Special multiplier bonus game in Pai Gow Poker variant

• US 7,905,770 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Snow, Roger M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US10/770,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20050170875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,598 Days
• Field of Search: 463 11- 13, 463/16, 463/22, 463/25, 463/29, 273/274, 273/292
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A method of playing a Pai Gow Poker wagering card game is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) a player placing a wager on a Pai Gow Poker game, b) players placing a second wager against a pay table on a separate poker-type game that uses each player'"'"'s best five-card hands from each player, c) dealing seven-card hands from a set of cards to six player positions and to one dealer position; d) resolving the Pai Gow game and awarding bonuses to players making the second wager that have a best five-card hand that exceeds a predetermined rank; and e) awarding an additional bonus to players with hands that exceed the predetermined rank if the dealer'"'"'s best five-card hand is equal to or less than a predetermined rank. An optional envy hand event may be included with the second wager or a special qualifying second or third wager.

Claims

1. A method of playing a Pai Gow poker wagering card game comprising:

a. A dealer accepting a wager from a player wagering on a Pai Gow game;

b. The dealer accepting from the player either an optional or mandatory wager against a pay table on a separate poker-type game that uses a best five-card hand from each player'"'"'s hand;

c. The dealer dealing seven-card hands from a set of physical playing cards to multiple player positions and one dealer position;

d. The dealer resolving the game of Pai Gow poker;

e. The dealer forming best five-card poker hands from the physical playing cards for at least each player having placed the wager against the pay table;

f. The dealer resolving wagers with players who have placed the optional or mandatory wager when that player'"'"'s best five-card poker hand equals or exceeds a predetermined rank; and

g. The dealer providing an additional award immediately from a paytable to players who have placed the optional or mandatory wager i) when that player'"'"'s best five-card poker hand from the physical playing cards at the player'"'"'s position equals or exceeds a predetermined rank and ii) when a best five-card hand for the dealer from the physical playing cards at the one dealer position is equal to or less than a predetermined rank.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of cards comprises a standard fifty-two card deck with at least one joker and there are six player positions to which hands are dealt.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the set of cards consists of fifty-three cards, a fifty-two card playing card deck and one joker.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the wager against a pay table does not enter the player into an envy hand wagering event.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the wager against a pay table enters the player into an envy hand wager event.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the wager against the pay table is optional.

7. The method of claim 1 where a first level of the wager against a pay table enters the player into the wagering event against the pay table and a second and higher level of wager against the pay table enters the player into the wagering event against the pay table and an envy hand poker gaming event.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the wager against the pay table is optional.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a pay table for the best five-card hand for a player requires a rank of at least three-of-a-kind for payment.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a pay table for the best 5-Card hand for a player requires a rank of at least a straight for payment.

11. The method of claim 1 where the wager against a pay table enters the player into the wagering event against the pay table and an envy hand poker gaming event.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional award is a multiple of at least 1×

the wager against the pay table.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the multiple is fixed.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the multiple is variable, depending upon a composition of the dealer'"'"'s best five card hand.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the sym of an award from step f and step g is equal to a multiple of the wager from step b.

16. A method of playing a Pai Gow poker wagering card game comprising:

a. A dealer accepting a wager from a player on a Pai Gow game;

b. The dealer accepting an optional wager on a separate poker-type game that uses best five-card hands from player cards;

c. The dealer dealing seven-card hands of physical playing cards to six player positions and one dealer position;

d. The dealer resolving the game of Pai Gow poker;

e. The dealer comparing each best five-card poker hand of each player who made the optional wager, each hand made from player physical playing cards and each hand being compared against a pay table for predetermined hand ranks;

f. The dealer paying players who have both placed the additional wager and provided hands of at least the predetermined rank according to the pay table and rules of the separate poker-type game played with best five-card hands of the players from their physical playing card seven-card hands; and

g. if a best 5-Card hand from the one dealer position'"'"'s seven-card hand of physical playing cards for the dealer from the dealer'"'"'s Pai Gow cards is equal to or less than a predetermined rank, the dealer increasing the amount of payment to players from f).

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the set of cards consists of fifty-three cards, a fifty-two card playing card deck and one joker.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the wager against a pay table does not enter the player into an envy hand wagering event.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the wager against a pay table enters the player into an envy hand wager event.

20. The method of claim 16 where a first level of the wager against a pay table enters the player into the wagering event against the pay table and a second and higher level of wager enters the player into the wagering event against the pay table and an envy hand gaming event.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the wager against the pay table is optional.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the wager against the pay table is optional.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein a pay table for the best 5-Card hand for a player requires a rank of at least three-of-a-kind for payment.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein a pay table for the best 5-Card hand for a player requires a rank of at least a straight for payment.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein no fee is charged by the dealer for a favorable resolution of the Pai Gow wager when the wager against the pay table is made.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein no fee is charged by the dealer for a favorable resolution of the Pai Gow wager when the wager against the pay table is made and a qualifying wager for an envy hand poker game is made.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the additional award is a multiple of at least 1×

the wager against the pay table.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the multiple is fixed.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein the multiple is variable, depending upon a composition of the dealer'"'"'s best five card hand.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein the sym of an award from step f and step g is equal to a multiple of the wager from step b.