System and method for managing calculated odds bets in a blackjack game

• US 8,246,048 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cantor Index LLC
• Original Assignee: Cantor Index LLC
• Inventors: Asher, Joseph M., Findlay, Lewis C., Riches, Guy Iain Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US12/135,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20080242388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: 463/12, 463/25, 273/292
• US Class Current: 273/292
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A method of managing a blackjack game is provided. A blackjack game bet comprising a bet against a house entity on a blackjack hand is received from a player. A pair of cards is determined for a hand for the house entity, and another pair of cards is determined for a hand for the player. The odds of the occurrence of one or more subsequent events are determined based at least in part on one or more of the pair of cards selected for the house entity'"'"'s hand and one or more of the pair of cards selected for the player'"'"'s hand. The odds for an additional bet are determined based at least on the determined odds for the one or more subsequent events, and the additional bet is offered to the player at the determined odds for the additional bet.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

dealing to a player at least a pair of cards in a blackjack hand being played against a house entity;

determining by a computing platform odds that at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand,

wherein the odds are determined based at least in part on at least one of the cards dealt to the player;

based at least in part on the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand, determining by the computing platform odds for a side bet,

wherein the side bet comprises a bet that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand; and

presenting an offer to place the side bet at the determined odds for the side bet.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein dealing to the player the at least pair of cards comprises dealing to the player the pair of cards and at least one hit card;

and

wherein determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises determining the odds based at least in part on the at least one hit card dealt to the player.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

dealing to the house entity at least a pair of cards; and

wherein the cards dealt to the house entity are not used in determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

dealing to the house entity at least a pair of cards; and

wherein determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises determining the odds based at least in part on;

(a) the at least one of the cards dealt to the player, and

(b) at least one of the cards dealt to the house entity.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

dealing to the house entity at least a face-up card and a face-down card;

wherein determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises determining the odds based at least in part on;

(a) the at least one of the cards dealt to the player, and

(b) the face-up card dealt to the house entity; and

wherein the face-down card dealt to the house entity is not used in determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

dealing to the house entity a pair of cards and at least one hit card; and

wherein determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises determining the odds based at least in part on;

(a) the at least one of the cards dealt to the player, and

(b) the at least one hit card dealt to the house entity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

dealing to the house entity a pair of cards and at least one hit card;

wherein dealing to the player the at least pair of cards comprises dealing to the player the pair of cards and at least one hit card; and

wherein determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises determining the odds based at least in part on;

(a) the at least one hit card dealt to the player, and

(b) the at least one hit card dealt to the house entity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining that the at least one subsequent event has occurred; and

based at least in part on (a) determining that the at least one subsequent event has occurred and (b) the determined odds for the side bet, determining a payout for the side bet.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the offer to place the side bet comprises presenting to the player the offer to place the side bet.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from the player a bet on the blackjack hand; and

receiving from the player the side bet that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a bet on the blackjack hand, wherein the bet on the blackjack hand comprises a unit stake; and

based at least in part on the unit stake, determining for the side bet a range of unit stakes; and

wherein presenting the offer to place the side bet comprises presenting an offer to select for the side bet a unit stake from within the range of unit stakes.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one particular event comprises at least one of:

the house entity busting,

the house entity busting on a first card hit,

the house entity busting on a next card hit,

the player winning the hand,

the player obtaining a particular total for the player'"'"'s hand,

the house entity obtaining a particular total for the house entity'"'"'s hand, and

a next hit card dealt to the player improving the player'"'"'s hand more than a next hit card dealt to the house entity improving the house entity'"'"'s hand.

13. An apparatus comprising at least one processor operable to:

deal to a player at least a pair of cards in a blackjack hand being played against a house entity;

determine odds that at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand,

wherein the odds are determined based at least in part on at least one of the cards dealt to the player;

based at least in part on the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand, determine odds for a side bet,

wherein the side bet comprises a bet that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand; and

present an offer to place the side bet at the determined odds for the side bet.

14. The apparatus of claim 13,

wherein to deal to the player the at least pair of cards comprises to deal to the player the pair of cards and at least one hit card;

and

wherein to determine the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises to determine the odds based at least in part on the at least one hit card dealt to the player.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least processor is further operable to:

deal to the house entity at least a pair of cards; and

wherein the cards dealt to the house entity are not used in determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least processor is further operable to:

deal to the house entity at least a pair of cards; and

wherein to determine the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises to determine the odds based at least in part on;

(a) the at least one of the cards dealt to the player, and

(b) at least one of the cards dealt to the house entity.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least processor is further operable to:

deal to the house entity at least a face-up card and a face-down card;

wherein to determine the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises to determine the odds based at least in part on;

(a) the at least one of the cards dealt to the player, and

(b) the face-up card dealt to the house entity; and

wherein the face-down card dealt to the house entity is not used in determining the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least processor is further operable to:

deal to the house entity a pair of cards and at least one hit card; and

wherein to determine the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises to determine the odds based at least in part on;

(a) the at least one of the cards dealt to the player, and

(b) the at least one hit card dealt to the house entity.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least processor is further operable to:

deal to the house entity a pair of cards and at least one hit card;

wherein to deal to the player the at least pair of cards comprises to deal to the player the pair of cards and at least one hit card; and

wherein to determine the odds that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand comprises to determine the odds based at least in part on;

(a) the at least one hit card dealt to the player, and

(b) the at least one hit card dealt to the house entity.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least processor is further operable to:

determine that the at least one subsequent event has occurred; and

based at least in part on (a) determining that the at least one subsequent event has occurred and (b) the determined odds for the side bet, determine a payout for the side bet.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein to present the offer to place the side bet comprises to present to the player the offer to place the side bet.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least processor is further operable to:

receive from the player a bet on the blackjack hand; and

receive from the player the side bet that the at least one particular event will subsequently occur in the blackjack hand.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least processor is further operable to:

receive a bet on the blackjack hand, wherein the bet on the blackjack hand comprises a unit stake; and

based at least in part on the unit stake, determine for the side bet a range of unit stakes; and

wherein to present the offer to place the side bet comprises to present an offer to select for the side bet a unit stake from within the range of unit stakes.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one particular event comprises at least one of:

the house entity busting,

the house entity busting on a first card hit,

the house entity busting on a next card hit,

the player winning the hand,

the player obtaining a particular total for the player'"'"'s hand,

the house entity obtaining a particular total for the house entity'"'"'s hand, and

a next hit card dealt to the player improving the player'"'"'s hand more than a next hit card dealt to the house entity improving the house entity'"'"'s hand.