Patent ID: 11922781
Assignee: nan
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  A | IPC A  G

Claim 0:
1. A method of conducting a Blackjack-based wagering game over a communication network, comprising a remote user device, the remote user device including a first processor, a first memory, a display device, a communication device, the communication device being in communication with a game server, the game server having a second memory and a second processor, the game server being configured to execute a program stored at least partially in the second memory and actuate the steps of:
a) responsive to the game server detecting a communication of a game wager from the communication device, the game server generating one or more randomly ordered decks of virtual depictions of playing cards for use in an instance of the wagering game, wherein the one or more randomly ordered decks of playing cards include at least one joker card;
b) the game server displaying on the display device an initial player hand and an initial dealer hand, each of the initial player hand and the initial dealer hand including at least three playing cards, wherein the identity of one or more of the playing cards of the group in the initial dealer hand is displayed on the display device;
c) the game server receiving a communication of a player selection through the communication device to divide the playing cards in the initial player hand into a first Blackjack game hand and a second Blackjack game hand, wherein the first Blackjack game hand is of a numerical hand value either less than, greater than or equal to the second Blackjack game hand according to the standard rules of Blackjack;
d) the game server continuing the Blackjack game according to the standard rules of Blackjack to form a final first player Blackjack game hand and a final second player Blackjack game hand, the final first player Blackjack game hand and the final second player Blackjack game hand being formed independently of one another and including an additional one or more randomly generated playing cards responsive to one or more additional player selections communicated through the communication device, wherein the final first player Blackjack game hand is formed from the first Blackjack game hand and the final second player Blackjack game hand is formed from the second Blackjack game hand;
e) the game server forming a final first dealer Blackjack game hand and a final second dealer Blackjack game hand from the initial dealer hand according to preset rules stored in the second memory, wherein the final first dealer Blackjack game hand includes a first portion of the playing cards from the initial dealer hand and the final second dealer Blackjack game hand includes a second portion of the playing cards in the initial dealer hand, and wherein the final first dealer Blackjack game hand and the second dealer Blackjack game hand are formed independently of one another;
f) the processor determining the Blackjack hand values of each of the final first player Blackjack game hand, the final second player Blackjack game hand, the final first dealer Blackjack game hand and the final second dealer Blackjack game hand, wherein the joker card is assigned a value by the game server equivalent to one of (i) an Ace playing card responsive to the joker card being included in one of the final first player Blackjack game hand and the final second player Blackjack game hand, and (ii) an Ace playing card or a five playing card responsive to the joker card being included in one of the final first dealer Blackjack game hand and the final second dealer Blackjack game hand;
g) the processor comparing the Blackjack hand values of the final first player Blackjack game hand with the final first dealer Blackjack game hand and the final second player Blackjack game hand with the final second dealer Blackjack game hand; and
h) the game server settling the game wager based on the outcome of the comparison of the Blackjack hand values of the final player Blackjack game hands and the final dealer Blackjack game hands, wherein half of the at least one game wager is won responsive to any of the final Blackjack game hands having a Blackjack hand value determined by the processor as outranking at least one of the final dealer Blackjack game hands and the other half of the at least one game wager is won responsive to the remaining other final player Blackjack game hand having a Blackjack hand value determined by the processor as outranking the remaining other final dealer Blackjack game hand.