Method, apparatus and system for egregious error mitigation

• US 8,287,347 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SHFL Entertainment Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Snow, Roger M., Farrar, Jennifer K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US12/291,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20100113120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 463/13, 463/16, 463 20- 30, 273/292, 273/274
• 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

A playing card gaming system is disclosed that provides the player with an opportunity to withdraw a game play decision that is less advantageous to a player than at least one other play decision. The system includes a player interface that displays a prompt when a less advantageous decision is made. The display may include an area that provides the dealer with a visual indication that the player is being asked to confirm an election. A card delivery system with a playing card information reader provides card information to the system. A game processor determines if player elections are disadvantageous.

Claims

1. A method of playing a casino table card game, comprising:

receiving a play election from a player of the casion table card game at a processor;

determining, using the processor, if the play election meets or exceeds a predetermined level of disadvantage to the player, the processor determining if the predetermined level of disadvantage to the player has been met or exceeded using at least one of data in the form of a look-up table indicating at least one of respective levels of advantage and respective levels of error of at least two play elections available to the player and a program to calculate and compare at least one of respective levels of advantage and respective levels of error of at least two play elections available to the player;

if the processor determines that a predetermined level of disadvantage to the player has at least been met, causing a sensory indication to be provided to the player of such determination;

offering the player an option to withdraw or confirm the play election;

responsive to a withdrawal of the play election, receiving an alternative play election at the processor; and

responsive to the alternative play election, allowing play of the casino table card game to proceed;

or

responsive to confirmation of the play election, allowing play of the game to proceed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the casino table card game from the group consisting of:

blackjack, poker, a blackjack variant, a poker variant, baccarat, and a baccarat variant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the play election is selected from the group consisting of a wagering decision, a card hit decision, a card discard decision, a stand decision, and a draw decision;

and

wherein all play elections, alternative play elections and play election confirmations received by the processor are transmitted via an electronic interface.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising indicating all play elections, alternative play elections and play election confirmations to a dealer on a display.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying a prompt to the player when a play election is made that is objectively disadvantageous to the player.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a prompt to the player for only some play elections that are disadvantageous to the player.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying a prompt on at least one of a player display and a dealer display, and accepting responses to prompts appearing on the dealer display input by a dealer.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the casino table card game is blackjack, a sensory indication is provided and an option to withdraw a play election is given to the player when the play election made by the player is to take a hit when a player has a point count equal to or greater than a count of a hard 17 or greater.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the casino table card game is blackjack, a prompt is provided and an option to withdraw a play election is given a player when the election made by the player is to take a hit when a player has a point count equal to or greater than a count of a hard 17 or greater.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising confirming the play election via an electronic player interface.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing playing card information to the processor from at least one source selected from the group consisting of a delivery shoe with a playing card reader, a shuffler with a playing card reader, a playing card reader on a gaming table over which playing cards are moved one-at-a-time, and an overhead camera imaging system.

12. A gaming system for a card game, the system comprising:

a card handling device including apparatus configured to read at least one playing card information indicia selected from the group consisting of suit and rank;

a gaming table;

a player interface having a display for each player position associated with the gaming table;

at least one game controller in communication with the apparatus to receive read card information from the card delivery system;

the at least one game controller programmed to, responsive to received read card information for a subject player position, identify at least one play selection for the card game input through the player interface for the subject player position that is less advantageous than at least one other play selection available for the read card information;

the at least one game controller containing at least one of

     1) a look-up table of relative advantages of play selections and

     2) a program to calculate relative advantages of play selections available at a time in the play of a game where a player may exercise at least one play selection from at least two alternatives and the at least one game controller is programmed to compare a play selection to at least one other play selection to identify relative player advantage of the play selection made to the at least one other play selection;

the at least one game controller programmed to provide a player at the subject player position with a visual indication on the display of the player interface for the subject player position that a less advantageous play selection made by the player is a possible game play error; and

the at least one game controller enabling the player interface for the subject player position, where a less advantageous play selection has been indicated as a possible game play error, to accept withdrawal of the play selection for the subject player position and accept an alternative play selection, or to accept a confirmation of the play selection.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the player interface is configured to enable a player position to withdraw the play selection and make an alternative play selection or confirm the play selection through touch-sensitive input structure associated with the player interface.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the card delivery system is selected from the group consisting of a delivery shoe with a playing card reader, a shuffler with a playing card reader, a playing card reader on a gaming table over which playing cards are moved one-at-a-time, and an overhead camera reading playing cards that are positioned face-up.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a dealer game play interface, wherein the interface comprises a display; and

wherein the at least one game controller is programmed to receive the at least one playing card information indicia, determine game outcomes, determine if a dealer is playing according to house rules and prompt the dealer to correct an error in dealer game play by providing an image indicating an error on the display.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the card handling device is selected from the group consisting of a card delivery shoe, a card shuffler, a card reader mounted on the table and an overhead card imager.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the card handling device is selected from the group consisting of a card delivery shoe, a card shuffler, a card reader mounted on the table and an overhead card imager.

18. Apparatus for the play of a casino playing card wagering game comprising:

a system for providing playing card information to at least one player and to a processor;

a player input interface configured to enable the at least one player to enter at least one strategic decision in the play of the casino playing card wagering game after at least a partial hand of playing cards is provided to the at least one player;

the processor programmed for analyzing any entered at least one strategic decision to determine if that entered at least one strategic decision is disadvantageous as compared to at least one other strategic decision available to the player at that time;

memory containing at least one of

     1) data in the form of a look-up table of relative advantages of strategic decisions and

     2) a program to calculate relative advantages of strategic decisions available at a time in the play of a game where a player may exercise at least one strategic decision from at least two alternatives and the processor is programmed to compare an entered strategic decision to at least one other strategic decision to determine if that at least one entered strategic decision is disadvantageous compared to the at least one other strategic decision;

a video display viewable from a position of the at least one player;

the processor programmed to cause a visual prompt to the at least one player on the video display if the at least one strategic decision entered by the at least one player is more disadvantageous relative to the at least one other strategic decision available; and

the processor programmed to enable the player input interface to accept withdrawal of the at least one entered strategic decision and accept an alternative strategic decision through the player input interface, or to confirm the at least one entered strategic decision entered by the at least one player.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is programmed for blackjack play and the at least one disadvantageous strategic decision is selected from the group consisting of:

a player hitting on a hard 17 to 20,

a player hitting on a two-card 21,

a player doubling down on a hard 12 or greater,

a player hitting on a soft 12 or greater,

a player standing on a soft 16 or less,

a player standing in an 11.