Casino card handling with game play feed

• US 8,986,091 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Grauzer, Attila, Bourbour, Feraidoon, Yoseloff, Mark L., Haushalter, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US14/034,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20140094239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 463/12, 463/13, 463/17, 273/149.R
• US Class Current: 463/12
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/14 Card dealers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/005 Poker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/00 ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

A card game monitor manages play of a game with a video feed of casino table game play. A dealer deals a game using a card-handling device that randomizes and dispenses cards, which may be grouped into sets of hands by the card-handling device. A card recognition system recognizes card information including rank and suit of each card dispensed by the card handling device while each card is under control of the card-handling device. A camera captures a video feed of casino table game play, which is transmitted to a computing device operated by a player. A control system receives the card information from the card recognition device and manages control of the game using hand information associated with players. Player action elections from the computing device are displayed to a dealer The player provides a player action through the computing device, which is used to facilitate play of the casino table game.

Claims

1. A card game monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a card-handling device to randomize and dispense cards during a casino table game play, the card-handling device forming a plurality of groups of cards, each group comprising one or more cards of at least a partial hand for a player position;

a card recognition system to recognize card information including a rank and a suit of each dispensed card in the group while each card is under control of the card-handling device;

a camera configured to capture a video feed of the casino table game play;

a communications interface in communication with a computing device operated by a player; and

a control system comprising at least one processor and a memory wherein the control system is configured to;

control the card-handling device;

receive the card information for each card from the card recognition system;

associate the received card information with at least one at least partial player hand; and

transmit at least the video feed to the computing device for display to the player.

2. The card game monitoring apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display configured to present information to a dealer of the game, wherein the control system facilitates play of the casino table game by providing the player action to the display to be presented to the dealer.

3. The card game monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera captures a dealer, a play area, and the card-handling device.

4. The card game monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the casino table game play comprises THREE CARD POKER®

.

5. The card game monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to determine a player position associated with the player and further comprising transmitting the received card information, wherein transmitting the received card information does not transmit card information that is not viewable by the determined player position according to rules of the casino table game play.

6. The card game monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to maintain a play history comprising a card composition of two or more rounds, one of which is a completed round, the card composition of each round comprising hand information for the hands in each group of cards dispensed in the round;

and provide the play history to the computing device for display.

7. The card game monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least a partial hand is selected from the group consisting of a player hand, a dealer hand, a group of common cards, a partial dealer hand and a partial player hand.

8. A method for controlling casino table game play, comprising:

controlling a card handling device;

receiving, from the card recognition system, at least partial hand information including a rank and a suit of each card dispensed by a card-handling device that randomizes and dispenses cards during the casino table game play, the at least partial hand information being recognized while each card is under control of the card-handling device;

associating the received at least partial hand information with at least one player position;

receiving a video feed from a camera configured to capture the casino table game play; and

transmitting at least the video feed to a computing device for display to a player.

9. The method of claim 8, and further comprising transmitting the received card information to the computing device for display to a player.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising facilitating play of the casino table game by providing the player action to a display to be presented to the dealer.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the camera captures an image of a dealer, a play area, and the card-handling device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the casino table game play comprises THREE CARD POKER®

.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a player position associated with the player and wherein transmitting the received card information does not transmit card information that is not viewable by the determined player position according to rules of the casino table game play.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising maintaining a play history comprising a card composition of two or more rounds, one of which is a completed round, the card composition of each round comprising hand information for the hands in each group of cards dispensed in the round;

and providing the play history to the computing device for display.

15. A computer program product for controlling casino table game play, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform the steps of:

receiving, from the card recognition system, card information including a rank and a suit of each at least partial hand of cards dispensed by a card-handling device that randomizes and dispenses cards during the casino table game play, the card information being recognized while each card is under control of the card-handling device;

associating the received card information with at least one player hand;

receiving a video feed from a camera configured to capture the casino table game play; and

transmitting the video feed and received card information to a computing device for display to a player.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising facilitating play of the casino table game by providing the player action to a display to be presented to the dealer.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the camera captures a dealer, a play area, and the card-handling device.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the casino table game play comprises THREE CARD POKER®

.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising determining a player position associated with the player and wherein transmitting the received card information does not transmit card information that is not viewable by the determined player position according to rules of the casino table game play.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising maintaining a play history comprising a card composition of two or more rounds, one of which is a completed round, the card composition of each round comprising hand information for the hands in each group of cards dispensed in the round;

and providing the play history to the computing device for display.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising controlling the card-handling device.