Abstract:
A new method of playing multiple-draw poker that provides players with the opportunity to progressively build poker hands by duplicating held cards from a latest completed hand into a new hand.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation-in-part of both U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/389,604 filed Sep. 3, 2000 and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,375, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/712,746 filed Nov. 15, 2000 both in the name of one of the applicants to which priority is claimed. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to card games and methods therefor and, more particularly, to a method of playing multiple-draw poker that would provide players with the opportunity to progressively build poker hands by duplicating held cards from a latest completed hand into a new hand. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many card games have been developed over the years for both social and gambling purposes. Poker, with all of its variations, is perhaps the most popular gambling card game. When playing against opponents, the general aim of poker is to collect a five card hand that is superior to opponents five card hands or to try to bet in such a way (called “bluffing”) as to cause opponents to believe that their hand is inferior and subsequently “fold” (concede or turn in) their hand. In video poker, however, there are often no opponents and therefore no bluffing. Winning at video poker generally means collecting a five card hand of at least a minimum predetermined value. 
     Many people find that the basic game of poker has become somewhat stale and boring. Attempts have been made to liven up the game in several different ways. In video poker machines, for example, variations on the game of poker exist which cannot be found in casino poker rooms (e.g. wild cards and jokers). In addition, some video poker machines allow the player to play multiple hands of poker simultaneously. In one popular variation known as Triple Play®, the player receives three hands of poker. The Triple Play® variations are covered in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,873 issued to Moody. In one variation of this game, after receiving an initial hand of five cards the player can choose to select as few as zero and as many as all of the five cards as cards to be held. All held cards from the initial hand immediately show up in the remaining two hands. When the player then selects the draw function, the video poker machine completes all three hands up to five cards, making a five card hand in each of the three hands. Similar variations allow as many as 10 hands of poker to be played simultaneously in the same fashion. 
     However, when playing against opponents in a live game, or playing video poker gaming machines (including Triple Play® and its variations) the player is generally limited to exercising his or her discretion in the selection process only during the initial hand of a single game, and before the player draws cards to complete the hand. The player therefore cannot progressively build future poker hands based on previously completed (i.e. post-draw) poker hands. In Triple Play® and its variations, it is generally only with the initial hand, and before any cards to complete the hand are drawn, that the player may choose which cards to hold and which cards to discard. After the cards in the initial hand have been selected, those same cards are automatically selected in all remaining hands, eliminating the opportunity for any future selection process in any of the remaining hands which could lead to building progressively better poker hands. For example, in prior art games if an initial hand in multiple-draw poker includes tow Jacks and the player selects them as cards to be held (while at the same time discarding the three other cards) then the second hand and all other subsequent hands will include those same pair of Jacks. In these prior art games, if, in the second hand, the player draws three more cards to complete his or her hand and receives a third Jack (and two other cards of no poker value) this player has no ability to make that third Jack a held card for a third hand, and so on. The prior art does not allow a player to progressively build poker hands by continuing to duplicate cards to be held from previously completed (i.e.. after the draw) hands. 
     A need therefore existed for providing a new, exciting method of playing multiple-draw poker that would provide players with the opportunity to progressively build poker hands by duplicating held cards from a latest completed hand into a new hand. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a new method for playing multiple-draw poker in which a player has the opportunity to select which cards to hold in each hand of a multiple-draw poker game. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new method for playing multiple-draw poker in which a player has the opportunity to progressively build poker hands by duplicating held cards from a latest completed hand into a new hand. 
     It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a new method for playing multiple-draw poker in which a player has the opportunity to wager separate amounts on each hand of a multiple-draw poker game. 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a new method for playing multiple-draw poker which utilizes a 60 card deck with 15 ranked cards. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method for playing a multiple-draw card game of poker is disclosed comprising, in combination, the steps of dealing a first hand of at least five cards, selecting as few as none and as many as all of the at least five cards of the first hand as cards to be held, discarding cards from the first hand not selected as cards to be held, duplicating the held cards of the first hand into a second hand, drawing additional cards to complete the first hand to have at least five cards, drawing additional cards to complete the second hand to have at least five cards, selecting as few as zero and as many as all of the at least five cards of the second hand as cards to be held, duplicating the held cards of the second hand into a third hand, drawing additional cards to complete the third hand to have at least five cards, and determining a poker hand value of a completed first hand and a completed second hand and a completed third hand. 
     The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing an initial hand exposed in the first row, after the initial deal of the cards but before the draw. 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the initial hand exposed in the first row after the draw and the second hand in the second row with the held cards from the first hand exposed. 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the initial hand exposed in the first row after the draw and the completed second hand exposed in the second row including the held cards from the first hand. 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the initial hand exposed in the first row after the draw, and the completed second hand exposed in the second row including the held cards from the first hand, and the third hand in the third row with the held cards from the second hand exposed. 
     FIG. 5 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the initial hand exposed in the first row after the draw, and the completed second hand in the second row exposed including the held cards from the first hand, and the completed third hand exposed in the third row including the held cards from the second hand. 
     FIG. 6 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention which uses a sixty card deck, showing the initial hand exposed and having an “Eleven” and a “Twelve” in the first row, after the initial deal of the cards but before the draw. 
     FIG. 7 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention which uses a sixty card deck, showing the initial hand exposed in the first row after the draw and the second hand in the second row with the held cards from the first hand exposed. 
     FIG. 8 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention which uses a sixty card deck, showing the initial hand exposed in the first row after the draw and the completed second hand exposed in the second row including the held cards from the first hand. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention includes several embodiments of a method for playing a multiple-draw card game of poker, preferably on video gaming machines. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, three rows of cards are shown, consisting of a first hand  10 , a second hand  20  and a third hand  30 . The first step in the method is the dealing of a first hand  10  of at least five cards. In FIG. 1, the first hand  10  hand already been dealt and the exposed cards happen to be: Nine of Diamonds  11 , Two of Clubs  12 , Three of Hearts  13 , Jack of Spades  14  and Jack of Diamonds  15 . The second hand  20  and the third hand  30  are shown with their cards face down. Although the first hand  10  is shown with five cards, it should be understood that more than 5 cards could be used to obtain a poker hand, such as in the poker game 7-card stud, and that this would be within the spirit and scope of this invention. The second step of the method for playing a multiple-draw card game of poker is to select as few as none and as many as all of the cards  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14 , and  15  of the first hand  10  as cards to be held. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, given the composition of the poker hand  10 , the player would most likely hold the Jack of Spades  14  and the Jack of Diamonds  15  (thereby discarding the remaining cards Nine of Diamonds  11 , Two of Clubs  12 , and Three of Hearts  13 ) and attempt to draw a higher ranked poker hand, such as two-pair, three-of-a-kind, a full-house or four-of-a-kind. It should be understood, however, that the player has the decision to discard all five cards  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14 , and  15  or hold all five cards  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14 , and  15  or hold some of the cards  11 ,  13 ,  13 ,  14 , and  15  while discarding other. Once the player selects the cards to be held, in this case, the Jack of Spades  14  and the Jack of Diamonds  15 , those cards are then duplicated into a second hand  20  where they take the place of the face-down cards  24  and  25 . In the preferred embodiments, the drawn cards are dealt face-up, avoiding the need for the player to have to press a button or turn the cards over him or herself, however, it should be understood that substantial benefit, such as increased suspense and excitement, could be derived from the cards being dealt face-down, therefore requiring the player to have to press a button or turn the cards over him or herself. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, the player can then draw cards to replace the discarded Nine of Diamonds  11 , Two of Clubs  12  and Three of Heart  13  to complete the first hand  10 . In this case, the new cards are the Six of Diamonds  11 B, the Five of Clubs  12 B, and the Eight of Hearts  13 B. The next step in the method for playing a multiple-draw card game of poker is to draw additional cards to complete the second hand  20  to have at least five cards. In FIG. 2, this would require revealing cards  21 ,  22  and  23 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, these cards turned out to be the Four of Diamonds  21 , the Seven of Clubs  22 , and the Jack of Hearts  23 . The player can now select as few as zero and as many as all of the at least five cards of the second hand  20  as cards to be held. Given the composition of the poker hand  20 , the player would most likely hold the Jack of Spades  24 , the Jack of Diamonds  25 , and the Jack of Hearts  23  (thereby discarding the remaining cards  21  and  22 ) and attempt to draw a higher ranked poker hand such as a full-house or four-of-a-kind. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, once the player selects the cards to be held, in this case, the Jack of Spades  24 , the Jack of Diamonds  25 , and the Jack of Hearts  23 , those cards are then duplicated into a third hand  30  where they take the place of the face-down cards  33 ,  34  and  35  (shown in FIG.  3 ). 
     Referring now to FIG. 5, additional cards are now drawn to complete the third hand  30  to have at least five cards. This would require revealing face-down cards  31  and  32  (shown in FIG.  4 ). In this case, the cards turned out to be the King of Diamonds  31  and the King of Clubs  32 , giving the player a full-house. Once all of the hands been completed, the poker hand value is determined of the completed first hand  10 , the completed second hand  20  and the completed third hand  30 . In the preferred embodiment, the method for playing a card game of poker involves three hands, however, it is possible to implement this same method with four or more hands. With more than three hands, the poker hand values of all of the hands are determined, and the method is complete, after all hands have been completed. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the player may wager money on the card game and receive a predetermined amount of money back if one or more of the player&#39;s completed hands meets a predetermined poker hand value. In this way, it is possible that the player could lose money on one or more of the hands and make money on one or more of the hands, or lose money on all of the hands, or make money on all of the hands. 
     Preferably, the game is played with a single fifty-two card deck (not counting the duplicated cards), although there are several alternative embodiments. One possible embodiment would be to use multiple decks in which a single fifty-two card deck is used for the first hand  10  and then the second hand  20  uses a forty-seven card deck consisting of a standard fifty-two card deck with the five cards  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14  and  15  of the first hand  10  omitted therefrom and the third hand  30  also uses a forty-seven card deck consisting of a standard fifty-two card deck with the five cards  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24  and  25  of the second hand  20  omitted therefrom, and so on, whereby additional hands beyond the third hand  30  all use forty-seven card decks consisting of standard fifty-two card decks with the five cards of the previously completed hand omitted therefrom. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. The alternative embodiment is essentially the same as the preferred embodiment, although a sixty card deck is used, comprising a standard fifty-two card deck of praying cards and eight additional playing cards comprising four different suited playing cards each having a value of Eleven and four different suited playing cards each having a value of Twelve. 
     The four cards with the value of “Eleven” are all higher in rank by one that the standard “Ten” card in a fifty-two card deck. Additionally, the four cards with the value of “Twelve” are all higher in rank by one than the “Eleven” card. The “Eleven” and “Twelve” cards add a new dimension to standards poker hands. For example, in a standard fifty-two card deck, one possible five card poker hand is a “straight,” which is five cards in order, regardless of suit (e.g. 4-5-6-7-8 or K-Q-J-10-9). When two players each have a straight, the highest straight wins (e.g. J-10-9-8-7 beats 10-9-8-7-6). In a standard 52 card deck, the possibilities range from A-2-3-4-5 all the way up to A-K-Q-J-10, for a total of ten different possible straights (regardless of suit). 
     With the addition of an “Eleven” card and a “Twelve” card, however, there are new straight possibilities, such as 7-8-9-10-11 or 8-9-10-11-12. The “Eleven” and “Twelve” can also be used as cards immediately lower in rank than the face cards, such as in a straight 11-12-J-Q-K or 12-J-Q-K-A. However, the “Eleven” and “Twelve” cards do not necessarily have to replace the conventional Ace high straight (i.e. 10-J-Q-K-A). For example, in the same poker game, it could be possible to have an 12-J-Q-K-A straight and a 11-J-Q-K-A straight as well as a conventional 10-J-Q-K-A. 
     Referring now to FIG. 6, the method of playing a multiple draw poker game utilizing a sixty-card deck is illustrated. The method of playing a multiple-draw poker game is the same as in the preferred embodiment with three rows of cards, consisting of a first hand  40 , a second hand  50  and a third hand  60 . The first hand  40  has already been dealt and the exposed cards happen to be: Eleven of Diamonds  41 , Twelve of Clubs  42 , Nine of Hearts  43 , Eight of Spades  44  and Three of Diamonds  45 . The second hand  40  and third hand  50  are shown with their cards face down. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, given the composition of the poker hand  40 , the player would most likely hold the Eleven of Diamonds  41 , Twelve of Clubs  42 , Nine of Hearts  43 , and Eight of Spades  44  (thereby discarding the Three of Diamonds  45 ) and attempt to draw a straight. Once the player selects the cards to be held, those cards are then duplicated into a second hand  50  where they take the place of the face-down cards  51 ,  52 ,  53 , and  54 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 7, the player can then draw a new card to replace the discarded Three of Diamonds  45 , which in this case is the Five of Diamonds  45 B. This completes the hand  40 . The next step is for the player to draw additional cards to complete the hand  50  to have at least five cards. In FIG. 7, this would require revealing card  55 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 8, this card turned out to be the Ten of Diamonds  55 , giving the player a straight ( 8-9-10-11-12 ) in the hand  50 . With a straight, the player would most likely select all five cards as cards to be held, and then have them duplicated into hand  60 . It should be clearly understood that while the alternative embodiment of the method of playing a multiple-draw poker game utilizing a sixty-card deck is shown in FIGS. 6-8 with only two completed hands, this method could be used with three or more hands in the same way as the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, the alternative embodiment of the method of playing a multiple-draw poker game utilizing a sixty-card deck could also be played using a single sixty card deck or multiple sixty card decks in the same fashion as the method using a single fifty-two card deck or multiple fifty-two card decks is practiced. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.