METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING UPSTREAM COMMUNICATION IN A CARD SHUFFLER

• US 20130109455A1
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Grauzer, Attila, Lopez, David B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,452,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/12
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/06 Card games appurtenances
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/067 Tables or similar supporting structures
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/10 Card holders
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/58 Antifraud or preventing misuse
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A security system for a casino table card game has a casino table with i) indicia thereon for the placement of wagers, ii) a data entry system with an associated computer, and iii) sensors that can detect the placement of at least one specific category of wager; a shuffling device with a microprocessor integral to the shuffler for providing information regarding cards or hands; a central table gaming computer that receives information from the shuffler in real time, receives information from the sensors, and receives information from the data entry system, the associated computer, the microprocessor and the central table gaming computer communicating data among each other in real time.

Claims

1. An automatic card shuffler, comprising:

a programmable controller;

a card randomizing mechanism; and

a data port in communication with the programmable controller for at least one of inputting data from a central game computer and/or table game computer outside the automatic card shuffler, and outputting data from the programmable controller to a central game computer and/or table game computer.

2. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein the programmable controller is programmed for input and output of data in substantially real time.

4. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein data collected by a table game computer is input to the automatic card shuffler.

5. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein data collected by the programmable controller is output to a central computer.

6. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein data collected by a programmable central controller is input to the card shuffler.

3. The automatic card shuffler of claiml, wherein data collected by the programmable controller is output into a table game computer.

7. A method of controlling a live casino card game including a security system, the method comprising:

utilizing a casino table with i) indicia thereon for the placement of wagers, ii) a data entry system in communication with an associated computer, and iii) sensors for detecting placement of at least one specific category of wager;

shuffling cards with a shuffler having an integral processor;

providing information to a central computer regarding at least the value of cards fed out of a section of the shuffler or the rank of hands provided to a player during play of a card game;

receiving, with the central computer, the information from the shuffler, information from the sensors, and information from the data entry system, the associated computer, the shuffler processor and the central computer communicating information among each other in real time.

8. A method of controlling a live casino table card game, comprising:

sensing wagers by players at at least two player locations and communicating information relating to the sensed wagers to a each of a table game control computer and to a central control computer in real time;

controlling an automatic card shuffler with a processor therein and communicating information relating to card shuffling to each of the the game table control computer and the central control computer in real time;

electronically measuring betting information and transmitting measured betting information to the central control computer in real time, the electronic measuring including use of information from the table game control computer and the processor in the card shuffler.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein information communicated from the shuffler includes at least one a) datum relating to completion of a shuffling event, b) indication of a correct number of cards in a shuffler, c) jam of a shuffling event, d) insufficient or excessive cards in a shuffling event, e) a count of the total number of cards in the shuffler, f) a count of the total number of cards in a specific area within the shuffler, g) number of hands dealt to active players at the table, h) rank of specific hands dealt at the table, i) hands achieving bonuses at the table, and j) indication of an excess of cards of specific rank and suit.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor in the shuffler communicates in real time with the table game control computer and the table game control computer communicates to the processor in the card shuffler in real time.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein information is fed via a data port in communication with the shuffler processor at least one of a) from outside the card shuffler into the processor in the shuffler, and b) data collected by the processor in the shuffler is fed outside the card shuffler.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the table game control computer communicates in real time to the processor in the card shuffler and to assert at least one control over the operation of the card shuffler.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein information is provided from both the processor in the shuffler and the table game control computer in real time to the central control computer and the central control computer identifies or records at least two events selected from the group consisting of:

hands dealt per unit time,

identification of when a service call should be made,

automatic service call generation,

jam detection/recovery and reports of at least one of jams and clears,

rounds of play per unit time,

cards are scanned for at least one of rank and suit, the value of the hand can be automatically ranked and the payout can be displayed, eliminating dealer errors,

results of scanning for at least one of rank and suit,

when results of scanning for at least one of rank and suit are identified or recorded, a correct payout is displayed,

when results of scanning for at least one of rank and suit is identified or recorded, a correct payout is displayed, reports of dealer error/cheating are generated when wrong payouts are made,

a signal from the bet sensors is input into the shuffler itself to enable the shuffler to deal only the number of hands needed to cover bets,

a signal from the bet sensors can be transmitted directly to the central controller to collect betting data,

the table game controller communicates with a player tracking system in the central game computer, permitting the system to measure individual player bets placed, player efficiency, individual player time at the table, frequency of individual player visiting property, and win and loss data of individual player,

the table controller continually poles a chip tray to verify the number of chips in the tray,

count of chips on the table is determined by sensors and included in the total count poled by the table game controller,

balances from chip movement on the table are fed to the central game computer in real-time identifying errors in payout,

data on the amount of time an individual table is in use, the time of day an individual table is in use, specific information identifying individual tables from among a group of at least two tables, the times when the tables are most filled and the times when the most bets are made,

dealer identification data is input into the table controller at the beginning of a shift and play at the table is directly attributed to individual players during their shifts,

individual dealer data is evaluated by a security software program to detect dealer cheating, dealer training needs and good dealer skills,

an identification number corresponding to an individual shuffler is input into the table controller or the central game controller to track the location of each shuffler,

when individual shuffler information is input to the table game shuffler, this shuffler information is transmitted to the main controller either directly from the shuffler or into the table computer and then to the main controller,

reports on shuffler swap outs are generated,

the central controller generates at least one report of game data with regard to rounds of play per shift, the number of players per shift, the average amount of time spent at the table per player, the handle, player reports that assist management in determining rating of a player, or at least one of analyses and reports to use for player comping,

the table controller is programmed to evaluate wagering patterns and on the basis of that analysis, alert at least one of the dealer and pit boss via the central controller that a card counter is playing on the table,

when the system is reading the rank and value of each card, the table controller is informed of the count or rank of each hand,

when the system has informed the table controller of the rank of each hand, specific awards are identified for each ranked hand meeting a minimum predetermined rank,

in the play of twenty-one or its variants, if at least one individual player'"'"'s bets consistently increase when a shoe is rich in 10 value cards, the system will alert the dealer and management that the player may be counting cards, and

data collected at each table controller is transmitted in real time to the central controller after being assessed according to evaluative software identifying specific stylistic wagering habits.

14. A method of controlling a live casino table card game, comprising:

in a gaming environment including;

a live gaming table with at least two player locations and at least one sensor in each player location for sensing bets;

a computer controlled automatic card shuffling device;

a table game controller;

a central game controller;

electronically measuring game related information;

the card shuffling device performs at least one act in real time selected from the group consisting of receiving game related information from the game controller and transmitting information to the table game controller; and

the table game controller transmits, receives or both transmits and receives game related information in real time with respect to the central game controller, from the central game controller or both to the central game controller and from the central game controller.

15. A method of real-time data transmission in a casino card game, the method comprising:

linking a processor in a card shuffler to an external computer;

transmitting information from the processor to the external computer in real time; and

the external computer processing the data in real time;

wherein the processor in the card shuffler provides information to the external computer comprising at least one of the rank and value of specific cards being fed out of a section of the card shuffler in the play of a game and the rank of specific hands provided to each player in the play of a game.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the processor in the card shuffler also provides information to the external computer selected from the group consisting of occurrence of a card jam, occurrence of a jam recovery, and the number of times that a complete shuffle has been performed.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the external computer processes information in real time from the card shuffler related to a single card game.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the external computer processes information in real time related to multiple card games.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the external computer is a central computer.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the information transmitted from the card shuffler processor is of one or more types selected from the group consisting of:

rank of a hand, suit of a card, value of a card, number of cards present in the shuffler, number of cards present in one or more areas within the shuffler, and the number complete shuffling sequences that have been performed.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the external computer is directly linked to the processor via a data port in the card shuffler.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the data port is an external data port.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising activating an information display device in response to the information from the card shuffler.

24. A method of controlling a live casino table card game comprising:

sensing wagers by players at at least one player location and communicating the sensing to a table game control computer and to a central control computer in real time;

controlling an automatic card shuffling device with a processor in the card shuffling device and communicating information in real time via a data port in the card shuffling device relating to card shuffling to at least one of the game table control computer and to the central control computer;

electronically measuring betting information and transmitting information to at least one of the table game control computer and the central controller computer in real time, said electronic measuring including use of data transmitted from at least the processor in the card shuffling device; and

feeding data from the central control computer or the table game control computer to the shuffling device through the data port.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein information transmitted from the processor in the card shuffling device includes at least one a) datum relating to completion of a shuffling event, b) indication of a correct number of cards in the card shuffling device, c) jam of a shuffling event, d) insufficient or excessive cards in a shuffling event, e) a count of the total number of cards in the card shuffling device, f) a count of the total number of cards in a specific area within the card shuffling device, g) number of hands dealt to active players at the table, h) rank of specific hands dealt at the table, i) hands achieving bonuses at the table, and j) indication of an excess of cards of specific rank and suit.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein data is fed through the data port at least one of a) from outside the card shuffling device into the processor in the card shuffling device, and b) data collected by the processor in the card shuffling device is fed outside the card shuffling device.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the table game controller computer communicates in real time to the processor in the card shuffling device and that communication asserts at least one control over the operation of the card shuffling device.