Systems, methods and articles to facilitate playing card games with selectable odds

• US 7,686,681 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2006
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard, Huizinga, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US11/437,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20060211481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 463 10- 13, 463 16- 22, 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 42, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/142.B, 273/142.A, 273/142.J, 273/148.A, 273/148.R, 273/148.B, 273/149.P, 273/149.R, 273/274, 273292-293, 273/304, 273/306, 273/309, 283/49, 283/903
• US Class Current: 463/11
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2419 Optical

Abstract

A system and method forms playing card markings on playing card media to provide playing cards based on a desired set of payout or house odds and/or house advantage. The playing cards may, for example, be printed in a random or pseudo-random order that is based on the selected payout or house odds and/or house advantage.

Claims

1. A gaming system, comprising:

an input device operable to receive selections indicative of at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage for at least one hand to be played by at least one player of a card game, wherein the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage is selectable based on the selections input by the at least one player; and

a playing card printing system including at least one head operable to form playing card markings on playing card media, the playing card printing system communicatively coupled to receive a number of signals based on the selections received at the input device and the playing card printing system responsive to the selections received at the input device to provide the at least one hand of physical playing cards, where the physical playing cards forming the at least one hand of physical playing cards correspond to at least one sequence of virtual playing card values that are pseudo-randomly generated based at least in part on the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage which the selections received at the input device are indicative of.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the selections received by the input device identify house advantages for respective hands of playing cards, and wherein the at least one set of virtual playing card values is pseudo-randomly generated based at least in part on the respective house advantage.

3. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the selections indicative of the at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage received by the input device include respective sets of house odds, and wherein the at least one set of virtual playing card values is pseudo-randomly generated based at least in part on a respective house advantage indicated by a respective one of the sets of house odds.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one processor configured to generate at least one sequence of the virtual playing card values based at least in part on selections received at the input device.

5. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the playing card printing system includes at least one processor configured to generate at least one sequence of virtual playing card values based at least in part on selections received at the input device.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 wherein the playing card printing system includes at least one processor configured to generate at least one sequence of virtual playing card values based at least in part on selections received at the input device and to cause the head to form the playing card markings on the playing card media in an order based at least in part on the at least one sequence of virtual playing card values.

7. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

receiving selections at an input device, the selections indicative of at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage for at least one hand of physical playing cards to be played by at least one player of a card game, wherein the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage is selectable based on the selections input by the at least one player;

pseudo-randomly generating a set of virtual playing card values based at least in part on the set of house odds or the house advantage indicated by the selections received at the input device; and

forming playing card markings on playing card media to provide the at least one hand of physical playing cards, where the physical playing cards forming the at least one hand correspond to the set of virtual playing card values that are pseudo-randomly generated based at least in part on the selections received from the input device which selections are indicative of the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said receiving selections at the input device indicative of the at least one of a set of house odds or the house advantage for at least one hand of playing cards to be played by at least one player of a card game includes receiving a set of house odds selected by the at least one player.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a total number of playing card values from which the set of virtual playing card values will be generated based on the received selection; and

wherein pseudo-randomly generating the set of virtual playing card values includes pseudo-randomly generating the set of virtual playing card values from the total number of virtual playing card values.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said pseudo-randomly generating the set of virtual playing card values from the total number of virtual playing card values includes pseudo-randomly generating the set of virtual playing card values from an integer multiple of fifty-two virtual playing card values corresponding to respective ones of playing cards in a standard deck of playing cards.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said forming the playing card markings includes printing the playing card markings on the playing card media in an order based at least in part on the set of virtual playing card values that are pseudo-randomly generated.

12. A computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instructions that cause a computer to operate a gaming system, by:

receiving selections indicative of at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage for at least one hand of physical playing cards to be played by at least one player of a card game, wherein the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage is selectable based on the selections input by the at least one player; and

forming playing card markings on playing card media to provide the at least one hand of physical playing cards, where the physical playing cards forming the at least one hand of physical playing cards correspond to a sequence of virtual playing card values pseudo-randomly generated based at least in part on a respective one of the received selections indicative of the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage selected for the respective hand of physical playing cards.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein said receiving selections indicative of the at least one of a set of house odds or the house advantage for at least one hand to be played by at least one player of the card game includes receiving a signal indicative of a set of house odds selected by the at least one player.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the computer executable instructions cause the computer to operate the gaming system further by:

for each of the hands of playing cards,

determining a total number of virtual playing card values from which the set of virtual playing card values will be generated based on the respective one of the received selections; and

pseudo-randomly generating the set of virtual playing card values from the total number of virtual playing card values.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein said pseudo-randomly generating the set of virtual playing card values from the total number of virtual playing card values includes pseudo-randomly generating the set of virtual playing card values from an integer multiple of fifty-two virtual playing card values corresponding to respective ones of playing cards in a standard deck of playing cards.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein said forming playing card markings on playing card media to provide the at least one hand of playing cards includes printing the playing card markings on the playing card media in an order based at least in part on the set of virtual playing card values that are pseudo-randomly generated.