Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method of playing a game in which a pattern of game pieces is determined. For example, the pattern of game pieces can be a conventional card pattern such as a straight or a flush. Alternatively, the pattern can be a pattern or letters forming one or more words or a pattern of game pieces including indicia of questions, such as trivia questions. The pattern of game pieces can be determined randomly such as by dealing a pattern or computer generating a random pattern. Game pieces are dealt to one or more players and each of the players individually or collectively contribute game pieces to try to match the determined pattern.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates to games, such as a game in which a target pattern of game pieces is selected and one or more players are dealt one or more game pieces to try to individually or collectively match the target pattern. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Variations in card games using card point values are known. In games such as black jack, a point value of cards is each player&#39;s hand is added together to determine the value of the hand after the player had the opportunity to be dealt additional cards. Different hands are compared to determine the winning hand, such as comparing the hand against the dealer hand. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,486 describes a method of playing a card game using a card number subtracting technique in which cards of the playing deck are assigned numerical point values. Eights, nines and tens are removed from the standard deck to establish a deck of forty cards. Each numbered card is assigned its point value. Each ace is assigned a value of one. Each face card is assigned a value of zero. Two cards are initially dealt to each player with each player having the option of receiving a third card. If a third card is dealt, one of the cards is discarded. The hands are compared to determine a winning hand as the hand in which the point value difference between the two cards in the hand is closest to zero. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,573 discloses a wagering card game permitting players to play against a dealer or the “house” and not against other players. Six standard decks of playing cards, from which all face cards have been removed, are combined. Each of the numbered cards has a number value equal to its number, and aces have a number value of 11. Each player places a wager as to whether a three-card game hand to be dealt to him or her will be odd or even. If a player&#39;s odd/even wager matches the sum of the number values of the three cards dealt to that player, then the player wins the wager. Preferably, a single card is dealt face down to the dealer and in addition to an odd/even wager as to the player&#39;s own game hand, the player is permitted to place one or more other wagers as to a characteristic of the face down card. Further, each player is permitted to place additional wagers as to another characteristic of the cards in the player&#39;s own game hand. Variations of the type of game hand dealt are also possible. 
         [0007]    It is desirable to provide a card game using a simple concept which is easy to play and provides increased player&#39;s interest for one or more players. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention relates to a method of playing a game in which a pattern of game pieces is determined. For example, the pattern of game pieces can be a conventional card pattern such as a straight or a flush. Alternatively, the pattern can be a pattern or letters forming one or more words or a pattern of game pieces including indicia of questions such as trivia questions. The pattern of game pieces can be determined randomly such as by dealing a pattern or computer generating a random pattern. Game pieces are dealt to one or more players and each of the players individually or collectively contribute game pieces to try to match the determined pattern. If game pieces dealt to the one or more player match the pattern, the one or more players win. A payout can be paid according to the difficulty in obtaining the number of game pieces having the pattern. 
         [0009]    The invention will be more fully described by reference to the following drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a flow diagram of a method of playing a game. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a betting board which can be used with the game. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a flow diagram of a method of playing a game of matching a pattern of game pieces  10 . In block  12 , a pattern of game pieces is determined. The pattern of game pieces can be determined randomly such as by dealing a pattern of game pieces from a deck or collection of game pieces. Alternatively, the game pieces can be randomly selected by a device, such as a computer. For example, data representing each individual game piece can be stored in computer memory. A random number can be assigned to each of the stored individual game pieces. A program for randomly selecting the assigned random values can be implemented to generate a pattern of game pieces. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, one or more conventional decks of 52 cards can be used as game pieces determining a pattern of game pieces. In an alternate embodiment, the game pieces can be a deck of a predetermined number of cards having a certain characteristic, for example, ten red cards and ten black cards or twenty red cards and twenty black cards. In an alternate embodiment, the game pieces can be a deck of cards having an odd or even characteristic, for example, five odd cards and five even cards, or ten odd cards and ten even cards. 
         [0015]    In an alternate embodiment, Mah Jongg tiles can be used as game pieces. Alternatively, the game pieces can be one or more dominoes or die. In one embodiment, a predetermined number of dice are rolled for determining a pattern of game pieces. For example, the number of dice can be two through six die. 
         [0016]    In an alternate embodiment, the game pieces include one or more alphabetic representatives or numbers. An example pattern can be a word or phrase, such as “Stella Wins”. 
         [0017]    In an alternate embodiment, the game pieces can be cards including indica determining a pattern of game pieces. For example, the game pieces can include trivia questions. The pattern of game pieces is determined by a pattern of trivia questions. Players can read and answer the trivia questions for fun while playing the game. 
         [0018]    In an alternate embodiment, characteristics of a player are inputed into the computer having game pieces stored in the computer memory. For example, the characteristics can be age, education, geographic location, nationality or other background characteristics. Thereafter, in block  14 , game pieces are determined based on the inputed characteristics. Accordingly, the trivia questions are customized to the characteristics of the player. 
         [0019]    In block  14 , game pieces are dealt to the one or more players. In block  16 , after each game piece is dealt to one or more players, or after all game pieces are dealt to one or more players, it is determined if the dealt game piece individually or collectively matches the predetermined pattern of game pieces. Accordingly, in one embodiment the one or more players can play together and root for one another to match the determined pattern of game pieces. 
         [0020]    Betting can take place on a guess of the game pieces dealt to the one or more players individually or collectively match a predetermined pattern of game pieces. In one embodiment, device for playing a game  50  includes betting board  51 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Betting board  51  can be a game table. Betting board  51  is partitioned into portions  52   a - 52   b.  Each portion  52   a - 52   b  corresponds to a guess of a match of the pattern of game pieces. For example portion  52   a  corresponds to a guess of a match of the pattern of game pieces. Portion  52   b  corresponds to a guess of a no match of the pattern of game pieces. A plurality of portions  52   a - 52   b  can be arranged on betting board  51  for receiving bets of a plurality of players. 
         [0021]    In an alternate embodiment, a player places a wager of any amount on one or more of portions  52   a - 52   b.  The pattern of game pieces is selected by the dealer, a player, preselected by the house, or determined by a computer as described above. Game pieces are dealt to one or more players at dealer stations  54   a - 54   n.  Each of the one or more players at dealer stations  54   a - 54   n  attempts to individually or collectively match the pattern of game pieces. A player wins a bet if a bet was placed on a portion  52   a - 52   b  corresponding to the guess of a match of the value of the pattern of game pieces and the one or more players matches the pattern of game pieces individually or collectively or if a guess of no match of the pattern of game pieces and the player does not match of the pattern of game pieces. 
         [0022]    A winning matched guessed value earns the player a predetermined payout. For example, the payout can be equal to the amount bet or can be greater than the amount bet, such as paying out 3 to 1 odds. In one embodiment, the payout is based at least in part on the probability of matching the pattern. In one embodiment, the odds of winning the game may be made more in favor of the house. For example, a winning player will be paid less than the true odds of the bet in order to allow the house or casino to profit from hosting the game. 
         [0023]    In another embodiment, the house can take a commission on all winning players, for example, 5% of the winnings. 
         [0024]    In one embodiment, each player is dealt the game pieces and the players can play against each other. Alternatively, only one hand of game pieces is dealt and one or more players can bet against the dealt hand of game pieces. 
         [0025]    In one embodiment, the game is played in a casino. Alternatively the game can be played electronically or digitally, such as, for example, on a video screen, over the Internet or on a mobile device. 
         [0026]    In another embodiment, a bonus wager is placed at portion  55   a - 55   d.  Before the game pieces are dealt to a player, one or more game pieces are placed aside portion  55   a - 55   d  as bonus game pieces. After the method of playing a game of matching a pattern of game pieces  10  is played, the one or more bonus game pieces set aside bonus portion  55   a - 55   d  are revealed. A player wins if the bonus game pieces match any part of the pattern or the entire pattern of predetermined game pieces. Alternatively, a player wins if the bonus game pieces have a predetermined pattern depending on the number of bonus game pieces used. For example, for two bonus game pieces, the predetermined pattern can be two of a kind or same suit. For three bonus game pieces the predetermined pattern can be three of a kind, same suit, or straight. For four bonus game pieces, the predetermined pattern can be two pair, same suit or straight. Alternatively, a player wins if the bonus game pieces indicia of the game pieces, for example, “Everybody is a Winner”. It will be appreciated that various predetermined pattern can be used in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The bonus can also be paid out in a progressive manner in which bonus bets which are not paid out are accumulated and a subsequent player having a winning bonus bet collects the accumulated bonus bets. 
         [0027]    It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative of only a few of the many possible specific embodiments, which can represent applications of the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised in accordance with these principles by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.