Re-characterization of bets at table games

• US 8,961,296 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walker Digital Table Systems LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital Table Systems LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, BACH V
• Application Number:
  US12/255,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20090170595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,317 Days
• Field of Search: 463/21, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 1/06 Coins specially adapted to operate coin-freed mechanisms
• 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

Abstract

A gaming table allows late bets and bet re-characterizations to increase the action available to the player during a single game instance. Such late bets and bet re-characterizations are tracked through the use of an additional token associated with the wager stack of the player.

Claims

1. A gaming table comprising:

a playing surface comprising;

a banker hand area;

at least one player station comprising a player display; and

a plurality of RFID interrogators adapted to detect placement and movement of RFID chips and re-characterization tokens;

a shoe from which cards are dealt; and

a control system operatively coupled to the player display, the shoe, and the plurality of RFID interrogators and adapted to;

receive information about at least one of the cards dealt from the shoe;

determine that a first bet has been placed by a player associated with the player station;

dynamically determine, based on at least one factor relevant to the first bet, each of a modified odds and a corresponding modified payout for a particular bet re-characterization of the first bet,

wherein at least one bet re-characterization is available via the control system,

and further wherein the control system is operable to suppress the at least one bet re-characterization available via the control system based on at least one of the first bet and the at least one of the cards dealt;

display the available odds and the corresponding modified payout for the particular bet re-characterization on the player display, thereby making the particular bet re-characterization available to the player;

detect placement of a bet re-characterization token with at least one RFID interrogator of the plurality of RFID interrogators, wherein the bet re-characterization token corresponds to the particular bet re-characterization and further wherein the bet re-characterization token has no monetary value as a wagering chip aside from being indicative of a re-characterization wager being placed;

display an acknowledgment of that the first bet has been re-characterized into a second bet in accordance with the particular bet re-characterization based at least in part on the placement of the bet re-characterization token and at the modified odds;

determine whether the player wins the re characterized second bet; and

inform a dealer of a payout for the player.

2. The gaming table of claim 1 wherein the control system is further adapted to detect a late bet by the player.

3. The gaming table of claim 1 wherein the playing surface reflects a baccarat playing surface.

4. The gaming table of claim 1 further comprising a dealer station comprising a dealer display.

5. The gaming table of claim 4 wherein the control system is further adapted to display payout information to the dealer through the dealer display.

6. The gaming table of claim 1 wherein the control system is further adapted to suppress at least one of the at least one available bet re-characterizations based on at least one of:

the first bet and cards dealt.

7. The gaming table of claim 1 wherein the control system is further adapted to provide a bet slider through the player display, wherein the bet slider allows the player to determine a hypothetical payout based on a hypothetical bet re-characterization.

8. The gaming table of claim 1 wherein the control system is further adapted to determine cards remaining in the shoe based on cards dealt.