Abstract:
A game in which Pai Gow tiles are dealt to a Banker hand and Player hand as in Baccarat. Only two tiles are dealt to Banker and two tiles to Player. No other tiles are dealt. The hands are evaluated under Pai Gow rankings. Tiles are drawn similar to Baccarat rules. If the hands evaluate to a sum of 6 or higher ranking, there is no further draw. A winner is declared or copy hand is declared. If either hand evaluates to a sum of 5 or less, that hand must draw. The hands are again evaluated after the draw and a winner or copy hand is declared. Banker hands push copy hands and Player hands always lose copy hands 
     A bettor may place a wager on Player or Banker and optionally on copy or “bonus” outcomes according to a payout schedule. The game is purely a game of chance, with no selection or arrangement of hands involved. 
     The game includes a unique method of dealing hands to avoid cheating or collusion between banker and players. A plurality of dice are used to determine which competition hand is used and which 2 tiles go to the banker and which two tiles go to the player.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS FOR EARLIER FILING DATE 
       [0001]    This application is related to the provisional application 61/846,875 filed Jul. 16, 2013. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    This is not applicable. 
       NAMES OF JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    This is not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING 
       [0004]    This is not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES 
       [0005]    This is not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention relates to gambling games using traditional Pai Gow tiles. 
         [0007]    Pai Gow is a well-known gambling game originating in China and played with a set of 32 tiles. Each tile has a number of pips which indicate its relative ranking. The rank of a tile is not directly related to the number of pips, that is, more pips do not necessarily mean a higher rank. Pai Gow has a prescribed hand ranking system. 
         [0008]    Traditional Pai Gow begins with players making a wager. A dealer separates the 32 tiles into eight piles of four tiles in each pile. There can be a banker and up to three other players. Three dice are rolled to determine the distribution of the tile hands. Each player organizes his tiles into a two-tile high hand and a two-tile low hand. It is this arranging into hands that constitutes skill and decision-making on the part of the player. The dealer arranges the tiles he deals for the banker (or house) in the same manner and the respective high hands and low hands are evaluated per Pai Gow rankings. The game may be house banked (casino or banking corporation) or a player may act as the bank. 
         [0009]    Once the hands of 2 tiles each have been set, no further skill is required. The laws of the game provide a ranking of each set of 2 tiles against an opposing set of 2. There is a priority ranking of certain pairs of tiles, 16 pairs in all. 11 pairs, in ranks 2-12, constitute the entire set of 11 duplicated tiles. Pairs in ranks 13-16, the ‘Chop’ pairs, are paired in number only, not exact duplicates. For instance, Chop Ng, the 16th ranked pair, constitutes the two tiles possessing sets of dots that sum to a total of 5: the 4-1 tile and the 3-2 tile. The highest ranking pair is Gee Joon, but it is not a true pair at all, and instead constitutes the 2-1 tile and the 4-2 tile (also known as joker since either tile can be considered as 3 or 6 in evaluating a sum. 
         [0010]    But not all possible combinations of 2 tiles are represented by the 16 pairs in Pai Gow. Next in priority, just below the pairs, are hands that are traditionally named Wong and Gong. A Wong hand has 2 tiles comprising the Teen tile (6-6) or the Day tile (1-1) along with a tile that has nine spots. A Gong is a hand that contains the Teen tile or the Day tile along with a tile that has eight spots. Wong ranks higher than Gong. Wong and Gong are less valuable than any pair, and more valuable than any hand that evaluates to a number. 
         [0011]    Below the above pairs, and Wong and Gong, are the remaining possible 2-tile combinations. These lower hands are simply summed up to the total number of dots shown on the two tiles, similar to a game of 21 with one important exception. In Pai Gow, the tens digit of a sum is ignored. Therefore a hand with 9 spots values to 9, the same as a hand with 19 spots. No hand has zero spots, since no tile has zero, but a hand that has a sum of 10 spots equals a hand of sum of 20 spots both evaluate to zero. 
         [0012]    Two competing non-pairing hands (Wong, Gong or 0-9) could add to the same value. If both add to zero, the player loses and bank wins. For sum values other than zero, a tie-breaking procedure exists in Pai Gow. Each tile has an individual rank, which is the same as the rank of the pair in which it appears. The tie-breaker rule is to compare the higher ranking tile in each hand. The hand with the highest ranking tile wins. In this case, the Gee Joon tiles cannot be the high rank in a hand that evaluates to a number. If the higher ranking tile, is the same rank then the hand is a copy hand and the banker wins that hand. 
         [0013]    If the player wins both hands he will win the deal. If the player wins one hand and loses the other hand, then his wager will push. If the banker wins both hands, then the player will lose his wager. Games in casinos or card rooms have both commission and commission free versions. 
         [0014]    Baccarat is a card game which is played with a “banker” and “player” each dealt two cards and the winner is ranked by the point total of the two cards with 0 being low and 9 being high (tens units are disregarded). If the sum of a hand is an eight or nine, that hand stays and does not draw another card. If the sum of the cards for the player is 5 or less, the player has hits and takes a third card. If the player has a 6 or more, the player stands. Subsequently, if the player stands, the dealer hits if he has a 5 or less. If the player hit, the dealer hits or stands according to prescribed drawing rules. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    While Pai Gow is a popular game, and has remained so over many centuries, it does have some elements which could merit improvement from both the casino and player viewpoints. 
         [0016]    One such element is the element of choice. Many casino gamblers indicate that they often prefer games of pure chance, such as roulette or craps. No element of skill is employed in such games. These are simply games of chance. In contrast, Pai Gow involves choices, of how to divide the initial deal of four tiles into two two-tile hands. This is similar to a decision-making event in poker, of how to divide up a pre-dealt hand (as in stud poker) into a high-value 5-card poker hand, or which cards to discard in a standard poker deal in an effort to draw new cards to improve the hand. 
         [0017]    Another element is the preservation of the integrity of a competitive game, or, viewed alternatively, efforts to defeat attempts to cheat at the game. Cheating is a major concern of casinos, as it costs large amounts of money to the house. As part of the overall effort to eliminate cheating, casinos have often employed machines to deal cards, and even tiles. However, many casino customers do not like to patronize tables that employ machine deals. 
         [0018]    Another element is the speed or rate at which the winner of a game is determined and hand are evaluated. It can take a while to evaluate four tiles (a high two-tile hand and a low two-tile hand) for players and banker. 
         [0019]    It is a challenge to devise a game that exemplifies the preservation of historical look and feel of the ancient ways, can speed up the rate of completing each deal, while at the same time defeating modern attempts to cheat, and avoiding elements of skill that many players do not possess, or simply do not wish to use in a particular game of chance. 
         [0020]    Baccarat is also a popular game and is solely a game of chance requiring little skill. Hands are evaluated and the game completed quickly. It only requires two cards and there is only one player and one banker. 
         [0021]    The current invention is a game of chance that is based on the tile rankings found in the game of Pai Gow with a method of play similar to Baccarat. 
         [0022]    The preferred embodiment of the current invention differs from Pai Gow and Baccarat by combining and deleting some elements of both and adding some new elements. In the preferred embodiment there is only one Banker hand and one Player hand as in Baccarat and bettors have the option of betting on Banker or Player. In the preferred embodiment, only 2 tiles (or tokens) (not 4) are dealt to the Player, and only 2 tiles are dealt to the Banker. In the preferred embodiment, only four total tiles are dealt in any one game since there is only one Player and one Banker in the game. The Bettors employ no skill or interpretation in playing the game. A Player simply faces his 2 tiles, and compares value to the Banker, using the normal rankings in Pai Gow. Bettors can bet on Banker or Player hands as in Baccarat. 
         [0023]    After evaluating the two tiles, any bonus or copy bets will be paid or collected. Additionally, a winner will be declared or there will be a one tile draw mandated under set circumstances. The players have no choice or decision on how the hand will be played. If a draw is mandated, discarding of a tile and drawing of a tile replacement should follow the house rules of present invention. The hands are evaluated again (per Pai Gow rules) and If one hand is higher, bettors on that hand, win his/her/their bet, and bettors on the opposing hand lose their bets. In some hands, the two hands have equal value, or indeed even identical tiles. These are copy hands. In the preferred embodiment of the current invention, the result is not a push. Instead, the result is that the Player hand loses, and the Banker hand PUSHES. This is called a copy hand. Thus it varies from current Pai Gow with fewer pushes and less time to evaluate a hand. This game will yield more hands per hour and a win or lose outcome for the contestants more often. An additional difference is in how the four tiles which will be dealt are determined. 
         [0024]    The current invention in a preferred embodiment comprises a useful method to avoid cheating. The method employs the use of three dice. (Dice are also used to different effect in standard Pai Gow.) In this embodiment of the current invention, the dealer rolls dice and uses the outcome to select which tiles are dealt to each hand. 
         [0025]    In the preferred embodiment, only 2 hands of tiles are dealt—a Banker hand and a Player hand. All people who wish to wager can bet on the outcome. Bettors can bet on either Banker or Player winning, or can bet on the appearance of various selected hands such as a copy hand. Optionally, side bets, set jackpots, or progressive jackpots as bonus bets may be played as an adjunct to the game. 
         [0026]    The present invention contemplates the game may be played using other media, such as scratch or pull-tab tickets, video game type machines, computers, hand-held devices, slot machines, on-line networks or on any other type of interactive gaming platform/equipment. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0027]    This section provides a brief description of the attached drawings. The drawings constitute disclosure of the current invention, equal to this written specification. 
           [0028]      FIG. 1  is a depiction of gaming table with the present invention&#39;s layout. The essential elements comprise of demarcations for bettors at a plurality of seats (eight seats shown) wherein each bettor can place a wager on player, banker, and/or a bonus bet with a payout schedule, a central area for the deal/draw tile, and four rectangular areas to place the dealt tile hands. The actual bonus outcomes and payout schedule can vary and the payout schedule shown in the figure is an example only and not intended to be restrictive. 
           [0029]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of the 32 tiles used in standard Pai Gow play. These tiles may also be used in the play of the game of the current invention. The tiles are illustrated in random order. 
           [0030]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of 16 tiles in order of Individual tiles ranking from highest to lowest. 
           [0031]      FIG. 4  displays the pairs in standard Pai Gow play. The pairs are displayed in rank order (going down in rank), from left to right in the top row, then continuing from left to right in the bottom row. 
           [0032]      FIG. 5  demonstrates 2 hands that would result in a copy in Pai Gow, and also in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIG. 6  illustrates, by way of example, seven possible outcomes from the throw of three dice as may be used in preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 7  shows a series of eight stacks of tiles as may be used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0035]      FIG. 8  shows a series of stacks of tiles from which one stack has been removed, i.e. ‘burned’, as may be used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0036]      FIG. 9  shows a series of stacks of tiles from which one stack has been selected by throw of dice, as may be used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0037]      FIG. 10  shows a series of stacks of tiles from which one stack has been selected and divided into first hand and second hand. 
           [0038]      FIG. 11  shows two tiles were dealt for player hand and two tiles for banker hand. No tile draw is required. 
           [0039]      FIG. 12  shows two tiles were dealt for player hand and two tiles for banker hand. Both hands need to draw one tile each. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0040]    The current invention is a game played on a table layout as shown in  FIG. 1 . The current invention as represented in the preferred embodiment uses Pai Gow tiles, illustrated in  FIG. 2 , and uses Pai Gow rules of ranking to evaluate the ranking of hands; however, the game uses a style of play similar to Baccarat in that there is only one “player” hand and one “banker” hand and each is dealt only two Pai Gow tiles, and there is a chance that a draw tile would be required. The game comprises other rules and provisos to tailor the game for fast play, little to no requirement for skill, and to safeguard against cheating. The hands that are dealt are evaluated in the same way as Pai Gow to determine which hands win— FIG. 3  shows the relative ranking of individual tiles,  FIG. 4  shows the ranking of pairs and  FIG. 5 , illustrates by example, the concept of a push hand where the hand evaluates to the same number and the higher individual ranking tiles are equal in both hands (all per standard Pai Gow rules). 
         [0041]    Bettors make a wager on either Player or Banker and optionally on specified “bonus” hand or copy hand. The proposition hand/side bets can be a certain outcome on the hand such as pair or making a specific hand or that the outcome would be a push. By reference to  FIG. 1 , it shows 8 bettor positions, in each position, the bettor can place a wager on the Banker or Player spot. Optionally, the bettor can place a wager on the “copy” or “bonus” bet which pays according to the “bonus” hand schedule noted in on the layout in TABLE I. The payout odds schedule is shown by way of example and the actual payouts can be adjusted as needed. 
         [0042]    While bettors are making their wagers, the dealer will deal/arrange the Pai Gow tiles in the usual Pai Gow manner of eight stacks of four tiles each with a middle shuffle (per the Dealing Procedures section below). See  FIG. 7 . 
         [0043]    After the bets, a plurality of dice, usually three, is cast. The total of the dice indicates which stack will be played and whether the banker or player gets the top two tiles in the stack. 
         [0044]    The stack in play is determined by first discarding/burning the first stack (leftmost stack from dealer&#39;s point of view), leaving only seven stacks. See  FIG. 8 . The total of the dice is calculated and the stack in play is determined per TABLE II.  FIG. 6  shows example dice totals and which stack would be indicated as the stack in play. The dealer then takes that stack and brings it in line with the four rectangular tile slots on the layout. See  FIG. 9  to see the stack in play separated and brought near the rectangular tile slots. 
         [0045]    The determination of which hand gets the top two tiles is as follows: a) If the dice total is EVEN, the top two tiles go to the Banker hand, the bottom two tiles go to the Player hand; (b) If the dice total is ODD, the top two tiles go to the Player hand, the bottom two tiles go to the Banker hand. 
         [0046]    As a memory aid and indicator, there is a plastic Dealer Button which is a two-sided indicator with “EVEN—Banker” on one side and “ODD—Player” on the other side. If the dice throw is an even number, the button is placed with “EVEN—Banker” face up on the Banker&#39;s side of the table layout. Conversely, if an odd number, the button is placed with “ODD—Player” face up on the Player&#39;s side of the table layout. The dealer button indicates which player takes the top two tiles of the stack in play (and who draws the top tile if both hands must draw). The other hand takes the bottom two tiles of the stack in play. 
         [0047]    A dealer deals two tiles as a Player hand, and two tiles as a Banker hand. The indicating faces of the tiles are placed in the tile slots marked Player and Banker respectively and then exposed. See  FIG. 10  depicting the distribution of the top two and bottom two tiles, but before the tiles are exposed. At this time, the bonus bet outcomes are evaluated and the bonus bets collected or paid at this time. 
         [0048]    The hands are evaluated per Pai Gow rankings. As long as both hand outcomes are either pairs, wong, gong or evaluate to a total of six points (pips) or more, there is no further drawing and the winner is declared. However, if any hand evaluates to a total of five points or less, that hand must draw. The drawing hand must first discard the lower individual ranking tile, except if the lower individual ranking tile is either “gee joon” tile (sometimes known as a joker, these tiles are either the 4-2 or 2-1 tiles which would comprise a gee joon if dealt together). The “gee joon” tile must be kept and the other tile discarded. The drawing stack is the stack immediately to the right of the stack in play (from the dealer&#39;s point of view). Once a tile discard has been made a new tile is drawn from the drawing stack (per the Dealing Rules section below). 
         [0049]    If both hands must draw, the dice total determines who receives the top tile in the drawing stack in the same manner as the dice determined who received the top tile in the initial deal; if EVEN—Banker gets the top tile, if ODD—Player gets the top tile; and the other player gets the second tile in the stack. If only one hand—Banker or Player must draw, that hand gets the top tile in the drawing stack regardless of the EVEN or ODD indicator on the dealer button. 
         [0050]    After the draw, the Banker hand will be compared to the Player hand, the hand with the higher two-tile ranking combination is declared to be the winner. Each bettor who bet on the winner, wins his or her bet. Each better who bet on the losing hand, loses his or her bet. Sometimes, the final result is a Pai Gow copy hand. In that case, a copy hand will be declared. In the preferred embodiment, the Banker hand will always PUSH all copy hands (bettors on Banker will not get paid, but their wager is returned). The Player hand will always LOSE all copy hands (bettors on Player will lose their bet). 
         [0051]    Copy hands are where the pips evaluate to a number and the higher ranking individual tile are equal in rank—standard Pai Gow copy hand. Note that if the hand evaluates to zero, it is a copy hand automatically without regard to the higher ranking tile as in Pai Gow. The “zero” copy rule can be varied in some embodiments. 
         [0052]    At this time, the game is concluded and the process starts over with shuffling, betting and dealing. 
         [0053]    The game can be played either requiring a commission or in a “no commission” version. While the preferred embodiment uses Pai Gow tiles and is played as a live game, other embodiments are envisioned which use other indicia or uses a computer, video or mobile phone/computer data platform. The current game is particularly adapted to be played as a wagering game suitable for casino play. 
       Lucky Tiles General Rules 
       [0054]    1. Lucky Tiles are played using the traditional set of 32 Pai-Gow tiles.
 
2. The single tiles ranking and two tiles ranking combination are the same as in regular Pai Gow tiles game. In the preferred embodiment, the winner is the highest ranking combination as in Pai Gow
 
3. Lucky tiles can be played with one or more bettors betting on Player, Banker, Copy, or Bonus much like Baccarat style of play. The casino or banking corporation (house) will payout the winning wager (essentially acting as the counterparty bettor).
 
4. When the Player and Banker have the same ranking combination, it is called a copy hand, and Player loses and the Banker hand PUSHES in the preferred embodiment (commission free). A commission version is where the Player loses and the Banker WINS.
 
Note: If the player hand and the banker hand are both zero, it is consider as a copy hand
 
5. The bonus bet is paid or collected after the initial two tiles are dealt. The Player, Banker or Copy bets are paid or collected after the draw and final evaluation of the hands.
 
       Dealing Procedures 
       [0055]    1. Dealer shuffles the tiles the same way in regular Pai-Gow tiles.
 
2. Dealer arranges the tiles in eight stacks of four tiles each.
 
3. Dealer will do the middle shuffle once.
 
4. The first stack in dealer&#39;s left is not on play, it will be treated as a burned stack of tiles. This will leave seven stacks remaining and the second stack will become the first stack.
 
5. When all wagers are placed, the selected contestant will shake the three dice in a cup with cover to determine the stack going to be in play. The method of selecting the contestant can be on a rotating turn basis with an indicator button or any way the house rules require.
 
6. The three dice corresponds to the stack of tiles to be in play:
 
         [0000]                                Dice total   Stack of tiles to be in play                   8, 15   1st stack       9, 16   2nd stack       3, 10, 17   3rd stack       4, 11, 18   4th stack       5, 12   5th stack       6, 13   6th stack       7, 14   7th stack                    
7. There is a Dealer Button which is a two-sided indicator with “EVEN—Banker” on one side and “ODD—Player” on the other side. If the dice throw is an even number, the button is placed with “EVEN—Banker” face up on the Banker&#39;s side of the table layout. Conversely, if an odd number, the button is placed with “ODD—Player” face up on the Player&#39;s side of the table layout. The dealer button indicates which player takes the top two tiles of the stack in play (and who draws first if a draw is needed—see 8.E. below). The other hand takes the bottom two tiles of the stack in play.
 
8. After dealing the two tiles, a one tile draw is allowed/mandated under rules below.
 
         [0056]    The following rules are applied:
       A. Any hand with a ranking of 5 points or less must discard a tile and draw one tile.   B. One tile will be discarded from the hand mention above.   C. The tile with the lowest ranking will be discarded and the tile with the higher ranking will stay.   D. There is one exemption, if the player hand or the banker hand contains one joker, the hand will keep the joker regardless of the other tile.   E. The draw will come from the stack of tiles which are immediately to the dealer&#39;s right of the stack in play. The tiles eligible are the top two tiles of this stack. If both banker and player need to draw, the top tile is given to the banker or player as the dealer button indicates. The second tile then goes to the other hand. If only hand needs to draw, that hand takes the top tile of the draw stack. Note: To protect the integrity of the game, If the three dice total is an odd number, the top two tiles will be the Player&#39;s hand (and the bottom two tiles will be the Banker&#39;s hand). If the dice total is an even number, the top two tiles will be the Banker&#39;s hand (and the bottom two tiles will be the Player&#39;s hand).       
 
       Checking the Hand Procedures: 
       [0062]    To protect the integrity of the game, care must be taken when allowing a bettor to check the tiles. It is important to allow physical checking of the tiles to enhance the gaming experience for the bettor. Another embodiment could do away with checking procedures and just flip the tiles over.
 
1. The bettor with the largest amount of wager has the option to check their respective hand—one Banker and one Player
 
2. Only one bettor will check the tiles at a time at the table.
 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE I 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Bonus hands (Payouts by way of example) 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 1. 
                 Pair Teen - Gee Joon 
                 200:1  
               
               
                 2. 
                 Pair Day - Gee Joon 
                 100:1  
               
               
                 3. 
                 Pair Teen - Pair Day 
                 60:1 
               
               
                 4. 
                 Gee Joon 
                 10:1 
               
               
                 5. 
                 Pair Teen 
                 10:1 
               
               
                 6. 
                 Pair Day 
                 10:1 
               
               
                 7. 
                 Any Wong 
                  5:1 
               
               
                 8. 
                 Any Pair 
                  3:1 
               
               
                 9. 
                 Any Gong 
                  2:1 
               
               
                 10. 
                 Any Nine 
                  1:1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Note: 
               
               
                 Bonus hands are payable based on the first two tiles dealt - bonus not eligible on the draw result. 
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0000]                              TABLE II                   Results of Dice Throws (3 dice)            Total of spots on dice   Stack of tiles on play (after burn)               8 or 15   Stack 1 (at dealer&#39;s left)       9 or 16   Stack 2       3 or 10 or 17   Stack 3       4 or 11 or 18   Stack 4       5 or 12   Stack 5       6 or 13   Stack 6       7 or 14   Stack 7 (at dealer&#39;s right)                    
No commission and commission embodiments are suitable for the casino game. These variants differ principally in how the house makes a commission on the game.
 
No commission or commission-less or commission free. This is the preferred embodiment. No commission is collected from bettors, win or lose. Instead, the house collects from copy hands as follows. In a commission-less game, if a copy hand results, bettors on the Player&#39;s hand lose. However, the bettors on the Banker&#39;s hand push. The House wins on copy hands, because it collects losing player bets, without paying out on banker bets.
 
Commission. This is where the casino collects a commission from players. The commission is collected only from winning bettors who bet on the Banker hand. Additionally, in this variant, copy hands would result in the Banker hand winning their bets (and paying the commission) and the Player hand losing their bets.
 
         [0063]    While the preferred embodiment and some variants of the present invention have been described, the present applicant desires not to limit his patent rights to such descriptions. It is to be understood that the present invention is subject to some changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the specification and claims presented herein. It is intended that all matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. By way of example, the method of playing this game can be implemented in any media, such as scratch or pull-tab tickets, video game type machines, computers, smartphones, hand-held devices, slot machines, on-line networks or on any other type of interactive gaming platform/equipment which can also include set or progressive jackpots and bonuses. Also by way of example, some of the rules are subject to house rules or can be modified in a minor way, such as whether zero points would result in a copy or whether a certain hand must draw.