Card game interface

• US 8,152,617 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marcus A. Katz
• Original Assignee: Marcus A. Katz
• Inventors: Katz, Marcus A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kebede, Brook
• Application Number:
  US12/348,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20090176547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 463 10- 13, 463/20, 273/292
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

Among other things, a system includes a card-game table that includes visually defined regions on a surface of the card-game table to accommodate one or more card hands of each of one or more participants in addition to one or more separate card hands of a house entity. An analysis system is associated with the card table and configured to receive data representing at least a value associated with each card from a group of cards dealt by a dealer to the one or more hands of each participant in addition to the one or more separate hands of the house; process the received data to calculate scores and odds for the one or more hands of each participant in addition to the one or more separate hands of the house, and generate an output signal indicative of the calculated scores and odds.

Claims

1. A gaming system, comprising:

a card-game table comprising visually defined regions on a surface of the card-game table to accommodate one or more card hands of each of one or more participants in addition to one or more separate card hands of a house entity;

an analysis system associated with the card table, wherein the analysis system is configured to perform the following;

receive bet data indicative of bets placed by the one or more participants;

determine whether to deal an initial participant player hand, an initial participant bank hand, or both, to each of the participants based on the received bet data;

receive card data comprising a value associated with each card that is dealt to the participants and to an initial house entity player hand and an initial house entity bank hand;

process the received card data to calculate scores and odds relating to any initial participant player hands or initial participant bank hands that were dealt, plus the house entity initial player hand and the house entity initial bank hand, in accordance with the scoring and odds associated with a game of baccarat; and

generate an output signal indicative of the calculated scores and odds; and

a display device in communication with the analysis system to receive the generated output signal and display the received output signal as at least a visual indication of the calculated scores and odds.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a card reader in communication with the analysis system, wherein the card reader is configured to perform operations comprising:

identify the value associated with each card dealt; and

send the data representing the identified value to the analysis system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis system is further configured to perform operations comprising:

determining whether each initial participant player hand should receive another card;

determining whether the initial house entity bank hand should receive another card;

calculating a final score of each participant player hand and for the house entity bank hand; and

determining a winner between each participant player hand and the house entity bank hand.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the analysis system is configured to receive an additional bet after any participant player hands have been dealt.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the analysis system is further configured to receive a second additional bet after one of the initial participant player hands has been dealt an additional card.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a liquid crystal display positioned at or near the baccarat table so as to be viewable by the participants.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more remote devices in communication with the analysis system to receive the generated output signal.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more remote devices are configured to perform operations comprising:

receive an input from one or more remote participants, wherein the input represents a request to place a bet on a one of the card hands of each participant and the house entity; and

send the input representing the request to the analysis system.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more remote devices are located at a location remote from the card-game table and in communication with the analysis system over a network connection.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a separate display unit for each participant.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the separate display unit for each participant each comprises a touch-screen to receive bets from a respective participant, wherein the received bets comprise bets on any of the hands dealt at the card-game table.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises multiple display regions configured to display the output signal so as to provide the scores and odds for each participant in a separate one of the display regions viewable by each participant.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more input sensors associated with one or more visually defined regions on the surface of the card-game table to detect bets placed by the one or more participants and to generate the bet data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more input sensors comprises a pressure sensor to detect a presence of betting chips.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising one or more visual indicators associated with one or more visually defined regions on the surface of the card-game table to provide one or more visual indications of whether each participant should receive an initial player hand, an initial bank hand, or both.

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

an image capture device in communication with the analysis system to capture live video data of a card game at the card-game table; and

one or more slot machines to receive the captured live video data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more slot machines are configured to receive bets from a slot machine users based on the received video data.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the image capture device provides the card data to the analysis system.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the analysis system is further configured to perform operations comprising:

determining whether the initial house entity player hand should receive another card;

determining whether any initial participant bank hands should receive another card;

calculating a final score of the house entity player hand and any participant bank hands; and

determining a winning hand between the house entity player hand and each participant bank hand.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the analysis system is further configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving an additional bet after the initial participant player hands have been dealt and before another card is provided to the initial house entity player hand.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the analysis system is further configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a second additional bet after the initial house entity player hand has received an additional card.

22. A method performed by an electronic processing system, comprising:

receiving betting data relating to one or more bets from one or more participants, the data provided by one or more input sensors;

determining whether to deal an initial participant player hand, an initial participant bank hand, or both, to each of the participants based on the betting data;

providing an electronic signal to a display device signaling a dealer to deal the initial participant player hand, the initial participant bank hand, or both, to each participant depending on the initial bets received from the participants;

detecting card data as the hands are provided to the participants and to an initial house entity player hand and an initial house entity bank hand;

process the received card data to calculate scores and odds relating to any initial participant player hands or initial participant bank hands that were dealt, plus the initial house entity player hand and the initial house entity bank hand, in accordance with the scoring and odds associated with a game of baccarat; and

providing an electronic signal indicative of the calculated scores and odds to at least one participant.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining whether each initial participant player hand should receive another card;

determining whether the initial house entity bank hand should receive another card;

calculating a final score of each participant player hand and for the house entity bank hand; and

determining a winning hand between each participant player hand and the house entity bank hand.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving an additional bet from the one or more input sensors after the participant player hands have been deal.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving a second additional bet from the one or more input sensors after one of the initial participant player hands has been dealt an additional card.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining whether the initial house entity player hand should receive another card;

determining whether any initial participant bank hands should receive another card;

calculating a final score of the house entity player hand and any participant bank hands; and

determining a winning hand between the house entity player hand and each participant bank hand.

27. The method of claim 22, comprising:

receiving an additional bet from the one or more input sensors after the participant player hands have been dealt and before another card is provided to the initial house entity player hand.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving a second additional bet from the one or more input sensors after the initial house entity player hand has received an additional card.