GAMING SYSTEM, GAMING DEVICE, AND METHOD PROVIDING POKER GAME WITH AWARDS BASED ON ODDS OF WINNING

• US 20090121434A1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J., Nicely, Mark C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,449,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A gaming device includes a poker game where two cards are dealt face-up to at least one player and to a dealer. The gaming device enables the player to place an optional wager based on the initially dealt two card hand. A pay out for the optional wager is determined based on the probability that the final player hand will outrank the final dealer hand. The pay out is inversely proportional to the probability that the player will win. Therefore, if the player has a high probability of winning, the associated pay out will be relatively small. Also, if the player has a low probability of winning, the associated pay out will be relatively small. The gaming device enables the player to place multiple wager after each of a plurality of community cards are dealt, where the associated pay out changes according to a revised probability of winning.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising for a play of a card game:

(a) enabling an ante wager to be placed for said play of the card game;

(b) dealing a two-card player hand, a two-card dealer hand, and at least one other two-card player hand;

(c) determining a probability of the player hand winning against all other player hands, the probability based on the two-card player hand, the two-card dealer hand, the other two-card player hands, any community cards previously dealt, and at least one community card to be dealt;

(d) determining a pay out ratio based on the probability of the player hand winning and displaying the pay out ratio;

(e) enabling an optional play wager to be placed that is associated with said displayed pay out ratio and determining if said optional wager has been placed;

(f) dealing at least one additional card that is a community card,

(g) repeating (c) to (f) at least once;

(h) determining if the player hand wins against the dealer hand for the play of the card game;

(i) determining if the player hand wins against all other player hands for the play of the card game;

(j) display an ante award if the player hand wins against the dealer hand; and

(k) display a play award if the player hand wins against all other player hands, said play award including a sum of each play wager placed multiplied by the pay out ratio associated with said play wager.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising dealing virtual cards to form the initial two-card player hand and the initial two-card dealer hand.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising dealing the player hand, the dealer hand, and the community cards from one or more physical decks of cards.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the total number of community cards is three and the community cards include a single flop card, a single turn card, and a single river card, and wherein (c) to (f) are repeated twice.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the flop card is dealt as a first community card after the play wager based on the initial two-card player hand is optionally placed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the turn card is dealt as a second community card after the play wager based on the initial two-card player hand and the flop card is optionally placed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the river card is dealt as a third community card after play wagers based on the initial two-card player hand, the flop card, and the turn card have been optionally placed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the community cards include three flop cards, a single turn card, and a single river card.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pay out ratio is inversely proportional to the probability of the player hand winning against all of the other player hands.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the players is designated to receive the dealer hand.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising dealing, for each of at least two players, a plurality of two-card player hands for a play of the game.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the game is a seven card Texas Hold'"'"'em poker game including five community cards, said five community cards including three flop cards, a single turn card, and a single river card, and wherein the final player hands and the final dealer hand each include five cards selected from the respective initial two-card hands and the community cards.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising dealing the two-card dealer hand with one card face-up and one card face-down.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising dealing the two-card dealer hand with both cards face-up.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising dealing the two-card dealer hand with both cards face-down.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling an optional insurance wager to be placed prior to dealing the two-card player hand and the two-card dealer hand.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising refunding at least a portion of the wagers placed if the final player hand loses against the final dealer hand and the insurance wager was placed.

18. The method of claim 1, including providing a plurality of display devices, wherein at least one display device is associated with each player.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device is further configured to display a pay out amount associated with each of the determined pay out ratios.

20. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

(a) determining and displaying a partial outcome of a play of a game;

(b) determining a probability that a final outcome of the game will be one of a plurality of winning outcomes, said probability based on the partial outcome of the game;

(c) determining and displaying a pay out ratio based on said probability;

(d) enabling an optional wager to be placed that is associated with the partial outcome of the game and determining if said optional wager has been placed;

(e) modifying the partial outcome of the game;

(f) repeating (b) to (e) at least once;

(g) determining the final outcome of the game; and

(h) displaying an award if the final outcome of the game is a winning outcome, said award including a sum of each optional wager placed multiplied by the pay out ratio associated with said optional wager.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the game is operable upon an initial ante wager.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the award further includes a pay out associated with the initial ante wager.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the game is a poker game and the partial outcome of the game is based on at least one initial two-card player hand and an initial two-card dealer hand.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the final outcome of the game is further based on three community cards.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the winning outcome includes the final five card player hand outranking the final five card dealer hand.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the three community cards include a flop card, a turn card, and a river card.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein a different optional wager can be placed after the initial two-card player and dealer hands are dealt, after the flop card is dealt, and after the turn card is dealt.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the award includes the pay out associated with any optional wager placed after the initial two-card player hand is dealt, the pay out associated with any optional wager placed after the flop card is dealt, and the pay out associated with any wager placed after the turn card is dealt.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the game is a slot game having a plurality of reels and at least one payline across said reels, each reel including a plurality of symbols, the partial outcome of the game determined by activating one of said reels to generate a symbol on a designated payline of said reel.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the winning outcome is one of a plurality of predetermined symbol combinations occurring on the payline.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein the game is a Blackjack game, and the partial outcome of the game includes dealing a two-card player hand and a two-card dealer hand.

32. The method of claim 20, wherein the game is a Bingo game, and the partial outcome of the game includes randomly selecting a number from a pool of numbers.

33. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising for a play of a card game:

(a) enabling an ante wager to be placed on said play of the card game;

(b) dealing a two-card player hand, a two-card dealer hand, and at least one other two-card player hand;

(c) determining a probability that a final player hand will win against the other player hands, said probability based on the cards in the two-card player hand, the cards in the two-card dealer hand, a number of community cards to be dealt, and the other player hands;

(d) determining and displaying a pay out ratio based on said probability, the pay out ratio being inversely related to said probability;

(e) enabling a play wager to optionally be placed that is associated with said displayed pay out ratio, and determining if said play wager has been placed;

(f) dealing the community cards and determining if the final player hand wins against the final dealer hand for the play of the card game;

(g) determining if the final player hand wins against all other final player hands for the play of the card game;

(h) display an ante award if the player hand wins against the dealer hand; and

(i) display a play award if the player hand wins against all other player hands, said play award based on the play wager and the pay out ratio associated with said play wager.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the community cards include a flop card, a turn card, and a river card.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

(a) dealing the flop card;

(b) determining the probability that the final five card player hand will beat the final five card dealer hand, said probability based on the cards in the two-card player hand, the two-card dealer hand, the flop card, and the cards in the other player hands;

(c) determining and displaying another pay out ratio based on the probability of the player hand winning against the other player hands at this point in the play of the game; and

(d) enabling a second play wager to optionally be placed, a second pay out associated with said second play wager being inversely proportional to the probability that the final five card player hand will win against the other player hands.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

(a) dealing the turn card;

(b) determining the probability that the final five card player hand will win against the other player hands, said probability based on the cards in the two-card player hand, the cards in the two-card dealer hand, the flop card, the turn card, and the cards in the other player hands;

(c) determining and displaying another pay out ratio based on the probability of the player hand winning against the other player hands at this point in the play of the game; and

(d) enabling a third play wager to optionally be placed, a third pay out associated with said third play wager being inversely proportional to the probability that the final five card player hand will win against the other player hands.

37. A gaming system comprising:

at least one input device;

at least one display device configured to display a game including a plurality of wagering opportunities;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device storing a plurality of instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to;

(a) determine and display a pay out associated with one of said wagering opportunities, the pay out being inversely related to the probability of achieving a winning outcome of the game in a current state of the game,

(b) provide one of said wagering opportunities and determine if the opportunity was exercised,

(c) advance the game,

(d) repeat (a) to (c) at least once,

(e) determine an outcome of the game, and

(f) display an award if the outcome is a winning outcome, said award including a sum of each wager placed and not withdrawn multiplied by the pay out associated with said wager.

38. The gaming system of claim 37, wherein the plurality of instructions include instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to require a plurality of wagers to be placed at a beginning of a play of the game.

39. The gaming system of claim 38, wherein each of the wagers are of an equal amount.

40. The gaming system of claim 38, wherein the plurality of wagering opportunities are opportunities to withdraw one of the previously placed wagers.

41. The gaming system of claim 40, wherein the game is a card game including a two-card player hand, a two-card dealer hand, and a plurality of community cards.

42. The gaming system of claim 41, wherein a first wagering opportunity to withdraw one of the previously placed wager occurs after the two-card player hand is dealt, a second wagering opportunity to remove a previously placed wager occurs after a first set of community cards have been dealt, and a third wagering opportunity to remove a previously placed wager occurs after a second set of community cards have been dealt.

43. The gaming system of claim 42, where in the second set of community cards is a single card.