Method of reducing predictability in card games

• US 4,397,469 A
• Filed: 08/02/1982
• Issued: 08/09/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bartus Carter III
• Original Assignee: Bartus Carter III
• Inventors: Carter, Bartus III
• Primary Examiner(s): Oechsle, Anton O.
• Application Number:
  US06/404,393
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 273/148 A, 273/149 R, 273/292
• US Class Current: 273/149.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/00 Card games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00; card games played on a gaming machine G07F17/32

Abstract

A method for reducing predictability in card games such as blackjack and twenty-one in which play is periodically interrupted, played cards are shuffled, some or all of the shuffled played cards are divided into groups and the groups are returned to the stack of unplayed cards at predetermined positions.

Claims

1. The method of reducing the predictability in card games in which each successive round of play utilizes cards from a stack of unplayed cards while played cards are segregated and not returned to the stack after each round of play, which method comprises:

(a) interrupting play at such time as the aggregate of played cards approximates and prior to the time said aggregate significantly exceeds a value of about n/d, where n equals the total of all cards, played and unplayed, and d is an integer of from 2 to 20;

(b) shuffling said played cards;

(c) dividing at least some of said shuffled, played cards into x number of roughly equivalent or nonequivalent groups where x is an integer having a value of at least 2; and

(d) returning one of said groups of cards to said stack of unplayed cards at the point most distal from the unplayed card which was to be played prior to said interruption of play and returning each of the remaining said groups to a different point in said stack of unplayed cards, each of said points being removed from the unplayed card which was to be played prior to said interruption of play, and being further removed from any other point at which another group is returned, by at least one card.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein d has a value of 4 to 10.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein only a portion of said shuffled played cards is divided as therein defined, the remainder being left as segregated, played cards to be combined with any played cards from subsequent rounds of play.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein a first of the remaining groups of shuffled played cards is returned to a general front area of said stack behind the unplayed card which was to be played prior to said interruption, and the remaining group or groups are returned to areas intermediate thereto and to said most distal unplayed card.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein n has a value of 312, 364 or 416 and d has a value of 6, 7 or 8 respectively.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein x is 3.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein n has a value of 416 and d is 8.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein all of said shuffled played cards are divided into x groups and each of said group is returned to said stack of unplayed cards as therein defined.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein a first of the remaining groups of shuffled played cards is returned to a general front area of said stack behind the unplayed card which was to be played prior to said interruption, and the remaining group or groups are returned to areas intermediate thereto and to said most distal unplayed card.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein n has a value of 312, 364 or 416 and d has a value of 6, 7 or 8 respectively.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein x is 3.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein n has a value of 416 and d is 8.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the remaining two groups are returned to areas in said stack removed from said unplayed card by approximately one third and two thirds, respectively, of all of said unplayed cards.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein a number of unplayed cards are treated as played cards and divided with cards actually played as therein defined.