Gaming device having a card game with negative impact cards

• US 6,991,538 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Cannon, Lee E.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US10/659,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20050054409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 463/13, 463 16- 22, 463/25, 463 30- 31, 463 40- 42, 273/143.R, 273/292
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A gaming device having a poker game including at least one card in addition to a conventional fifty-two card deck which has a negative impact on the hand held by the player. In one embodiment, the negative impact card is not considered when determining if a winning combination exists. Additional embodiments include an inability to discard the negative impact card requiring the player to play for a winning combination among four, rather than five, cards. In an alternative embodiment, the player must decide whether to discard a card without knowing if it is a positive or negative impact card. Whether the card is a positive or negative impact card is not revealed to the player until after the first draw. The negative impact card can be used in all poker games and other card games where the player has a limited number of cards from which to determine a win.

Claims

1. A method of operating a poker game, said method comprising:

(a) receiving an initial wager from a player;

(b) dealing a hand to the player including a first plurality of cards from a deck of cards, wherein said deck of cards includes fifty-two standard cards, at least one positive impact card and at least one negative impact card, wherein if at least one of the positive or negative impact cards is in the hand, not revealing to the player whether said card is a positive impact card or a negative impact card;

(c) revealing to the player whether any remaining positive or negative impact cards in the hand are one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards after the player has caused a replacement, if any, of at least one of the first plurality of cards;

(d) evaluating the cards in the hand; and

(e) providing an award to the player if the hand includes a winning combination of cards, wherein, if at least one of the negative impact cards is in the hand, the negative impact card cannot be part of any winning combination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing at least one of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing a plurality of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing all of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

5. The method of claim 1, which includes enabling the player to cause the replacement of the at least one of the first plurality of cards with at least one other card from the deck of cards.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein enabling the player to cause the replacement of the at least one of the first plurality of cards includes enabling the player to cause the replacement of any of said first plurality of cards including any negative impact cards if said negative impact cards are in said first plurality of cards.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein enabling the player to cause the replacement of at least one of the first plurality of cards includes enabling the player to cause the replacement of any of said first plurality of cards except the negative impact card if said negative impact card is one of said first plurality of cards.

8. The method of claim 1, which includes displaying whether a card is one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards after the player has caused the replacement, if any, of the at least one of the first plurality of cards with the at least one other card from the deck of cards.

9. The method of claim 1, including randomly determining whether the card is one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards.

10. The method of claim 1, which includes replacing at least one of the first plurality of cards with at least one other card from the deck of cards.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein replacing the at least one of the first plurality of cards includes displaying at least one of the replacement cards face-up to the player.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the replacement of the at least one of the first plurality of cards includes returning the replaced card to the deck of cards.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the winning combination of cards includes at least one of the results selected from the group consisting of:

one pair, two pairs, three-of-a-kind, a straight, a flush, a full house, four-of-a-kind, a straight flush and a royal flush.

14. The method of claim 1, which is operated via a data network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data network is an internet.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the cards are virtual and are adapted to be displayed by a display device of a gaming machine.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein computer instructions for implementing steps (a) to (e) are stored on a memory device.

18. A method of operating a poker game, said method comprising:

(a) receiving an initial wager from a player;

(b) dealing a hand to the player including a first plurality of cards from a deck of cards, wherein said deck of cards includes at least one positive impact card and at least one negative impact card, wherein if at least one of the positive or negative impact cards is in the hand, not revealing to the player whether said card is a positive impact card or a negative impact card;

(c) enabling the player to cause a replacement of one or more of the first plurality of cards each for at least one other card from the deck of cards, wherein the player can cause the replacement of any impact cards if said impact cards are in said first plurality of cards;

(d) revealing to the player whether any remaining positive or negative cards in the hand are one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards after the player has caused the replacement, if any, of at least one of the first plurality of cards;

(e) evaluating the cards in the hand; and

(f) providing an award to the player if the hand includes a winning combination of cards, wherein, if one of the negative cards is in the hand, the negative impact card cannot be part of any winning combination.

19. The method of claim 18, which includes displaying whether a card is one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards after the player has caused the replacement, if any, of the at least one of the first plurality of cards with the at least one other card from the deck of cards.

20. The method of claim 18, including randomly determining whether the card is one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing at least one of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing a plurality of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing all of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the replacement of the at least one of the first plurality of cards includes returning the replaced card to the deck of cards.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the replacement of the at least one of the first plurality of cards includes displaying at least one of the replacement cards face-up to the player.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the winning combination of cards includes at least one of the results selected from the group consisting of:

one pair, two pairs, three-of-a-kind, a straight, a flush, a full house, four-of-a-kind, a straight flush and a royal flush.

27. The method of claim 18, which is operated via a data network.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the data network is an internet.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein the cards are virtual and are displayed by a display device of a gaming machine.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein computer instructions for implementing steps (a) to (f) are stored on a memory device.

31. A method of operating a poker game, said method comprising:

(a) receiving an initial wager from a player;

(b) dealing a hand to the player including a first plurality of cards from a deck of cards, wherein said deck of cards includes at least one positive impact card and at least one negative impact card;

(c) enabling the player to cause a replacement of at least one of the first plurality of cards except any impact card each for at least one other card from the deck of cards;

(d) revealing to the player whether any remaining positive or negative impact cards in the hand are one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards after the player has caused the replacement, if any, of the at least one of the first plurality of cards;

(e) evaluating the cards in the hand; and

(f) providing an award to the player if the hand includes a winning combination of cards, wherein, if the negative impact card is in the hand, the negative impact card cannot be part of any winning combination.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing at least one of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing a plurality of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein dealing the hand to the player includes dealing all of the first plurality of cards in the hand face-up to the player.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the replacement of the at least one of the first plurality of cards includes displaying at least one of the replacement cards face-up to the player.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the winning combination of cards includes at least one of the results selected from the group consisting of:

a pair, two pairs, three-of-a-kind, a straight, a flush, a full house, four-of-a-kind, a straight flush and a royal flush.

37. The method of claim 31, which is operated via a data network.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the data network is an internet.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein the cards are virtual and are displayed by a display device of a gaming machine.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein computer instructions for implementing steps (a) to (f) are stored on a memory device.

41. The method of claim 31, which includes displaying whether the card is one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards after the player has caused the replacement, if any, of the at least one of the first plurality of cards with the at least one other card from the deck of cards.

42. The method of claim 31, including randomly determining whether the card is one of the positive impact cards or one of the negative impact cards.

43. The method of claim 31, wherein the replacement of the at least one of the first plurality of cards includes returning the replaced card to the deck of cards.