Card Game Interface

• US 20090176547A1
• Filed: 01/02/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marcus A. Katz
• Original Assignee: Marcus A. Katz
• Inventors: Katz, Marcus A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,152,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

Among other things, a system includes a card-game table that includes visually defined regions on a surface of the card-game table to accommodate one or more card hands of each of one or more participants in addition to one or more separate card hands of a house entity. An analysis system is associated with the card table and configured to receive data representing at least a value associated with each card from a group of cards dealt by a dealer to the one or more hands of each participant in addition to the one or more separate hands of the house; process the received data to calculate scores and odds for the one or more hands of each participant in addition to the one or more separate hands of the house, and generate an output signal indicative of the calculated scores and odds.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a card-game table comprising visually defined regions on a surface of the card-game table to accommodate one or more card hands of each of one or more participants in addition to one or more separate card hands of a house entity;

an analysis system associated with the card table, wherein the analysis system is configured to perform the following;

receive bet data indicative of bets placed by the one or more participants;

determine a number of card hands to deal to each participant based on the received bet data;

receive card data comprising a value associated with each card from a group of cards dealt on the card-game table to each card hand of each participant and the house entity,

process the received card data to calculate scores and odds for the determined number of card hands of each participant and the house entity, and

generate an output signal indicative of the calculated scores and odds; and

a display device in communication with the analysis system to receive the generated output signal and display the received output signal as at least a visual indication of the calculated score and odds.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a card shuffler associated with the card-game table to shuffle the group of cards before dealing two or more of the cards to each hand of each participant and the house.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a card reader in communication with the analysis system, wherein the card reader is configured to perform operations comprising:

identify the value associated with each card dealt; and

send the data representing the identified value to the analysis system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis system is configured to perform operations comprising:

process the received card data after two of the cards are dealt to each hand of each participant and the house, wherein the determined number of hands of each participant includes a baccarat player hand for each participant and the one or more hands of the house entity include a baccarat bank hand;

calculate the scores that include a two-card score for each participant'"'"'s player hand and a two-card score for the house entity'"'"'s bank hand based on the processed card data; and

determine whether the calculated two-card score represents a final result for the player hand of each participant.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the analysis system is configured to perform operations comprising:

when the analysis system determines that the calculated two-card score does not represent a final result, the analysis system determines whether a third card should be dealt to the player hand of each participant; and

when a the third card is dealt to the player hand of each participant, the analysis system calculates a three-card score for the player hand of each participant and determines whether the calculated three-card score represents a final result.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the analysis system is configured to perform operations comprising:

when the analysis system determines that the calculated three-card score for the player hand of each participant does not represent a final result, the analysis system performs the following;

determine whether the house'"'"'s bank hand should receive a third card; and

when a third card is dealt to the house'"'"'s bank hand, calculate a three-card score for the house'"'"'s bank hand and compare the calculated three-card score for the player hand for each participant against the three-card score for the house'"'"'s bank hand to determine a final result.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis system is configured to perform operations comprising:

process the received card data after two of the cards are dealt to each hand of each participant and the house entity, wherein the determined number of hands for each participant includes a baccarat bank hand for each participant and the one or more hands for the house include a baccarat player hand;

calculate the scores that include a two-card score for the bank hand of each participant and a two-card score for the house'"'"'s player hand based on the processed card data; and

determine whether the calculated two-card score represents a final result for the bank hand of each participant.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the analysis system is configured to perform operations comprising:

when the analysis system determines that the calculated two-card score does not represent a final result, determine whether a third card should be dealt to the house'"'"'s player hand;

when a third card is dealt to the house'"'"'s player hand, calculate a three-card score for the house'"'"'s player hand and determine whether the calculated three-card score represents a final result for the bank hand of each participant.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the analysis system is configured to perform operations comprising:

when the analysis system determines that the calculated three-card score for the player hand of the house entity does not represent a final result, the analysis system performs the following;

determine whether the bank hand of each participant should receive a third card; and

when a third card is dealt to the bank hand of each participant, calculate a three-card score for the bank hand of each participant and compare the calculated three-card score for the house'"'"'s player hand against the three-card score for the bank hand of each participant to determine a final result.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis system is configured to determine whether to accept one or more additional bets for each hand of each participant based on a policy of a casino or an online betting establishment.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis system is further configured to determine whether to accept one or more additional bets for each hand of each participant based on the calculated odds that include real time calculations of a probability of the third card having a value from any one of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis system is further configured to determine whether to accept the one or more additional bets for each hand of each participant based on the calculated odds that include real time calculations of the probability of the third card having a value from any one of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and a final result of any bet being winning bet or losing bet.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a liquid crystal display positioned at or near the baccarat table so as to be viewable by all of the one or more participants.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more remote devices in communication with the analysis system to receive the generated output signal.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more remote devices are configured to perform operations comprising:

receive an input from one or more users different from the one or more participants, wherein the input represents a request to place a bet on a select one of the determined number of card hands of each participant and the house; and

send the input representing the request to the analysis system.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more remote devices are located at a location remote from the card-game table and in communication with the analysis system over a network connection.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a separate display unit for each participant so as to provide participant specific information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the separate display unit for each participant comprises a touch-screen to receive bets from each respective game participant, wherein the received bets comprise bets on any of the determined number of card hands of each game participant.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises multiple display regions configured to display the output signal so as to provide the scores and odds for each participant in separate one of the display regions viewable by each participant.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising an input sensor associated with each visually defined region on the surface of the card-game table to detect user input that represents one or more types of bets and a value of the one or more types of bets, wherein the input sensor is in communication with the analysis system to send data indicative of the user input to the analysis system.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the input sensor comprises a pressure sensor to detect a presence of betting chips.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising one or more visual indicators associated with each visually defined region on the surface of the card-game table to provide one or more visual indications of whether each participant should receive the determined number of hands.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more visual indicators are in communication with the analysis system to receive a control signal from the analysis system, and the one or more visual indicators provide the one or more visual indications of whether each participant should receive the one or more hands in response to the received control signal.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the analysis system generates the control signal based on input data received from the input sensor in response to the user input.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:

an image capture device in communication with the analysis system to capture live video data of a card game at the card-table; and

one or more slot machines to receive the captured live video data.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more slot machines are configured to receive bets from a user different from the participants based on the received video data.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the live video data comprises the card data representing the value associated with each card from a group of cards dealt by a dealer;

and

the analysis system receives the card data from the image capture device.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the image capture device comprises a camera to capture video images.

29. A method comprising:

receiving one or more initial bets from one or more participants;

based on the received one or more bets, determining a number of card hands to deal to each participant;

signaling a dealer to deal two cards to each of the determined number of card hands of each participant in addition to separate card hands for a house entity;

calculating a two-card score for each card hand dealt to each participant and the house entity; and

determining whether the calculated two-card score represents a final result for each card hand of each participant.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein determining the number of card hands to deal to each participant comprises determining whether to deal a baccarat player hand and a baccarat bank hand to each participant.

31. The method of claim 29, comprising:

when the calculated two-card score does not represent a final result, determining whether each card hand of each participant should receive a third card; and

when a third card is dealt to at least one card hand of each participant, calculating a three-card score for the hand of each participant that received the third card and determining whether the calculated three-card score represents a final result.

32. The method of claim 31, comprising:

when the calculated three-card score does not represent a final result, performing the following;

determining whether at least one card hand of the house entity should receive a third card; and

when a third card is dealt to at least one card hand of the house entity, calculating a three-card score for the house entity'"'"'s card hand that received the third card and comparing the calculated three-card score for the hand of each participant that received the third card against the three-card score for the house'"'"'s hand to determine a final result.

33. The method of claim 29, comprising:

determining whether to accept one or more additional bets for each hand of each participant based on a policy of a casino or an online betting establishment.

34. The method of claim 29, comprising:

determining whether to accept one or more additional bets for each hand of each participant based on the calculated odds that include real time calculations of a probability of the third card having a value from any one of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.