank, wherein the Ante wager is returned to the player if the predetermined qualifying rank outranks the four card poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand and the player wins the Play wager if the predetermined qualifying rank and the four card poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand outranks the four card poker rank of the dealer'"'"'s hand.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein the play wager must at least equal the ante wager.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the players and dealer each play with four cards, wherein the Play wager is a multiple of the ante wager selected by the player when the four card poker rank of the player'"'"'s hand is at least a qualifying four card poker hand rank.

27. The method according to claim 16, wherein the wagering game is player banked.

28. 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, a game engine for processing a game script including instructional steps enabling game play for each player according to the rules in the database, wherein the game script comprises the steps of the method of claim 16.

29. The platform of claim 28, wherein each player station has its own intelligence.

33. The multi-player platform of claim 28, wherein each player and the dealer receive at least three cards and each of the players and dealer play with three cards.

34. The multi-player platform of claim 28, wherein each player and the dealer receives exactly three cards.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

38. (canceled)

41. (canceled)

42. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

44. (canceled)

45. (canceled)

46. (canceled)

47. (canceled)

48. (canceled)

49. (canceled)

50. (canceled)

51. (canceled)

52. (canceled)

53. (canceled)

54. (canceled)

55. (canceled)

56. A method of playing a wagering game, comprising:

placing an Ante wager to participate in a game of chance against a dealer;

wherein the game of chance is a card game based on poker rankings;

placing a blind wager on the occurrence of the player hand outranking the dealer hand and the player hand being at least one predetermined winning combination, the blind wager pushing when the player hand outranks the dealer hand but the player hand is not a predetermined winning combination.

57. The method of claim 56, and further comprising the step of each player receiving at least three cards.

64. The method of claim 56, and further comprising the step of the dealer and the players receiving at least four cards to make a best four card hand.

66. The method of claim 56, wherein a Play wager is made for a player to continue the wagering game and the play wager is a player selectable multiple of the Ante wager, the multiple selected from a group of available multiples.

58. (canceled)

59. (canceled)

60. (canceled)

61. (canceled)

62. (canceled)

63. (canceled)

65. (canceled)

67. (canceled)

68. (canceled)