Method and apparatus for playing blackjack with a 3- or 5-card numerical side wager (“21+3/5 numerical”)

• US 6,902,167 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Prime Table Games LLC
• Original Assignee: Prime Table Games LLC
• Inventors: Webb, Derek J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US10/685,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20040080110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 273/292, 273/309, 273/274, 463/12, 463/13
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/003 Blackjack; Twenty one
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/005 Poker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A card game combines the play of Blackjack (“21”) with a side wager. Each player places a basic Blackjack wager and an optional side wager before the cards are dealt. Each player is dealt at least one hand of two cards with the dealer receiving a face-up card. A side wager hand consists of the at least one 2-card hand dealt to that player and the dealer'"'"'s face-up card. The side wager hand is resolved according to a numerical total of the hand and in some embodiments also a Poker rank. Subsequently, the game of Blackjack continues in a typical fashion. The invention advantageously retains all the features and advantages of Blackjack as well as provides the dynamics of novel side wager, without interfering with the card sequence, for enhanced player anticipation and enjoyment.

Claims

1. A method of playing a card game with one or more decks of playing cards, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) dealing at least one hand of two cards to a player and a card to a dealer;

(b) forming a side wager hand, including said at least one hand of two cards dealt to said player and said card dealt to said dealer;

(c) resolving said side wager hand based on a numerical total of said side wager hand; and

(d) continuing with a Blackjack game.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more decks of playing cards comprises Aces, each having a value of eleven (11), face cards, each having a value of ten (10), and numerical cards having face value, and wherein step (a) comprises dealing only one hand of two cards to the player.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein step (c) is practiced by declaring the side wager hand a winner if the numerical total of the side wager hand is a value of H or higher.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein H is thirty (30).

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein step (c) is practiced by resolving said side wager hand based on a numerical total of said side wager hand and a Poker rank of said side wager hand.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of receiving at least a side wager from said player.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein step (c) is practiced by paying a payout based on said side wager in increasing amounts according to hand ranks as follows:

TotalPoker30suited30sequential30suited and sequential30suited three of a kind31suited31sequential31suited and sequential32suited33suited.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein step (c) is practiced by paying a payout based on said side wager in increasing amounts according to hand ranks as follows:

TotalPoker30313230suited30sequential30suited and sequential30suited three of a kind31suited31sequential31suited and sequential32suited33suited.

9. A method according to claim 2, wherein step (c) is practiced by declaring the side wager hand a winner if the numerical total of the side wager hand is either (i) a value of H or higher or (ii) a value of L or lower.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein H is thirty (30), and wherein L is fifteen (15).

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more decks of playing cards comprises Aces, each having a value of either one (1) or eleven (11), face cards, each having a value of ten (10), and numerical cards having face value, and wherein step (a) comprises dealing only one hand of two cards to the player.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein step (c) is practiced by declaring the side wager hand a winner if the numerical total of the side wager hand is either (i) a value of H or higher or (ii) a value of L or lower.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more decks of playing cards comprises Aces, each having a value of one (1), face cards, each having a value of ten (10), and numerical cards having face value, and wherein step (a) comprises dealing only one hand of two cards to the player.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein step (c) is practiced by declaring the side wager hand a winner if the numerical total of the side wager hand is either (i) a value of H or higher or (ii) a value of L or lower.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (c) is practiced by declaring the side wager hand a winner if the numerical total of the side wager hand exceeds a predetermined amount.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (c) is practiced by declaring the side wager hand a winner if the numerical total of the side wager hand is less than a predetermined amount.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (c) is practiced by declaring the side wager hand a winner if the numerical total of the side wager hand either exceeds a predetermined amount or is less than a predetermined amount.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (c) is practiced by resolving said side wager hand based on a numerical total and a Poker rank of said side wager hand.

19. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of receiving at least a side wager from said player, wherein step (c) is practiced by paying a payout for a winning side wager hand based on said side wager.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (a) is practiced by dealing two hands of two cards to the player, and wherein step (b) is practiced by forming the side wager hand including said two hands of two cards dealt to said player and said card dealt to said dealer.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein step (c) is practiced by resolving said side wager hand based on a numerical total and a Poker rank of said side wager hand.

22. A method of playing a Blackjack casino card game including a side wager without affecting the underlying Blackjack game, the method comprising:

(a) receiving at least a side game wager from a player;

(b) dealing at least one hand of two cards to a player and a card to a dealer;

(c) forming a side wager hand, including said at least one hand of two cards dealt to said player and said card dealt to said dealer;

(d) resolving said side wager hand based on a numerical total of said side wager hand by paying a payout based on said side game wager when the numerical total exceeds a predetermined total, said payout increasing with increasing numerical totals; and

(e) continuing with the Blackjack game.

23. A method of playing a card game with one or more decks of playing cards, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) dealing at least one hand of two cards to a player;

(b) dealing a non-player card;

(c) forming a side wager hand, including said at least one hand of two cards dealt to said player and said non-player card;

(d) resolving said side wager hand based on a numerical total of said side wager hand; and

(e) continuing with a Blackjack game.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein step (b) is practiced by dealing a card to a dealer.