Method of playing blackjack with stand “soft 17” option wager

A variation of the blackjack card game where players who have not busted in a round of play are given the option of placing a separate bet on the dealer's “soft” 17, which is a hand containing an ace (counted as eleven, as opposed to one) and one or more other cards totaling six.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERAL SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention relates generally to the card game known as blackjack. More particularly, the subject invention relates to a variation of the blackjack game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is the most widely played casino game in the world. Blackjack is a card-comparing game between one or more players and a dealer, where each player in turn competes against the dealer, but players do not play against each other. Blackjack is played with one or more decks of fifty-two cards. The object of blackjack is to beat the dealer in one of the following ways:(1) Get 21 points on the player's first two cards (called a “blackjack”), without a dealer blackjack;(2) Reach a final score higher than the dealer without exceeding 21; or(3) Let the dealer draw additional cards until the dealer's hand exceeds 21 (referred to as “busting” or “going bust”).

To begin a round of blackjack, one or more players make a wager, or a bet. The dealer then deals a two-card hand to each player. Each player typically receives the cards face up. The dealer also receives two cards, where one card is typically face up and the other card is typically face down (the “hole card”). Face cards (kings, queens, and jacks) are counted as ten points. Aces are counted as 1 point or 11 points. All other cards are counted as the numeric value shown on the card.

After receiving the initial two cards and after seeing the dealer's face up card, each player has up to four standard options: “hit,” “stand,” “double down,” or “split.” A “hit” means to receive another card from the dealer. A “stand” means to receive no more cards. A “double down” allows a player to increase his or her initial bet by up to 100% in exchange for committing to stand after receiving one more card. A “split” can occur when the player's first two cards are the same value. In that case, the player has the option of splitting the two cards into two separate hands and placing a second bet equal to the player's initial bet next to the initial bet. If the player chooses to “split,” then the dealer deals an additional card for each of the player's two separate hands, after which the player plays out the two separate hands in turn.

After all the players have exhausted the standard options discussed above, and at least one of the players has not busted, the dealer must hit until the dealer's cards total 17 or more points. At many tables the dealer has the option of hitting or standing on a “soft” 17, i.e. a hand containing an ace and one or more other cards totaling six. A player wins a round by not busting and having a total number of points higher than that of the dealer's. The dealer loses a round by busting or having a total number of points less than a player who has not busted. If a player and the dealer have the same number of points, then this is called a “push” and the player typically does not win or lose that hand. If all of the players bust after exhausting the standard options discussed above, then all the players lose and the hand ends automatically without the dealer having to play his or her hand.

The present invention provides another betting option to players when playing blackjack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1shows the layout of a typical blackjack table10. A typical blackjack table is semi-circular in shape, where the dealer stands behind the straight side of the table and the players sit or stand along the curved part of the table. The player's position to the dealer's far left is known as “first base” and the player's position to the dealer's far right is known as “third base.” A typical blackjack table10has a chip rack11, a currency slot12, a dealer card shoe13, betting circles14, and a used card shoe15. The chip rack11is where chips used in the blackjack game are kept. When a player buys in to the game, he or she is given chips from chip rack11. When a player wins a hand, he or she is paid from chip rack11. When a player loses a hand, his chips are taken and returned to chip rack11. The dealer stands right behind chip rack11during play.

Currency slot12is used when a player gives the dealer cash to buy chips. Cash is rarely used in a live blackjack game. Players use cash to buy chips. When a player gives the dealer cash to buy chips, the dealer places the cash in currency slot12.

Shoe13is where the cards used in the blackjack game are held before being dealt to the players. The front of shoe13is typically slightly sloped to allow a dealer to slide out one card at a time when dealing to the blackjack players.

Betting circles14are the areas where a player places his or her bet and the area where the player's card are dealt.FIG. 1shows five betting circles, indicating that the blackjack table shown inFIG. 1can accommodate up to five blackjack players. Some blackjack tables can accommodate up to seven blackjack players.

Used card shoe15is where cards that have already been used in a blackjack round are placed for reshuffling.

As shown inFIG. 1, a typical blackjack table10has phrases written directly on it. One phrase shown inFIG. 1is “Blackjack Pays 3 to 2.” This phrase is designed to remind players that a blackjack (when a player gets 21 points on the player's first two cards, without a dealer getting 21 points on the dealer's first two cards) is paid off at higher odds than when a player has a total of 21 points or any other winning hand. To qualify for the higher odds, a player's first two cards must be an ace and a ten (10, Jack, Queen, or King).

Another phrase typically on a blackjack table is “Dealer must stand on 17 and must draw to 16.” This phrase tells the players the rules set by the casino for the dealer.

Another phrase typically on a blackjack table is “Insurance Pays 2 to 1.” This phrase refers to a side bet that is available to players when the dealer's up card is an ace. The player is offered the option of taking “insurance” before the dealer checks the down card. Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has blackjack and is treated independently of the main wager. It pays 2 to 1 (meaning that the player receives two dollars for every dollar bet). The idea is that the dealer's down card has a fairly high probability (nearly one-third) to have a value of ten, resulting in the dealer scoring a blackjack. The insurance side bet is attractive (although not necessarily wise) for the player to insure against the possibility of a dealer blackjack by making a maximum “insurance” bet, in which case the “insurance proceeds” will make up for the concomitant loss on the original bet. The player may add up to half the value of their original bet to the insurance and these extra chips are placed on a portion of the table usually marked “Insurance Pays 2 to 1.”

In a typical round of blackjack, each player makes a bet in a betting circle14(as shown inFIG. 3) and then the dealer deals two cards (both typically face up, as shown inFIG. 3) to each player and two cards (one typically face up and the other typically face down) to the dealer.

After receiving the initial two cards and after seeing the dealer's face up card, each player chooses to “hit,” “stand,” “double down,” or “split.” A “hit” results in another card from the dealer. If a player chooses to “hit,” then after the player's first hit, the player can choose to “hit” again as many times as the player desires. A “stand” results in no more cards from the dealer. A “double down” allows a player to increase his or her initial bet by up to 100% in exchange for committing to stand after receiving one more card. A “split” can occur when the player's first two cards are the same value. In that case, the player has the option of splitting the two cards into two separate hands and placing a second bet equal to the player's initial bet next to the initial bet. If the player chooses to “split,” then the dealer deals an additional card for each of the player's two separate hands, after which the player plays out the two separate hands in turn, where the player can choose to “hit,” “stand,” “double down,” or “split” for each hand.

After all the players have exhausted the standard options discussed above (hit, stand, double down, or split), and at least one of the players has not busted, the dealer must hit until the dealer's cards total seventeen or more points. The present invention adds another option for players when the dealer stands on a “soft” seventeen, i.e. a hand containing an ace (counted as eleven) and one or more other cards totaling six.FIG. 2shows the layout of a typical blackjack table10with the Stand “Hard 17” Option Wager.

According to the present invention, when the dealer stands on a “soft” seventeen, as shown inFIG. 3, then the players who have not busted or who have scored a blackjack in that particular round are given the option of placing a separate bet on the dealer's “soft” seventeen. The separate bet on the dealer's “soft” seventeen is procedurally identical to “buying” insurance against the dealer scoring a blackjack when the dealer's up card is an ace. The separate bet on the dealer's “soft” seventeen is preferably placed in a designated place16adjacent to the insurance line, as shown inFIGS. 4 through 7. If any of the eligible players choose to place a separate bet on the dealer's “soft” seventeen, then the dealer will first pay each player whose total number of points is higher than seventeen but lower than twenty-two (as shown by the player who has two nines inFIG. 4), then the dealer will take a hit on the dealer's “soft” seventeen until the dealer's hand either busts (goes over twenty-one, as shown inFIG. 6) or until the dealer's hand reaches a hard seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, or twenty-one (as shown inFIG. 7). A hard seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, or twenty-one is a hand containing an ace (counted as one) and one or more other cards totaling sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, or twenty, respectively. If the dealer's hand busts (goes over twenty-one, as shown inFIG. 6), then a player wins the separate bet on the dealer's “soft” seventeen. However, if the dealer's hit results in a hard seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, or twenty-one (as shown inFIG. 7), then the player loses the separate bet on the dealer's “soft” seventeen.

The present invention is further illustrated with the following example. Assume that a blackjack player stands on fifteen (as shown by the player who has a seven and an eight inFIG. 4) after seeing the dealer's up card of six. Assume further that the dealer's down card is an ace (as shown inFIG. 4), which, when added to the six, gives the dealer a “soft” seventeen. When the dealer stands on the “soft” seventeen, the player who stood on fifteen loses. However, that player can choose to make a separate bet 16 on the dealer's “soft” seventeen (as shown inFIG. 4). If the player chooses to make a separate bet 16 on the dealer's “soft” seventeen, then the dealer hits the dealer's hand until the dealer's hand reaches a “hard” seventeen or higher.

In the current example, the dealer has an ace and a six, which is seven hard points and seventeen soft points. If the dealer takes a hit and draws a nine, then the dealer has fifteen hard points and must take another hit. If the dealer takes another hit and draws a ten (as shown inFIG. 6), then the dealer busts with twenty-six hard points and the player with fourteen points wins the separate bet on the dealer's “soft” seventeen.

It is understood that one embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed by way of example and that other modifications and alterations may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.