Automatic game play

• US 8,636,575 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W, Alderucci, Dean P, Gelman, Geoffrey M
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner, Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/290,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20120052939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A game may be played in accordance with a variety of different strategies. For example, a game may have an aggressive strategy, a passive strategy, an optimal strategy, and so on. In some embodiments, a player may delegate one or more gaming decisions to an automated process that makes decisions according to one or more gaming strategies.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a request from a player to engage in play of a plurality of games on behalf of the player;

determining, by the computing device, a first intermediate outcome of a first game of the plurality of games;

making, by the computing device, a first decision on behalf of the player in the first game without input from the player;

determining, by the computing device, a first final outcome of the first game based, at least in part, on the first intermediate outcome and the first decision;

determining, by the computing device, a second intermediate outcome of a second game of the plurality of games;

determining, by the computing device, that the second intermediate outcome satisfies one or more criteria, in which the one or more criteria includes an opportunity for a payout above a first threshold resulting from the second decision;

in response to determining that the second intermediate outcome satisfies the one or more criteria, soliciting, by the computing device and from the player, a second decision to be made by the player in the second game;

receiving, by the computing device, the second decision from the player; and

determining, by the computing device, a second final outcome of the second game based on the second intermediate outcome and based on the second decision.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining to use at least one of an optimal strategy and a non-optimal strategy to make the first decision.

3. The method of claim 2, in which determining to use the at least one of the optimal strategy and the non-optimal strategy includes making a random selection of at least one of the optimal strategy and the non-optimal strategy from a set of possible strategies.

4. The method of claim 1, in which at least one of the first intermediate outcome and the second intermediate outcome include a condition of a respective game of the plurality of games.

5. The method of claim 4, in which the condition includes at least one of a card dealt, a dice value rolled, a card discarded, a visible card, a slot symbol, a number selected, a wagered amount, and an available option.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the games includes a blackjack game and at least one of the first decision and the second decision includes at least one of a decision to hit and a decision to stand.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining the first decision according to a strategy selected by the player.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the one or more criteria includes the second intermediate state being associated with two or more possible decisions that are equally acceptable to a strategy for play of the second game.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the chance is above a second threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the one or more criteria includes the second intermediate state being associated with a wager amount above a threshold if a strategy for playing the second game is followed.

11. The method of claim 1, in which the one or more criteria includes a second intermediate state that will result in the second outcome being a winning result regardless of the second decision.

12. The method of claim 1, in which the one or more criteria includes a criterion selected by the player.

13. The method of claim 1, in which the one or more criteria includes a criterion regarding a sequence of game-related outcomes.

14. The method of claim 13, in which the game-related outcomes includes at least one of a number of winning outcomes and a number a number of losing outcomes.

15. The method of claim 1, in which soliciting the second decision includes alerting the player to a request for the second decision using at least one of an audio alert and a vibration alert.

16. The method of claim 1, in which the first decision is made based on a strategy;

and in which the method comprises;

determining to use the strategy such that for a desired percentage of the games, an optimal strategy will be used.

17. The method of claim 1, in which the first decision is made based on a strategy;

and in which the method comprises;

determining which strategy such that for each game of the plurality of games there is a desired chance that an optimal strategy will be used.

18. The method of claim 1, comprising:

after making the first decision, providing the player an option to alter the decision.

19. The method of claim 1, in which the first and second final outcomes are based at least in part on events occurring in games being played by other players.

20. The method of claim 1, in which the first and second final outcomes are based at least in part on events that occurred in past games played by other players.

21. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a speed of play of the games on behalf of the player, and based on the speed of play providing the player an opportunity to win another game.

22. The method of claim 1, comprising:

facilitating an adjustment to an account based on outcomes of the plurality of games.

23. The method of claim 1, in which the request is initiated by the player of a mobile device.

29. The apparatus of claim 2, in which receiving the overriding decision includes receiving the overriding decision in a time period during which overriding decisions are accepted.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device operable to execute a set of instructions; and

a non-transitory medium having stored thereon the set of instructions, in which the set of instructions, when executed by the computing device, cause the apparatus to;

receive a request to play a plurality of games on behalf of a player;

determine a first intermediate state of a first game of the plurality of games;

if an overriding decision is not received from the player, make a first decision on behalf of the player in the first game without input from the player and determine a first outcome of the first game based, at least in part, on the first intermediate state and the first decision;

determine a second intermediate state of a second game of the plurality of games;

determine, based on the second intermediate state, that there is a chance of a possible payout resulting from play of the second game, in which the possible payout is above a threshold amount;

in response to determining that the chance exists, solicit, from the player, a second decision in the second game;

determine whether the second decision is received from the player;

if the second decision is received from the player, determine a second outcome of the second game based, at least in part, on the second intermediate state and the second decision; and

if the second decision is not received from the player, make a third decision on behalf of the player in the second game without input from the player.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, in which determining whether the second decision is received from the player includes determining whether the second decision is received in a time period during which decisions are accepted.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, in which the request is initiated by the player of a mobile device, and in which the apparatus includes the mobile device.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, in which the computing device includes a mobile device.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, in which the set of instructions case the apparatus to:

receive an overriding decision from the player in the first game; and

determine the first outcome of the first game based, at least in part, on the first intermediate state and the overriding decision.