Systems, methods and articles to facilitate playing card games with selectable odds
First Claim
1. A gaming system, comprising:
- an input device operable to receive selections indicative of at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage for at least one hand to be played by at least one player of a card game; and
a playing card handling system comprising a playing card input receiver, a playing card output receiver, at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, and at least a first intermediary playing card receiver interposed in the at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, the first intermediary playing card receiver having a plurality of playing card receiving receptacles, the playing card handling system responsive to the selections received at the input device to provide the at least one hand of playing cards as subsets of playing cards, each subset of playing cards forming a hand of playing cards, where the playing cards forming the at least one hand correspond to at least one set of virtual playing card values pseudo-randomly generated based at least in part on the received selections indicative of the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage, wherein the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage includes corresponding different house odds or a different house advantage for a particular player position to which the subset of cards is to be dealt during a round of play than another player position to which a different subset of the subsets of playing cards is to be dealt during the same round of play.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Playing cards may be selected based on a desired set of payout or house odds and/or house advantage. The playing cards may be placed into, and/or retrieved from, one or more intermediary playing card receivers in a random or pseudo-random order that is based on the selected payout or house odds and/or house advantage. Intermediary playing card receivers may take the form of carousels having an endless array of card receiving compartments. Each compartment may receive a single playing card at a time. The intermediary playing card receivers may pivot bi-directionally about one or more vertical axes. Playing cards may be loaded into one intermediary playing card receivers while being unloaded from the other.
552 Citations
64 Claims
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1. A gaming system, comprising:
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an input device operable to receive selections indicative of at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage for at least one hand to be played by at least one player of a card game; and a playing card handling system comprising a playing card input receiver, a playing card output receiver, at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, and at least a first intermediary playing card receiver interposed in the at least one playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, the first intermediary playing card receiver having a plurality of playing card receiving receptacles, the playing card handling system responsive to the selections received at the input device to provide the at least one hand of playing cards as subsets of playing cards, each subset of playing cards forming a hand of playing cards, where the playing cards forming the at least one hand correspond to at least one set of virtual playing card values pseudo-randomly generated based at least in part on the received selections indicative of the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage, wherein the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage includes corresponding different house odds or a different house advantage for a particular player position to which the subset of cards is to be dealt during a round of play than another player position to which a different subset of the subsets of playing cards is to be dealt during the same round of play. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:
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receiving, by at least one computer processor, selections indicative of at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage for at least one hand to be played by at least one player of a card game; and controlling, by at least one computer processor, transport of a plurality of playing cards with respect to at least one intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments to provide the at least one hand of playing cards as subsets of playing cards, each subset of playing cards forming a hand of playing cards, where the playing cards forming the at least one hand correspond to a set of virtual playing card values pseudo-randomly generated at least in part based on the received selection indicative of at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage, wherein the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage includes corresponding different house odds or a different house advantage for a particular player position to which the subset of playing cards is to be dealt during a round of play than another player position to which a different subset of the subsets of playing cards is to be dealt during the same round of play. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that causes a computer to operate a gaming system, by:
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receiving selections indicative of at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage for at least one hand to be played by at least one player of a card game; and controlling transport of a plurality of playing cards with respect to at least one intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments to provide the at least one hand of playing cards as subsets of playing cards, each subset of playing cards forming a hand of playing cards, where the playing cards forming the at least one hand correspond to a set of virtual playing card values pseudo-randomly generated at least in part based on the received selection indicative of at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage, wherein the at least one of the set of house odds or the house advantage includes corresponding different house odds or a different house advantage for a particular player position to which the subset of playing cards is to be dealt during a round of play than another player position to which a different subset of the subsets of playing cards is to be dealt during the same round of play. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A playing card handling system, comprising:
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a playing card input receiver sized and dimensioned to receive a plurality of collected playing cards; a playing card output receiver sized and dimensioned to receive a plurality of randomized playing cards; at least a first playing card transport path extending between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver; and a first intermediary playing card receiver interposed in the first playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, the first intermediary playing card receiver selectively removable from the first playing card transport path, wherein the playing card handling system is operable to provide at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage that includes corresponding different house odds or a different house advantage for a particular player position to which a subset of cards is to be dealt from the playing card handling system during a round of play than another player position to which a different subset of the subsets of playing cards is to be dealt from the card handling system during the sane round of play. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of operating a playing card handling system comprising a playing card input receiver, a playing card output receiver, at least a first playing card transport path extending between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, and at least a first intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments, the method comprising:
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loading playing cards into the card receiving compartments of the first intermediary playing card receiver; selectively interposing the first intermediary playing card receiver in the first playing card transport path between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver; activating the playing card handling system to provide randomized playing cards to the playing card output receiver; and selectively removing the first intermediary playing card receiver from the first playing card transport path; and
,using the playing card handling system, providing at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage that includes corresponding different house odds or a different house advantage for a particular player position to which a subset of cards is to be dealt from the playing card handling system during a round of play than another player position to which a different subset of the subsets of playing cards is to be dealt from the card handling system during the same round of play. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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37. A playing card handling system, comprising:
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a playing card input receiver; a playing card output receiver; at least one playing card transport path extending between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver; a first intermediary playing card receiver disposed between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver in the at least one playing card transport path, the first intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments, the plurality of playing card receiving compartments of the first intermediary playing card receiver physically coupled for movement together; and a second intermediary playing card receiver disposed between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver in the at least one playing card transport path, the second intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments, the plurality of playing card receiving compartments of the second intermediary playing card receiver physically coupled for movement together, wherein at least one of the first and the second intermediary playing card receivers is selectively removable and wherein the playing card handling system is operable to provide at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage that includes corresponding different house odds or a different house advantage for a particular player position to which a subset of cards is to be dealt from the playing card handling system during a round of play than another player position to which a different subset of the subsets of playing cards is to be dealt from the card handling system during the same round of play. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method of operating a playing card handling system comprising a playing card input receiver, a playing card output receiver, at least one playing card transport path extending between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver, a first intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments physically coupled to move in unison with one another, and a second intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments physically coupled to move in unison with one another, independently of the playing card receiving compartments of the first intermediary playing card receiver, the method comprising, under control of a computer processor:
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loading playing cards from the playing card input receiver into the playing card receiving compartments of the first intermediary playing card receiver; unloading playing cards from the playing card receiving compartments of the first intermediary playing card receiver to the playing card output receiver; loading playing cards from the playing card input receiver into the playing card receiving compartments of the second intermediary playing card receiver; unloading playing cards from the playing card receiving compartments of the second intermediary playing card receiver to the playing card output receiver; and translating the playing card output receiver to deliver a set of randomized playing cards collected therein, the set forming an individual hand of playing cards, the individual hand of playing cards being formed based on a selection of at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage for a particular player position to which the individual hand is to be dealt during a round of play different than corresponding house odds or a corresponding house advantage selected for another player position to which a different hand of the of playing cards is to be dealt during the same round of play. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A playing card handling system, comprising:
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a playing card input receiver; a playing card output receiver; at least one playing card transport path extending between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver; a first intermediary playing card receiver disposed between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver in the at least one playing card transport path, the first intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments, the plurality of playing card receiving compartments of the first intermediary playing card receiver physically coupled for movement together about a first vertical axis; and a second intermediary playing card receiver disposed between the playing card input receiver and the playing card output receiver in the at least one playing card transport path, the second intermediary playing card receiver comprising a plurality of playing card receiving compartments, the plurality of playing card receiving compartments of the second intermediary playing card receiver physically coupled for movement together about a second vertical axis, wherein the playing card handling system is operable to provide at least one of a set of house odds or a house advantage that includes corresponding different house odds or a different house advantage for a particular player position to which a subset of cards is to be dealt from the playing card handling system during a round of play than another player position to which a different subset of the subsets of playing cards is to be dealt from the card handling system during the same round of play. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification