Poker game

The player makes one wager to play two or more, an preferably five hands, of five cards each against a pay table and the player attempts to make the highest ranking five card poker hand in each hand. Using a standard deck of fifty-two playing cards, two cards are dealt face up and are the community cards that are common to each hand. The remaining three cards for each hand are dealt face down. The player may discard none, one or both of the face up community cards and receives replacement cards for the discarded cards, if any. The player may double his wager before or after the draw step. When the draw step is completed and the player has doubled his wager or not, the player presses the deal button and the remaining three face down cards are revealed. The community cards are used with each of the partial three card hands to form final five card hands. The player wins on any five card hand that has a preestablished poker hand ranking as shown in the pay table. The amount won by the player is based on the poker hand ranking of each hand and the amount wagered by the player. In one variation, a sixty-five card deck is used which has five thirteen card suits. A payout multiplier feature may be used which randomly appears during the play of the game to increase the payouts made to the player.

This invention relates to a poker game, and more particularly to a poker 
game that deals two community cards face up to the player and two or more, 
and preferably five, partial hands of three more cards face down, then 
allows the player to replace one or both of the face up community cards, 
then allows the player to double his wager and then reveals each group of 
the three face down cards to complete a five card poker hand using the two 
community cards in each hand. The player makes a single wager to play all 
of the hands. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Many types of electronic video poker gaming machines have been developed 
that are used in the casino gaming industry. Some of these video poker 
games are stud poker games and some are draw poker games. Each of these 
types of electronic video poker gaming machines is designed to replicate 
the play of a hand of poker. The player attempts to achieve the highest 
ranking poker hand possible from the cards displayed to the player. Most 
video poker machines use conventional poker hand rankings which ranging 
highest to lowest are: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full 
House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and Highest 
Card. 
In conventional video poker, the player is not playing against other 
players' hands as in a live cardroom poker game or against a dealer's hand 
as in Twenty-One or CARIBBEAN STUD.RTM. poker which is described in U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,886,553. The player only plays the cards of his hand against a 
pay table. The higher the poker hand ranking achieved by the player; the 
greater the player's winnings based on the number of coins, tokens or 
credits wagered by the player. 
The first electronic video poker gaming machine was a standard draw poker 
game that dealt cards from a standard 52 card poker deck and displayed a 
single five card hand to the player. This was a conventional "player's 
hand only" game since the player did not play against a dealer's hand, but 
was only trying to achieve the highest poker hand ranking he could for his 
five card hand. The cards were electronically shuffled and an initial deal 
of five cards was displayed to the player. The player then selected which 
of the five cards he wanted to hold. The non-selected cards are removed 
and replacement cards are displayed for the cards the player has 
discarded. The player wins or loses based on conventional poker hand 
rankings for the resulting five card hand. 
The winning or losing poker hands are determined by comparing the poker 
hand ranking of the player's final five card hand to a pay table. The pay 
table shows the various winning hand combinations, generally ranging from 
a Pair of Jacks or Better up to a Royal Flush. The pay table also shows 
winning payout amounts based on the number of coins, tokens or credits 
wagered by the player (credits can be wagered by the player if the gaming 
machine has a credit meter that accrues credits earned by the player 
during the play of the game). 
Table 1 shows a typical pay table that is often used in electronic video 
draw poker machines of the "player's hand only" type. 
TABLE 1 
______________________________________ 
NUMBER OF COINS PLAYED 
TYPE OF HAND 1 2 3 4 5 
______________________________________ 
ROYAL FLUSH 250 500 750 1000 4000 
STRAIGHT FLUSH 
50 100 150 200 250 
FOUR OF A KIND 
25 50 75 100 125 
FULL HOUSE 9 18 27 36 45 
FLUSH 6 12 18 24 30 
STRAIGHT 4 8 12 16 20 
THREE OF A KIND 
3 6 9 12 15 
TWO PAIR 2 4 6 8 10 
JACKS OR BETTER 
1 2 3 4 5 
______________________________________ 
The classic video draw poker machine has been modified to use Deuces (or 
even other cards) as wild cards. Also, one or more Jokers may be added to 
the standard fifty-two card deck and the Jokers are also used as wild 
cards. "Deuces Wild" and "Jokers Wild" draw poker still display to the 
player a single five card hand and allow the player to discard unwanted 
cards and receive replacement cards. The pay table is modified to 
recognize the differing odds for achieving various poker hands when wild 
cards are involved. When wild cards are used, other winning poker hand 
rankings can be used such as Five of a Kind or Wild Royal Flushes. 
Other types of "player's hand only" poker games have been adapted to run on 
electronic video gaming machines. In the electronic version of "player's 
hand only" seven card stud poker, the player wagers one or more coins, 
tokens or credits to be eligible to play the game and the player is 
initially dealt three cards. The player then has the option of folding in 
which case he loses his initial wager or betting additional coins, tokens 
or credits to receive additional cards. Eventually the player has either 
folded or received a full seven card hand. The player wins or loses based 
on conventional poker hand rankings for the best five cards of his seven 
card hand. A pay table is established based on the number of coins, tokens 
or credits wagered by the player and the type of poker hand achieved. 
In the electronic version of "player's hand only" five card stud poker, the 
player wagers one or more coins, tokens or credits to be eligible to play 
the game and the player is initially dealt four cards. The player then has 
the option of betting additional coins, tokens or credits to increase the 
amount of a winning payout when he receives the fifth card. After the 
fifth card is dealt to the player, the value of his five card hand is 
determined based on conventional poker hand rankings. A pay table is 
established based on the number of coins, tokens or credits wagered by the 
player and the type of poker hand achieved. An example of this type of 
five card stud video poker is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,413. 
There is a family of games known as "Spit-in-the-Ocean" games which are 
variations of conventional cardroom poker games. A plurality of players 
vie for a common pot which is increased by the initial antes and 
subsequent wagers of the players. In these games each player is dealt one 
or more cards and the rest of the player's hand comes from community cards 
available to all players. The player's individual cards are combined with 
the community cards and the player with the highest ranking poker hand 
wins the common pot. 
Perhaps the most popular community card game is Texas Hold-Em because of 
the large number of players who can play at one time and the fast action 
and large pots that are generated. The game is fast because only two cards 
are dealt to each player, with the remaining cards being dealt to a "flop" 
which forms the community cards from which each player makes up the rest 
of his hand. The winning hand belongs to that player whose two cards best 
fit with the community cards and form the highest ranking poker hand. 
A recent development in electronic video poker games is the multiple hand 
games. A game known as "Double Poker" is described in U.S. Pat. No. 
5,356,140. In this game, two initial five card hands are displayed to the 
player from two separate decks of cards. The player makes a single wager 
and then selects one of the two initial five card hands to play. After the 
player has selected which hand he wishes to play, that hand is played out 
in a conventional manner by discarding and drawing replacement cards and 
paying the player based on the poker hand ranking of the final five card 
hand. 
Another game known as "Pick One Poker" is described in U.S. Pat. No. 
5,816,915. In this game, four separate five card hands are displayed to 
the player with all of the four hands being dealt from a single deck of 
cards. The player makes a single wager and then selects one of the four 
initial five card hands to play. The other three non-selected hands are 
reshuffled back with the remaining cards from the single deck of cards. 
After the player has selected which hand he wishes to play, that hand is 
played out in a conventional manner by discarding and drawing replacement 
cards and paying the player based on the poker hand ranking of the final 
five card hand. 
Another type of multiple hand video poker is a game known as "Triple Play" 
poker which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,873. The player makes a 
separate wager for each hand the player wishes to play. A first five card 
hand is dealt and displayed face up to the player. The player selects 
none, one or more of the face up cards from the first hand as cards to be 
held. The cards that are held are duplicated from the first hand into all 
of the other hands. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt 
into the first hand so that the first hand has five cards. Additional 
cards are also dealt to all of the other hands so that each hand is a five 
card hand. The poker hand ranking of each five card hand is determined. 
The player is then paid for any winning poker hands based on a pay table 
and the amount of the player's wager on each hand. 
The drawback of a game such as "Triple Play" poker is that the player must 
make separate wagers for each hand that the player wishes to play. It 
would be more beneficial to the player to be able to play multiple hands 
of cards for a single wager. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic video 
poker game in which the player makes a single wager and can play multiple 
hands so that the player has multiple opportunities to achieve a winning 
poker hand combination. 
It is a feature of the present invention that two community cards are 
combined with two or more, and preferably five, partial hands of three 
cards each. The player can discard none, one or both of the community 
cards, receive replacement cards for the discarded community cards, 
increase his wager and then complete five poker hands. The player has the 
opportunity to achieve up to five or more winning poker hand combinations 
for a single wager. 
It is another feature of the present invention to use a modified deck of 
playing cards that is increased to sixty-five cards by the addition of a 
fifth suit. The fifth suit allows the use of additional winning card 
combinations such as Five-of-a-Kind without the need to include wild cards 
in the deck. 
It is an advantage of the present invention that the player can enjoy the 
opportunity to play five or more separate poker hands while only having to 
make a single wager. The method of play of the present invention is 
fast-paced and provides the possibility of large payouts to the player and 
can also include a bonus multiplier feature that allows the player, on a 
random basis, to receive even higher payouts. 
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The player makes one wager to play two or more, and preferably five, hands 
of five cards each against a pay table and the player attempts to make the 
highest ranking five card poker hand in each hand. In the preferred 
embodiment, the player is provided with five hands to play for a single 
wager. Using a standard deck of fifty-two playing cards, two cards are 
dealt face up and are the community cards that are common to each hand. 
The remaining three cards for each hand are dealt face down. The player 
may discard none, one or both of the face up community cards and receives 
replacement cards for the discarded cards, if any. The player may double 
his wager before or after the draw step. When the draw step is completed 
and the player has doubled his wager or not, the player presses the deal 
button and the remaining three face down cards are revealed. The community 
cards are used with each of the partial three card hands to form final 
five card hands. The player wins on any final five card hand that has a 
preestablished poker hand ranking as shown in the pay table. The amount 
won by the player is based on the poker hand ranking of each hand and the 
amount wagered by the player. 
In one variation of the present invention, three community cards are used 
and each of the partial hands have two cards. 
In another variation, a sixty-five card deck is used which has five 
thirteen card suits. This is accomplished by adding a fifth suit of any 
insignia, for example a Tristar suit, to the four traditional suits of 
Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. 
In yet another variation, a payout multiplier feature randomly appears 
during the play of the game to increase the payouts made to the player.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A conventional electronic video poker gaming machine apparatus is used to 
practice the method of the present invention. The electronic video poker 
gaming machine has electronic computer controls, a coin hopper, coin-in 
handling equipment, currency-in handling equipment (such as a bill 
acceptor), a video display and other optional equipment such as player 
tracking apparatus as is conventional. The computer controls are 
programmed to display and operate the method of the present invention. 
A schematic representation of the video screen display of the electronic 
video poker gaming machine used to practice the present invention is shown 
generally at 10 in FIG. 1. The screen display 10 shows a pay table 20 at 
any suitable location on the screen display 10 which displays to the 
player the amounts that the player can win depending on the poker hand 
ranking achieved by the player for each hand. The pay table can have any 
desired payout amounts associated with various poker hand rankings 
depending on what percentages are desired to be used with the game. The 
pay table 20 can also be located at other places on the gaming machine 
such as the top glass area or the belly glass area, if desired. 
The screen display 10 also includes at any desired location a card display 
area 30 in which the cards to be played by the player are shown. In one 
preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first community card 32 
and a second community card 34 are shown as well as five rows of partial 
hands 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80, each partial hand having three cards. In the 
method of play of the present invention, each partial hand of three cards 
is combined with the two community cards to form a final five card hand. 
The screen display also shows the player the number of COINS IN 92 that the 
player has wagered on a particular round of play of the game as well the 
number of CREDITS 94 that the player has accrued. 
The screen display 10 is also provided with various touch screen locations 
that use conventional touch screen technology to allow the player to 
conduct the method of play of the present invention. The CHANGE location 
110 when pressed will activate a light on the gaming machine, as is 
conventional, to alert the change attendant that the player desires change 
service. The CASH-OUT location 112 activates the cash out mechanism on the 
gaming machine to allow the player to collect the credits that the player 
has accrued. The cash out mechanism can be any conventional cash out 
apparatus such as a coin hopper or ticket printer. 
The first HOLD location 132 is associated with the first community card 32 
and the second HOLD location 134 is associated with the second community 
card 134. The BET 1 COIN location 142 is used by the player to make an 
initial wager in increments of one coin at a time and the BET MAX COINS 
location 144 is used by the player to make an initial wager of the maximum 
number of coins allowed by the method of play, which in a preferred 
embodiment of the present invention is ten coins (although more or less 
than ten coins can be set as the maximum wager). The DEAL/DRAW location 
146 is used by the player to start the game after a wager has been made or 
to re-activate the game to turn up the face down cards after the player 
has completed the draw step and the double step as will be explained. The 
RAISE/DOUBLE location 148 is used by the player to raise or double his 
initial wager when permitted by the method of play. 
Instead (or in addition to) using touch screen technology, these operating 
locations can be represented by buttons on a button panel of a gaming 
machine as is conventional. 
The method of play of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is 
now described. The player inserts coins, tokens or currency into the 
gaming machine to activate the machine for play. Alternatively, if the 
player has accrued credits from previous rounds of play, the player may 
use those credits to make further wagers. As shown in FIG. 1, the player 
has accrued credits and has made an initial wager of ten coins or credits 
for this round of play of the game. The player makes this wager by either 
pressing the BET ONE COIN location 142 ten times or by pressing the BET 
MAX COINS location 144 once to wager ten coins. After the player has 
determined the amount of his initial wager, the player presses the 
DEAL/DRAW location 146 to cause an initial deal of cards to be displayed 
in the card display location 30. 
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cards are dealt 
from a single standard deck of fifty-two playing cards. Alternatively, in 
another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sixty-five card 
deck of playing cards may be used in which an additional thirteen card 
suit is added to the standard thirteen card suits of Spades, Hearts, 
Diamonds and Clubs. This fifth suit may be of any suitable insignia, such 
as a Tristar symbol. It is also within the scope of the present invention 
to designate wild cards or to include one or more Jokers in the deck of 
playing cards which may also be used as wild cards. 
The cards are electronically shuffled, as is conventional, prior to the 
commencement of the initial deal of cards. On the initial deal, two 
community cards are dealt face up--the first community card 32 and the 
second community card 34. Also dealt are five partial hands of three cards 
each--HAND ONE 40, HAND TWO 50, HAND THREE 60, HAND FOUR 70 and HAND FIVE 
80. with all of the cards in these hands being dealt face down. 
The player need only make a single wager to play all five hands. While five 
partial hands of three cards each are shown in the Figures as the 
preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention may be practiced 
using two or more partial hands. Another variation of the present 
invention may use three community cards and two or more partial hands of 
two cards. 
FIG. 1 shows a representative initial deal in which the first community 
card 32 is the Ace of Spades and the second community card 34 is the Six 
of Spades. 
At this point of the method of play, the player is given the option to 
increase the amount of his initial wager. The player can raise his initial 
wager by doubling the amount of that wager and the player does this by 
pressing the RAISE/DOUBLE location 148 and an additional amount equal to 
the player's initial wager is added to COIN IN location 92 to indicate 
that the player has made the RAISE/DOUBLE wager. The player may elect not 
to RAISE/DOUBLE at this point and wait until after the draw step. 
Next at this point of play, the play may also elect to hold or discard 
either or both of the community cards. The player effects this choice by 
pressing the HOLD location associated with the community card that the 
player wishes to hold. As shown in FIG. 2, the player in this example, has 
chosen to hold the Ace of Spades 32 and discard the Six of Spades 34. The 
player then presses the DEAL/DRAW location 146 to receive a replacement 
card for the discarded Six of Spades. In this example shown in FIG. 2, the 
player receives the King of Spades 36 as the replacement card. In the 
variation of the present invention which uses three community cards, the 
player is given the option to hold or discard each of the three community 
cards as desired by the player. 
Now after the player has held or discarded the community cards as desired, 
the player may also elect (if he has not done so already) to RAISE/DOUBLE 
his initial wager. Again the player does this by pressing the RAISE/DOUBLE 
location 148. If the player does raise his wager, the amount of the raise 
is automatically deducted from his accrued credits and the COINS IN 92 
amount is changed to reflect the increase in the player's wager. 
After the player has completed his hold and draw of the community cards and 
after the player has decided whether to raise his wager, the player again 
presses the DEAL/DRAW location 146 which causes the face down cards in 
each of the partial hands to be turned face up. Both of the community 
cards are used with the three cards of each partial hand to form a five 
card hand. The poker ranking of this five card hand is analyzed and the 
player wins if the poker hand ranking is one of the poker hand rankings 
shown in the pay table 20. In the variation of the present invention which 
uses three community cards, all three community cards are used with the 
two cards of each partial hand to form a five card hand. 
Any suitable pay table may be used depending on the mathematical 
percentages desired to be employed in the method of play of the present 
invention. For example, a suitable pay table 20 as shown in FIGS. 1-3 is 
also shown in Table 2: 
TABLE 2 
______________________________________ 
POKER HAND RANKING 
PAYOUT PER COIN 
______________________________________ 
Royal Flush 650 
Straight Flush 40 
4 of a Kind 25 
Full House 5 
Flush 4 
Straight 3 
3 of a Kind 2 
Two Pair 1 
______________________________________ 
FIG. 3 shows, in this example, the results of a play of the five hands. 
When the face down cards in each partial hand are revealed as shown in 
FIG. 3, the five cards of HAND ONE 40 consist of the Ace of Spades 32, the 
King of Spades 36, the Queen of Hearts 44, the Jack of Clubs 46 and the 
Ten of Diamonds 48. This comprises a poker hand ranking of a Straight and 
the player is paid three credits for each credit wagered for a total 
return to the player of thirty credits on HAND ONE. 
The five cards of HAND TWO 50 consist of the Ace of Spades 32, the King of 
Spades 36. the Two of Spades 54. the Three of Diamonds 56 and the Three of 
Spades 58. This comprises a poker hand ranking of a Pair of Threes which 
is not a poker ranking shown in the pay table. The player has a losing 
hand and therefore does not receive a payout for HAND TWO. 
The five cards of HAND THREE 60 consist of the Ace of Spades 32, the King 
of Spades 36, the King of Hearts 64, the Ace of Hearts 66 and the King of 
Clubs 68. This comprises a poker hand ranking of a Full House and the 
player is paid five credits for each credit wagered for a total return to 
the player of fifty credits on HAND THREE. 
The five cards of HAND FOUR 70 consist of the Ace of Spades 32, the King of 
Spades 36, the Queen of Spades 74, the Ten of Spades 76 and the Nine of 
Spades 78. This comprises a poker hand ranking of a Flush and the player 
is paid four credits for each credit wagered for a total return to the 
player of forty credits on HAND FOUR. 
The five cards of HAND FIVE 80 consist of the Ace of Spades 32, the King of 
Spades 36, the Seven of Spades 84, the Two of Diamonds 86 and the Seven of 
Clubs 88. This comprises a poker hand ranking of a Pair of Sevens which is 
not a poker ranking shown in the pay table. The player has a losing hand 
and therefore does not receive a payout for HAND FIVE. 
All five hands are shown to the player at one time on the screen display 30 
so the player can see which hands are winners and which hands are losers. 
To assist in this display, it is desirable to show more clearly the 
winning hands compared to the losing hands. This can be done in any 
suitable manner such as highlighting the winning hands. 
The amounts won by the player on the winning hands are summed and displayed 
to the player on the video screen 10 in any suitable location. For 
example, the display could say: WINNER!! PAID 120. 
If the player had chosen to raise/double his wager prior to the face down 
cards being revealed, then, for example, the player's wager would have 
twenty credits and the player would have received a return of 240 credits 
for the five hands shown in FIG. 3. 
An additional feature of a bonus multiplier may be added to the method of 
play of the present invention. The computer controls that operate the game 
may be programmed to include a special symbol that will appear on the 
screen display 30 during certain rounds of the game on a random basis. The 
special symbol will appear, if it is going to, at the time the player 
presses the DEAL/DRAW location to reveal the face down cards. If the 
special symbol appears during a round of play, any winning amounts 
achieved by the player are multiplied by a pre-established number which is 
preferably an integer between two and five, for example three. Thus, in 
the example shown in FIG. 3, had the special symbol been in play during 
that round of the game, the player would have received three times the 
amount of the normal payout. 
The method of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 1-3 uses five partial 
hands combined with the two community cards to yield five possible five 
card hands from which the player may achieve winning poker hand rankings. 
As few as two, three or four partial hands or even more than five partial 
hands may be used. In other preferred embodiments of the present 
invention, the number of hands can be six, eight or ten. Various layouts 
of the screen display 30 can be configured to show the six hand, eight 
hand and ten hand versions of the method of play. For example, the two 
community cards can be positioned in the center of the screen display 30 
and a group of partial hands can be positioned on each side of the two 
community cards. The six hand version would have three partial hands one 
each side of the two community cards. Similar displays can be configured 
for the eight hand version and the ten hand version. 
When the six hand version, the eight hand version or the ten hand version 
is used, it is preferred to use different pay tables since the 
mathematical probabilities of achieving various poker hand combinations 
are changed. For example, a suitable pay table for the six hand version is 
shown in Table 3, although other pay tables may be used: 
TABLE 3 
______________________________________ 
POKER HAND RANKING 
PAYOUT PER COIN 
______________________________________ 
Royal Flush 600 
Straight Flush 40 
4 of a Kind 25 
Full House 5 
Flush 4 
Straight 3 
3 of a Kind 2 
Two Pair 1 
______________________________________ 
Again by way of example, a suitable pay table for the eight hand version is 
shown in Table 4, although other pay tables may be used: 
TABLE 4 
______________________________________ 
POKER HAND RANKING 
PAYOUT PER COIN 
______________________________________ 
Royal Flush 550 
Straight Flush 40 
4 of a Kind 25 
Full House 5 
Flush 4 
Straight 3 
3 of a Kind 2 
Two Pair 1 
______________________________________ 
Finally by way of example, a suitable pay table for the ten hand version is 
shown in Table 5, although other pay tables may be used: 
TABLE 5 
______________________________________ 
POKER HAND RANKING 
PAYOUT PER COIN 
______________________________________ 
Royal Flush 500 
Straight Flush 40 
4 of a Kind 25 
Full House 5 
Flush 4 
Straight 3 
3 of a Kind 2 
Two Pair 1 
______________________________________ 
Any pay table that is used would also have to be modified if wild cards are 
used in the play of the method of the present invention. 
An alternative variation of the present invention uses a playing deck 
having sixty-five cards comprising five different suits. A fifth suit of 
cards having any suitable insignia, such as a Tristar insignia, is added 
to the four conventional suits of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. This 
provides a deck of cards comprising a total of sixty-five cards and 
changes the mathematical probabilities of obtaining various poker hand 
combinations. Using five suits of cards also allows for other card 
combinations to be designated as winning card combinations, such a Five of 
a Kind or a winning hand could be five cards, each of one of the five 
different suits, or even a five-suited straight where the cards comprise 
five ranks in numerical order but each card is a different suit or even a 
five-suited royal straight where the five cards comprise the ranks of Ace, 
King, Queen, Jack and Ten but each card is a different suit. 
When five suits are used, it is preferred to utilize a different pay table 
to show the amounts that the player may win. For example, a suitable pay 
table to be used with this five suit deck embodiment of the present 
invention when five hands are played is shown in Table 6, although other 
pay tables can also be used: 
TABLE 6 
______________________________________ 
POKER HAND RANKING 
PAYOUT PER COIN 
______________________________________ 
Royal Flush 650 
Five of a Kind 50 
Straight Flush 40 
4 of a Kind 25 
Full House 5 
Flush 4 
Straight 3 
3 of a Kind 2 
Two Pair 1 
______________________________________ 
The preferred embodiment of this five suited variation of the present 
invention uses five partial hands combined with the two community cards to 
yield five possible five card hands from which the player may achieve 
winning poker hand rankings. As described above in connection with the 
method of the present invention that uses a standard fifty-two card deck 
of playing cards, this five suited variation may also use more than five 
partial hands. The number of partial hands initially dealt and displayed 
to the player can be six, eight or ten hands. Various layouts of the 
screen display 30 can be configured to show the six hand, eight hand and 
ten hand versions of the method of play. For example, the two community 
cards can be positioned in the center of the screen display 30 and a group 
of partial hands can be positioned on each side of the two community 
cards. The six hand version would have three partial hands one each side 
of the two community cards. Similar displays can be configured for the 
eight hand version and the ten hand version. 
When the six hand version, the eight hand version or the ten hand version 
is used, it is preferred to use different pay tables since the 
mathematical probabilities of achieving various poker hand combinations 
are changed. For example, a suitable pay table for the six hand version is 
shown in Table 7, although other pay tables may be used: 
TABLE 7 
______________________________________ 
POKER HAND RANKING 
PAYOUT PER COIN 
______________________________________ 
Royal Flush 650 
Five of a Kind 50 
Straight Flush 40 
4 of a Kind 25 
Full House 5 
Flush 4 
Straight 3 
3 of a Kind 2 
Two Pair 1 
______________________________________ 
Again by way of example, a suitable pay table for the eight hand version is 
shown in Table 8, although other pay tables may be used: 
TABLE 8 
______________________________________ 
POKER HAND RANKING 
PAYOUT PER COIN 
______________________________________ 
Royal Flush 500 
Five of a Kind 50 
Straight Flush 40 
4 of a Kind 25 
Full House 5 
Flush 4 
Straight 3 
3 of a Kind 2 
Two Pair 1 
______________________________________ 
Finally by way of example, a suitable pay table for the ten hand version is 
shown in Table 9, although other pay tables may be used: 
TABLE 9 
______________________________________ 
POKER HAND RANKING 
PAYOUT PER COIN 
______________________________________ 
Royal Flush 450 
Five of a Kind 50 
Straight Flush 40 
4 of a Kind 25 
Full House 5 
Flush 4 
Straight 3 
3 of a Kind 2 
Two Pair 1 
______________________________________ 
Any pay table that is used would also have to be modified if wild cards are 
used in the play of the method of the present invention. 
While the method of the present invention has been described in connection 
with an electronic video poker machine, the method of play may also be 
practiced in a live gaming table format using a live dealer to deal the 
cards and handle the wagering. Furthermore, the method of the present 
invention may be practiced in a non-wagering (amusement) format in which 
points are used instead of items of monetary value. The amusement format 
can be a live table game or a hand-held computer game similar to the 
electronic amusement games sold by RADICA.RTM.. Finally, the method of 
play of the present invention can be practiced in an interactive format 
such as used in Internet gaming web sites. 
While the invention has been illustrated with respect to several specific 
embodiments thereof, these embodiments should be considered as 
illustrative rather than limiting. Various modifications and additions may 
be made and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the 
invention should not be limited by the foregoing description, but rather 
should be defined only by the following claims.