Abstract:
A wagering game is disclosed utilizing both cards and dice. The instant invention is a fast-paced game wherein a player rolls dice with colors corresponding to the colors of suits in a deck of cards. After the initial roll, the dealer draws a card which, combined with the die of a color corresponding to the color of suit of the card drawn, forms the dealer&#39;s hand. The player&#39;s hand comprises the remaining dice. The values of the dealer&#39;s hand and player&#39;s hand are compared in reference to a target number; the closest to the target number wins the hand.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to a game and method for playing a game involving the use of both cards and dice. As legalized gaming continues to expand throughout the world, and in particular, in the United States, there is an ongoing need for new games of chance. Despite the number of creative minds expending a great deal of energy in creating new games, the vast majority of these games do not find their way into casinos, due to various shortcomings such as slow pace of play, complex rules, poor player odds, and in some cases, the lack of a significant payout opportunity. Because of these hurdles, games typically found in a casino generally comprise traditional choices such as blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, and various versions of poker. Even with the limited number of existing traditional table games, casinos have been slow to integrate new table games. 
         [0004]    An additional reason for casinos&#39; resistance to adoption of new table games is the rise in popularity of electronic gaming machines, wherein casinos have apportioned a higher percentage of their floor space for electronic gaming machines. In most cases, however, a table game may be adopted into an electronic format; a viable table game, therefore, can almost always provide a complimentary electronic gaming machine embodiment. 
         [0005]    In order to provide casino patrons with a variety of gaming opportunities and novelty, there exists, therefore, an ongoing need for new table games which are exciting to play, which have relatively simple rules for quick mastery, and which provide reasonable odds to a player for winning. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention provide a wagering game having the desired characteristics and which adds the novelty of using both dice and cards, which is an unusual manner of play not found in casinos at this time. 
         [0007]    In a live embodiments of the present invention, a table game layout, three dice, and a deck of cards provide the basis for a wagering game. The instant invention can be played individually on a small table (similar to blackjack) or in a group on a large table (similar to craps). Centered on the number 8, play combines the action of rolling the dice with drawing a card to determine the final outcome of the hand. Betting options are available on the roll, the draw, and the hand. 
         [0008]    Basic play resembles blackjack, the betting on the dice roll is similar to Sic Bo, and betting on the card draw is similar to roulette. Additionally, raise betting is provided for in a manner which is unique, as is the method of combining dice and cards to provide a single game. Because it utilizes the feel of several traditional casino games, but provides new original features with simple rules of play, the instant game satisfies the needs of casinos and players alike. 
         [0009]    The underlying method in the various embodiments of the instant game involve combining a die roll with subsequent card draw to form the player&#39;s and dealer&#39;s hands. Three dice are used, one each colored white, red, and black, plus a standard 52-card playing deck are used to play the game. Point values for the cards are assigned as in traditional casino games such as blackjack or baccarat (i.e., numbered cards are worth their face value, and face cards are worth 10). The suits have no rank, but the color of the suit (red or black) is important in matching with the red or black colored dice. Similarly, the point values of the dice are the face value or pip count, with six-sided dice being preferred. 
         [0010]    In individual play for each hand, a player places an initial bet (ante) and rolls the three dice, after which the dealer draws a single card for the player. In a multi-player casino environment, each player rolls a set of dice and is dealt a card in sequence. The card and the colored die corresponding to the color of the card&#39;s suit form the dealer&#39;s hand; the off-color die and the white die form the player&#39;s hand. To determine hand values, the dealer either adds or subtracts the count values of the card and the die, whichever yields the highest value closest to 8. The player&#39;s dice are totaled in a similar manner. The leading digit for values over nine is dropped as in baccarat (e.g., if the player&#39;s dice are both six, the resulting hand is two rather than twelve). The winner is the one with the highest total closest to eight; winning hands result in a one-to-one payout, and ties (push) result in cancellation of bets on the hand. 
         [0011]    In addition to the basic initial bet on the hand, additional optional bets are available. Before the player rolls the dice, a bet may be made which covers three paying combinations of the dice: (1) three identical results on the three dice, which pays eight to one; (2) a run of consecutive numbers on the three dice, which pays two to one; and (3) a natural total of eight on three dice, which pays three to one with a bonus option to roll for a better potential hand. After the dice are rolled, but before cards are dealt, a player may make a raise bet on the outcome of the hand up to half the value of their initial bet. Payoff on the raise bet is one-to-one, as with the initial bet, and this is essentially the only play decision the player must make. Finally, players may make bets on the card drawn by the dealer, including bets as to suit and value. A bet as to suit is a bet on the color of the suit revealed, red or black, and pays one-to-one. A bet on the value of the revealed card is a bet that the card drawn is a ten-value card; this bet pays two to one. 
         [0012]    In group play, a single player rolls the dice for the group in a manner similar to craps, and the dealer deals one card for the group as well. Betting options in addition to those available during individual play are available and will be described in more detail herein. As is apparent, the instant game provides a simple, easily understandable, and fast-paced game which is unique and novel. These and other features of the instant invention as described in more detail herein will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  Playing table for individual play 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  Playing table for group play 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  Flow chart depicting the order of game play for individual play 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  Flow chart depicting the order of game play for group play 
           [0017]      FIG. 5   a  Expected value calculations of winning the hand 
           [0018]      FIG. 5   b  Expected value calculations of winning the roll bet in individual play 
           [0019]      FIG. 5   c  Expected value calculations of winning the draw and table bets in group play 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  Group play betting combinations, payout and weighted odds chart 
       
    
    
     CATALOG OF ELEMENTS 
       [0000]    
       
           100  Playing table for individual play 
           110  Card deal area 
           120  Initial (ante) bet area 
           122  Raise bet area 
           130  Roll bet area 
           140  Draw bet area 
           142  Red draw bet area 
           144  Black draw bet area 
           146  Ten-card draw bet area 
           150  Dice 
           160  Card deck 
           200  Playing table for group play 
           210  Initial bet area 
           220  Raise bet area 
           230  Main roll bet area 
           240  Main draw bet area 
           250  Secondary roll bet area 
           270  Secondary draw bet area 
       
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0039]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , a gaming table generally denoted  100  is provided. The table  100  includes a plurality of betting spaces as further described herein. These betting spaces are reproduced on the table  100  in a plurality of sets, but it will be readily understood that a description of one set will adequately describe the others. In particular, an initial betting space  120  is provided whereby a player may make an initial wager by placing the wager in the betting space. Additionally, a raise betting space  122  is provided, as well as a card draw betting area  140  which further includes a red draw betting space  142 , a black draw betting space  144 , and a 10-card betting space  146 . Finally, a roll betting space  130  is provided. A space designated as a card deal area  110  is provided whereby the dealer may place and segregate the card drawn for each player. 
         [0040]    At the outset, a player makes an initial wager by placing the wager in the initial betting space  120 . The player may make an additional secondary bet on the outcome of the initial die roll by placing the wager in area  130 . The player then rolls three standard six-sided regular polyhedral dice  150  (not shown). These three dice  150  include one red die  152 , one black die  154 , and one white die  156 . If the natural sum of the result shown by the three dice  150  is eight, the player may optionally reroll the dice  150  in order to attempt to improve the initial result; otherwise, the results of these three dice  150  will be used to determine the outcome of the hand. The player&#39;s hand is not fully determined at this point, but will consist of the result of the white die  156  and one of either the red die  152  or black die  154 . 
         [0041]    At this point, the player may choose to make an additional raise wager of up to half the amount of the player&#39;s original initial wager by placing the raise wager in betting space  122 . To provide additional variety in the game, the player may also make bets on the card draw by placing wagers within the areas contained in the card draw betting area  140 ; the player may choose to bet that the card drawn will be red or black, or that the card drawn will have a value of ten. 
         [0042]    After all bets are placed on the table  100 , the dealer now draws a card from the deck  160  for each player and compares it to the dice. The dealer&#39;s hand consists of a combination of the face value of the card, plus or minus the value of the die whose color corresponds to the face color of the card drawn (i.e., if a card from the suit of hearts is drawn, the dealer&#39;s hand consists of the card and the red die.) The dealer may either add or subtract the value of the die from the face value of the card, whichever will be closest in magnitude to the number eight, and the tens digit (if any) is dropped. For example, if the dealer draws a card with value of nine and the corresponding die shows a value of four, the dealer could add the result, which would result in a hand value of three (nine plus four equals thirteen, drop the tens digit leaves three), or subtract the die, resulting in a hand value of five; the dealer would select this latter value as being closer to eight. It will be understood that card values have their standard face values as shown on the card, with face cards being worth ten. 
         [0043]    After matching the dealer&#39;s card with its corresponding die, the player&#39;s hand consists of the other two dice, which are added or subtracted in a similar manner to how the dealer&#39;s hand total is calculated. The player&#39;s result is compared to the dealer&#39;s result, with a hand value of eight being the best hand, then nine, and then decending from seven down to zero. Whichever hand (the dealer&#39;s or the player&#39;s) is better according to this hierarchy wins the hand. In the event of ties, the player neither wins nor loses, and the player&#39;s wagers are returned, a situation commonly referred to as “push.” 
         [0044]    A table showing the odds and general percentages by which a player may be expected to win, lose, or push is given in  FIG. 5   a . For the specific wagers, the payouts are as follows: if a player wins the hand, his initial bet as well as his raise bet pays one-to-one; for the roll bet, a result of the three dice  150  showing the same value pays eight-to-one, a result of consecutive numbers on the three dice  150  pays two-to-one, and a natural sum of eight on the three dice pays three-to-one; for the draw bets, a successful “red” or “black” card draw bet pays one-to-one, and a successful 10-card bet pays two-to-one. Additionally, an expected value chart for the various roll bets in the individual game is provided in  FIG. 5   b.    
         [0045]    With respect to the group version, play is substantially similar, except that a single player rolls the dice  150  against a single card drawn by the dealer from the deck  160 , with the results applied to all players, rather than each player rolling and receiving a card individually. Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , a playing table  200  is provided which includes a plurality of betting areas, including an initial betting area  210  and a raise betting area  220 . Play follows the same general outline as for the individual game, supra, but the betting areas are expanded to give players a larger variety of specific bets on both the initial player roll of the dice  150  as well as the card drawn from the deck  160 . In particular, while the larger playing table  200  includes a primary roll betting area  230  (which corresponds to the smaller table  100 &#39;s roll betting area  130 ), it also includes a secondary roll betting area  250 , allowing individual bets to be made on specific dice outcomes, with substantially higher payout odds on successful bets. Similarly, the group playing table  200  includes a primary card draw betting area  240 , corresponding to the individual playing table  100 &#39;s draw betting area  140 , but also includes a secondary card draw area  270 , allowing players to place individual bets that the card drawn has specific values between one and nine, with each of these bets paying eleven-to-one. An additional bet not available in the individual game is on the outcome of the hand including a hand value of eight for either the player or the dealer; this bet pays six-to-one.  FIG. 6  describes each of the specific bets in detail as well as the odds of payout and the weighted odds of the player achieving that particular result. 
         [0046]    It will be understood that while specific embodiments of the instant invention have been described, other variants are possible and are encompassed within this description. In particular, while the instant description focuses on the use of particular dice (cubes) and a standard 52-card deck, it will be understood that other embodiments of the instant invention are possible using variations of the number of dice. It will additionally be understood that other embodiments are possible using other polyhedral dice, and that variations in the number of cards or types of cards may also be available and are contemplated in the instant invention. Furthermore, while the instant description focuses predominantly on live versions of the instant card game, it will be understood that the method of play as described in  FIGS. 3 and 4  may be easily adapted to function with electronic means whereby the dealer is essentially replaced by a machine and all physical aspects of the instant invention are replaced with display screens and other electronic mechanisms for providing a “virtual” game to the player. These and other variations which will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art will be readily understood to be encompassed by the instant invention.