SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING POKER PLAYER TRACKING AND BONUS EVENTS

• US 20090124319A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Lancaster, Eric W., Rader, Richard M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,118,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/13
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players

Abstract

A gaming system having a gaming table and including a progressive jackpot funded by a portion of the house rake of a card game played at the gaming table. The gaming system includes a tracking system capable of identifying and tracking cards dealt and wagers placed in order to identify frequent players and provide complimentary items accordingly. The gaming system is also capable of notifying a player at a remote gaming device that a seat at the gaming table is open.

Claims

1. A gaming system, said gaming system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a tracking system for a table for a live card game, said card game employing at least one deck of physical playing cards, said table including a support structure, a playing surface, a plurality of player positions for a plurality of players, a dealer position, and at least one wagering area, said tracking system including;

(i) at least one player identification input device, and

(ii) a card identifier configured, for each player position, to identify each card dealt to said player position in a play of the live card game and communicate an identity of each card dealt to said player position to the at least one processor, wherein the cards dealt to said player position form a player hand for said play of the live card game, and

wherein the at least one processor is programmed at an end of the play of the live card game, for each of said player positions, to;

(i) update a player profile associated with any player identification card input by the player at said player position with a rank of the player hand,

(ii) determine whether to provide a progressive jackpot award to the player based at least in part on game play information stored in the player profile, and

(iii) if the determination is to provide the progressive jackpot award to the player, provide the progressive jackpot award to the player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to provide the progressive jackpot award to the player that has achieved a highest ranking player hand during a predetermined period of time over a series of plays of the live card game at the table.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the tracking system includes a chip identifier configured to identify one or more chips which represent an amount of each wager placed in the at least one wagering area, said tracking system configured to communicate the identified wager amounts to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to calculate a value of a house rake based at least in part on a sum of the identified wager amounts communicated by the tracking system.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the progressive jackpot award is funded at least partially by a portion of the house rake, and wherein the house rake is based on a value of a pot.

5. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the table includes an input device which enables a dealer to input the value of each wager placed in the at least one wagering area.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to provide the progressive jackpot award to a randomly selected one of the players if said randomly selected one of the players has placed at least one wager during a determined period of time.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the determined period of time is selected from the group consisting of:

a previous twenty-four hours;

a previous calendar day;

a previous hour; and

a previous calendar week.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the live card game is a no-limit poker game, wherein each of the plurality of players have a number of wagering chips, and wherein the at least one processor is programmed to provide the progressive jackpot award to a randomly selected one of the players if said randomly selected one of the players has been registered at the table for a determined amount of time and if, on a designated play of the live card game, said randomly selected one of the players wagers all of said player'"'"'s remaining wagering chips and loses said designated play of the live card game.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the determined period of time is selected from the group consisting of:

a previous hour;

a previous twenty-four hours;

a previous calendar day; and

a previous calendar week.

10. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the progressive jackpot award is funded at least in part by a portion of a house rake for each play of the live card game at the table.

11. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) for a play of a live card game employing at least one deck of physical cards at a table, said table including a support structure, a playing surface, a plurality of player positions for a plurality of players, a dealer position, and at least one wagering area, causing a card identifier, for each player position, to;

(i) identify each card dealt to said player position, and

(ii) communicate an identity of each card dealt to said player position to at least one processor, wherein the cards dealt to said player position form a player hand for said play of the live card game; and

(b) at an end of said play of the live card game, causing the at least one processor, for each player position, to;

(I) update a player profile associated with any player identification card input by the player at said player position with a rank of the player hand,

(ii) determine whether to provide a progressive jackpot award to the player based at least in part on game play information stored in the player profile, and

(iii) if the determination is to provide the progressive jackpot award to the player, provide the progressive jackpot award to the player.

12. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the at least one processor to provide the progressive jackpot award to the player that achieves a highest ranking hand during a predetermined period of time over a series of plays of the live card game at the table.

13. The method of claim 12, which includes causing said card identifier to identify one or more chips which represent an amount of each wager placed in the wagering area and calculating a value of a house rake based at least in part on a sum of the wager amounts.

14. The method of claim 13, which includes funding the progressive jackpot award at least in part by a portion of a house rake, wherein the house rake is based on a value of a pot.

15. The method of claim 12, which includes causing an input device to enable a dealer to input the value of each wager placed in at least one wagering area.

16. The method of claim 11, which includes causing said at least one processor to provide the progressive jackpot award to a randomly selected one of the players if said randomly selected one of the players placed at least one wager during a determined period of time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determined period of time is selected from the group consisting of:

a previous twenty-four hours;

a previous calendar day;

a previous hour; and

a previous calendar week.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the live card game is a no-limit poker game, wherein each of the plurality of players have a number of wagering chips, and which includes providing the progressive jackpot award to a randomly selected one of the players, if said randomly selected one of the players has been registered at the table for a determined amount of time and if, on a determined play of the live card game, said randomly selected one of the players wagers all of said player'"'"'s remaining chips and loses the hand.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the determined period of time is selected from the group consisting of:

a previous hour;

a previous twenty-four hours;

a previous calendar day; and

a previous calendar week.

20. The method of claim 18, which includes funding the progressive jackpot award at least in part by a portion of a house rake for each play of the live card game at the table.