Patent ID: 9589424
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: A63F,G07F

Claim:
1. A video poker machine comprising: a housing; at least one input device supported by the housing and including a wager button and a cashout button; an acceptor supported by the housing and configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value; at least one display device supported by the housing; at least one processor; and at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device, the at least one input device, and the acceptor to: (a) establish a credit balance based at least in part on the monetary value associated with the physical item responsive to receipt of the physical item by the acceptor; (b) place a wager on a play of a card game responsive to an actuation of the wager button, the credit balance being decreasable by the wager; (c) determine and display face-up a first hand including a plurality of cards; (d) enable selection of none, one, a plurality, or all of the cards of the first hand to be held; (e) display one or more additional hands each including any held cards of the first hand; (f) if fewer than all of the cards of the first hand are held: wherein responsive to a random activation of a dream card, the dream card is introduced into the first hand, wherein a suit and a value of the dream card is static and set based on at least one other card in the first hand to maximize an expected value of the first hand at the time the dream card is introduced into the first hand; (g) afterwards, determine any awards for the hands, the credit balance increasable by any determined awards; and (h) initiate a payout associated with the credit balance responsive to an actuation of the cashout button.