Patron and croupier assessment in roulette

• US 6,283,856 B1
• Filed: 03/12/1999
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gtech Austria GmbH (GTECH German Holdings Corp. GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Grips Electronics GmbH
• Inventors: Mothwurf, Ewald
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US09/267,464
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/274, 273/309, 463/25, 463/29, 463/17
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• 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

Abstract

A method for determining the total amount bet by individual players participating in multiple spins of a roulette game at a gaming table that has a chipper machine and an intelligent table terminal. The method involves interfacing the chipper sorting machine with the table terminal, allocating a chip to a patron at the terminal, counting the number of color chips sorted by the chipper machine per color, and associating the number of color chips sorted by the machine per color with the patron. The total amount bet by that patron is then determined by mathematically linking the chip value of the color chip of the patron with the number of chips of the individual color sorted by the chipper machine in the time period in which the color chip is associated with that patron.

Claims

1. A method for determining the total amount bet by individual patrons participating in a plurality of spins of a roulette game at a gaming table fitted with a chipper machine and an intelligent table terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

interfacing the chipper sorting machine to the table terminal

allocating a patron a chip color at the table terminal

counting the number of color chips sorted by the chipper machine per color

associating the number of color chips sorted by the chipper machine per color with the patron

and determining the total amount bet by that patron by mathematically linking the chip value of the color chip of the patron with the number of chips of the individual color sorted by the chipper machine in the time period in which the color chip is associated with that patron.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 including the step of entering the chip value at the table terminal if the color chip is not played with the default table minimum value.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 including the step of allocating a patron not using color chips an individual value chip.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 including the step of compensating for chips sorted but not played by reducing the number of sorted chips by a percentage.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 including the step of storing information relating to the number of chips sorted per color and spin in a data processing system and associating time signals with any such storage information.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 including the step of displaying the color chips on a display board indicating the value of color chips allocated to patrons on the display board.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 including the step of offering a win calculator at the table terminal on which the number of winning chips per chance for an individual chip color or chip value are entered, and calculating the numbers of chips won and a payout based on the number of winning chips per chance, the number of chips won per chance and the chip value of the color chip using the chip value of the color chip known to the system.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 including the step of showing some or all of the number of winning chip per chance, the number of chips won per chance, the total number of chips won, and/or the total value of chips won.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8 including the step of proposing the said payout in the form of a number of color chips and a balance in an amount of value chips, taking into account the limited number of color chips available on the table.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1 including the further step of determining the performance of the croupier from information stored in the data processing system at the start of the croupier gaming and during the croupier gaming at the table during the playing of a plurality of spins, e.g. by determining the average duration of a spin, the number of patrons, the number of color chips played or sorted.

11. A method for determining the total amount bet by individual patrons participating in a plurality of spins of a roulette game at a gaming table, in which said individual patrons play using chips having different colors, a respective color being associated with each said individual patron, there being a chipper machine for receiving chips collected by a croupier during the game of roulette and for arranging the chips according to their coloring in respective columns, from which the coupier can take stacks of a predetermined number of chips of a respective color, each chip of a particular color having an associated monetary value, the method comprising the steps of counting the total number of chips of each color passing through the chipper machine during the period each individual patron is present at said gaming table, and establishing the total monetary value of the chips of each color passing through the chipper machine.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11 and including the further step of estimating from said number of chips or from said total monetary value the total amount bet by an individual patron playing with chips of the said color.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the step of estimating comprises the step of subtracting from the total number of chips of each color passing through the chipper machine, or from said monetary value a percentage reflecting the house rules on the breaking of stacks.

14. A method, in particular in accordance with claim 11, of determining the total win or loss by a patron participating in a game of roulette, the method comprising the steps of determining the total amount of all pay-ins made during the game by capturing at a table terminal a piece of information identifying the player, and each buy-in or drop amount irrespective of the method of payment, determining the walk amount at the end of the patron'"'"'s game in the form of value chips and/or cancelled markers, and establishing the difference between the total amount of all pay-ins and the walk amount.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein pay-ins in the form of value chips are detected automatically by the change in value of a chip tray associated with the roulette table.

16. A method in accordance with claim 11 and comprising the further steps of determining when a new croupier arrives at the gaming table, summing the total amounts bet by all patrons playing at the gaming table during the period in which the new croupier is working at the gaming table with reference to the chips of all colors sorted by the chipper machine during this period, and electronically associating the sum of the total amounts bet to the croupier.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein a statistical correction is added to said sum of the total amounts bet to reflect the numbers of chips returned to the chipper machine due to the breaking of chip stacks when paying winnings to individual patrons.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16, comprising recording the sum of the total amount bet during each working period of a particular croupier for a plurality of working periods of that croupier and forming a total sum of the amounts bet over a plurality of working periods of said croupier.