Gaming system with blackjack primary game and poker secondary game

• US 8,172,660 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Lancaster, Eric W., Kastner, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, Eric M
• Application Number:
  US11/830,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20080076500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 463 12- 16, 463 17- 22
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A gaming device having a primary game and a secondary game is provided. The gaming device includes a primary game, such as blackjack or 21 operable on a wager by a player, and an optional secondary game that is operable on a secondary game wager by a player. After placing a secondary game wager and satisfying certain criteria in the primary game, one or more players are provided with a secondary game card to be used in the secondary game. The secondary game is resolved after a player has accumulated a plurality of secondary game cards over the course of several sequentially played rounds of the primary game.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a table for a card game including at least one player position and a dealer position, said table configured for playing a primary card game employing at least one physical deck of playing cards;

at least one display device;

at least one processor;

at least one memory device; and

an electronic tracking system configured to operate with the at least one display device, the at least one processor, and the at least one memory device, to;

(i) identify at least one physical card from said at least one physical deck of playing cards and to store in the at least one memory device information related to the at least one identified physical card as a secondary game card, wherein the information stored in the at least one memory device is stored during a plurality of plays of the primary card game for use in a play of a secondary card game,

(ii) retrieve from said at least one memory device the information related to the secondary game card,

(ii) display one or more secondary game cards based on the information stored in the at least one memory device after each of the plurality of plays of the primary card game, and

(iii) evaluate any displayed secondary game cards based on the information stored in the at least one memory device to determine if one of at least one predetermined condition is met, and if one of the at least predetermined condition is met, provide an award.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, where a maximum number of secondary game cards can be accumulated for the play of the secondary card game, wherein after the maximum number of secondary game cards have been accumulated, the secondary card game includes the option to use an additional secondary game card to replace a previously stored secondary game card or to forfeit the additional secondary game card.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, where the maximum number is five.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the primary card game is one of Blackjack and Five Card Draw Poker.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the secondary game cards are cards dealt in the plays of the primary card game.

6. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein the secondary card game is a Five Card Poker game.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein a secondary card game outcome is determined if the combination of secondary game cards is a predetermined Five Card Poker ranking hand.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein one of the predetermined Five Card Poker ranking hands is a Royal Straight Flush.

9. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein after five secondary game cards have been accumulated, the secondary card game includes the option to use an additional secondary game card to replace a previously stored secondary game card or to forfeit the additional secondary game card.

10. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein a secondary game outcome is determined when the combination of secondary game cards is a predetermined Five Card Poker ranking hand.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein one of the predetermined Five Card Poker ranking hands is a Royal Straight Flush.

12. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the electronic tracking system includes a card recognition system having an optical recognition device or a radio frequency identification device configured to identify cards for each play of the primary card game.

13. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one memory device to simultaneously display secondary game cards based on the information stored in the at least one memory device and that have been accumulated over the plays of the primary card game.

14. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the card game is a multiplayer card game and the table includes a plurality of player positions, and wherein any awards are provided to a first player to are based on the information stored in the at least one memory device that meets one of a plurality of predetermined conditions.

15. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein an optional secondary wager is required for each play of the primary card game to be eligible to receive a secondary game card for said play of the primary card game, and the award is a progressive award funded, at least in part, by the secondary wagers placed by one or more players.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the progressive award is a wide area progressive award.

17. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein if a combination of secondary game cards meets one of the predetermined conditions or if a player playing the secondary game leaves, the at least one processor causes the secondary game to be terminated.

18. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) enabling a wager to be placed on a play of a primary card game played at a table;

(b) identifying at least one physical card in said play of the primary card game via an electronic tracking system;

(c) storing information related to the at least one identified physical card as a secondary game card in at least one memory device for said play of the primary card game;

(d) retrieving from said at least one memory device the information related to the secondary game card;

(d) displaying accumulated retrieved secondary game cards based on the information stored in the at least one memory device;

(e) if a combination of the displayed accumulated retrieved secondary game cards meets one of at least one predetermined condition, providing an award; and

(f) if a combination of the displayed accumulated retrieved secondary game cards does not meet one of the at least one predetermined condition and another wager is placed on another play of the primary card game, maintaining the information related to at least one of the accumulated retrieved secondary game cards in the at least one memory device and repeating (b) to (e).

19. The method of claim 18, where a maximum number of secondary game cards can be accumulated.

20. The method of claim 19, where the maximum number is five.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the primary card game is one of Blackjack and Five Card Draw Poker.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the secondary game cards are used in a secondary game and are taken from cards used in the plays of the primary card game.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the secondary card game is a Five Card Poker game.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein one of the at least one predetermined condition is where the combination of secondary game cards is one of at least one Five Card Poker ranking hands.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein one of the Five Card Poker ranking hands is a Royal Straight Flush.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein after five secondary game cards have been accumulated, the secondary card game includes replacing one of the previously accumulated secondary game cards with a new secondary game card associated with the current round of play of the game, or forfeiting the new secondary game card.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein one of the at least one predetermined condition is where the combination of secondary game cards is one of at least one Five Card Poker ranking hands.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein one of the Five Card Poker ranking hands is a Royal Straight Flush.

29. The method of claim 18, which includes providing an award to a first player of a plurality of players based on one of a plurality of predetermined conditions.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein an optional secondary wager is required for each play of the primary card game to be eligible to receive a secondary game card for said play of the primary card game, and the award is a progressive award funded, at least in part, by the secondary wagers placed by one or more players.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the progressive award is a wide area progressive award.