REMOTE CARD GAME WITH DUPLICATE HANDS

• US 20140128139A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brian Mark Shuster, Gary S. Shuster
• Original Assignee: Brian Mark Shuster, Gary S. Shuster
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary Stephen, Shuster, Brian Mark
• Application Number:
  US14/042,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20140128139A1
• 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 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• 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

Duplicate hands are dealt in a remote game of poker or other card game of chance. Simulated cards or game pieces are dealt to players with the order of suits changed for each player. A map is maintained in a computer memory between a reference set of indices corresponding to card suits, and differently-ordered sets of paying suits for dealing in the game. A reference game is maintained at a server computer to track game status according to the reference set of indices. Game play is translated between the reference game and individual playing suits so that players are unaware of the order of suits used for other players.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A computer-implemented method for managing an online game of chance, comprising:

randomly allocating, by at least one computer, simulated game pieces comprising different game symbol types to a plurality of players in a computer memory according to rules of a game of chance;

maintaining a reference game record of simulated game pieces during play of the game of chance in a memory coupled to the at least one computer, wherein the reference game record comprises information associating the simulated pieces in the reference set with each of the plurality of players; and

translating between each type of the game pieces in the reference set and each type of a plurality of different playing sets of game symbol types, by the at least one computer, based on a map defining one-to-many relationships between the reference set of game pieces and a plurality of different playing sets of game symbol types;

providing, by the at least one computer, information to the plurality of players during play of the game describing each respective player'"'"'s allotted game pieces expressed using only corresponding ones of the plurality of different playing sets of game symbol types.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising preventing the plurality of players from having access to the reference game record during play of the game.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving inputs from the plurality of players indicative of game play moves, and updating the reference game record in response to the inputs.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising randomly selecting, for each of the plurality of players, the different ones of the plurality of playing sets translated in the translating step.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the allocating step further comprises allocating duplicate sets of simulated game pieces to different ones of the plurality of players.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the duplicate sets are allocated at substantially the same time to the different ones of the plurality of players playing in separate player groups.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the duplicate sets are allocated at substantially different times to the different ones of the plurality of players.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising ranking players based on comparative results achieved by players allocated the same sets of simulated game pieces across different groups.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising ranking players based on an aggregate of the comparative results across multiple different games.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the allocating step further comprises allocating corresponding sets of the simulated game pieces to different players of a player group at different times.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising ranking players based on an aggregate of comparative results achieved by players allocated the corresponding sets of the simulated game pieces across multiple different games.

33. An apparatus for gaming, comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding instructions that when executed by the processor cause the computer to perform the operations of;

randomly allocating simulated game pieces each marked with one of at set of different game symbol types to a plurality of players in a computer memory according to rules of a game of chance;

maintaining a reference game record of simulated game pieces during play of the game of chance, wherein the reference game record comprises information associating the simulated pieces in the reference set with each of the plurality of players; and

translating between each type of the game pieces in the reference set and each type of a plurality of different playing sets of game symbol types, based on a map defining one-to-many relationships between the reference set of game pieces and a plurality of different playing sets of game symbol types;

providing information to the plurality of players during play of the game describing each respective player'"'"'s allotted game pieces expressed only using corresponding ones of the plurality of different playing sets of game symbol types.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the memory holds further instructions for preventing the plurality of players from having access to the reference game record during game play.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the memory holds further instructions for receiving inputs from the plurality of players indicative of game play moves, and updating the reference game record in response to the inputs.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the memory holds further instructions for randomly selecting, for each of the plurality of players, the different ones of the plurality of playing sets translated in the translating step.

37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the memory holds further instructions for allocating the game pieces at least in part by allocating duplicate sets of simulated game pieces to different ones of the plurality of players.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the memory holds further instructions for allocating the game pieces, including allocating the duplicate sets at substantially the same time to the different ones of the plurality of players playing in separate player groups.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the memory holds further instructions for allocating the duplicate sets at substantially different times to the different ones of the plurality of players.

40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the memory holds further instructions for ranking players based on comparative results achieved by players allocated the same sets of simulated game pieces across different groups.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the memory holds further instructions for ranking players based on an aggregate of the comparative results across multiple different games.

42. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the memory holds further instructions for allocating corresponding sets of the simulated game pieces to different players of a player group at different times.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the memory holds further instructions for ranking players based on an aggregate of comparative results achieved by players allocated the corresponding sets of the simulated game pieces across multiple different games.