Apparatus and method for playing an electronic poker game

• US 5,332,219 A
• Filed: 10/08/1992
• Issued: 07/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caesars Entertainment Operating Co., Inc. (Caesars Entertainment, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rio Properties Incorporated (Hamlet Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Marnell, Anthony A. II, Rehm, Cary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Owens, Kerry
• Application Number:
  US07/957,772
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 273/85 CP, 273/85 G, 273/138 A, 273/262, 273/269, 364/412
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/0017 progressive jackpot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/142 with pay-out or rewarding with a prize
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

An electronic poker game apparatus (10) including user-actuated input members (22) and an electronic game control device (42) electrically connected to input members (22) and responsive to user input to simulate play of a poker game. The game control device (42) generates a plurality of signals representing randomly selected cards from a deck of cards to create a poker hand. A bonus signal generator (52) electrically communicates with the game control device (42) and responds to the selection of a predetermined signal representing a predetermined card to randomly effect one of: (i) replacing the predetermined signal with a bonus signal and (ii) retaining the predetermined signal in accordance with odds less than unity. A display screen (16), which is electrically connected to the game control device (42), displays card symbols corresponding to the randomly selected signals and the bonus signal, if present, to indicate progress of the poker game.

Claims

1. An electronic poker gaming apparatus comprising:

user-actuatable input means;

electronic game control means connected to said input means and responsive to user input to simulate play of a poker game, said game control means including a random signal generating means for generating a plurality of signals representing a plurality of randomly selected cards from a deck of cards for creation of a poker hand;

bonus signal generator means electrically connected to said game control means and responsive to the selection of a predetermined one of said signals representing a predetermined card to randomly effect one of;

(i) replacement of said predetermined one of said signals with a bonus signal, and

(ii) retention of said predetermine one of said signals, said bonus signal generator randomly effecting one of replacement and retention in accordance with known odds less than unity; and

display means electrically connected to said game control means for visual display of card symbols corresponding to the randomly selected signals and, upon the presence of said bonus signal, visual display of a bonus card symbol, and wherein,

said game control means includes game winning criteria means responsive to completion of selection of said randomly selected signals to compare said randomly selected signals against predetermined game winning combinations of signals and to produce an poker hand signal in response to said randomly selected signals matching one of said predetermined game winning combinations of signals,

said poker hand signal produced by said game winning criteria means including a common amount when said bonus signal is present and said randomly selected signals matches one of said predetermined game winning combinations of signals, and

said game winning criteria means produces said poker hand signal including said bonus amount only when said bonus signal is present in and forms a part of one of said predetermined game winning combinations of signals.

2. An electronic poker gaming apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said bonus signal produces a card representation including bonus indicia and indicia representing the same suit and the same card value as said predetermined one of said signals which said bonus signal replaces.

3. An electronic poker gaming apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said bonus signal generator means is formed to effect replacement of said predetermined one of said signals about one time in every twenty to one hundred fifty occurrences of said redetermined one of said signals.

4. An electronic poker gaming apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said predetermined one of said signals represents at least one of four Queens contained in said deck of cards.

5. An electronic poker gaming apparatus comprising:

user-actuatable input means;

electronic game control means connected to said input means and responsive to user input to simulate play of a poker game, said game control means including a random signal generating means for generating a plurality of signals representing a plurality of randomly selected cards from a deck of cards for creation of a poker hand;

bonus signal generator means electrically connected to said game control means and responsive to the selection of a predetermined one of said signals representing a predetermined card to randomly effect one of;

(i) replacement of said predetermined one of said signals with a bonus signal, and

(ii) retention of said predetermine one of said signals, said bonus signal generator randomly effecting one of replacement and retention in accordance with known odds less than unity; and

display means electrically connected to said game control means for visual display of card symbols corresponding to the randomly selected signals and, upon the presence of said bonus signal, visual display of a bonus card symbol, and wherein,

said game control means includes game winning criteria means responsive to completion of selection of said randomly selected signals to compare said randomly selected signals against predetermined game winning combinations of signals and to produce an poker hand signal in response to said randomly selected signals matching one of said predetermined game winning combinations of signals,

said poker hand signal produced by said game winning criteria means including a common amount when said bonus signal is present and said randomly selected signals matches one of said predetermined game winning combinations of signal, and

said game winning criteria means produces said poker hand signal including said bonus amount only when said bonus signal is present in and forms a part of one of said predetermined game winning combinations of signals, and wherein further,

in the event said bonus signal generator means produces a bonus signal corresponding to a bonus card symbol, said predetermined winning combinations paying bonus winnings include Three of a Kind composed of three identical value cards including said bonus card, Four of a Kind composed of four identical value cards including said bonus card, a Flush where said bonus card has the same suit as the remaining cards, a Straight where said bonus card has a value in sequence with the remaining cards, a Full House where said bonus card has a value identical to the value of at least one other card, and a Straight Flush were said bonus card has a value in sequence with, and the same suit as, the remaining cards.

6. An electronic poker gaming apparatus comprising:

user-actuatable input means;

electronic game control means electronically communicating with and responsive to said input means to enable play of a poker game, said game control means including a signal generating means for generating a plurality of signals representing a plurality of randomly selected cards from a deck of cards to create a poker hand;

bonus signal generator means electrically connected to said game control means and responsive to the selection of a predetermined one of said signals to randomly effect one of;

(i) replacement of said predetermined one of said signals with a bonus signal, and

(ii) retention of said predetermine one of said signals, said bonus signal generator randomly effecting one of replacement and selection in accordance with known odds less than unity;

display means for indicating the progress of the poker game, said display means electrically connected to said game control means for visual display of card symbols corresponding to the randomly selected signals and, upon the presence of said bonus signals, visual display of bonus card symbol corresponding to said bonus signals; and

said bonus signals entitling a user to bonus winnings where the bonus cards represented by said bonus signals form a part of a winning combination of cards in the poker hand.

7. A method of playing an electronic poker game comprising the steps of:

providing a poker gaming apparatus including user-actuatable input means, bonus signal generator means, and electronic game control means electrically connected to said input means and said display means and said bonus signal generator means;

generating a random selection of a plurality of signals representing a plurality of randomly selected cards from a deck of cards for playing a poker game by said game control means in response to an input by a user;

upon the presence of a predetermined signal in said randomly selected signals, randomly effecting one of replacement and retention of said predetermined signal in accordance with odds less than unity by said bonus signal generator means in response to said generating step;

upon replacement of said predetermined signal, replacing said predetermined signal with a bonus signal; and

visually displaying cards represented by said randomly selected signals and, upon replacement of said predetermined signal, displaying a bonus card corresponding to said bonus signal, wherein,

after said generating step and said step of randomly effecting one of replacement and retention, comparing the selected poker hand against winning poker hands stored in memory of said game control means to determine whether said selected poker hand is a winning poker hand; and

if said selected poker hand is a winning poker hand, causing one of crediting and paying out a predetermined amount of winnings to the user as stored in said memory of said game control means and corresponding to said winning poker hand, and wherein,

in the event said selected poker hand is a winning poker hand, determining if said selected poker hand also contains a bonus card by said game control means; and

if said selected poker hand contains said bonus card, adding predetermined bonus winnings to said predetermined amount of winnings for said winning poker hand, and wherein further,

said adding step is accomplished only in the event that said bonus card comprises a part of said winning poker hand.

8. A method of playing an electronic poker game as defined in claim 7 wherein,

said adding step is accomplished by adding a bonus amount approximately equal to said predetermined amount of winnings for said winning poker hand.