Secure multi-site progressive jackpot system for live card games

A secure game table system, adapted for multiple sites under a central control, for monitoring each hand in a live card game. A common deck identity code is located on each card. A shuffler has a circuit for counting the cards from a previous hand which are inserted into the shuffler and which reads the common identity code. The game control verifies that no cards have been withdrawn from the hand by a player or that new cards have been substituted. A unique code also placed on each card is read as the card is dealt to indicate the value and the suit. The game control stores this information in a memory so that a history of each card dealt is recorded. Sensors are located near each of the player positions for sensing the presence of a game bet and a progressive bet. A card sensor located near each player position and the dealer position issues a signal for each card received. The game control receives these signals and correlates those player positions having placed a game and/or progressive bet with the received cards. The game control at each table has stored in memory the winning combinations necessary to win the progressive jackpots. Since the game control accurately stores the suit and value of each card received at a particular player position, the game control can automatically detect a winning progressive combination and issue an award signal for that player position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to securing live card games and, more 
particularly, to securing multi-site progressive jackpots for live card 
games using automatic card shufflers. 
2. Statement of the Problem 
Progressive jackpot slot machines and live card games (such as Black Jack, 
Baccarat, Chemin de For, Pal Tow Poker, Draw Poker, Stud Poker, and 
Lo-Ball Poker) represent two types of games that are popular among 
gamblers throughout the world. 
A need exists for a progressive jackpot system for live card games at 
remote sites. With players at numerous remote sites for the live card 
games, a security problem exists that becomes critically important as the 
size of the progressive jackpot grows. Since a live card game is played 
independently with card decks and dealers, there exists a substantial risk 
(into the millions of dollars) of cheating and/or card counting (whether 
legal or illegal). See Scarne's New Complete Guide to Gambling, by John 
Scarne, Simon & Schuster (1986) pages 382-388. The risk of cheating 
increases as the size of the progressive jackpot increases. 
A need, therefore, exists to create a secure environment that permits the 
operation of multiple independent live card games linked together in a 
common system to the same progressive jackpot that provides significant 
security to prevent cheating and card counting. A need also exists for 
added levels of security for conventional live card games such as a secure 
automatic shuffler/shoe. 
A "hand" is commonly defined as one deal of cards to the players in a live 
card game. A "deck" for a particular live card game has a predetermined 
number of cards. For example Black Jack uses a conventional card deck with 
four "suits" (diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades) containing 13 cards of 
different "value" (ace through king) for a predetermined number of 52 
cards. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,405 pertains to an apparatus for providing a 
progressive jackpot for live card games. The '405 patent allows each 
player to bet an additional "progressive" wager at the beginning of each 
hand by providing an apparatus to receive the progressive game token and 
to control a jackpot meter. The apparatus is built into the game table and 
any number of tables can be interconnected together to a single 
progressive jackpot meter. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,061 pertains to a card-dispensing shoe having a device 
that reads cards as they are dealt in a hand from the shoe. By using 
specially coded cards, indicating the value, the suit, and the deck 
identity of each card, this device enables the operator to detect when 
cards are added to, removed from, or substituted into a deck. The 
electronics in the shoe also determine and display the count of the game 
(i.e., the running count, the betting count, and a true count). This 
patent teaches an approach to providing two added levels of security for 
live card games (i.e., tracking the count and sensing when cards are 
improperly substituted at the point of dealing a hand). 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,145 pertains to an automatic and continuous card 
shuffler that receives all playing cards after each hand is completed and 
continuously shuffles all the cards in the deck (or in multiple decks such 
as four decks) with the effect that every hand is dealt from a completely 
"fresh" and randomly shuffled deck (or multiple decks) of cards. This 
patent also provides a level of added security to live card games by 
greatly inhibiting the ability of a player to legally or illegally count 
played cards. A need exists for a secure shuffler that counts and 
identifies cards both entering and leaving the shuffler. 
Pending German patent application P44 39 502.7 sets forth a computerized 
device that reads cards as they are dealt from a shoe and also senses when 
a hand is receiving cards at a position on a game table. The computer 
tracks each hand and records the value and suit of each card in each 
player's hand. The computer senses when a dealer has a Black Jack and 
immediately issues a signal. This approach electronically surveys each 
game and minimizes manual inspection of the game. These computers can be 
linked by various means to a central computer so that numerous hands 
played at numerous remote locations can be exactly monitored. This device 
prevents numerous forms of cheating by maintaining a history of every 
winning and losing hand played. The dealer never knows the hole card until 
it is played thereby eliminating any possibility of cheating between a 
dealer and a player by tipping their hole card. This patent application 
also provides an added degree of security to live card games. 
A need exists to have a multi-site progressive jackpot system for live card 
games incorporating as many levels of security as possible into one 
integrated system. 
3. Solution to the Problem 
The present invention provides a solution to the above needs by providing a 
secure live card game table system that can be connected in a multi-site 
environment to a central control. Various levels of security are 
incorporated including identifying each card dealt by a dealer and storing 
the value and suit in memory; identifying which player positions have game 
bets and progressive bets in place; determining when a card is received at 
a player position; and ascertaining whether the player position that has 
received a card has placed a game bet and/or a progressive bet. The 
shuffler and shoe of the present invention counts and reads cards leaving 
the shoe and being inserted into the shuffler so as to prevent card 
substitution, addition or subtraction by the dealer or a player. The 
present invention also records the value and suit for each card received 
at each player position having a game bet placed. Finally, the present 
invention provides for a unique identity code for each deck physically 
placed on each card so that after a hand is played, and the cards are 
reinserted into the shuffler, a count is made and the code on each card is 
read. If the count is in error or the code does not match or is missing, 
an alarm signal is raised by the game control. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A secure game table system, adapted for multiple sites under a central 
control, is disclosed for monitoring each hand in a progressive live card 
game. A live card game has at least one deck, with each deck having a 
predetermined number of cards. Each game table in the system has a 
plurality of player positions with or without players at each position and 
a dealer at a dealer position. 
In one embodiment, for providing additional security, a common identity 
code is located on each of the cards in each deck. Each deck has a 
different common identity code. A shuffler is used to shuffle the decks 
together and the shuffler has a circuit for counting of the cards from a 
previous hand that are inserted into the shuffler for reshuffling. The 
shuffler circuit counts each card inserted and reads the common identity 
code located on each card. The shuffler circuit issues a signal 
corresponding to the count and the common identity code read. The game 
control located at each table receives this signal from the shuffler 
circuit and verifies that no cards have been withdrawn from the hand by a 
player (or the dealer) or that no new cards have been substituted. If the 
count is not proper or if a game card lacks an identity code or an 
identity code is mismatched, an alarm signal is generated indicating that 
a new deck of cards needs to be used and that the possibility of a breach 
in the security of the game has occurred. 
In yet another embodiment of security, a unique code, such as a bar code, 
is placed on each card and as each card is dealt by the dealer from a 
shoe, a detector reads the code and issues a signal to the game control 
containing at least the value and the suit of each card dealt in the hand. 
The detector may also mad a common identity deck code and issue that as a 
signal to the game control. The shoe may have an optical scanner for 
generating an image of each card as it is dealt from the shoe by the 
dealer in a hand. The game control stores this information in a memory so 
that a history of each card dealt from the shoe in a hand is recorded. 
In yet another embodiment of security, an integrated shuffler/shoe obtains 
an optical image of each card dealt from the shoe for a hand and for each 
card inserted into the shuffler after a hand. These images are delivered 
to the game control where the images are counted and compared. When an 
irregular count or comparison occurs, an alarm is raised. The shuffler and 
shoe are integrated to provide security between the two units. 
In another embodiment of security for a live card game, a game bet sensor 
is located near each of the plurality of player positions for sensing the 
presence of a game bet. The game bet sensor issues a signal counting the 
tokens placed. It is entirely possible that game bet sensors at some 
player positions do not have bets, and therefore, the game control that is 
receptive of these signals identifies which player positions have players 
placing game bets. This information is stored in memory and becomes part 
of the history of the game. 
In another embodiment of security, a progressive bet sensor is located at 
each of the plurality of player positions and senses the presence of a 
progressive bet. The progressive bet sensor issues a signal that is 
received by the game control, which records in memory the progressive bets 
being placed at the respective player position sensed. If a progressive 
bet is sensed and a game bet is not, the game control issues an alarm 
signal indicating improper betting. At this point, the game control knows 
the identity of each player location having placed a game bet and, of 
those player positions having game bets placed, which player positions 
also have a progressive bet. This is stored in memory as part of the 
history of the hand. 
In yet another embodiment of security, a card sensor is located near each 
player position and the dealer position. The card sensor issues a signal 
for each card received at the card sensor. The game control receives this 
issued signal and correlates those player positions having placed a game 
bet with the received cards. In the event a player position without a game 
bet receives a card or a player position with a game bet receives a card 
out of sequence, the game control issues an alarm. This information is 
added to the history of the game in memory, and the history contains the 
value and suit of each card delivered to each player position having a 
game bet. 
A progressive jackpot display is located at each game table and may display 
one or more jackpot awards for one or more winning combinations of cards. 
In one embodiment of the present invention, the game control at each table 
has stored in memory the winning combinations necessary to win the 
progressive jackpots. Since the game control accurately stores the suit 
and value of each card received at a particular player position, the game 
control can automatically detect a winning combination and issue an award 
signal for that player position. The dealer can then verify that that 
player at that position indeed has the correct combination of cards. The 
game control continuously updates the central control interconnected to 
all other game tables so that the central control can then inform all game 
tables of this win including, if desirable, the name of the winner and the 
amount won. 
The central control communicates continuously with each game control and 
its associated progressive jackpot display may receive over a 
communication link all or part of the information stored in each game 
control.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
1. Overview 
In FIG. 1, the secure multi-site progressive jackpot system 10 of the 
present invention is set forth. 
FIG. 1 shows a plurality of live card gaming tables (Tables 1 to n). These 
tables can be at different remote sites or a group of tables can be 
clustered at one site, and a group of tables can be clustered at a second 
site, etc. Indeed, each table could be located at the same site such as a 
single casino. For example, twenty gaming tables could be located on a 
floor of a single casino or twenty gaming tables could be located at 
twenty different locations in the same casino, or twenty gaming tables 
could be located with each table in a different casino. 
The progressive jackpot system 10 of the present invention includes a 
central control 20 interconnected to the plurality of gaming tables 
(Tables 1 to n). At each gaming table is a game control GC that 
communicates to the central control 20 over a communications link L. The 
communications link L can be hard wired, a network connection, a telephone 
line, or any combination or other equivalent communications channel. The 
type of communication link L is not material to the teaching of the 
present invention. 
At each gaming table is a progressive jackpot display PJ. As live card 
games are played at each table, each gaming control GC at each table 
delivers information over link L to central control 20, which continually 
evaluates all live card game information and provides display information 
back to each gaming control GC to activate the current displayed value of 
the progressive jackpot in each progressive jackpot display (PJ1 to PJn). 
At each table is a dealer D and a number of players P. Hence, in the system 
of FIG. 1, live card games (such as Black Jack) may occur at each table. 
At each table one or a plurality of players P may be playing a card game 
with a dealer D. The game control GC at each table monitors the progress 
of each live card game including the progressive wager information and 
delivers that information over the communications link L to the central 
control 20. The central control 20 updates the progressive jackpot 
information and continuously displays new values in the progressive 
jackpot displays (PJ1 to PJn). 
System 10 of the present invention is not limited to a particular type of 
live card game, to a particular number of tables, or to a particular 
number of players. When a player at one of the tables has placed a 
progressive bet and is dealt a predetermined winning combination of cards 
(e.g., Ace of clubs, 2 of clubs, 3 of clubs, 4 of clubs, and 5 of clubs), 
the player wins the presently displayed jackpot value, and the central 
control 20 is informed by the game control GC at that table over link L 
and proceeds to update all other game controls and displays at the other 
tables so that all players and dealers know that a win occurred. 
2. Details of a Gaming Table 
In FIG. 2, an individual gaming table 200 is shown having player positions 
PA to Pa. It is to be understood that any number of player positions could 
be provided. 
As set forth in FIG. 2, each gaming table 200 has a game control GC 
interconnected to a progressive jackpot display PJ for displaying the 
current progressive jackpot. 
The game control GC may have conventional inputs, outputs, and displays, 
not shown. For example, a dealer could input his name and other 
information upon arriving at a game table. The display PJ can display a 
plurality of progressive jackpots based on different winning card 
combinations. Likewise the display PJ can also display the names of 
winners and the payout from other tables in the system. This type of 
feedback adds excitement to the progressive live card game and encourages 
players to place progressive bets while playing a live card game. The game 
control GC also issues alarm and win signals 270 and 280, which may 
constitute audible and/or visual signals to the players P, dealer D, or 
others (such as a pit boss). These signals may also be delivered over link 
L to the central control 20. 
At each player position P is a betting area 210 and a card-receiving area 
220. The dealer D also has a card-receiving area 224. Each betting area 
210 is interconnected over lines 212 to the game control GC. In the 
preferred embodiment, each betting area 210 is individually interconnected 
over lines 212 to the gaming control GC. It is to be understood that lines 
212 could be a bus and the gaming control GC could sequentially 
interrogate each betting area 210. 
Likewise each card-receiving area 220 and 224, in the preferred embodiment, 
is interconnected over lines 222 with the gaming control GC. Rather than 
having individual lines 222 each card area 220 and 224 could also be 
interconnected to a single bus. As shown in FIG. 2, each betting area 210 
and each card area 220 is positioned in a location near the playing 
position 230 of each player P. 
Also located on table 200, in the preferred embodiment, is an automatic 
card shuffler 240. This card shuffler 240 may be of the type, but not 
limited to, conventionally taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,154, and as 
modified herein. Card shuffler 240 is designed to shuffle one or a 
plurality of decks after each hand so that when a hand is played, the 
discarded cards are inserted back into the shuffler 240 and reshuffled. 
This technique substantially minimizes, if not eliminates, card counting, 
thereby adding a high degree of security to the game. Under one embodiment 
of the present invention, a sensor 242 could be connected to the shuffler 
240 to detect each time the shuffler 240 is activated to shuffle. The 
sensor 242 is connected over line 244 to the game control GC. The system 
10, however, does not require an automatic shuffler and is operational 
with conventional live shuffling by the dealer. 
The shuffled cards (whether automatic or live) are delivered into a shoe 
250 for dealing by the dealer D. The shoe 250 may be of the type, but not 
limited to, conventionally taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,061 that requires 
the use of a specially coded deck of cards. Card 300 in another 
embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, is imprinted with a code in region 310. As 
each card is passed through the shoe 250 from the shuffler 240, a reader 
in the shoe 250 reads the code in region 310 and delivers a signal over a 
line 252 to the game control GC. The shoe 250 transmits to the game 
control GC the identity of the card being dealt by the dealer D. This 
identity includes the value of the card, the suit of the card, and, in one 
embodiment, the identity of the deck the card is from. All of this occurs 
without the dealer or any player knowing what the card is. The identity of 
the deck is critical as this prevents unauthorized interchanging of 
playing cards (i.e., adding marked cards) either by the dealer or by a 
player or by a combination of the dealer and a player. In addition, the 
three identity values are used to fully record in the gaming control GC 
the history of each hand (and, therefore, of each game) as it is delivered 
by the shuffler 240 into the shoe 250 and is dealt by the dealer D. 
It is to be understood that even though a specially coded card is utilized, 
any variations on this concept could be incorporated. For example, rather 
than using a coded card 300 as shown in FIG. 3, an optical image of each 
card could be obtained at the shoe, delivered over line 252, and stored in 
the gaming control GC as taught by the above-identified German patent 
application. While this approach requires more memory, it also provides a 
digital image of each card as it is dealt from the shoe 250. When the 
dealer D deals a card from the shoe 250, only the gaming control GC knows 
the identity of the card being dealt. Once the image is received for each 
card, the game control GC using pattern recognition software can read the 
value and suit of each imaged card. 
In another embodiment, a separate circuit 246 is placed on the shuffler 240 
to count the cards inserted from the previously dealt hand and to read 
each card deck identity on each inserted card to verify, that the same 
number of cards dealt in that hand are delivered back into the shuffler 
240 and (2) that the cards placed into the shuffler 240 are the actual 
cards dealt based on deck identity. This circuit 246 can be, but is not 
required to be, the same kind of reader that is found in the shoe 250, 
reading the same code or taking the optical image of the card as it is 
deposited into shuffler 240. This prevents a player (or dealer) from 
withholding cards or from substituting cards. An alarm signal is sounded 
when a wrong count occurs. If a deck identity code is used, an alert 
signal is sounded when a card is not verified as being from the deck. The 
count and verification signals are issued over a line 248 to the game 
control GC. In this embodiment, an infrared deck identity code, invisible 
to a players eyes, may be imprinted on each card in, for example, region 
310. The circuit 246 located in the shuffler reads the imprinted deck 
identity code and issues a signal corresponding to the read code over line 
248 to the game control. In yet another embodiment, circuit 246 and shoe 
250 both incorporate optical readers, thereby enabling the game control GC 
to verify that the same number of cards, each of the same value and suit, 
were returned to shuffler 240 as were dealt from the shoe 250. In the most 
secure embodiment of the invention, circuit 246 and the reading device in 
shoe 250 are incorporated into the same shuffler 240 as will be discussed 
later with respect to FIGS. 12-17. Thus, once a card is read by circuit 
246 it enters a secure environment within the shuffler 240 where it can 
not be touched again by human hands until it has made its way through the 
shuffler 240 and is presented to the dealer through the shoe 250 after its 
value and suit have been read and recorded in the game control GC. 
3. Play Area 
The details of each play area 230 are shown in FIG. 4. 
Each play area 230, as mentioned, has a card area 220 and a betting area 
210. In the card-receiving area 220 are placed a plurality of sensors 400 
located in a predefined region 410. The sensors 400 could be photocells or 
any suitable sensors that are individually interconnected over lines 222 
to the game control GC. Playing cards 420 are placed in the card region 
220 by the dealer D, and as each card 420 is placed over the sensors 400, 
the placement of the card by the dealer D is detected and recorded by the 
gaming control GC. Hence, the game control GC accurately records the 
delivery of a card to a playing area 230 of a particular player position 
P. 
Also in the play area 230 is a betting area 210 that has a first plurality 
of sensors 430 located in a betting region 440 for detecting the presence 
of a coin or token 450. Likewise a separate plurality of sensors 460 are 
located in a progressive bet region 470 to sense a progressive bet 480. 
The sensors 430 and 460 are interconnected over individual lines 212 back 
to the gaming control GC. The gaming control GC senses the presence of 
each token 450 and 480 and provides a count and, optionally, a value. 
The sensors 400 and 430 and the regions 410 and 440 are conventional and 
are found in the German patent application identified above. The sensors 
460 and the region 470 are adapted under the teachings of the present 
invention for a progressive bet. It is to be expressly understood that 
rather than use sensors 460, the progressive bet region 470, as shown in 
FIG. 5, could have a coin acceptor 500 with a coin-in slot 510. In this 
embodiment, an indicator light 520 must be provided to indicate successful 
acceptance of the coin. Coin acceptor and indicator lights are 
conventional in the gaming industry and any of a number of different coin 
acceptors could be utilized under the teachings of the current invention. 
The fact that a bet is placed is important. Hence, the presence of the game 
bet and the presence of a progressive bet enables the game control to 
identify the player position and to correlate the cards delivered to that 
player position as will be explained. 
Any number of devices could be used to detect the placement of bets in 
either region 470 or 440. For example, coin acceptors, credit or debit 
card readers, or optical image cameras could be used in either or both 
areas. 
4. Operation 
In FIG. 6, the operation of the system 10 of the present invention is set 
forth with play at a particular table. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, 
the operation of the present invention occurs as follows. At the start of 
the deal 600 the players are requested to place bets. 
EXAMPLE 1 
Assume in FIG. 2 the following ensuing game configuration for Black Jack: 
TABLE I 
______________________________________ 
Player Progressive 
Position 
Bet Bet Cards Dealt 
______________________________________ 
A -- -- 
B 2 1 10C 7H STAY 
C -- -- 
D 1 1 JS 2H 5C 
E 3 -- 3D QC KH 
Dealer 10H 8S 
______________________________________ 
Where: 
10C = 10 of Clubs 
JS = Jack of Spades 
3D = 3 of Diamonds 
10H = 10 of Hearts 
7H = 7 of Hearts 
2H = 2 of Hearts 
QC = Queen of Clubs 
8S = 8 of Spades 
5C = 5 of Clubs 
KH = King of Hearts 
The start of the hand may occur several ways. For example, when the cards 
are played in the immediately prior hand and returned to the shuffler, the 
shuffler 240 counts and verifies the returned cards. When this task is 
complete, a new hand begins as determined in the game control GC. Or, a 
switch in circuit 246 can be pressed causing shuffling to occur or to 
indicate a new hand. 
The players place the bets in stage 605 as set forth in Table I. The game 
control GC interrogates the betting areas 210 of each player position 230 
and ascertains that bets have been placed in stage 610. If no bets have 
been placed, it returns to the placement of bets stage 605 and cycles. 
When bets are detected, the game control GC counts the bets in each 
betting region 440 and 470. The game control GC stores in memory for each 
player position the game bets placed in region 440 in stage 615 and stores 
for each player position any progressive bets made in region 460 in stage 
620. In Table I, for example, players A and C did not place bets. Players 
B, D, and E placed game bets of 2, 1, and 3, respectively. Players B and D 
each placed a progressive bet. 
At this point, the game control GC for each player position that has a game 
bet placed and/or a progressive bet placed has stored that information in 
memory. If an invalid situation occurs such as detecting a progressive bet 
at a player position where a game bet has not been placed, an alarm signal 
630 is raised in stage 625 for delivery to alarm 270. Otherwise, the hand 
is ready to be dealt. 
The dealer deals the first card in stage 635 from the shoe 250 to the first 
player position with a bet (i.e., P.sub.B in Table I). The game control GC 
stores the identity (or the optical image) of the first card dealt from 
the shoe in stage 640. This includes the card count. The dealer places the 
first card in the card area 220 over region 410 for Player P.sub.B as 
shown in FIG. 4. The delivery of the card to this player region 410 by the 
dealer is sensed by sensors 400, and the game control GC makes a decision 
in stage 645 as to whether the card was, in fact, delivered to the correct 
position. The correct position is determined as follows. The game sequence 
proceeds from player position P.sub.A, P.sub.B, . . . to the dealer D, but 
skips all players not placing a game bet. Different live card games have 
difference game sequences which are programmed into the game control. 
For example, if the card is delivered to player position P.sub.A (in our 
example), then an alarm signal 650 would be raised and delivered to alarm 
270. However, if it is delivered to the correct player position, in 
sequence which in Table I is player position P.sub.B, then the game 
control GC interrogates, in the case of Black Jack whether the dealer has 
21. Since the dealer, at this point in the operation, has not yet been 
delivered a card, stage 655 is left and stage 660 is entered. At this 
point, the game control GC interrogates whether a progressive winner has 
occurred, and since cards are still being dealt, stage 670 is entered as 
to whether the hand is over. Again, the answer is no and the dealer deals 
another card in stage 635 from the shoe 250. This process of dealing a new 
card and determining the delivery of the card to the correct sequential 
player position occurs until the hand is fully played. 
With respect to our example, and as shown in the above chart, Player B 
receives a 10 of Clubs, Player D a Jack of Spades, and Player E a 3 of 
Diamonds. The dealer receives a 10 of Hearts. The game control GC has 
stored in memory the identity of each card with respect to each player 
position in sequence that has placed a game bet and has verified that the 
cards were correctly delivered to the proper player positions. 
The deal continues with Player B receiving a 7 of Hearts, Player D a 2 of 
Hearts, and Player E a Queen of Clubs. The dealer receives an 8 of Spades. 
Again, the game control GC has stored the identity of each card received 
at each player position 220 and at the dealer position 224. The game 
control GC has verified that each card has been delivered to the correct 
player position. 
Player B decides to stay and not receive another card. As taught by the 
above-identified German patent application, Player B may push a stay or 
hold button, not shown, that informs the game control GC and lights a 
light informing the dealer that Player B does not wish a new card. Player 
D receives a 5 of Clubs and Player E then receives a King of Hearts. 
Player E, of course, went over 21 and hence the play is between Player D 
and the dealer. In this example, the dealer wins and removes all the bets 
including the progressive bets. It is to be understood that other bets 
could be made and sensed such as splits, insurance, etc., as taught by the 
German patent application. 
When the hand is over 670, the dealer picks up the cards 684 and inserts 
the played cards into the shuffler 686. As the shuffler 240 takes each 
inserted card to be added to the cards being shuffled, circuit 246 counts 
each card and issues a count signal over line 248 to the game control GC. 
In one embodiment, the circuit 246 reads the card identity code 310 (which 
may include the deck identity) on each card and delivers that reading back 
to the game control GC over line 248. The game control GC verifies in 
stage 688 the correct deck and, if not, raises an alarm signal 690 for 
delivery to alarm 270. If the card is of the correct deck, then the cards 
are fully counted and the game control GC in stage 692 verifies the 
correct count. If the count is not correct, then an alarm signal is raised 
694 for delivery to alarm 270. A new deal 600 commences if the count is 
correct. 
In one preferred embodiment for an integrated shuffler/shoe of FIGS. 12-17, 
discussed later, stages 640, 688 and 692 would occur through tracking (and 
storing) of digital images of a portion, or all, of the face of a card. As 
each card leaves the shoe 250, an image is captured and stored, the 
captured images are counted to arrive at a count. Upon completion of a 
hand, the cards are inserted into a shoe and images are again captured and 
stored, the captured images are counted. The count from these two 
operations are compared and, if not the same, an alarm 694 is raised. The 
images are compared and if not the same an alarm 690 is raised. 
EXAMPLE II 
Assume the following Black Jack example: 
TABLE II 
______________________________________ 
Player Progressive 
Position 
Bet Bet Cards Dealt 
______________________________________ 
A 2 1 4C 10S 
B 2 -- 9H 3H 
C -- -- 
D -- -- 
E 3 1 2S QC 
Dealer KH AS 
______________________________________ 
Where: 
4C = 4 of Clubs 
9H = 9 of Hearts 
2S = 2 of Spades 
KH = King of Hearts 
10S = 10 of Spades 
3H = 3 of Hearts 
QC = Queen of Clubs 
AS = Ace of Spades 
Here the cards are dealt, their identity is stored, and the position of 
each card is recorded and verified for each player and the dealer. 
However, in this example, when the dealer is dealt the Ace of Spades, the 
game control GC knows that the dealer has a winning 21 card combination 
and the game control GC in stage 655 raises a win signal 675 that the 
dealer has 21 and delivers it to win circuit 280. After all insurance 
bets, if any, are registered, the dealer is notified by the game control 
GC that he has a winning hand. The dealer in stage 680 verifies this by 
turning the cards over for all to see. This adds a significant level of 
security since in some conventional Black Jack games, the dealer initially 
looks at the hole card when he has a face card or ace to see if he has 21. 
The dealer may then be able to signal other players in the game 
information concerning his hand. The present invention eliminates this 
possibility from occurring. 
EXAMPLE III 
The following Black Jack example illustrates the progressive win 
characteristic of the present invention. 
TABLE III 
______________________________________ 
Player Progressive 
Position 
Bet Bet Cards Dealt 
______________________________________ 
A 3 1 AS 2S 3S 4S 5S 
B -- -- 
C 2 -- 5D JH 4C 
D 2 1 QC KD 
E -- -- 
Dealer 10H 2H JC 
______________________________________ 
Where: 
AS = Ace of Spades 
5D = 5 of Diamonds 
QC = Queen of Clubs 
10H = 10 of Hearts 
2S-5S = 2 through 5 of Spades 
JH = Jack of Hearts 
4C = 4 of Clubs 
KD = King of Diamonds 
2H = 2 of Hearts 
JC = Jack of Clubs 
Players A, C, and D and the dealer receive their first two cards as 
conventional in the game sequence for Black Jack. Player A then receives 
three additional cards (i.e., in the game sequence "hits") and ends up 
with a progressive jackpot win sequence of: Ace of Spades, 2 of Spades, 3 
of Spades, 4 of Spades, 5 of Spades. The system in stage 660 determines 
the sequence (as well as the player P.sub.A) and issues a win signal 685 
and delivers it to win circuit 280. The dealer D verifies the winning 
progressive sequence. The game continues to play with player P.sub.c 
receiving a 4 of Clubs, player D holding, and the dealer going bust. 
In FIG. 7 the details for the stage 660 of FIG. 6 for determining the 
progressive winner are set forth. Since the game control GC knows the 
identity of each card as it leaves the shoe 250 of FIG. 2, when a winning 
combination of cards is sequentially detected and it is for the same 
player position 710, then a progressive win has occurred. It is to be 
expressly understood that any winning combination of cards can be 
programmed into the game control GC either at the table or from the main 
central control as shown in FIG. 1 over the communication line L. It is 
also to be expressly understood that the cards do not necessarily have to 
come out in the exact sequence, only that a winning combination occurs. 
Hence, if the winning combination was: Ace, King, and Queen of Hearts, the 
following detected sequences of Hearts would result in a winning 
combination: Ace King Queen, Ace Queen King, King Queen Ace, King Ace 
Queen, Queen Ace King, and Queen King Ace. Regardless of the time sequence 
that the cards were dealt in the hand to the winning player position, the 
winning progressive combination for that player position is detected. 
Under the teachings of the present invention, upon the immediate detection 
of a progressive winning combination, the game control GC for that table 
issues a winning signal 685 not only to that table but to the central 
control over link L, which can notify all the other tables. It is to be 
understood that while a preferred order of operation is set forth, 
variations may occur under the teachings contained herein. For example, 
stages 692 and 688 could occur in any order. 
5. Game Control 
In FIG. 8, the details of the game control GC are set forth to include a 
processor 800 and input circuits 809, 810, 820, 830, and 840. Conventional 
inputs, outputs, and monitors are not shown. Input circuit 809 receives 
the count signal and, in one embodiment, the deck identity signals from 
circuit 246 issued over line 248 and delivers them over lines 811 to the 
processor 800. Input circuit 810 receives the signals from the shuffler 
240 issued over line 244 and delivers them over line 812 into the 
processor 800. Input circuit 820 receives the identity of the card signals 
from the shoe 250 that are issued over line 252 to circuit 820. If the 
identity of the card is based on a bar code, the signals coming in over 
line 252 could be digital. However, if an optical image of the card is 
taken, then line 252 may be a video data bus and circuit 820 is a 
conventional video input circuit. Input circuit 830 is connected to lines 
222 and receives signals on the receipt of cards in area 220. Input 
circuit 840 is connected to lines 212 which receive inputs from the 
sensors in the bet region 210. The processor 800 is connected to a driver 
circuit 850 that delivers display signals over lines 852 to the 
progressive jackpot display PJ. The processor 800 is connected to a 
standard I/O port 860 that is connected to the communications link L and 
in turn is connected over lines 862 to the processor. In some 
environments, the I/O port 860 could be a modem. The processor 800 is also 
interconnected to a memory 870. The current value of the progressive 
jackpot PJ is stored in memory 872. The player position 874 is stored, and 
for each player position the bet history 876 is stored and the cards 
played 878 are stored. If an optical image of each card is made in shoe 
250, the card memory storage 870 is sufficient to hold large amounts of 
data. 
With reference to FIG. 6, in stage 615, the player position is stored in 
memory 874. The bets with respect to that player position in stage 620 are 
stored. Finally, the individual hands for a game area stored in stage 640 
into memory 878. 
It is to be understood that the hardware configuration of FIG. 8 can 
comprise any suitable hardware configuration but that in the preferred 
embodiment the processor 800 is a conventional 486 microprocessor or any 
of the Pentium.RTM. series processors. 
6. Central Control 
In FIGS. 9 and 10 the flow between the central control and each table is 
set forth. 
From the game table viewpoint, and in the master control, the central 
control is selectively called 900 over the communication link L. The 
master control down loads all or part of the hand information which may 
include: the amount of the progressive bets placed during the hand (for 
example one token per player position sensed), the history of the game 
including the value and suit of each card dealt from the shoe and the 
value and suit of each card to each player position and any alarms 
detected such as a card without a proper deck identity, etc. Upon 
completion of the download, information may be delivered from the central 
control to the master control. For example, the new progressive jackpot 
value 920 would be received and the master control would then update and 
display in stage 930 the new progressive value. This would indicate the 
start of a new hand 940. 
Likewise, from the viewpoint of the central control, it is connected to a 
given table 1000 and it uploads the information in stage 1010 which 
corresponds to the information downloaded in stage 910 of FIG. 9. The 
central control determines in stage 1020 if there are any winners during 
the last hand. If there are no winners stage 1030 is entered and based 
upon the value of the progressive bets placed from all of the tables, the 
central control determines a new progressive jackpot value and downloads 
it over the communication link L in stage 1040. Other information could 
also be downloaded including the identity of the winner and table if a 
progressive jackpot win occurred elsewhere in the system. New combination 
codes for progressive jackpot wins can also be downloaded. If a winner is 
detected in stage 1020, then stage 1050 is entered and the necessary 
winner information is obtained and documented. The jackpot must now be 
adjusted downwardly to reflect the win in stage 1030. After downloading 
information to the master control the central control in stage 1060 
disconnects. 
In FIG. 11, the detail of the central control 20 are set forth. The central 
control 20 is a conventional micro-processor system with conventionally 
available inputs 1100 such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc. and conventional 
outputs 1120 such as a printer. Any conventional configuration for a 
micro-processor system can be utilized for the central control 20. The 
central control 20 is interconnected over the communication links L1 
through Ln as shown in FIG. 1. Each link engages a communication port 1130 
such as a modem. It is connected to a central processor 1140. The 
processor is interconnected to memory 1150 and 1160. The history of each 
hand for each table is stored in memory 1150 including player positions 
being played, the actual contents of each hand dealt and each hand 
existing at each position, the game bets, the progressive bets, etc. The 
memory 1160 sets forth a complete record of players who have won the 
progressive bets. 
It is to be understood that the memory 1150 and 1160 can be of any suitable 
configuration and arrangement and may be a relational data base. For 
example, information on each dealer can be keyed in at each game control 
GC so that dealer information, time of the game, or any other suitable 
management information can be delivered over the communication link L into 
memory 1150. Hence, should a dealer go from table to table and the memory 
1150 is, for example relational, the processor 1140 can quickly ascertain 
a dealer history and store it for example in a separate dealer memory 1170 
if desired. It is to be understood that each gaming control GC also has an 
input output circuit like circuits 1100 and 1120 which are not shown in 
the drawing. 
7. Integrated Shuffled/Shoe 
In FIGS. 12 through 14 modifications to the conventional, prior art 
automatic shuffler of U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,154 are set forth. 
In FIG. 12, the shoe 250 is integrated into shuffler 240 and has a 
dispensing region 1210 with opposing ridges 1220 on either side thereof. A 
card 1230A is moved into position as shown by lines 1230B in the dispenser 
1210. In the preferred operation, the dealer takes his finger and places 
it in area 1202 and pulls card 1230A in the direction of arrow 1232. This 
moves the card into the position of 1230B and places the card 1230B over a 
formed opening 1240. Centrally disposed in this opening is a lens 1250. 
Integrating the shoe into the shuffler into one unit enhances the security 
of the system, since the transfer of the cards to the shoe cannot be 
tampered with. 
This is better shown in FIG. 13 wherein the shoe 250 is mounted to the game 
table 200. The lens 1250 is positioned through the game table 200 to 
capture an image from the face of the card 1230B as it is being dealt out 
of the shoe 250 by the dealer. The lens 1250 is connected to a 
conventional video camera 1260 and delivers optical images, in digital 
form, over lines 252 to the game control GC as shown in FIG. 2. The camera 
1260 and the lens 1250 can be mounted in any fashion conventional housing 
1270. The location of the lens 1250 is immaterial as long as an image is 
captured. 
In this fashion, each card 1230 as it is pulled down into the dispenser of 
the shoe has an optical image taken as the card slides by. The image is 
taken as soon as the card leaves the shuffler 240. This reduces the risk 
that a card could be removed from the deck before an optical image is 
taken. It is to be expressly understood that the lens 1250 and the camera 
1260 could be a suitable code reader such as a bar code reader or infrared 
code reader. In which case, the formed opening 1240 and the reader would 
be suitably located to take a reading. It is also to be understood that 
such a code reader could be used in conjunction with the taking of the 
optical images. Cameras and readers are presently small in size and can be 
suitably arranged to obtain both images and code readings (i.e., for deck 
identity). 
The game control GC obtains a separate image for each card since as the 
card 1230B is removed from the shoe 250, the lens 1250, in its field of 
view 1280, receives a background ambient light reading until the next card 
1230A is moved into position 1230B. In this fashion, the game control GC 
not only takes an optical image (or reads a code), but a count of the 
cards is also taken. The rear of the automatic shuffler, set forth in U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,356,145, has a region which receives inserted cards after a 
hand is played. These cards, as taught in this patent, are stacked in an 
opening (labeled 5 in the '145 patent) and are shown as a stack (labeled 
93 in the '145 patent) of cards for insertion. This is shown in FIG. 4 of 
the '145 patent. In the following discussion, the use of the "a" after the 
numeral indicates that the numeral has a corresponding reference in the 
'145 patent. Hence, 93a refers to numeral 93 in FIG. 4 of the '145 patent. 
As shown in FIG. 14, a drive disk 37a is connected over a shaft to a drive 
motor 38a. The shaft 1400 as shown in FIG. 14 is operably connected to the 
drive motor 38a and the drive disk 37a and is connected between side walls 
30a of the shuffler. As taught by the '145 patent, the bottom card 1410 in 
the stack of cards 93a is selectively picked by the drive disk 1400 and 
moved out of the stack 93a and is delivered internally to the shuffler as 
taught in the '145 patent to stack 16a. 
This shuffler is modified, as shown in FIG. 14, to provide a lens 1420 
having a field of view 1415 near the disk 37a to read part of the face of 
the card either including the code 310 or obtaining an optical image from 
a portion of the face of the card 1410. The lens 1420 is connected to a 
camera 1430. The camera 1430 is in a housing 1440 which is connected to 
the bottom of the table 200 with the lens projecting upwardly through the 
table 200 into the automatic shuffler 240. In this fashion, each card 1410 
as it is delivered from the stack 93a has an optical image taken or a 
reader reading the code 310. This information is delivered over lines 248 
to the game control GC. 
As illustrated in FIG. 15, which is a side illustration corresponding to 
that of FIG. 4 of the '145 patent, the field of view 1415 of the lens 1420 
may be slightly offset to capture a region 1450. This region 1450 is 
partially off of the card 1410A. 
In order to capture an image, a conventional light 1460 may be provided in 
the interior of the shuffler to provide illumination of the face of the 
card 1410A. Some conventional video cameras 1430 are sensitive enough to 
obtain an image without the provision of light 1460. 
The disk turning in the direction of arrow 1470 causes the card 1410A to 
move toward an internal stack 16A as illustrated by card 1410B. This is 
conventionally taught by the '145 patent. Between each card transfer from 
stack 93a to stack 16a there will be a short period of time in region 1450 
in the field of view 1415 of the lens 1420 which provides a background 
ambient light signal so as to provide a separation or count of the cards. 
It is to be expressly understood that any of a number of equivalent design 
approaches could be utilized to provide the timing necessary to capture an 
image of each individual card 1410A in the stack 93A. It is also to be 
expressly understood that the optical image taken by the cameras under the 
shuffler of the present invention may be limited to the region existing in 
the upper-left and lower-right corners of a card. For example and as 
illustrated in FIG. 3, a 3 of Diamonds in such corners contains the 
value=the number 3 and the suit=the diamond shape in region 320. The count 
can also be determined by counting the different optical images obtained 
without providing a background ambient light reading such as provided by 
area 1450. 
The optional embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 through 15 provide a secure 
automatic card shuffler and a secure hand. In the internal environment of 
the shuffler 240, the game control by sensing the images coming from the 
shoe provides an accurate count and card identity verification Likewise, 
all cards dealt in a hand from the shoe as the hand is played by the 
dealer and each of the players must come back into the shuffler to be 
counted and to be properly identified. In each of the three Examples of 
hands set forth above, the integrated automatic shuffler/shoe of the 
present invention provides an optical image of each card dealt to the game 
control GC which stores (stage 640 in FIG. 6) this in memory and/or 
delivers it to the central control CC (stages 910 and 1010 in FIGS. 9 and 
10). Likewise, after a hand is played, each card upon insertion is read 
and the image delivered to the game control GC and the identity and count 
is verified (stages 688 and 692 in FIG. 6) and/or delivered to the central 
control. This prevents any cards from being added or subtracted from the 
hand. Any added or subtracted cards will be immediately detected and an 
alarm 694 or 690 raised. However, if a marked card of the same suit and 
value from another deck is substituted this will not be detected unless 
the card identity code is provide as discussed above. Although this is an 
optional feature of the secure live card progressive jackpot system of the 
present invention, it is an important feature to provide a secure game. 
In FIGS. 16 and 17 is set forth another embodiment of the secure shuffler 
of the present invention. Again, this shuffler is based upon that set 
forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,145. The shuffler 240 is mounted on a base 
1600 in which is contained a camera 1610 with a lens 1620. Hence, this 
embodiment is self-contained and is not mounted to the table. 
In this embodiment, a single camera is used to record optical images of the 
cards dealt (as indicated by arrow 1602) and cards inserted (as indicated 
by arrow 1604). The inserted cards are placed in stack 93a and the cards 
dealt are dealt from stack 1230. 
Hence, in FIG. 16, a card 1230B is placed in the modified shoe 250 and an 
image is delivered as shown by arrow 1630 into a mirror 1632 and is 
reflected 1634 into a central mirror 1636. Likewise, card 1410B is in 
stack 93a or is delivered into stack 16a, by drive disk 37a, an image 1640 
is delivered into mirror 1642 and is reflected 1644 into the central 
mirror 1636. The lens 1620 receives the reflected signals 1646 from mirror 
1636 and delivers these optical images over lines 252 to the game control. 
It is to be expressly understood that images 1630 and 1640 can be obtained 
from a number of regions internal to shuffler 240 and that mirrors other 
than mirrors 1632, 1646 and 1642, can be used to reflect images into lens 
1620. 
Sensors 1660 and 1670 can be provided to sense the presence of a card being 
optically imaged. Hence, sensor 1660 senses (such as optically) the 
delivery of a card 1410B which delivers a signal over lines 1662 to the 
camera 1610 thereby indicating to the camera 1610 the image source it is 
recording. Hence when signals are detected by sensor 1660 and delivered 
over line 1662 to the camera 1610, the camera is recording optical images 
of inserted cards 93a. When the sensor 1670 detects the presence of a card 
1230B to be dealt, a signal is generated over line 1672 to the camera 1610 
thereby indicating to the camera 1610 that optical images of cards to be 
dealt 1230A are being recorded by the camera 1610. 
Hence, in this embodiment, a single camera system can be utilized through 
interaction with mirrors to record the optical image. 
The present invention has been illustrated with the live card game of Black 
Jack. However, it is to be expressly understood that any casino live card 
game (such as the many varieties of poker games) may be secured herein in 
a multi-site progressive jackpot environment. The invention has been 
described with reference to the preferred embodiment. Modifications and 
alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this 
specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and 
alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims 
or the equivalents thereof.