Multiple play high card game with insurance bet

• US 6,585,588 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Hartl, Josef Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Scherbel, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUECHNER, PATRICK M
• Application Number:
  US09/922,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20020137558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 463/9, 463/12, 463/13, 463/16-20, 463/25, 273/292, 273/293
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082

Abstract

A player places at least two wagers and an optional insurance wager, the insurance wager providing the player with an immediate payout if the dealer'"'"'s first card is an Ace or face card. During play, the dealer deals a single card to all players having made a first wager and a card to himself. If the rank of the player'"'"'s card beats the rank of the dealer'"'"'s card, the player is paid on this first bet. If the player wins, the dealer deals a second card to the player and one to himself. If the rank of the player'"'"'s card is higher than that of the dealer'"'"'s card, he is paid on his second bet. In one form of the game, if the player wins the second bet, in a third wagering round, the player and dealer each receive a card, and if the player'"'"'s card rank exceeds the dealer'"'"'s card rank, he is paid on the third bet. The player must win each wagering segment to advance to the next consecutive wagering segment.

Claims

1. A method of playing a card game using one or more standard decks of cards, comprising:

a player placing at least two separate wagers on at least two separate segments of a multiple segment wagering game and optionally placing an insurance wager on at least a first game played with only a first card dealt to the player and only a first card dealt to a dealer;

the dealer dealing a first card to said player who has placed a first wager and a first card to said dealer;

paying said player a predetermined amount when the optional insurance wager is placed and when said first card to said dealer is an Ace or a face card; and

resolving said first placed wager.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein resolving said first wager on the first game played with the first card dealt to the player and the first card dealt to the dealer requires determining if the player'"'"'s first card card is respectively higher than, lower than or the same rank as the dealer'"'"'s first card and resolving the wager according to game rules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein all cards are dealt from a continuous shuffler.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein all cards are dealt face up.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first wager is resolved in favor of said player if the rank of said first card dealt to said player is higher than that of said first card to said dealer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first wager is resolved in favor of said player if the rank of said first card to said player is higher than the rank of said first card to said dealer, wherein said player is paid 1:

1 on said first wager.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said dealer are both an Ace or face card, said player is paid in the range of 1.5:

1 to 3;

1 on said insurance bet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said dealer are both Aces or both face cards, said player is paid from 1:

1 to 2;

1 on said insurance bet and said first, and other wagers are a push.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said dealer are both Aces or both face cards, and a rank of said player card exceeds a rank of said dealer card, said player is paid 1:

1 on said first wager, and wherein when said second and third wagers are a push, wherein said insurance wager is paid in the range of from 1.5;

1 to 3;

1 to said player.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said dealer are both Aces or face cards and said dealer'"'"'s card is of a higher rank than said player'"'"'s card, said player is paid a payout on said insurance wager, and all other wagers are a push.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said dealer are both an Ace or face card and said dealer and player cards of are equal rank, said player is paid 1:

1 on said first wager.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said player receives a payout of from 2:

1 to 5;

1 on said insurance wager when said first card dealt to said dealer is an Ace.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said first, second and third wagers are equal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said first, second and third wagers are mandatory bets.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of resolving said first wager results in a push if the rank of said first card to said player and said first card to said dealer are equal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein if said first wager is a push, said player receives said first, second and third wager back.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein if resolving the first placed wager according to game rules determines that the first placed wager is lost by the player, then all at least two separate wagers are collected by the dealer.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first placed wager is lost when the dealer'"'"'s card is higher in rank than the player'"'"'s card.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the first placed wager is lost when the dealer'"'"'s card is lower in rank than the player'"'"'s card.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein if said player won said first wager, said player qualifies to receive a second card and to continue playing a second segment in said card game, the method further comprising:

said dealer dealing a second card to said player and a second card to said dealer if said player won said first wager; and

resolving said second wager according to rules of a second wagering game that are different than rules of the first wager.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said second wager must be equal to said first wager.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said second wager is resolved in favor of said player if the rank of said second card to said player is higher than the rank of said second card to said dealer.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said second wager is resolved in favor of said player if the rank of said second card to said player is higher than the rank of said second card to said dealer, wherein said player is paid 3:

1 on said second wager.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of resolving said second wager results in a push if the rank of said second card to said player and said second card to said dealer are equal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein if said second wager is a push, said player receives said second and third wager back.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said method further comprises resolving said first wager in favor of said player if the rank of said first card to said player is higher than that of said first card to said apparatus, wherein said player is paid 1:

1 on said first wager.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein if said player won said second wager and has place a third wager, said player qualifies to receive a third card and to continue playing a third segment of said card game, the method further comprising:

said dealer dealing a third card to said player and a third card to said dealer if said player won said second wager; and

resolving said third wager according to rules of a third wagering game that are different than rules of the first wager and the second wager.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said third wager must be equal to said second wager.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said third wager is resolved in favor of said player if the rank of said third card to said player is higher than that the rank of said third card to said dealer.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said third wager is resolved in favor of said player if the rank of said third card to said player is higher than that the rank of said third card to said dealer, wherein said player is paid in the range of 4:

to 10;

1 on said third wager.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of resolving said third wager results in a push if the rank of said third card to said player and said third card to said dealer are equal.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein if said third wager is a push, said player receives said third wager back.

33. A method of playing a card game, comprising:

a player placing a first wager, a second wager, a third wager and having the ability to place or not to place an insurance wager on at least a first game played with the first wager on only a first card dealt to the player and on only a first card dealt to a dealer;

a dealer dealing a first card to said player and a first card to said dealer;

paying said player a predetermined amount if said first card to said dealer is an Ace or a face card if the player has placed the insurance wager; and

resolving said first wager,

wherein if said player has won said first wager, said player qualifies to receive a second card and continue playing a second segment of said card game, the method further comprising;

said dealer dealing a second card to said player and a second card to said dealer if said player won said first wager; and

resolving said second wager,

wherein if said player has won said second wager, said player qualifies to receive a third card and continue playing a third segment of said card game, the method further comprising;

said dealer dealing a third card to said player and a third card to said dealer if said player won said second wager; and

resolving said third wager.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said method further comprises requiring that said third wager must be equal to said second wager.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of resolving said second wager results in a push if the rank of said second card to said player and said second card to said apparatus are equal.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein if said second wager is a push, said method further comprises the step of returning said second and third wager to said player.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of resolving said third wager results in a push if the rank of said third card to said player and said third card to said dealer are equal.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein if said third wager is a push, said method further comprises returning said third wager to said player.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein said method further comprises paying said player 2:

1 on said insurance bet if said first card to said player and said first card to said apparatus are both Aces or both face cards.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said apparatus are both an Ace or face card, said method further comprises paying said player from 1.5:

1 to 4;

1 on said insurance bet and all other wagers are a push.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said apparatus are both Aces or both face cards, said method further comprises paying said player from 1:

1 to 2;

1 on said first wager, and other wagers, except for the insurance wager are a push and said insurance wager is paid from 1.5;

1 to 3;

1 to said player.

42. The method of claim 33, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said apparatus are both Aces or both face cards, said method further comprises paying said player in the range of from 1:

1 to 2;

1 on said first wager, and other game segment wagers are a push.

43. The method of claim 33, wherein if said first card to said player and said first card to said apparatus are both Aces or both face card, said method further comprises paying player in the range of from 1:

1 to 2;

1 on said first wager.

44. The method of claim 33, wherein said method further comprises paying said player in the range of from 2:

1 to 5;

1 when said first card to said apparatus is an Ace.

45. The method of claim 33, wherein said first, second and third wagers are equal.

46. The method of claim 33, wherein said first, second and third wagers are mandatory bets.

50. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein said method further comprises requiring that said second wager must be equal to said first wager.

47. A video gaming apparatus, comprising a microprocessor with memory, wherein said memory comprises software that includes a method of playing a game, the method comprising:

allowing a player to placing at least two wagers and an optional insurance wager on at least a first game played with only a first card dealt to the player and only a first card dealt to a dealer, wherein the at least two wagers must be consecutively played;

dealing a first virtual card to said player and a first virtual card to said apparatus;

paying said player a predetermined amount if said first virtual card to said apparatus is an Ace or a face card and when the optional insurance wager has been made; and

resolving a first wager on the at least first game played with the first card dealt to the player and the first card dealt to the dealer.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein said method further comprises resolving said first wager in favor of said player if the rank of said first card to said player is higher than that of said first card to said apparatus.

49. The video gaming apparatus of claim 47, wherein if said player has won said first wager, said player qualifies to receive a second virtual card and continue playing a second segment of said card game, the method further comprising:

dealing a second virtual card to said player and a second virtual card to said apparatus if said player won said first wager; and

resolving a second wager.

51. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein said method further comprises resolving said second wager in favor of said player if the rank of said second card to said player is higher than that of said second card to said apparatus.

52. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein said method further comprises resolving said second wager in favor of said player if the rank of said second card to said player is higher than that of said second card to said apparatus, wherein said player is paid 3:

1 on said second wager.

53. The video gaming apparatus of claim 49, wherein if said player has won said second wager, said player qualifies to receive a third virtual card and to continue playing a third segment of said card game, the method further comprising:

dealing a third virtual card to said player and a third virtual card to said apparatus if said player won said second wager; and

resolving a third wager.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein said method further comprises resolving said third wager in favor of said player if the rank of said third card to said player is higher than that of said third card to said apparatus.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein said method further comprises resolving said third wager in favor of said player if the rank of said third card to said player is higher than that of said third card to said apparatus, wherein said player is paid in a range from 4:

1 to 10;

1 on said third wager.

56. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the step of resolving said first wager results in a push if the rank of said first card to said player and said first card to said apparatus are equal.

57. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein if said first wager is a push, said method further comprises the step of returning said first, second and third wager to said player.

58. A method of playing a card game using one or more standard decks of cards, comprising:

a player placing at least two wagers on a corresponding number of consecutively played hands of cards;

optionally placing an additional insurance wager on at least a first game played with only a first card dealt to the player and only a first card dealt to a dealer;

a dealer dealing a first card to said player and a first card to a dealer;

paying the player a payout on any additional insurance wager placed when the dealer'"'"'s card is a predetermined value;

resolving a first of the at least two wagers by paying the player a first payout if a rank of the player card exceeds a rank of the dealer card, the dealer collecting the first wager if a rank of the dealer card exceeds a rank of the player card, and returning the first wager to the player if a rank of the dealer and player cards are equal; and

when the player is awarded a first payout;

resolving a second of the at least two wagers by paying the player a second payout if a rank of the player card exceeds a rank of the dealer card, the dealer collecting the first wager if a rank of the dealer card exceeds a rank of the player card, and returning the second wager to the player if a rank of the dealer and player cards are equal; and

when the player is not awarded a first payout, the dealer taking all remaining wagers placed on the consecutively played hands.