System and method for providing a table poker wagering game

• US 8,147,309 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GTECH Rhode Island Corporation (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: GTECH Rhode Island Corporation (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Finocchio, Richard, Napolitano, Thomas, Oram, Thomas K., Roberts, Brian J., Amirsadri, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US11/503,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20080045287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,063 Days
• Field of Search: 273/274, 273/292, 463/13, 463/24, 463/29, 463/42, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating play of a game of chance by multiple players at multiple locations using a virtual card deck are provided. The system may include a plurality of terminals at the multiple locations, the terminals receiving wagers from the plurality of players, the plurality of terminals issuing tickets to the plurality of players. Each ticket may include a respective player hand chosen from the virtual card deck and an identification code uniquely identifying the ticket. The system may include a plurality of displays at the multiple locations, the displays displaying a shared community hand chosen from the virtual card deck. The system may include a server in communication with the plurality of terminals and the plurality of displays. The server may select a set of removed cards from the virtual card deck prior to issuing tickets for the game. The server may receive an indication of each player'"'"'s wager from a terminal and responsively providing a respective unique identification number and a respective player hand for inclusion on the ticket delivered to the player, each player hand chosen from the virtual card deck but not from the set of removed cards. The server may select the shared community hand from the set of removed cards and communicating the shared community hand to the plurality of displays for display. The server may determine if a ticket is a winning ticket in accordance with predetermined game rules, based on the player hand included on the ticket and the shared community hand.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating play of a game of chance by multiple players at multiple locations using a virtual card deck, the system comprising:

a plurality of terminals at the multiple locations, the terminals receiving wagers from the plurality of players, the plurality of terminals issuing tickets to the plurality of players, each ticket including a respective player hand chosen from the virtual card deck and an identification code uniquely identifying the ticket;

a plurality of displays at the multiple locations, the displays displaying a shared community hand chosen from the virtual card deck; and

a server in communication with the plurality of terminals and the plurality of displays,

the server configured to select a set of removed cards from the virtual card deck prior to issuance of tickets for the game,

the server configured to receive an indication of each player'"'"'s wager from a terminal and configured to responsively provide a respective unique identification number and a respective player hand for inclusion on the ticket delivered to the player, each player hand chosen from the virtual card deck but not from the set of removed cards,

the server is configured to reset the virtual card deck after selecting cards for a player hand so that subsequent player cards for other players may be duplicates of the player cards chosen for the player hand,

the server configured to select the shared community hand from the set of removed cards and configured to communicate the shared community hand to the plurality of displays for display, and

the server configured to determine if a ticket is a winning ticket in accordance with predetermined game rules, based on the player hand included on the ticket and the shared community hand.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ticket is a printed ticket.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ticket is an electronic ticket.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein two different players receive the same player hand in separate entries in the same play of the game.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is also configured to select at least one fictitious opponent hand from the removed cards and to communicate the fictitious opponent hand to the plurality of displays for display, and wherein determining if a ticket is a winning ticket is also based on the fictitious opponent hand.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a ticket is a winning ticket if the player hand combined with the shared community cards is a better poker hand than the at least one fictitious opponent hand combined with the shared community cards.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein an award awarded for the winning hand depends on the type of poker hand that is obtained when the player hand is combined with the shared community cards.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein,

the game includes multiple draws;

each issued ticket includes an indication of the draws for which the ticket is issued and player hands for each of said indicated draws;

the plurality of displays are configured to display shared community hands for each draw;

for each draw, the server is configured to remove a set of removed cards for the draw from the virtual card deck for that draw, to provide player hands for the draw for tickets that include that draw, the player hands chosen from the virtual card deck for that draw after the removed cards for that draw have been removed, the server configured to select the shared community hand for the draw from the set of removed cards for that draw and to communicate the shared community hand to the plurality of displays; and

for each draw that is included on a ticket, the server is configured to determine if the ticket is a winning ticket in accordance with the predetermined games rules, based on the player hand included on the ticket for that draw and the shared community hand for that draw.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein,

the server is configured to remove the set of removed cards of a draw before the server receives an indication of any player'"'"'s wager.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to delay communicating the shared community hand to the plurality of displays until a close time has elapsed.

10. A method for conducting a wagering game with a virtual deck of cards, comprising:

removing a set of removed cards from a virtual card deck;

displaying, on a video display, a set of community cards, chosen from the set of removed cards without replacement;

displaying, on the video display, a first set of opponent cards, chosen from the set of removed cards without replacement;

receiving, at a terminal, an input indicating a player'"'"'s desire to participate in the wagering game;

choosing a first set of player cards, the first set of player cards being chosen from the virtual card deck but not from the set of removed cards;

resetting the virtual card deck after choosing the first set of player cards so that subsequent player cards for other players may be duplicates of the player cards chosen for the player hand;

determining if the first set of player cards are a winning set of cards based on the set of community cards, the first set of opponent cards and pre-determined rules; and

providing an award to the player if the first set of player cards is the winning set of cards.

11. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

removing a set of burn cards from the deck of cards prior to selecting the first set of player cards.

12. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving payment from the player.

13. A method of claim 10, wherein the deck of cards is a standard 52-card poker deck.

14. A method of claim 10, wherein the deck of cards includes wild cards.

15. A method of claim 10, wherein the award is selected from a prize table based on the pre-determined rules and is based in part on the first set of player cards, the community cards and the first set of opponent cards.

16. A method of claim 10, wherein the indication is received from a terminal and the award is provided at the terminal.

17. A method of claim 10, wherein the first set of player cards is displayed to the player on a printed ticket.

18. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

randomly selecting the set of community cards, the first set of opponent cards and the first set of player cards from the deck of cards without replacement prior to displaying the first set of player cards.

19. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an input indicating a player'"'"'s desire to participate in a second hand in the wagering game;

displaying a second set of player cards from the deck of cards, chosen from the virtual card deck but not from the set of removed cards;

determining if the second set of player cards are a winning set cards of based on pre-determined rules; and

providing an award to the player if the second set of player cards is the winning set of cards.

20. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a second set of opponent cards from the deck of cards, wherein the second set of opponent cards are selected from the deck of cards prior to selecting the first set of player cards.

21. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an input indicating a second player'"'"'s desire to participate in the wagering game;

displaying a set of second player cards from the deck of cards, chosen from the virtual card deck but not from the set of removed cards;

determining if the set of second player cards are a winning set cards of based on pre-determined rules; and

providing an award to the second player if the set of second player cards is the winning set of cards.

22. A method of claim 10, wherein the pre-determined rules include evaluating a player'"'"'s hand including at least one card from the first set of player cards and at least one card from the set of community cards.

29. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

delaying the display of the first set of player cards until a close time has elapsed.

23. A system for conducting a wagering game with a virtual deck of cards, comprising:

a network;

a first terminal including,

a first input device configured to receive an indication of a first player'"'"'s desire to participate in the wagering game, and

a first ticket dispenser configured to dispense a ticket displaying a first player'"'"'s set of cards;

a second terminal including,

a second input device configured to receive an indication of a second player'"'"'s desire to participate in the wagering game, and

a second ticket dispenser configured to dispense a ticket displaying a second player'"'"'s set of cards;

a display configured to,

display a set of community cards,

display a set of opponent cards, and

display a winning set of cards based on pre-determined rules; and

a server in communication with the first terminal and the second terminal via the network, the server configured to,

receive the indication of the first player'"'"'s desire to participate in the wagering game from the first terminal through the network interface,

receive the indication of the second player'"'"'s desire to participate in the wagering game from the second terminal through the network interface,

select the set of community cards and the set of opponent cards from a set of cards removed from the deck of cards without replacement,

select the first player'"'"'s set of cards and reset the deck of cards after selecting the first player'"'"'s set of cards so that player cards for the second player may be duplicates of the player cards chosen for the first player,

select the second player'"'"'s set of cards from the reset deck of cards, and

communicate the set of community cards and the set of opponent cards to the display.

24. A system of claim 23, wherein the server further includes a prize table.

25. A system of claim 23, wherein the set of community cards, the set of opponent cards, the first player'"'"'s set of cards and the second set of player cards are selected randomly.

26. A system of claim 23, wherein

the display is further configured to display a set of burn cards, and

the processor is further configured to select the set of burn cards from the deck of cards without replacement before selecting the first player'"'"'s set of cards and the second set of player cards.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the server is configured to delay communicating the set of community cards to the display until a close time has elapsed.

27. A computer readable medium including instructions adapted to execute a method for conducting a wagering game with a virtual deck of cards, the method comprising:

removing a set of removed cards from a virtual card deck;

displaying, on a video display, a set of community cards, chosen from the set of removed cards without replacement;

displaying, on the video display, a first set of opponent cards, chosen from the set of removed cards without replacement;

receiving an input indicating a player'"'"'s desire to participate in the wagering game;

choosing a first set of player cards, the first set of player cards being chosen from the virtual card deck but not from the set of removed cards;

resetting the virtual card deck after choosing the first set of player cards so that subsequent player cards for other players may include duplicates of the cards in the first set of player cards,

determining if the first set of player cards are a winning set of cards based on the set of community cards, the first set of opponent cards and pre-determined rules; and

providing an award to the player if the first set of player cards is the winning set of cards.