Table with computer for playing card selection game

• US 7,806,408 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThwartPoker, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ThwartPoker, Inc.
• Inventors: Pfeiffer, Arthur M., Pfeiffer, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan; James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAY, BRANDON RAMON
• Application Number:
  US11/133,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20050212214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/42, 463/11, 463/12, 463/13, 463/22, 273/149, 273/138, 273/292, 273/293
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• 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

One embodiment of the invention is a method of playing computerized card games against real players at a table. The cards games are usually variations of poker, where the quality of the players'"'"' hands is due to skill and strategy rather than the luck of the draw. Players request desired cards from an actual or computerized dealer without knowledge of which cards other players have requested. A null card, which has no value in determining the outcome of the game, is delivered to players who request the same card as another player has requested regardless of whether the card was requested previously or during the current round. In another embodiment, a null card is delivered only when two or more players request the same card during the current round or if a player requests a card that has already been distributed. Each player has a display screen showing that player'"'"'s hand. The players may make card selections using a touchscreen.

Claims

1. A system for playing a card game comprising:

a table (800);

a plurality of player positions at the table;

a display screen (804) located at each player position for viewing by a player in front of the display screen;

at least one computer (822) communicating with each display screen (804), with at least one computer being programmed to carry out the card game using card representations of playing cards stored in a memory, the program enabling a player at a player position at the table to play the card game against at least one other player at another of the player positions at the table, a player remaining in the game being defined as an active player, the at least one computer being programmed for performing the steps comprising;

a) displaying to each active player the same one or more randomly dealt community cards from a same set of playing cards, the one or more community cards being usable by all players in forming a card hand, all community cards in the card game being randomly dealt before any cards are dealt to individual players, the set of playing cards being a representation of a physical set of playing cards, each active player'"'"'s display screen (804) displaying at least the same portion of the set of playing cards face up to create a displayed set of playing cards;

b) detecting a selection by each active player a desired card of a particular rank and suit from the displayed set of playing cards excluding the randomly dealt cards in step (a);

c) for each active player, determining if the card selected by that player is the same as a card selected by another player in a current round or the same as a card dealt to another player in a previous round;

d) if a first player chose the same card as another player, as determined in step (c), dealing the first player a null card that has no value in forming a card hand, wherein the null card is displayed on the first player'"'"'s display screen (804) along with the rank and suit of the corresponding card the first player selected;

e) if the first player did not choose the same card as another player, as determined in step (c), dealing the first player the card that the first player selected, wherein, each active player'"'"'s display screen (804) displays the order and identity of every card selected by that player;

f) repeating steps b-e if there is more than one active player after a round of play, until the same predetermined number of cards have been dealt to each active player; and

g) controlling the display screen (804) to identify the active player with the best hand of cards, according to predetermined rules of play.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an electronic sensor for sensing an identity of an actual playing card on a top surface of the table.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an electronic sensor for sensing a value of a betting chip on a top surface of the table.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one computer is further programmed for performing the following steps:

receiving identities of one or more actual cards on the table; and

combining identities of the one or more cards on the table and identities of cards selected by the players to determine a best hand.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein each display screen comprises a touch screen for players to enter their card selections.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein step c comprises:

c) for each active player, determining if the card selected by that player is the same as a card selected by another player during a current or previous round during a current game.

7. A method for playing a card game comprising:

a) providing a table (800) with multiple player positions, the table having a display screen (804) at each player position;

b) providing at least one computer (822) communicating with each display screen (804), with at least one computer being programmed to carry out the card game using card representations of playing cards stored in a memory, the program enabling a player at a player position at the table to play the card game against at least one other player at another of the player positions at the table, a player remaining in the game being defined as an active player;

c) displaying to each active player the same one or more randomly dealt community cards from a same set of playing cards, the one or more community cards being usable by all players in forming a card hand, all community cards in the card game being randomly dealt before any cards are dealt to individual players, the set of playing cards being a representation of a physical set of playing cards, each active player'"'"'s display screen (804) displaying at least the same portion of the set of playing cards face up to create a displayed set of playing cards;

d) detecting a selection by each active player of a desired card of a particular rank and suit from the displayed set of playing cards excluding the randomly dealt cards in step (c);

e) for each active player, determining if the card selected by that player is the same as a card selected by another player in a current round or the same as a card dealt to another player in a previous round;

f) if a first player chose the same card as another player, as determined in step (e), dealing the first player a null card that has no value in forming a card hand, wherein the null card is displayed on the first player'"'"'s display screen (804) along with the rank and suit of the corresponding card the first player selected;

g) if the first player did not choose the same card as another player, as determined in step (e), dealing the first player the card that the first player selected, wherein, each active player'"'"'s display screen (804) displays the order and identity of every card selected by that player;

h) repeating steps d-g if there is more than one active player after a round of play, until the same predetermined number of cards have been dealt to each active player; and

i) controlling the display screen (804) to identify the active player with the best hand of cards, according to predetermined rules of play.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein dealing a null card in step f and dealing a selected card in step g comprises the computer transmitting signals for displaying a null card and a selected card on a player'"'"'s display screen.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein step c comprises a dealer laying out physical cards on the table as community cards for use by all players.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein step c comprises displaying the community cards only on the display screens.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein step c comprises revealing the community cards to players at the table by placing actual cards on the table, the method further comprising electronically sensing identities of the community cards and storing the identities in the computer.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein electronically sensing comprises sensing the identities using a radio frequency identification device in each card.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein step d comprises selecting cards by each active player using a touchscreen.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein dealing the null card in step f and dealing a selected card in step g comprises dealing the null card and dealing the selected card so that the null card and selected card are viewable only by the player who was dealt the null card and selected card.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein dealing the null card in step f and dealing a selected card in step g comprises dealing the null card and dealing the selected card so that the null card and selected card are viewable by all the players.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein step e comprises:

e) for each active player, determining if the card selected by that player is the same as a card selected by another player during a current or previous round during a current game.

17. The method of claim 7 further comprising revealing one or more additional cards to all players after the players have selected at least one card.

18. The method of claim 7 wherein step f further comprises displaying an image of that null card on the display screen for the first player, the null card image conveying the selected card and an indication that it has no value.