Abstract:
A craps game apparatus includes a craps game layout and dice for generating a plurality of dice role outcomes, wherein each dice role outcome yields an integer number from 2 through 12. The craps game layout has a pass line wagering area for receiving a bet on a pass outcome. The pass outcome occurs when a dice roll outcome yields an established point number before an outcome of 7. A bonus betting location is provided for receiving a bet on a bonus outcome based on a sequence of the dice roll outcomes. The bonus outcome occurs when the sequence of dice roll outcomes includes a predetermined number of consecutive pass outcomes before a bonus bet termination event, such as a seven out or a crap out.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/821,800, filed Aug. 8, 2006, entitled “Bonus Craps Gaming,” which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE  
       [0002]     Portions of this patent application include materials that are subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document itself, or of the patent application as it appears in the files of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever in such included copyrighted materials.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     The present invention relates generally to the field of gaming, and more specifically to the field of games of chance using dice involving wagering.  
         [0004]     The well-known dice game of craps is played using a pair of six-sided die, where each side of a die is associated uniquely with a numeric value from 1 to 6. The game is played upon a table bearing wagering indicia for players to place bets and for the casino to track status of certain betting-related events. One player is designated to throw the dice, and that player is called the “shooter.” The craps table also generally defines a recessed volume bounded by surrounding side walls that allows thrown dice to impact and recoil from the walls, and come to rest on the gaming surface. The game is played in rounds, and the initial dice roll in a round is called the “come out” roll. A round may end in one of two ways. First, on the come out roll, if the sum of the values shown on the top of the rolled dice totals 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, the round is immediately ended. In this one-roll round scenario, the shooter loses if a 2, 3, or 12 was rolled, and wins, or “passes” if a total of 7 or 11 was rolled. Second, if the value of the rolled dice on the come out roll totals 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number is called the “point,” and the round continues by the shooter throwing the dice until either the point value is reached (whereupon the shooter wins, or “passes”) or a die roll totaling seven occurs (whereupon the shooter loses by “sevening out”). When a shooter sevens out, traditionally the dice are transferred to another player who then becomes the new shooter.  
         [0005]     In casino craps, a wide variety of bets are available for players to consider. Craps tables are typically marked with betting areas for players to place bets, or in some cases, casino personnel assist players by placing bets for them. Some bets are resolved upon particular die combinations or face values appearing on a roll, other bets (such as “pass line” or “don&#39;t pass line” bets) are not resolved until a round is ended. However, although craps games are exciting and fast-paced, payoffs for bets made in prior art casino craps games do not change over time as more die rolls are thrown. The players&#39; enjoyment of the game would increase tremendously if such an option were available, and likewise, the amount of income obtained by the casino would appreciate accordingly if a bet that varied by round were available to players.  
         [0006]     What is needed is a variation of the game of craps that increases player interest and participation while incentivizing players to place additional bets. What is also needed is a new wagering option that offers a payout that varies as a craps game is played. What is also needed is a mechanism for the casino to keep track of game parameters that affect such variable payoff craps wagers. What is further needed is an apparatus for players to readily determine what payout is being offered for the state-variable condition of a craps game. What is also needed is a game variation of craps that increases player excitement thereby recruiting new players to a game. It is an object of the present invention to an apparatus and method that meets these needs.  
         [0007]     Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0008]     To achieve the foregoing objects, and in accordance with the purposes of the invention as embodied and broadly described in this document, there is provided a craps game apparatus that includes a craps game layout and means for generating a plurality of dice role outcomes. Each dice role outcome yields an integer number from 2 through 12. The craps game layout has a pass line wagering area for receiving a bet on a pass outcome. The pass outcome occurs when a dice roll outcome yields an established point number before an outcome of the number 7. The apparatus also includes means for receiving a bet on a bonus outcome based on a sequence of the dice roll outcomes. The bonus outcome occurs when the sequence of dice roll outcomes includes a predetermined number of consecutive pass outcomes before an outcome of the number 7. The craps game apparatus can include means for tracking the number of consecutive pass outcomes before an outcome of the number 7. The craps game layout can be implemented on a craps table, or it can be generated by a computer.  
         [0009]     According to one advantageous embodiment, the means for receiving the bet on a bonus outcome includes a bonus wagering location included in the craps game layout. The means for receiving the bet on a bonus outcome also can include indicia marked on the craps game layout for a player to indicate an intent to make a wager on a bonus outcome. The craps game apparatus can include means for displaying the payoff amounts to be paid to wagering players for bonus outcomes having different predetermined numbers of consecutive pass outcomes.  
         [0010]     A method for conducting a craps game according to the invention includes: generating a plurality of dice role outcomes, wherein each dice role outcome yields an integer number from 2 through 12; receiving a bet on a pass outcome, wherein the pass outcome occurs when a dice roll outcome yields an established point number before an outcome of the number 7; and receiving a bet on a bonus outcome based on a sequence of the dice roll outcomes, wherein the bonus outcome occurs when the sequence of dice roll outcomes includes a predetermined number of consecutive pass outcomes before an outcome of the number 7.  
         [0011]     According to one advantageous method, the bonus bet is received before a first dice roll outcome of the sequence of dice roll outcomes. The bonus bet may be in accordance with predetermined minimum amount and/or maximum amounts. The method can include displaying payoff amounts to be paid to wagering players after the bonus outcome occurs for different predetermined numbers of consecutive pass outcomes. The payoff amount to be paid to wagering players can be zero for bonus outcomes having a number of consecutive pass outcomes less than a predetermined minimum number. The bonus bet can be resolved after the occurrence of one or more consecutive pass outcomes immediately followed by the outcome of the number 7.  
         [0012]     According to another method of conducting a craps game according to the invention, the bonus outcome occurs when the sequence of dice roll outcomes includes a predetermined number of consecutive pass outcomes before a bonus bet termination event. The bonus bet termination event can include the occurrence of one or more consecutive pass outcomes immediately followed by the outcome of the number 7 (i.e., a “seven out”) or the occurrence of one of the numbers 2, 3 or 12 on a come out dice roll (i.e., a “crap out”) 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiments and methods of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and methods given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of an exemplary surface of a craps table layout according to one implementation;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a close-up view representing a partial central area of the layout shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  an illustration of an exemplary implementation of a first bonus wagering location layout;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  an illustration of an exemplary implementation of a second bonus wagering location layout; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method according to the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]     This disclosure presents implementations of bonus craps gaming that overcome the abovementioned drawbacks or shortcomings. The implementations provide for a bonus bet in a casino craps game that provides for a payout that varies as the game is played. A disclosed gaming apparatus advantageously enables the play of a game of craps with the bonus bet system, either electronically or by conventional manual means. Implementations provide methods of placing and tracking a bonus bet when the game of craps is being played remotely through computerized and/or networked means.  
         [0020]     In one implementation, a method follows the general format and play order of a traditional craps game utilizing two dice, but provides for a bonus betting option and a means of tracking the number of successful rounds of die throws (or “passes”) that are achieved by a shooter before that shooter sevens out. The bonus bet is an optional wager made by any of the players in a craps game, including the shooter, that the shooter will accrue a predetermined number of passes before “sevening-out.” In an alternate embodiment, the threshold for bonus bet payouts is tracked by the number of consecutive passes that are made until the shooter sevens out or until the shooter loses a come out roll by obtaining a combined die roll value of 2, 3, or 12 (also called “crapping out”).  
         [0021]     In another implementation, the bonus bet craps game may be implemented electronically. A gaming machine may host a virtual craps game, and in addition to offering traditional craps rules to a player, a bonus bet option may be presented at the initial come out roll period, whereby the player is prompted to enter a bonus bet. Game play proceeds as above, with the host gaming computer accruing the number of passes until a seven-out condition occurs. At this point, bets are resolved, and then if a predetermined number of passes was reached before the seven-out occurred, the player is paid in accordance with a predetermined pay table. Those of skill in the art also recognize that the host gaming computer may allow multiple online players, whether real or virtual, to participate in an online craps game where a communications medium such as the Internet provides connectivity between at least the gaming machine and one or more players.  
         [0022]     Turning to  FIG. 5  (and with reference to betting locations  110 ,  120  illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 ), an implementation  500  of a bonus craps game begins  501  with selection of a shooter for an initial come out roll  502 . Before the shooter rolls for the first time (the shooter&#39;s initial “come out” roll), players are prompted  503  to place any optional bonus bets by placing one or more betting tokens, chips, or other wagering indicia on designated locations  110 ,  120  on the craps table layout  100 , or utilizing an alternative betting indicia such as pushing or clicking a button that represents an intent to place a bonus bet. Those of skill in the art may recognize that the betting circle layouts shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  may be one of many orientations of betting placements to be applied to a craps table layout such in the locations  110 ,  120  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Also before the shooter&#39;s first roll, a counter that indicates the number of accrued passes is reset  503 . Bonus bets are placed in accordance with the game&#39;s predetermined minimum and maximum bets in betting placements such as those shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . In one implementation, once the bonus bets are placed, they may not be cancelled or removed until the shooter sevens out. In another implementation, after the shooter first throws the dice, no further bonus bets may be placed.  
         [0023]     After announcing that the opportunity for placing bonus bets has passed, play proceeds in substantial accordance with conventional or standard craps rules. Before the come out roll  505 , players may place conventional craps bets if they have not already done so, and the shooter then throws the dice or otherwise takes action to generate an appropriate random number outcome. As in accordance with conventional craps rules, the total value of the dice is considered  507 , and if the roll value (or totals of the “up” numbers on the dice) on the initial throw of a round is a 7 or 11, the shooter is said to “pass” (or win)  509 . In the case of such a win, non-bonus bets are resolved in accordance with conventional craps rules  511 , then if bonus bets are in play, that is, if bets have been placed and a bonus bet termination condition has not occurred, then the bonus bet counter is incremented  515  and play continues with the shooter making another come out roll  505 . If no bonus bets were in play  513 , then the game merely continues with the come out roll  505 .  
         [0024]     Continuing with  FIG. 5, 507 , assuming that a 7 or 11 roll value had not occurred on the come out roll, the roll value is compared  517  to the values of 2, 3, and 12. If one of a 2, 3, or 12 was rolled, then the shooter is said to have “crapped out,” or lost  519 . In the case of a crap out, bets are resolved  521  in accordance with conventional craps game rules. In one implementation of the game, crapping out may be considered a bonus bet termination event, and optionally, bonus bets would be resolved at this time  523  (also preventing further incrementing of value of the pass counter, discussed in more detail below). Whether under the optional resolution rules  523  or not, under conventional craps rules, while the shooter has crapped out or otherwise lost the round, the shooter typically retains control of the dice to shoot again in a new come out roll  505  after wagers have been resolved and new bets placed.  
         [0025]     Returning to  FIG. 5 , and assuming on the come out roll that none of the roll values of 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12 were thrown by the shooter, a “point” value is recorded  525 . The shooter then will preferably continue to roll the dice or otherwise generate a roll value indicia  527 , until either producing a roll value that is equal to the point value (“making” the point) or equal to 7. If the shooter made the point  529 , the shooter has passed  509 , and the conventional or standard craps bets are resolved  511 , and if bonus bets are in play  513 , the pass counter is incremented  515 . Players then make conventional craps bets before the next round begins, and then the shooter begins the new round with a come out roll  505 .  
         [0026]     If when attempting to roll for point  531 , the shooter had not rolled the point or a 7, then the shooter merely shoots again  527 . Otherwise, if the shooter had rolled a 7 while attempting to roll for point  531 , then the shooter is considered to have “sevened out”  533 , and the round and the shooter&#39;s tenure is considered at an end. In the case of a seven out, conventional craps bets are resolved  535 , and then bonus bets, if any are in play, are finally resolved as discussed in more detail below, using the current point count. In one embodiment, sevening out constitutes a bonus bet termination event that causes the point counter to no longer be incremented and requires bonus bets to be resolved. After bet resolution from a seven-out  537 , in most conventional craps games a new shooter is selected  502  (although under some conditions the same shooter may continue rolling in a new come out roll). In some instances, the game may be ended before a new shooter begins  599 .  
         [0027]     It can be seen by those reviewing  FIG. 5  and the description herein, that for each pass that occurs before a shooter sevens out, and where a bonus bet termination event had not occurred during the shooter&#39;s tenure, a pass counter is incremented. The pass count thus continues to be incremented on each succeeding pass before the bonus wager termination condition (a seven out, for instance). Those of skill in the art recognize that such a counter could comprise any number of means to keep track of and present the current pass count to players, such as a flip chart that resides on or near the craps table and is manipulated by casino personnel, such flip chart bearing an indicia showing the current number of passes that have accrued. Alternatively, the consecutive pass counter may be implemented by one or more electronic displays visible to all players and casino table staff. In this later implementation, casino staff may use an electronic means such as pressing a button to increment or reset the pass counter. One exemplary embodiment may be a wall counter typically in use in delicatessens or other customer service areas, where a number may be incremented or reset by a staff person&#39;s press of a button.  
         [0028]     In an optional implementation described above, the bonus wager termination condition may occur at either a seven out or other loss by the shooter during any come out roll. Put another way, once a player loses under conventional craps rules (either by rolling a 2, 3 or 12 total on the first roll or by rolling a 7 before making point) then in this implementation a bonus termination condition is reached. As a result, in this implementation, the pass count for bonus bets will only be incremented for consecutive passes made by the shooter without intervening losses. As before, once the bonus wager termination condition is reached, after conventional craps bets are resolved the bonus wagers are resolved according to a pay table. This pay table illustrates the amount of winnings provided to a player based on the number of consecutive passes achieved by the player before losing or sevening out. In one implementation, if the shooter did not achieve at least five consecutive passes, no winnings are provided, but after five consecutive passes, bettors are remunerated with an increasingly larger payout based upon the number of passes accrued during the shooter&#39;s current tenure before seven-out.  
         [0029]     Also provided for is an apparatus for supporting the placing of the side bet and executing a game to track and pay side bets at appropriate times. In one exemplary implementation, a craps table layout  100  is provided with betting locations for players to place bonus bets  110 ,  120 , in addition to traditional craps bets. Indicia such as arrangements of betting circles (see  FIG. 3 ;  FIG. 4 ) are provided in areas  110 ,  120  marked upon the craps table layout  100  (or otherwise provided on an electronic version of the bonus craps game) for players to indicate an intent to wager money for a bonus bet as described above. A mechanism, such as a flip chart or electronic counter display (not shown) is also provided to keep track of and display to players and casino personnel the number of passes achieved by a shooter. Also provided is a display, either electronic, printed on the table, or on a sign located in proximity to the table, that provides the payoff amounts that are given to wagering players when a certain number of consecutive passes are achieved.  
         [0030]     An example of such a payoff table may be seen in Table 1 below. In one embodiment, an electronic display that shows the consecutive pass count also displays the current payoff for the bonus bet, and shows the amounts that could be won by players if the next round results in a pass. In this manner, potential bonus bet players are incentivized to join the craps game and/or to place a bonus bet at the next opportunity (e.g. before the next shooter&#39;s initial come out roll). Also provided for in an implementation for the electronic display of consecutive point count and payout schedules is a means for casino personnel to reset the point count upon a player&#39;s loss or seven out. This means may be provided, for instance, by a reset button mounted in proximity to the craps table and accessible by casino personnel. A push of the reset button can provide an electrical signal to a digital circuit indicating reset of a counter to a value of zero (or to some other number specified by the casino, such as may be needed if correction were necessary from an error was made in accruing the pass count). Also provided could be a keyboard, touch screen, our other data entry device for manipulating the value of the accrued pass count stored in an electronic circuit and being displayed on an electronic display.  
         [0031]     In another implementation, players need not wait for the next shooter&#39;s first come out roll to place a bonus bet, but instead, a bonus bet may be placed by a player at a time after the shooter&#39;s initial come out roll (a “late” bonus bet). Such players may be motivated to place a late bet because they joined the game in the middle of the shooter&#39;s action, or if they had not placed a bonus bet initially but the shooter appears to be having “a hot streak.” In this implementation, in addition to the overall table pass counter described above, a separate pass count is maintained for each late-betting player, and the pass counts are accrued for those players on each subsequent pass after the late bet was placed. As in other embodiments described herein, the bonus bet termination condition initiates resolution of the bonus bets for all players, whether entering late or not, but the amount of accrued passes used for calculation of payouts for late entering players will always be less than or equal to the overall table pass count. Those of skill in the art recognize that the separate late-entry tracking could be provided by having a pass count token or pass count indicia assigned to each late-entering player, wherein the token or indicia displays the current pass count at that player&#39;s entry to the game. Such a token could be placed under that player&#39;s bet on the table, and used by the casino staff on calculating any payoff to that player at the appropriate time. Resolution of a late-entry players&#39; personal pass count may thus be achieved by subtracting the value borne by that player&#39;s late entry pass count token or indicia from the overall table&#39;s pass count and utilizing the derived number as the basis for determining the payout from the payout table. Those of skill in the art also recognize that each individual player&#39;s late entry pass count may be maintained by a digital circuit, and the value of that pass count may be displayed at that player&#39;s position on the table on an electronic display, or on a computer or electronic screen for players participating in a networked or computer-based version of the game.  
         [0032]     As described above, bonus bets are resolved upon a bonus bet termination condition occurring, for example, by the shooter sevening out, or optionally, by a shooter crapping out on a come out roll. Bonus bets are generally resolved after the conventional craps bets for the table have been resolved, but optionally may be resolved concurrently with or before conventional or standard craps bets are resolved. As an exemplary implementation, Table 1 below illustrates the amount of winnings payable to a player who has bet on a bonus round, which varies by the game variant and the maximum number of accrued passes has been reached as shown in the “Throws” column. Versions A-G represent several possible nonlimiting examples of payout schedules for different game variants. As an example, but not by way of limitation, in version C of the game illustrated in Table 1, if the shooter had thrown only 4 successful passes before sevening out, the table shows that the bonus bet is a “loss” and therefore the player loses the bonus bet wager. However, assuming again a Version C game, if the shooter had thrown 9 passes before a bonus bet termination condition such as a seven out occurred, the player would be paid 15 to 1 on the bonus bet wager. Those of skill in the art recognize that many different variants of payouts are possible, and if bonus bet termination conditions change, the payout tables may change accordingly to incentivize players and sufficiently remunerate the casino.  
                                                 TABLE 1                           Exemplary Payout Table for Game Variants            Throws   Version A   Version B   Version C   Version D   Version E   Version F   Version G                0   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss        1   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss        2   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss        3   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss        4   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss   loss        5   5 to 1   loss   5 to 1   5 to 1   loss   5 to 1   5 to 1        6   5 to 1   5 to 1   5 to 1   5 to 1   5 to 1   5 to 1   5 to 1        7   10 to 1   5 to 1   7 to 1   10 to 1   5 to 1   7 to 1   7 to 1        8   10 to 1   10 to 1   7 to 1   10 to 1   15 to 1   10 to 1   7 to 1        9   25 to 1   10 to 1   15 to 1   25 to 1   15 to 1   10 to 1   25 to 1       10   25 to 1   25 to 1   25 to 1   25 to 1   30 to 1   25 to 1   25 to 1       11   50 to 1   25 to 1   25 to 1   50 to 1   30 to 1   25 to 1   50 to 1       12   50 to 1   50 to 1   50 to 1   50 to 1   75 to 1   50 to 1   50 to 1       13   100 to 1   50 to 1   50 to 1   50 to 1   75 to 1   50 to 1   100 to 1       14   100 to 1   100 to 1   100 to 1   50 to 1   250 to 1   100 to 1   100 to 1       15   1000 to 1   100 to 1   100 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   100 to 1   1000 to 1       16   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   100 to 1   1000 to 1       17   2000 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   2000 to 1   2000 to 1       18   2000 to 1   2000 to 1   2000 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   2000 to 1   2000 to 1       19   2000 to 1   2000 to 1   2000 to 1   1000 to 1   1000 to 1   2000 to 1   2000 to 1        20+   5000 to 1   5000 to 1   5000 to 1   5000 to 1   5000 to 1   5000 to 1   5000 to 1                  
 
         [0033]     In yet another implementation, a tournament-style adaptation of bonus craps gaming is presented. In a tournament-style bonus bet craps implementation, an interval of time is identified where multiple craps games with multiple shooters will be observed to identify certain shooting performance parameters. For example, but not by way of limitation, during a tournament-style implementation, the players who achieved the highest pass counts during their shooting tenures will be identified and tracked, and at the end of the tournament period, the players with the highest pass counts overall will be provided a prize or monetary award. Those of skill in the art recognize that the tournament implementation could be performed concurrent with or in place of the other implementation disclosed herein. In another variant, the highest point count during the period of the tournament is displayed for all players in all participating games to see, and if a shooter successfully exceeds the point value displayed, a reward is provided to that player. In yet another variant of the tournament rules, daily point count winners (the person or persons with the highest point counts during a day of play) are tracked over a period of time, for example a week, and the highest daily winner over the period of time could receive additional prizes or remuneration. In another alternative, high point count winners could be invited to a game to participate in a shootout, wherein the player with the winning outcome (such as obtaining a new high point count) would receive a substantial reward.  
         [0034]     Having read this disclosure, it will also be understood by those having skill in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.